crossings. so a lot of folks want to head over to the peninsula, they're doing that now. >> there they go. we're back at 7:25 with a live local news update. >> take a breath. but heavier rain picking up. see you in 25 minutes. >> good morning. breaking news. alan gross an american imprisoned in cuba the past five years on a plane back to the u.s. right now. his freedom part of a potential prisoner swap. will it usher in a new era of relations between cuba and the u.s.? canceled. the premier of t"the interview" scrapped. its stars pulling out of public appearances. one movie chain vowing not to show the movie at all as the fbi closes in on the group that hacked sony's computers. >> scare in the air.

at least 14 passengers injured after severe turbulence rocks a flight from seoul to dallas. tense moments in the cabin caught on camera. >> and the winner is -- >> craig wayne boyd. >> the country star from team blake crowned the voice and he flew across the country to celebrate with us today, wednesday, december 17th, 2014. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is a special edition of "today" with matt lauer live from studio 1a and savannah guthrie live from washington, d.c. >> good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. 7:00 out on the west coast. we've got a gang here in new york city, savannah is in washington where we expect to hear from the president on the

surprise release of alan gross. good morning to you. >> good morning. this is a big story. cuba has agreed to the 65-year-old's release on what it calls humanitarian grounds. gross was arrested in 2009, and accused of being a spy. was sentenced to 15 years in prison three years ago. while he is on a plane home right now as we speak, andrea mitchell, a lot of moving parts on this. alan gross on the way home. the president set to announce a softening of relations between cuba and the u.s. >> and the beginning of steps toward normalization of relations. the opening of embassies down the road in havana. and here in washington. this is a very big step. he has released they say on humanitarian grounds separately they claim, this is the diplomacy, three cuban are on the way back, in prison for 15 years convicted of conspiracy to

commit espionage exchanged, this is the deal, for intelligence assets of the united states who had been in prison a long term conviction in havana. >> you say intelligence asset. a spy. >> a cuban, a spy who was convicted of spying for the united states, is being sent back here, secondly alan gross is on the way back to washington, humanitarian grounds, three cuban going to havana. the bigger picture is the president is going at noon and raul castro in havana announcing steps toward normalization of relations. the embargo will not change in a matter of law until congress does something and with republicans taking over and conservativings it's unlikely that will happen. but secretary kerry and barack obama have been moving toward this now for two years. toward normalizing relations. alan gross was a big impediment, his imprisonment, the normalization would include loosening what the president could do by executive order.

>> a massive change in the way these countries deal with each other. thank you. appreciate it. >> there are major developments tied to the massive computer hack on sony pictures. the group allegedly behind it is making threats against the movie that apparently started it all, and anyone who goesto see it. joe friar covered this from the start. good morning to you. >> good morning. the new york premier for the movie "the interview" which was scheduled for tomorrow night has been canceled, sources tell cnbc sony is going forward with plans to release the film, but it will support theaters if they decide not to run it. sources say one major theater main, carmike, plans to pull the film from theaters after theaters were threatened by hackers. the ominous threat from the sony hackers who call themselves guardians of peace says the world will be full of fear remember the 11th of september 2001. the threat is aimed at movie

theaters planning to show "the interview" a comedy about the fictional assassination of north korean leader kim jong-un. the hackers say soon the world will see what an awful movie sony picturesantstainment has made. sony has not commented on the threats. >> one chain has said it won't carry the film, i believe others will follow and by the time the film is supposed to come out most of the theater chains in america will have said they won't carry the film. >> the department of homeland security says it's aware of the threat but at this time there is no credible intelligence to indicate an active plot against movie theaters within the united states. l.a.'s police chief says his department will take extra precautions at theaters. >> we have had conversations with theater management and they are having conversations with sony. >> when there is any chatter or threats we make sure there's strong presence in any places that could, but we feel very safe. >> the stars of "the interview" seth rogen and james franco are

canceling appearances including one scheduled tonight with jimmy fallon. investigators say they are closing in on the source of the cyber attack including the part of the world where it came from. meanwhile, sony is facing two class action lawsuits filed by former employees who feel the company is to blame for stolen private information. >> the amount of personal information that was stolen makes it pretty likely at least some of the employees somewhere around the world will suffer identity theft. and that will cost them money. >> so far only the one major theater chain carmike made the decision not to run the film. some are suggesting this cyber attack could be the most expensive corporate hack in history with estimates ranking between 100 and $300 million. matt. >> joe friar, thank you. john henry served as executive director of the fbi, overseeing cyber terrorism investigations

now president of crowd strike which specializes in cyber security. good to see you. we know this group guardians of peace is credible in terms of ability to get in a corporate system and distribute private information. how do we find out if they are credible in terms of carrying out violence on american soil? >> that's what the homeland security and fbi doing. they will be looking at signaled intelligence and coordinating with the intelligence community. this is something the fbi and dhs will take seriously. >> i tread statement they released. it almost sounded too stereotypical, the halting english, the weird grammar. sounded like the threats north korea against south korea. is it possible it's a diversion meant to draw our attention to a place like north korea when it could be somewhere else? >> it could be. it's hard to do when you look at attacks on computer systems. investigators will look for artifacts in the systems to try to link them to culprits.

>> so forensic investigation. do they have informants in the hacking community? >> they do. they look and use human intelligence but looking for similar to what you do at a crime scene, for dna or finger prints, doing that in the network, malware and the tools that they use. >> could this be an inside job? >> it could be. any time there is an attack they look at the totality of the circumstances to determine who actually caused it. >> now that this organization whoever they are, guardians of peace, upped the ante, do we need to change what is perhaps a stereo typical image of hackers that we have of the guys in the dark room with their nose buried in a computer screen and the fast food containers around? do we have to change that? >> i think you are absolutely right. we crossed a rubicon here. nation states who are potentially using the cyber networks as a weapon, to deteriorate and destroy networks. this is a big change. it's not just the data which

we've seen but there is a huge change and there has to be policy to address this. >> thank you very much. appreciate it. by the way we want you to weigh in. head to todd.com and let us know if the threats we're hearing from guardians of peace will affect whether you go to see this film "the interview." right now down to savannah in washington. >> matt, thank you. now to the brutal taliban massacre at a school in pakistan. this morning the death toll is climbing, it's at 148. and most of those victims were children. for the first time we're also seeing inside the building where this unfolded and the images are disturbing. nbc's correspondent bill neely has more. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. i've been inside this school, shown around by the army t scene of a mass murder, a horrific scene. the bullets, the books, the blood still lying where so many children died.

you know, this city peshar, nothing compared to this. this was a bloodbath like no other in pakistan. a massacre of the innocents, the shoes and glasses scattered. they came to this hall to learn first aid, how to save lives. they lost theirs when seven gun men burst in and began shooting. >> dozens of the children were murdered in this hall and it's no exaggeration to say that every inch of this floor is covered in or smeared with blood. it's a scene of utter horror. the gun men moved to classrooms hunting down children without mercy, until army commandos began to fight back. all seven taliban gun men wearing suicide vests were killed but they murdered more than 140 by then. >> we are all sickened. i think there is nothing that

could happen worse. >> in the hospitals dazed survivors, more than 100 children injured, medical staff overwhelmed. after the massacre, the mourning. this attack has stunned pakistan, the army and government promise revenge but for now the slaughter of so many children simply left this country numb. the pakistani army has now launched fresh air strikes against the taliban, the government has announced three days of national mourning but it will take a lot longer than three days for the sense of shock and disbelief here to fade. back to you. >> awful story. thank you so much. at least 14 passengers on a u.s.-bound flight are recovering from injuries after their plane encountered severe turbulence and had to make an emergency landing. nbc's tom costello is with us now. good morning. >> this was a very rough flight. good morning. this was an american airlines

triple 7 on a long flight from seoul to dallas and veteran business passengers have said they have never seen anything like this. it's video not verified by nbc news which seems to show the frightening moments tuesday after an american airlines flight headed from south korea to dallas with 240 passengers and 15 crew members on board, was forced to make an emergency landing in tokyo. extreme turbulence rocked the aircraft for nearly 40 seconds. >> just without warning the plane dropped. >> mark stanley started recording video and snapping photos after plates, glasses, a beverage cart, were thrown all over. this plate broke into pieces after hitting a passenger in the head. >> they asked us to only walk with shoes on because there was so much broken glass and plates all throughout. >> after an hour and a half the

pilot announced he needed to land. >> got on and said look, this is -- we're not even going to try. >> one passenger tweeting landed in tokyo after massive massive turbulence on aa 280. broken glass et cetera flying inside cabin, some were injured. the airline says five people on the flight were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries and as many as nine passengers treated at the scene. at least one passenger is reported to have suffered a broken arm, others had bumps and bruises. i talked to american airlines, they say now the plane has now at least one of two, has landed in dallas and another one will come in later. this plane hit one heck of a storm or clear air turbulence. we're not sure which. by some description they hit a ribbon of wind and air described as typhoon force winds, somebody said in excess of 200 miles per hour. >> raises the question don't

airlines try to avoid bad weather? >> they do. they don't always know about it but that's something that american airlines is going to have to look into. >> tom, thanks so much. we'll send it back to new york and matt. >> thank you very much. natalie here with important move by the president that came late last night. >> the president has signed a $1.1 trillion spending bill tuesday night that keeps most of the government running for the next nine months, but the department of homeland security will only receive its money through the end of february. that limit was demanded by republican leaders to appease critics of obama's immigration measures. the search is over this morning for a man accused of shooting and killing six people. investigators found bradley stone's body while searching near his home in pennsburg, pennsylvania. officials say stone died from apparent self-inflicted stab wounds. on monday stone shot and killed his ex-wife nicole and five of her family members. >> ebola survivor dr. rick sack

ra is returning to liberia, the country where he contracted the virus. next month he will resume working as a medical missionary there and plans to spend four weeks at clinic out side of monrovia where he contracted ebola. he says he feels great and that doctors said he is now enecktively immune to ebola. amazing what he is doing. >> neighbors say it sounded like an explosion when part of a building came crashing down in portland. take a look because the surveillance camera captured it all from across the street. that massive portion of a wall crumbled during a wind storm last week. firefighters, though, say the rest of the building remains structurally sound. fortunately no one hurt there. >> and when two siblings fight who better to step in and break it all up than mom. that's what happened to two political pundits brad and dallas woodhouse arguing during a guest appearance on cspan when they get a call in from north carolina.

>> you're right i'm from down south. >> god, it's mom. >> i'm your mother and i disagree that all families are like ours. i don't know many families that are fighting at thanksgiving >> is there really your moth center >> it's my mom. >> i'm hoping you'll have some of this out of your system when you come here for christmas. >> there's a threat. dallas is the republican, brad a democrat, and their mother apparently tired of all of the bickering there. wonder what it's like around the dinner table during the christmas holiday. >> holiday time in the wood shed in that family. natalie, thanks very much. what's happening for our friends out west? >> a lot of heavy rain. only friday we told you about mudslides. more heavy rain today. there were flash flood warnings and officials going house to house to get people out. that's lifted. and the rain has moved to the south. in fact, we go to the radar you'll see it's out of san diego now.

so that's good news. san diego starting to see the sunshine come back out. rain comes to an end. temperatures in the low 60s. four parts of southern california another inch or so until 4:00 p.m. possible, so for the burn areas we have to keep an eye, that's why there are flash flood watches out. and around the rest of the west coast, we're looking at showers in vegas and 51. sunshine in los angeles, 63. seattle, some showers and 47 degrees. we've got your local forecast co earning unlimited cash back on purchases. that's a win. but imagine earning it twice. introducing the citi® double cash card. it lets you earn cash back twice, once when you buy and again as you pay. it's cash back. then cash back again. and that's a cash back win-win . the citi double cash card. the only card that lets you earn cash back twice on every purchase with 1% when you buy and 1% as you pay. with two ways to earn, it makes a lot of other cards seem one-sided.

7:17. good morning to you. meteorologist christina loren. you're probably not shocked to see showers on the radar this moring. getting spotty act test now. this is going to intensify throughout the second half of the day. right now the biggest cell is pushing over the east foothills. getting a break from the heavy stuff. in the south bay, it's going to return as we head throughout the second half of the day. temperatures chilly, 50s. wean 1:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. the bulk of the moisture. tomorrow dry. another system on friday. and that's your latest weather. >> thanks very much. in light of these new threats a lot of people asking would you go see that movie? what are people saying? >> that's the question we posed earlier. the effects of the sony hacking scandal moved beyond the hollywood studio and into movie theaters after -- it's not determined to abcredible threat but a threat has come down regarding people who may want to see "the interview." and the theaters playing it. sony is leaving it up to

theaters whether they show the movie. we asked you on today.com. 60% said no. 33% said yes. and natalie, we were talking about whether or not all of this attention that the film has received if people will go out of curiosity who weren't interested before even with the threats, so we'll see, keeping an eye on what people are saying on today.com. >> i don't know. i'm hoping it goes straight to demand. >> if you want to see it you can if they go right to on demand or dvd. >> going to a theater, kind of frightening for me. coming up a startling admission from steven collins, this morning his apology in the wake of child molestation allegations. >> plus, they exposed locksmith rip-offs. our team is at it again. have things gotten better? we'll try to find out. ♪

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you're watching "today in the bay." >> very good wednesday morning to you. 7:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. happening now, arson investigators on the scene of four separate car fires in san francisco. noe valley neighborhood. each of the fires report lid happened between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m. we're told there are four separate crime scenes, 10 to 15 block as part from each other. no one was hurt. was the second round of fires in the same area. recall arson investigators responded to a similar incident back in november a number of cars set on fire in the castro a few blocks away from the crime scene. too soon to tell if incidents are related. minutes away from high tide.

some in the north bay worry that heavy rain will cause neighborhoods to flood. high water shut down several roads and there's concern more rain will make it even worse. when will we get more rain? let's check in with our specialist meteorologist christina loren. >> we just can't get out of the wood when it comes to rain. at this point, spotty, light, you can get outdoors and take care of business before the heavy stuff comes in. we have another round of heavy rain on the way. a good batch of rain over san jose. starting to dry out for a brief time. by 1:00 to 9:00, another round, heavy and flooding is expected. you want to keep that in mind. you know the usual suspects, though, places prone to flood. you want to avoid those areas especially between 1:00 and 9:00, like i said. it's going to be heavy. temperatures chilly. you need your jacket. throughout the next couple of days, trending drier. after friday looking good for

sunshine saturday into sunday. here's mike and your drive. >> friends here they are looking at the road, there's a leak. take an advantage of the break in the rain. low clouds, fog for 580. light volume of traffic. map shows smooth drive through dub len but jammed 680 southbound past the sunol. past crash vargas cleared a half hour ago. traffic better now. 880 hayward, free month slow. bay area, nothing unusual. lighter flow of traffic. >> thank you. we'll be back with another local news update in a half hour. see you then.

>> back in new york, a nice crowd. let's look at what's making headlines on this wednesday morning. thursday, new york's premier of "the interview" has been canceled. the kegs comes hours after hackers allegedly behind the cyber attack issued threats against theaters planning to

show that movie. >> the manhunt for a former marine accused of killing his ex-wife and five relatives has come to an end. the body of 35-year-old bradley stone was found tuesday near his home in pennsylvania. police say stone took his life. there is good news tied to falling gas prices. families expected to spend $550 less on gas in 2015 compared to this year. prices have fallen for 11 weeks and the national average stands at about $2.51 per gallon. >> haven't seen it that low in forever. also coming up in an emergency can you trust your locksmith to get you back in your home at a fair price? jeff rossen revisits one of his recent talked about undercover investigations to see if anything has changed. you think they learned their lesson? probably not. >> and then from the ebola crisis to the disappearance of a passenger jet and the passing of icons we're going to look back at some of the biggest news

stories of the year and how we covered them. >> this half hour with actor steven collins addressing allegations that he molested young girls, in a people magazine exclusive interview the former seventh heaven star admits to inappropriate behavior. nbc's stephanie gosk is here with more on that. good morning to you. >> good morning. steven collins calls it inexcusable, five occasions with three different underage girls. in a 1,000-word statement the actor describes the incidents but also says he has never done and has never wanted to do anything like it since. >> wish i could call the whole thing off. >> steven collins used to be known as the pastor and father on "seventh heaven." details of his personal life have taken over head lines and his image, he writes in 1973 he exposed himself twice to a preteen girl and describes a third occasion with the girl in

his house. i moved her hand in such a way that caused her to touch me inappropriately. it was a completely impulsive act and it's haunted me ever since to think of what i put her through. collins also admits to exposing himself to teenage girls in 1982 and 1994. >> that last instance in 1994 was when steven says he hit rock bottom and realized he absolutely had to get help. >> the actor explains he has been in therapy continuously for over 20 years and has not had an impulse to act out in such a way since. >> hi, dad. >> collins adds that nothing inappropriate ever happened on the set of "seventh heaven." the revelations came to light in an audiotape released by tmz. >> with a 10-year-old. >> no. she was 11 and then 12 and 13. >> collins says the tape was

secretly recorded by his now estranged wife during a marriage counseling session in 2012. the couple are now going through divorce proceedings. grant says she gave the audiotape to the police, but did not leak it to the press. >> so far there has been no criminal charges against collins, and the victims themselves have not gone public. >> to the extent he has coverage but civilly and criminally he can say whatever he wants now. the statute of limitation is over so maybe he's going to tell the truth. >> the statement includes an apology, collins writes, i deeply regret the mistakes i made and any pain i have caused these three women. i admit to, apologize for, and take responsibility for what i did. since these revelations surfaced his career has come to a standstill. he lost multiple roles. collins says he made amends with one of the victims but not contacted the other two for fear of in his words, opening old wounds.

>> stephanie gosk, thank you very much. let's get a check of the weather from al. >> as we get set for the big holiday travel week ahead this weekend we've got activity. we watch this storm system come up out of the gulf and push across the mid mississippi, ohio river valley and make its way into the southeast. it looks like it stays south but is there enough cold air? we're looking at heavy thunderstorms from central texas into the lower mississippi river valley and snowfall wise, friday night into saturday, basically about 1 to 3 inches, parts of western virginia could see maybe three to six but the good news is it's mostly going to stay down south. on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the wood 7:35. good wednesday morning. i'm meteorologist christina loren. tracking rain though showers are

spotty. you're going to get outdoors today without dodging rainfall for the first part of the day. then heavy stuff moves in between 1:00 and 9:00 p.m. keep that in mind. temperatures will be chilly for today. expecting another round of heavy rain. showers likely subside as we head throughout tonight. tomorrow morning, spotty activity like we're dealing with right now. friday another round of stead r. rain. dry for the weekend. coming up stories that up toed our hearts in 2014. an extraordinary compilation that will take up most of the next half-hour. >> and jeff rossen reports. >> reporter: it's rainy, window out, and you're locked out. you call the locksmith to get you if. do they overcharge you? do they drill through the lock and charge you even more? our latest hidden camera investigation you need to see coming up. cut diamond,

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only from famous footwear. victory is yours. we are back now at 7:40 with a new rosin report. this morning, we will start a special series called "we're back." jeff and his team have been exposing ripoffs for years. this week, they are going back tosome of the most popular stings to see if contractors have learned their lesson. jeff, of course, "today's" national investigative correspondent. good morning to you. >> hey, matt, good morning to you it is the worst feeling in the world, isn't it? happened to a lot of us. you are locked to out of your house and you need a look smith to get you back in. so in 2011, several years ago, we pulled out our hidden cameras and invited them over. locksmith after locksmith chargeds hundreds of dollars for a pretty simple job. we exposed them right here on national television on "today."

so, guess what we just did. went back to that same area to test locksmiths again. did they learn from our investigation? this morning, we're back. oh, boy. here we go again. why is this man drill nothing our front door? >> just drilled right through t charged hear a lot of money. >> yeah. >> reporter: why is this one destroying our lock then running away from our cameras? i guess he doesn't want to talk us to. we can't believe our eyes. after all, it was three years ago i first exposed that locksmith. renting this home in suburban new york, we hired this licensed locksmith to install simple locks on our door. he says any real locksmith would pick it easily. he showed us in just seconds. he says this job should cost about $100. >> there's no damage to the lock, a minimal charge to a cust mannered the proper way to perform that service on a

lockout. >> i'm locked out of my house. >> reporter: then we had our producer call a locksmith, saying she is locked out. this guy didn't pick our lock, he ripped it off with pliers. then we had to buy a new lock, from him. in fact, back in 2011, our expert says one after another overcharged us, including this guy, who drilled our lock, then demanded hundreds of dollars in cash. even saying this -- >> need to go to the bank or something? >> reporter: hold on, go with him to the bank? that's when i jumped in. just trying to figure out why you're trying to charge a woman more than six times what expert says that job should cost? >> what do you want me to tell you? [ bleep ]. what's your name? >> jeff rosin. nbc news. >> nice. nice name. >> reporter: all right. so now, it's 2014 and we're back, trying to see if locksmiths learned their lesson. so, we are back in the same area, setting up the same

scenario, except this time, our producer, our poor, poor producer, is locked out in the rain. >> thank you for coming. >> reporter: this first guy shows up and drills our lock right away, destroying it. happy to sell us a new one. price tag, $170. can i ask why you drilled right through that lock without trying to pick it first? >> emergency. >> reporter: this next locksmith pulls out the drill, too. another ruined lock. price tag, $210. you trying to rip someone off? >> i cannot pick that lock. >> reporter: remember, it can be picked. >> thank you for coming. >> reporter: but this guy doesn't even try and bess to drape our rainy day fund with a whopping price tag. he tries to shimmy the door open, but then quickly pulls out his drill. in seconds, we're in, but it will cost us, $415. >> the lady is outside in

pouring rain. you think i'm gonna stand for half an hour trying picking the lock. >> you think it takes half hour to pick the lock? >> yes, to me. >> we will have our experts show us. >> okay. >> reporter: yes, we had a new expert on site and he spent only five and a half minutes picking it and gets us in, no problem. you don't think you overcharged? you still think you should have drilled through the lock after seeing how fast he can pick it? >> yes. >> reporter: you you have to say that, i guess. in our new batch, nearly every locksmith charged us $200 or more. what's the bottom line here? >> bottom line, consumers are being ripped off, it's trouble. >> still happening even after we exposed them years ago. still a nationwide problem, jeff. no one is doing anything about it but you. >> reporter: we are happy to. there's a security issue here, too, only one of the locksmiths in this new batch asked us for i.d. to make sure we even live at that house. specters say they should never open a single door without verifying the address of the house matches your i.d. the best advice, guys, do not wait until you need a locksmith

in that emergency. find a reputable company and store it in your phone so you have it when you need it >> giving us that warm holiday feeling tomorrow? >> tomorrow on the "we're back" series, savannah, d.c., one of her favorite stories ever, you love this. oh. no dirty underwith a ir? >> dirty underwear. went to several retailers years ago and found when you return underwear, they will put it back on the store shelves and sell it as new. we are going back to some of the biggest chain. >> what time is that, jeff? i want to plan breakfast before then. >> this time tomorrow. are they still doing it? by the way, these are some of the biggest retailers. wait until you see what we found tomorrow on today. >> you have been forewarped. >> savannah, set your tivo. dvr. i know. all right, jeff, thanks. coming up, if you are still struggling with your holiday shopping, books are always a great idea. brooke shields and andy cope, two best-selling authors, are teaming up to bring you some two best-selling authors, are teaming up to bring you some great ideas. is a really big deal.u

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tamron's back in the orange room with something on tv that call the her eye. tamron? >> tied into the holidays. all it took was a mere five seconds for mindy kaling's show "the mindy project" to create a social media sensation, guys. take a look at this unw >> lucky you let you put up this wreath. >> reese witherspoon? this is the nicest thing in your apartment. >> okay. yes. that agencies actually what it looks like it is a wreath covered in pictures of reese witherspoon and with that, the hashtag, guys, wreath witherspoon was born and social media lit up with pictures of their own creation of the wreath witherspoon. and a few people went even further. here you have the areit ta franklin. get it? >> ah. >> okay.

i'm going gonna try one more. keanu wreath. i'm struggling here. how about this one here, savannah is in washington walk. the savannah guth-wreath. >> i see it >> and willie, brought you in early, because, of course, we know there's some history with you and mindy, you guys have this lovefest, this crush fest going on. and guess what she sent in to you? >> oh, wow. >> dedicated to our own willie geist. by the way, she worked all night on this, this was late last night. >> did she really make that or we give that to her? a hot glue ♪because i love you ♪[music continues] ♪

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you're watching "today in the bay." >> very good morning to you. 7:56 now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. happening today, soil experts will be out in marin county assessing a mudslide that has blocked several popular hiking trails. the mud slid across tennessee valley road. crews haven't been able to clear because they don't know if it's safe yet. experts will examine the soil and figure fought more mud might move. crews cutting a tree that fell. it happened burbank drive off of lawrence express weiway. more rain on the way? let's find out with me meteorologist christina loren. >> all we need, an amazing statistic from the rainfall,

.16, under .2 to hit an all-time record in san jose that has stood since 1894. what we're anticipating throughout the next few hours. i'll keep you out dated. also watching radar. a sneak peek at that in moments. but first all that rain you can expect a slow drive. mike? >> a slick drive here. san mateo bridge, tow truck arrived. whoa, what happened? they were there, tow truck arrives and took off. like a doorbell thing going on. they ditched them. westbound 92, slow toward the peninsula. slow in both directions for 101 as you travel past 92. both side of the bay slow between both bridges. what we're seeing pattern slower for north bound route through san jose. lighter than normal overall commute. recovery for 680 south through pleasanton from a crash that cleared an hour ago.

still slow for 580 out of the fog. there's fog registering orange on the map there. >> thank you for joining us. another local news update in a half hour.

♪ ♪ and we let it burn burn burn ♪ it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, oh what a year. >> i shook your hand. i will do it again. >> we look back at the biggest news stories of the past 12 months, from ebola to isis, the olympics to the clooney's. then still looking for gift ideas for the holidays? fear not. our friends, brooke shields and andy cohen, are here with some great boxes to add to your wish list. plus, "the voice" crowns its winner. >> craig wayne boyd! you win it! >> and team blake's craig wayne boyd hopped on a red eye to

celebrate with us live "today," wednesday, december 17th, 2014. ♪ >> good morning, north carolina! >> savannah, georgia loves savannah guthrie. >> all i want for my birthday is a "today show" selfie. >> happy christmas from canada. >> hi, we're back now, 8:00 on a wednesday morning, the 17th day of december, 2014, a nice holiday crowd here in new york. missing savannah because she is down in washington, d.c. hey, savannah. >> hi. good morning, guys. we know it's that time of the year. a lot of parties this time of

the year. hard to watch your figure sometimes. guess what? jenna wolfe and joy bauer, two easy exercises you can do anywhere and creative ways to slim down those calorie-laden holiday drinks. >> i like joy's exercise better. >> it's hard when you have doritos. >> those are tostitos. >> really? >> come on! >> you don't know what a dorito bag looks like? >> i'm going to eat your chips. okay? the breakfast of champions. >> try one. go ahead. >> do you realize, those have been out here all night? we don't even know where those came from. >> we don't even know who they belong to! >> let's go inside and get a check of the headlines from nat lie. >> cubans rerelease gross.

a deal that saw the u.s. release three cubans jailed in the u.s. they say it paved the way for the two countries to start talks on establishing full diplomatic relations. the cyber attack against sony pictures is now being followed with threats of movie theater violence. hackers who call themselves the guardians of peace posted a warning online tuesday for theaters that show "the interview", a comedy about the fictional assassination of north korea's leader, saying the world will be full of fear, remember the 11th of september, 2001. sony has canceled thursday's new york city premiere. the department of homeland security says at this time, there is no credible threat -- or credible intelligence to indicate an active plot against movie theaters. we are getting our first look inside that school in pakistan where taliban gun men massacred at least 142 people tuesday, most of them children. walls are scarred with bullet

holes and floors show damage caused by explosives. officials say the gunmen methodically went from room to room, hunting down their young victims without mercy. for the first time in a long time, good news for bill cosby this morning. just as another family member speaks out in his defense. nbc national correspondent kate snow is here with more on this. >> good morning, natalie. strong words coming out. in a statement to quicks a is he is hollywood," bill cosby's daughter, evan, says he is the father you thought you knew. "the cosby show," she says, was her reality tv. evan wrote on facebook "rape is a serious allegation and it is supposed to be taken very seriously, but so is falsely accusing someone. one someone rapes person they go to prison. that should also happen to the person who has wrongfully accused an innocent victim," she wrote. some pr expert says it all maybe a little too little too late. his reputation already damaged with more than two dozen women now making allegations. but cosby has never been charged with a crime and the good news for him, on tuesday, the los angeles district attorney said cosby will not be criminally

charged in one case that dates back to 1974, natalie, because of the statute of limitations. >> kate snow with the latest on cosbygate. the coast guard is leasing video this morning of the castaway it rescued from a remote island in the bahamas on monday. larry sutterfield from illinois had planned to go camping in the florida keys but his rubber dingy got carried out by the tide. he spent five days on the open seas before reaching the island. the search plane finally spotted his signal fire and tent. it is 8:05 now. get another check of the weather with mr. roker. al? >> announcer: this portion of "today" is brought to you by "night at the museum secret of the tombs" in theaters friday. >> got a nice group of people here, brought plenty of toys for our toy drive, these nice folks here, thank you so much. we appreciate that. let's show what you we have going on right now. we have wet weather in new york. we have rain making its way through southern california. we have got icy mix in the southwest as well, rain move

into the pacific northwest. afternoon temperatures, it is awfully frosty through the northern plains. 70s in southern texas and florida. look for 50s and 60s through the southwest into california. we are also looking at heavy snow developing in northern new england, caribou could see up to a foot before it's all over. 8:06. welcome back. we have some rain on the radar. not a lot, but enough to where you want to give yourself some extra time because we haven't had much of a drying out period. this cell is going to slam mountain view, palo alto, then end up in the south bay, san jose specifically, over the course of the next hour. temperatures today hopefully in the 50s. cool out there, need your coat and umbrella. you can ditch it tomorrow for a short time. more rain friday, into saturday, but mostly dry by this weekend. >> and that is your latest weather. >> all right, al, thanks very much. when we come back, what will you remember most? we are going to take an

extensive look back at the most talked about news stories of the past year. >> incredible. plus a man riding high this morning. the new champion of "the voice." craig wayne boyd will be here! and speaking of music, grammy, charli xcx performing live, but first, these messages. ♪ ♪come on everybody say... ♪fa la la la.

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[ applause ] it's time to take a look back, world cup fever to calls for justice nationwide it has been a year to research so, here's a look at the moments that shaped your world and ours in 2014. ♪ the pentagon now labeling isis an imminent threat that goes beyond anything they have seen. >> isis controls a huge part of syria and iraq. >> president obama acknowledging u.s. officials underestimated isis. the execution of an american journalist. this san extremely disturbing story. >> we are learning more about your son and his bravery.

>> jim's courage was an answer to prayer. >> isis has murdered yet another american. >> we will degrade and ultimately destroy isil. >> the u.s. is now leading an international coalition against isis and likely will be for years. >> israel striking back at hamas, blaming that group for the death of three teenagers. >> the israeli response has been swift. >> israel is still under rocket attacks from hamas. >> the approximately people that are feeling the brunt of the ongoing violence. >> breaking news, missing jetliner. >> the flight 370 took a southerly course, likely flying to the southern indian ocean. >> there's been no sign of the plane or the 239 people on board. >> it's been a very emotional day. >> a mother breaks down, desperate for news. >> officials admit they are facing an unprecedented aviation mystery. >> the crowded ferry sinks off the coast of south korea. more than 300 people, many of

them students, died. >> the plight of hundreds of school girls taken during a mass abduction in nigeria. >>? an act of pure evil. >> now, international outrage from tweets to the streets. >> bring back our girls. >> dramatic standoff unfolding in sydney, australia, where a gunman is holding hostages inside a cafe. >> 50-year-old suspect, hostages killed as that 16-hour standoff came to an end. haunting new images in from ukraine this morning illustrating the scope of the devastati devastating tragedy of malaysia airlines. talking about passengers falling from the sky >> deepening crisis, new trouble in ukraine. russian forces have invadeded and now have complete control of the country's crimea region. >> the centers for disease control is closely monitoring the largest ebola outbreak in history. >> this effort to contain ebola

is turning into a wide scale international operation. >> it's here the major fear, the first person died from ebola in the u.s. >> a second health care worker has been diagnosed with ebola. >> a nurse, just back from west africa, the rules that landed her in isolation. >> i remain appalled by these home quarantine policies. >> are you worried about a stigma? >> i haven't been until now. >> i shook your hand. i will again. we are joined by six american survivors. great to have you all here and also remember those who cared for you so well. >> america does not stand still and neither will i. >> is this a president who has scaled down his ambition? >> riding a wave of voter anger across the country, the gop grants full control of congress for the first time in eight years. >> the new fight over immigration reform as the president announces he is using his executive power to make some major changes. >> those members of congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work

better, pass a bill. >> he is not acting like one. >> firestorm brewing around new jersey governor, chris christie. eefrnlts mails suggesting a top aide orchestrated a massive traffic jam on the world's busiest brick. >> let down people. >> new questions this morning about the secret service and its ability to protect the president. the fence jumper made it all the way to the east room before being subdued. >> congress summons the secretary of veterans affairs to capitol hill amid stunning allegations of neglect and mistreatment of wounded vets. >> veterans died. get us the answers please. >> con strollers prisoner swap that secured the reese least of army sergeant, bowe bergdahl. >> has the administration now endangered the lives of all americans for the safety of one american? >> when people ask why are you in russia, i say, please, ask the state department. >> well, mr. secretary what about it? does he have a point? >> mr. snowden wants to come back to the united states today, we will have him on aly if the today.

the fallout over this massive general motors recall is now growing. do you think anyone acted in a criminal way in dealing with these ignition switches? >> in this case, we failed our customers. >> another blast of the dangerous cold is heading back to the midwest and northeast. >> we have been talking about this phrase, the polar vortex. >> the polar vortex. >> the polar vortex. >> two words we could have gone the rest of this winter without. guess what, it ain't done by a long shot. >> a massive tornado countries 80-mile path of destruction through arkansas. >> and this is what's left of the kimberly church of god. incredible scene in washington state. >> the desperate search for survivors and up to 20 feet of mud. out west, people are still struggling with that historic drought. >> imagine knowing when your home was going to be destroyed and all could you do is watch it happen. >> ferguson in flames. angry protesters reacted to a grand jury decision not to indict the police officer who shot michael brown, jr.

[ bleep ] >> protesters taken to the streets cries the country. >> feel now that justice has been lost to you? >> we just are gonna keep fighting. >> i can't breathe. >> i can't breathe. >> the officer hopes would you accept his personal condolences. do you? >> not at all. the time to apologize would have been when my husband was screaming he couldn't breathe. >> the outrage over a suspension handed down by the nfl. >> new surveillance video in that elevator has surfaced. >> we have not seen any videotape of what occurred in the elevator. >> ray rice will not step onto an nfl field this season. >> what do you think it would take for another owner to say we will take a chance on ray rice? >> only thing i can hope for and wish for is a second chance. >> yet another troubling case involving an nfl star. adrian peterson, accused of using a switch on his young son. >> donald sterling was allegedly recorded making disparaging comments about african-americans.

>> associating with black people. do you have to? >> some of the things he said are very offensive. they are horrible. >> aren't you angry? >> very angry. >> mounting allegations of sexual misconduct against bill cosby. >> now more than 20 women publicly accusing cosby. >> now the investigation into that deadly racing accident. >> nascar's tony stewart temporarily steps away from racial. emmy nominee tracy morgan critically injured in deadly chain reaction accident. >> how do you plead? >> not guilty, my lady. >> i want to see oscar face to face. >> oscar pistorius found guilty of culpable homicide. >> the jim said he can walk out of court today on bail. >> the world will be watching brazil today. go usa. >> are you aware how big soccer is in the united states right now? >> we have been blown away by the response. >> talking about ellen's super sized selfie. >> the most retweeted treat

ever. >> gwyneth paltrow and chris martin what they call consciously uncoupling. the wedding of kim kardashian and kanye west. kimye. >> have you seen a different side of kanye after getting married? >> i have seen more of change in him as a dad. >> brad pitt and angelina jolie finally walked down the aisle over the weekend. >> venice was the place to be as hollywood's most eligible bachelor, george clooney, finally tied the knot. prince george arrives in new zealand to begin his first official tour as a roy. >> william and kate meeting court side with jay-z and beyonce. >> this couple gets willie wonka's golden ticket. [ trumpets ] >> let the games begin. the eyes of the world on sochi, russia. thousands of athletes around the world kick 25u69 2nd olympic winter games.

>> sage kotsenburg the first to win in sochi. >> this could be it for anderson! gold medalist. >> be in the history books. >> we are still on that high from the hockey game. >> score! >> third time in u.s. winter olympic history americans have swept the podium! >> you want to see how your life is gonna change? how does that feel? >> that feels incredible. >> bode miller has now entered the record books as the oldest alpine skier to medal at the olympic games. >> like a built over the final jump. >> i wanted to come here and make myself proud. >> lilt up the ice! >> came in gold medal favorite. you are leaving as gold medal winner. yeah, definitely disappointed in my performance.

>> russia put a ribbon on the olympic winter games. let me say good morning to pippa middleton. pip park nice to see you, say hi to the folks back in new york. >> hi, everyone. >> good morning. >> where's the famous dress? >> it's in my wardrobe at home. >> we use friend as a verb, i don't know whether to thank you as that or yell at you. >> think it's good. i got nervous because i had to do this interview with you, tried to prepare myself. >> what kind of wed doug think it will be? >> definitely extravagant. i don't do things small. >> ready? >> yes. here we go. >> i got to go shave immediately. >> i think it looks great. it suits you. >> don't make me go all "meet the press" on you.

it's a shame tough go through something that takes life away to appreciate it more, but it certainly does do it to ya. what does it feel like? >> i like it a lot. i like it a lot. i think i landed hospital. >> you landed hot, 'cause you are hospital. >> hey. >> that's all it is. and then we are gonna rock 'n' roll. >> make it official. are you rejoining? >> yes. >> the president's not a bad cook. >> really? >> he is very proud of his chili. >> he did a portrait of you though. >> yeah, it still needs some work. >> what do you say to iraq veterans who are looking now and saying what was that for? >> we are going to do everything in our power to follow through. >> can you just describe that moment? >> i turned to the right and

osama bin laden was standing there and i shot him and i killed him. >> you wrote this, you said "no one knows the pain that the media and unwanted opinions have caused my family." why does that make you cry right now? >> brings back anger. he is the man that i love, everything ripped up. >> i am mork from ork. good morning, vietnam! >> mrs. brady. >> it's "saturday night live." >> and you know, i just want to thank all our partners for all their love and their support. >> mrs. robinson, you're trying to seduce me. >> you see before you a happy man. >> are you ready to see each other? >> who is the dress by?

>> oscar de la renta. >> now, on with the countdown. keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars. >> i'm gonna write a show for us. >> do you think i took this job to spite you? >> on the day thousands of delegates the democratic convention poured into miami beach. >> we have to hold the sword in one hand in order to defend ourself. >> comedy is timing. ♪ here's to the ladies who lunch

♪ >> you know how to whistle don't ya, steve? you just put your lips together and blow. >> and say simply, very simply, with hope, good morning. >> always marvel at what's gone on in a 12-month period. >> what a year, right? >> really is extraordinary. by the way, a quick thank you to producers, yalor if thebush, kate buckly, mike sidowski, our graphic artist, paulie barocas. >> great job. >> savannah, hard to imagine all the things we've seen. >> it's incredible to think about what a consequential year in the news and a look back like that, think just not only the

team that put that piece together but everybody who works on this show we all feel like it's a real privilege to cover these stories and a huge team that does it. so really interesting to look back. >> savannah, we are going to talk to you in a second. coming up, "the voice" you're watching today in the bay. >> a very good morning to you. it is 8:26 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. happening now, glide memorial in san francisco is passing out 5,000 bags of groceries to the less fortunate. families here in the bay area. the church does it every year. dozens of people lined up outside the church just before the sun came up, making sure they got to take advantage of the generosity. every bag of groceries has fresh fruit, veggies, rice, beans, other turkey or a chicken. check of the morning commute with mike. >> we have an inspiring sunrise. i just came through the area, now it's kind of shiny and wet.

101 through palo alto, these conditions are going around the bay, drizzle having dampened the roads again. look at the map, big view of the bay shows you a pretty typical pattern, but lighter than normal volume of traffic. big backup after the early morning crash which has cleared, but 84, that's horrible now because there's a mudslide, rock slide reported on niles just east of mission boulevard and causing all of this jam. folks are coming back to 680 and eventually go back the route they would have taken anyways. smoother drive towards the dublin interchange and bay bridge, although 580 and 880 also slow. back to you. >> all right. we'll be back in half an hour. see you then.

♪ we're back. 8:30 on a wednesday morning. it's the 17th of december, 2014. you know who that is right there? it's one of the hottest pop stars in the world right now. the winner of the award from billboard magazine, and she will perform for us in just a little

while. she has a brand-new album out. also, a dream come true as the country rocker won "the voice" last night. she is here to greet his fans out there on the plaza. we will talk to him about his big win and what is next for him. you already trimmed the tree, and how about trimming fat. jenna has the news. brooke shields, and andy cohen, authors, and they have great holiday needs. >> they are suggesting each other's books. how about a check of the weather, al? >> we are looking at wet and snowy weather up in parts of new england and an icy mix in the southwest and rain along the west coast, and heavier showers

in parts of western texas, and that will continue to flow into the east alone. around the eastern great lakes, and we're looking at a lot of rain through southern texas on 8:32. getting a little bit of a break from the heavy downpours. we'll have more of that steady rainfall later on today, but not too bad. keep in mind, though, it's been raining overnight. our highways are still nice and slick and there are areas of puddles and ponding. temperatures cool today in the 50s and the rain returns between 1:00 and 9:00 p.m. that's when we're expecting the bulk of the moisture. friday another system comes through, but mostly dry by this weekend, into christmas week. and that's your latest weather. no, look this way. this way. through go. now back to matt. this morning on "the voice" today, we have a winner, and

carson shows us how last night's drama unfolded. >> announcer: the winner of "the voice" is -- >> the country singer defied the odds as the only member on team blake, he beat out three of team adam's contestants to win the title. boyd was not the night's only winner. ♪ bla blake shelton had a big smile on his face, and he continues his reign as the most winning coach on "the voice." >> he has managed to mess this thing up. it will go down with, you know, missed field goals in the super bowl for the win. it will be three points at the buzzer that bounced off the rim and didn't go in, but it's

happening to him on live network television. and it makes me so happy. >> last night's finale was packed with incredible superstar performances by megan trainer. jennifer hudson. and bruno mars who brought them uptown funk. but the night belongs to craig wayne boyd who after struggling for ten years after trying to make it in the music industry, finally earned his place in the light. >> it feels like everything i put into it at this point has been worth it. for "today," carson daly, nbc news los angeles >> and craig wayne boyd is here on the plaza. >> thank you so much.

>> less than 12 hours ago you were on the stage being named "the voice," and now you are on the plaza. how does it feel? >> wonderful. wonderful. sleep, i can do that when i am dead, i guess, right? >> any sleep on the way over? >> a couple hours. >> only one was team blake and the rest team adam. >> yeah. >> you just shut it down and blake continues his winning ways. >> every week i went out there, my goal was not to be in the competition, and the only competition was with myself and to go out there and do my best, and if i did that i felt like america would get me through. >> what kind of advice did blake give you? >> just be myself and hold on tight, it was going to be a crazy ride. >> you were originally on team blake and then got stolen by gwen, and did you think that helped you?

>> yeah, gwen brought a sense of style to me, and she wanted -- as she said, she wanted to change my look and give me a little makeover. that was fun. i don't mind those things, and that was the coolest part of it because it opened up my mind . >> you are going to perform for us? >> yes. >> no rest for the weary. >> congratulations. >> thank you. >> we will see you. coming up, jenna and joy in trimming the fat from your favorite holiday drinks. brooke shields and andy cohen on the best books of the year. first, on a wednesday morning, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:38. a special series, 60 seconds to surviving the holiday creep. jenna wolfe is standing by with her tips. we will get to you in 60 serngsd literally, jenna. begin with joy bauer, "today" contributor and registered dietitian. good morning. >> good morning. >> you are slimming down festive beverages shall right? >> festive beverages so delicious and special, as you know, natalie, they can be super fat thing. i'm going to whip up in 60 seconds flat, we hope, a skinny eggnog and a lightened up person mint hot cocoa. i also have a few bonus cocktails and follow along and jot don't recipes, it will be on the website. >> 60 soengtsd clock. go, joy. >> first, for my skinny eggnog, five cups of low fat milk of your choice, then i'm gonna put in a non-fat vanilla pudding packet, rum extract, ground nutmeg, whirl it up, put it into

a picture, in the fridge for about 20 minutes, gonna firm up. normal eggnog is gonna be up to 450 calories. my skinny version, oh, yeah 175. >> tastes good. >> peppermint hot cocoa. so i have steamed low-fat milk in here. i'm going to add a combination of peppermint and vanilla extracts a pinch of kosher salt, a dash of some sugar and then half a cup of semisweet dark chocolate chips, warm it up, blend it whisk it, air rated whipped cream, dark shavings. regularly, north of 300 calories, 175 cal riches >> all right. less than 20. >> a pomegranate spritzer, champagne with pomegranate juice, only 80 calories. my holiday sangria, i cut the calories by dieing through the with flavored seltzer, 160. "on the money." thank you very much. now up to jenna, workouts that anyone can do anywhere. let's put 60 seconds on the clock. take it away, jenna. >> hey, nat lake, great way to

beat the holiday if you're getting board of your exercise. start with pushups, don't like doing pushup, pushups respect fun, here is an alternative. i want you to stand near a wall, a steady wall, four feet awake hands together and come close to the wall and push yourself off. right? just enough to engage your chest. you're going to do five pushups there come out a couple inches, do five, five, five, five, five, five times and then you're going to work yourself back in five times. you'll really work the chest for a total of 50 pushups. next up, we are going down to the there are over here, going to start by doing ten slow mountain climbers much hands are together. engage the triceps. this is one, this is two engage the core. everything is working. then lay down on the mat right here and do supine foot touches, work the owe bleak. one, two, three. gonna do ten of those. gonna hop up, gonna give me ten jumping jacks, then do nine, eight, seven, combine this with the pushups, do the whole thing twice, it's a fantastic way to

good burn this holiday accept a. natalie? >> ding. on the clock, jenna, as always. if you want even more advice, be sure to head to our website, today.com. good job, joy and jenna. cheers. coming up next, we will have some fun with brooke shields and andy cohen. but first, this is "today" on nbc. (vo) nourished.

rescued. protected. given new hope. during the subaru "share the love" event, subaru owners feel it, too. because when you take home a new subaru, we donate 250 dollars to helping those in need. we'll have given 50 million dollars over seven years.

love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. still hunting for last minute holiday gifts? books can make a perfect presents. we have two familiar face and best-selling authors here to share their recommendation. brooke shields' new book called "there was a little girl, the real story of my mother and me" and andy cone, host of brave reese is "watch what happens lives" is the author of "the andy cone diaries." good morning. >> good morning. >> happy holidays. >> hey, matt. >> both had time to find a book in the last year. you find a lot of time to read for pleasure? >> i didn't this year writing the book, but took me nine

months to write the book. i always loved reading. >> me, too. >> even if do you 2030 minutes before you go to bed at night, something calming. . christmas statement perfect time to read. >> true. >> you have got selections, right? divided this into categories. >> oh. >> let's start with books for your parents. brooke, you have got a couple of selections. got this >> first? >> so, "rules of civility" by amore tolls. >> fiction? >> fiction. it is by -- amore tolls, who is actually a father at the school that we go to and it is set in the '30s there. it is such a romantic, beautiful, fun tale of a period of time i wish i was living n >> i loved it i lead it book, too. >> a classic this is so good, if you haven't read it, read it. if you have, read it again. >> yeah. all right. you have another one? also for parents? >> parents, the tucci table. you see him sort of -- a wonderful cook and obviously wonderful actor. he and his wife take you through

recipes and actually accessible and easy, not intim dating. >> i love stanly tucci, one of my idols. >> johnny carson's lawyer maybe going to hell for writing this book, he told every secret about johnny carson it is a delicious read. >> all right. let's move on. these are books for your spouse or significant other. brooke, what did you pick? >> matthew thomas, "we are not ourselves." >> why that one? >> i was looking for an epic feeling of a book but i didn't want to go too far in the past. didn't want it to be gothic. it's a really compelling, heartwarming story poll this family. ex-everybody priv if is how we are attached to our history and love and also our expectation. but it's a good, quick read. >> you're so specific, brooke shields. >> we asked you to be. >> i know. >> stephen king. >> is there a bad steven king book? . no this one is a complete page turn. love it i would give it to my significant other so i could borrow it.

yes. so stephen king, by the way. books for kids? you both picked the same one. >> the same one. "dj's book," the book with no pictures. >> compels you as a rearder to engage. i wrote children's books and i love the artist. that is a whole other thing, artists themselves but this without this really makes you compelled to be involved. >> kids will love this book, it may bug parents to read it, but it is -- right, but it is a great book. >> imagination. >> such a great idea. yes, ma'am >> even my 11-year-old enjoyed it >> let's go to boxes for friends, okay? you guys have chosen your own books here. >> andy cone diaries." >> about my mother. >> let's start with you. you wrote this book this year, you came out, very personal, very personal. >> very personal. >> were your friends surprised by some of the stories you

included in here? >> they were. they thought they heard all of them. i went back and reread all my diaries and reread things and stories that were -- i thought i knew everything about you. spoiler alert, you know, she dies at the end. >> leave them laughing, right? >> it is very funny. >> why you are book, by the way, so nice of to you give it away free for the holidays. my pleasure. i kept a top-secret diary for a year and then i published it. good idea, maybe. any fallout? >> everything is pretty cool so far. but it's really fun and you will laugh your head off. >> no guests have canceled your show? >> everything is good. although you haven't come on -- >> i was on there not that long ago. >> my new book. >> trading. >> two tell alls. >> brooke and andy, happy holidays. >> happy holidays. >> thanks for sharing. more on these books and their extended list of holiday picks. check out today.com and brooke's going to be here again in our next half hour. up next, a live performance, come on downstairs, this is

cool, got charli xcx in our studio. but first, to.a wednesday morning, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:50, with the first ever winner of the

billboard's women in music hitmaker awards, charli xcx. >> a pretty good year, two grammy nominations for her collaboration on "fantasy" and number wit hit with "boom clap" and the now out with a new album called "sucker." . good morning, nice to sigh. >> nice to sue, too. >> when i went through the list of things you have done this year, was it all part of your five-year plan? >> no i've never really had a five-year plan, i think it was always just see what happens. the way like to do it i never know what's going to happen next, you know? >> this album, "sucker" a very personal one for you. how is it different? >> it's kind of more raw, more wild than anything i've ever done before, very guitar led, has a punk feel to it i suppose. i can't wait for people to hear it. >> i was at the billboard luncheon with you the other day and a lot of the young artists got up and talked about having someone in their career who really believed in them that they could count on. did you have somebody like that? >> um, yeah, i've worked with a

lot of the same people since i was really young, you know? my manager and my record label actually and there's two people in particular, my manager and my record -- someone at my record label who's always championed me even when everyone else didn't care, definitely those two, you know? >> i know you're going to be singing "break the rules", is there a story behind it? my kids think you wrote it for them? >> well that song actually came about in l.a. i was working in west lake studios, which is where quincy jones recorded a lot of the michael jackson records. wrote it in the parking lot while i was outside on my phone and didn't think anything of it and kind of came together. >> zhoud that more often. ladies and gentlemen, charli xcx. >> take it away. ♪ electric lights blow my mind

but i feel all right ♪ ♪ and never stop, it's how we ride, comin' up until we die ♪ ♪ you catch my eye, girl, you wanna fly ♪ ♪ i'm so alive ♪ never stop, it's how we ride, comin' up until we die ♪ ♪ i don't wanna go to school, i just wanna break the rules ♪ ♪ boys and girls across the world, putting on our dancing shoes ♪ ♪ going to the discotheque, getting high and getting wrecked ♪ ♪ i don't wanna go to school, wanna break the rules ♪ ♪ i don't wanna go to school, i just wanna break the rules ♪ ♪ boys and girls across the world, putting on our dancing shoes ♪ ♪ going to the discotheque, getting high and getting wrecked ♪ ♪ i don't wanna go to school, i just wanna break the rules ♪

♪ i'm such a star, queen boulevard, blaze through the dark ♪ ♪ and never stop, it's how we ride, come.up until we die ♪ ♪ i don't wanna go to school, i just wanna break the rules ♪ ♪ boys and girls across the world, putting on our dancing shoes ♪ ♪ going to the discotheque, getting high and getting wrecked ♪ ♪ i don't wanna go to school, i just wanna break the rules ♪ ♪ get my guitar, sunglasses on,

so light it up ♪ ♪ and never stop, it's how we ride, comin' up until we die ♪ ♪ i don't wanna go to school, i just wanna break the rules ♪ ♪ boys and girls cries the world, putting on our dancing shoes ♪ ♪ going to the discotheque, getting high and getting wrecked ♪ ♪ i don't wanna go to school, i just wanna break the rules ♪ ♪ nah nah nah nah nah nah nah ♪ nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah ♪ ♪ nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah ♪ ♪ nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah ♪ ♪ nah nah nah nah nah nah nah ♪ nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah ♪ ♪ nah nah nah nah nah nah nah

nah nah nah nah ♪ ♪ nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah ♪ [ applause ] >> yeah, awesome. >> charli xcx. >> so great. >> thank you. good luck with the new album. the's called "sucker" and we are back on a wednesday morning. that's right. more after this, after your local news. you're watching today in the bay. >> a very good morning to you. it is 8:56. i'm laura garcia-cannon. happening now, arson investigators on the scene of four separate car fires in san francisco. each of the fires reportedly happened between 4:00 and 5:00 this morning and we're told there are four separate crime

scenes ten to 15 blocks apart from each other. no one was hurt. it is the second round of fires in the same area. arson investigators responded to a similar incident back in november. a number of cars were set on fire just a few blocks away from the crime scene. it's too soon to tell if the incidents are related. another update in about half an hour or so. hope you enjoy your wednesday morning. ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] get your taste of the season, at raley's, bel air, and nob hill.

this is a nbc news special report. here's brian williams. good day from new york. a momentous day, especially for those americans old enough to remember the cold war. the curtain came down between cuba and the united states in january of 1961 and in just a moment diplomatic relations, at least the first steps to which, will be reestablished by the two presidents. raul castro is going to speak to the people of cuba while barack obama speaks to the people of the united states. there he is. the two leaders have spoken by

telephone. a u.s. prisoner held by cubaen if -- cuba for several years has been released today, alan gross, in exchange for three cuban spies. there is mr. gross coming back to andrews air force base in washington, d.c. it is a day of momentous change, fast-moving change, and in a moment we're going to hear from the president in the cabinet room addressing the american people about the opening of embassies between these two countries. chris jansing on the white house lawn. >> unbelievable. the first connection between these two countries since the revolution. we'll hear from the president that this doesn't need to be a relationship frozen in time. >> chris jansing at the white house. sanctions against cuba will continue for now but there's no doubt about it, this is a rapid period of change. >> good afternoon.

today the united states of america is changing its relationship with the people of cuba. in the most significant changes in our policy in more than 50 years, we will end an outdated approach that, for decades has failed to advance our interests and instead we will begin to normalize relations in our two countries. instead we will create more opportunities for the american and cuban people and begin a new chapter. there's a complicated relationship between the united states and cuba. i was born in 1961. just over two years after fidel castro took power in cuba and just a few months after the bay of pigs invasion which tried to overthrow his regime. over the next several decades, the relationship between our countries played out against the backdrop of the cold war and america's steadfast opposition to communism. we're separated by just over 90

miles, but year after year an ideological and economic barrier hardened between our two countries. meanwhile, the cuban exile community in the united states made enormous contributions to our country. in politics and business, culture and sports. like immigrants before, cubans helped remake america, even as they felt a painful yearning for the land and families they left behind. all of this bound america and cuba in a unique relation shshi at once family and foe. proudly the united states has supported democracy and human rights and cuba through these five decades. we've done so primarily through policies that aim to isolate the island, preventing the most basic travel and commerce that americans can enjoy any place else. and though this policy has been rooted in the best of intentions, no other nation

joins us in imposing these sanctions and it has had little effect beyond providing the cuban government for a rationale on restrictions of its people. today the cuban government is still governed by the castros and the communist party that came to power half a century ago. neither the american nor cuban people are well serve bid a rigid policy rooted in events that took place before most of us were born. consider that for more than 35 years, we've had relations with china, a far larger country also governed by a communist party. nearly two decades ago we reestablished relations with vietnam where we fought a war that claimed more americans than any cold war confrontation. that's why when i came into office i promised to reexamine our cuba policy. as a start, we lifted restrictions for cuban americans to travel and send remittances to their families in cuba. these changes, once controversial, now seem obvious.

cuban americans have been reunited with their families and are the best possible ambassadors for our values. and through these exchanges, a younger generation of cuban americans has increasingly questioned an approach that does more to keep cuba closed off from an interconnected world. well, i've been prepared to take additional steps for some time, a major obstacle stood in our way. the wrongful in prisonment in cuba of a u.s. citizen and u.s. aid subcontractor alan gross for five years. over many months, my administration has held discussions with the cuban government about alan's case and other aspects of our relationship. his holiness, pope francis, issued a personal appeal to me and to cuba's president raul castro urging us to resolve alan's case and to address cuba's interest in the release of three cuban agents who have been jailed in the united states for over 15 years. today alan returned home,

reunited with his family at long last. alan was released by 2 cuban government on humanitarian grounds. separately, in exchange for the three cuban agents, cuba today released one of the most important intelligence agents that the united states has ever had in cuba and who has been imprisoned for nearly two decades. this man, whose sacrifice has been known only to a few, provided by america with the information that allowed us to arrest the network of cuban agents that included the men transferred to cuba today as well as other spies in the united states. this man is now safely on our shores. having recovered these two men who sacrificed for our country, i'm now taking steps to place the interests of the people of both countries at the heart of our policy. first, i've instructed secretary kerry to immediately begin discussions with cuba to reestablish diplomatic relations that have been severed since

january of 1961. going forward, the united states will reestablish an embassy in havana and high-ranking officials will visit cuba where we can advance shared interests we will on issues like health, migration, counterterrorism, drug trafficking and disaster response. indeed, we've seen the benefits of cooperation between our countries before. it was a cuban, carlos finlay, who discovered that mosquitos carry yellow fever. his work helped walter reed fight it. cuba has sent hundreds of health care workers to africa to fight ebola. and i believe american and cuban health care workers should work side by side to stop the spread of this deadly disease. now, where we disagree we will raise those differences directly as we will continue to do on issues related to democracy and human rights in cuba. but i believe that we can do more to support the cuban people and promote our values through

engagements. after all, these 50 years have shown that isolation has not worked. it's time for a new approach. second, i've instructed secretary kerry to review cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism. this review will be guided by the facts and the law. terrorism has changed in the last several decades. at a time when we are focused on threats from al qaeda to isil, a nation that meets our conditions and renounces the use of terrorism should not face this sanction. third, we are taking steps to increase travel, commerce, and the flow of information to and from cuba. this is fundamentally about freedom and openness and also expresses my belief in the power of people-to-people engagement. with the changes i'm announcing today, it will be easier for americans to travel to cuba and americans will be able to use american credit and debit cards

on the island. nobody represents america's values better than the american people and i believe this contact will ultimately do more to empower the cuban people. i also believe more resources should be able to reach the cuban people so we're significantly increasing the amount of money that can be sent to cuba and removing limits on remittances that support humanitarian projects, can t cubcu -- the cuban people and the emerging private sector. i believe american businesses should not be put at a disadvantage and that increased commerce is good for americans and cubans so we will facilitate authorized transaction between the united states and cuba. u.s. financial institutions will be allowed to open accounts at cuban financial institutions and it will be easier for u.s. exporters to sell goods in cuba. i believe in the free flow of information. unfortunately, our sanctions on cuba have denied cubans access

to technology that has empowered individuals around the globe so i've authorized increased telecommunications connections between the united states and cuba. businesses will be able to sell goods that enable cubans to communicate with the united states and other countries. these are the steps that i can take as president to change this policy. the embargo that's been imposed for decades is now codified in legislation. as these changes unfold, i look forward to engaging congress in an honest and serious debate about lifting the embargo. yesterday i spoke with raul castro to finalize alan gross' release and the exchange of prisoners and to describe how we will move forward. i made clear my strong belief that cuban society is constrained by restrictions on its citizens. in addition to the return of alan gross and the release of our intelligence agent, we welcome cuba's decision to release a substantial number of prisoners whose cases were directly raised with the cuban

government by my team. we welcome cuba's decision to provide more access to the internet for its citizens and to continue increasing engagement with international institutions like the united nations and the internation nat committee of the red cross that promote universal values. but i'm under no illusion about the continued barriers to freedom that remain for ordinary cubans. the united states believes that no cuban should face harassment or arrest or beatings simply because they're exercise ago universal right to have their voices heard. and we will continue to support the civil society there. while cuba has made reforms to gradually open up its economy, we continue to believe that cuban workers should be free to form unions just as their citizens should be free to participate in the political process. moreover, given cuba's history, i expect they will continue to pursue foreign policies that will at times be sharply at adds with american interests. i do not expect the changes i'm

announcing to bring about a transformation of cuban society overnight. but i am convinced that through a policy of engagement we can more effectively stand up for our values and help the cuban people help themselves as they move into the 21st century. to those who oppose the steps i'm announcing today, let me say that i respect your passion and share your commitment to liberty and democracy. the question is how we uphold that commitment. i do not believe we can keep doing the same thing for over five decades and expect a different result. moreover, it does not serve america's interests or the cuban people to try to push cuba towards collapse. even if that worked -- and it hasn't for 50 years -- we know from hard-earned experience that countries are more likely to enjoy lasting transformation if their people are not subjected to chaos.

we are calling on cuba to unleash the potential of 11 million cubans by ending unnecessary restrictions on their political, social, and economic activities. in that spirit, we should not allow u.s. sanctions to add to the burden of cuban citizens that we seek to help. to the cuban people, america extends a hand of friendship. some of you have looked to us as a source of hope and we will continue to shine a light of freedom. others have seen us as a former colonizer intent on controlling your future. jose marti once said "liberty is the right of every man to be honest." today i'm being honest with you. we can never erase the history between us, but we believe that you should be empowered to live with dignity and self-determination. humans have a saying about daily life. "no es facile."

it's not easy. today the united states wants to be a partner in making the lives of ordinary cubans a little bit easier, more free, more prosperous. to those who have supported these measures, i thank you for being partners in our efforts. in particular i want to thank his holiness pope francis whose moral example shows us the importance of pursuing the world as it should be rather than simply settling for the world as it is. the government of canada which hosted our discussions with the cuban government. and a bipartisan group of congressman who've worked tirelessly for alan gross' release and for a new approach to advancing our interests and values in cuba. finally, our shift in policy towards cuba comes at a moment of renewed leadership in the americas. this april we are prepared to have cuba join the other nations of the hemisphere at the summit of the americas. but we will insist that civil society join us. so that citizens not just leaders are shaping our future.

and i call on all my fellow leaders to give meaning to the commitment to democracy and human rights at the heart of the inter-american charter. let us leave behind the legacy of both colonization and communism, the tyranny of drug cartels, dictators and sham elections. a future of greater peace, security, and democratic development is possible if we work together. not to maintain power, not to secure vested interests, but instead to advance the dreams of our citizens. my fellow americans, the city of miami is only 200 miles or so from havana. countless thousands of cubans have come to miami on planes and makeshift rafts. some with little but the shirt on their back and hope in their hearts. today miami is often referred to as the capital of latin america. but it is also a profoundly american city, a place that

reminds us that ideals matter more than the color of our skin or the circumstances of our birth, a demonstration of what the cuban people can achieve an the openness of the united states to our family to the south. change is hard in our own lives and in the lives of nations and change is even harder when we carry the heavyweight of history on our shoulders. but today we are making these changes because it is the right thing to do. today america chooses to cut loose the shackles of the past, to reach for a better future for the cuban people, for the american people, for our entire hemisphere and for the world. thank you. god bless you and god bless the united states of america. the president from the cabinet room in the white house a raul castro simultaneously smoke to the people of cuba.

we welcome those viewers watching andrea mitchell reports on msnbc as well as the viewers with us on the nbc television network and let's bring in our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell who, for a good deal of her adult life, especially covering the beat of foreign affairs, has covered and dealt with this issue and, andrea, sum up what we have just seen take place in the last half hour. >> it's extraordinary. we've heard from both presidents, raul castro and president obama. we've learned that the president and raul castro spoke for 45 minutes yesterday. we've learned they're going to normalize relationship for the first time since 1961, almost 54 years. we've learned they're going to loosen the exchange of remittances, people in miami can send more money home, travel will be easier although the embargo cannot be lifted without lifting the helms-burton law

from 1996. that will be very, very difficult. but there will be a lot more freedom. there will be a lot more freedom of exchange. 53 cuban political prisoners, many of whom i know who were in prison in 2003 are being released from cuban prisons in havana. an american spy who has been in a cuban prison for 20 years is being sent home. three cubans, three men who have been imprisoned here in the united states for 15 years who the cuban have argued were unfairly convicted in the miami court are also being sent home. they were on charges of conspiracy to commit espionage. this is an opening of all of the economic possibilities between the two countries that are permissible other than the formal embargo that came under jfk. so president obama is doing something. john kerry flew into andrews coming back from europe, embraced alan gross i'm told, got popcorn and a corn beef sandwich on rye with mustard on

that plane. he and his family have said it's significant that today is the first day of chanukah, a holiday very, very important to them, they are very committed and observant jews and he is coming home after five years. he was accompanied home by pat lahey, dick durban, chris van hollen, senators who have been involved in this very detailed exchange, i should point out. they had been asked not to report the negotiations because of fear the prison door would not open today when the plane lanned from the united states at 8:00 a.m. in havana, the the prison door would not open until they were cleared of the cuban airspac airspace. >> andrea mitch who will will return to her own broadcast. andrea, we'll see you later tonight on nbc nightly news. andrea mitchell from washington. here in washington, the chairman on the council on foreign relations, richard haas. thank you for coming across town. what's going through your mind.

? i won't call the question on your age. i was two years old when the curtain went up between our two countries. this spans the scope of our adult lives as americans. >> absolutely. it's hard to avoid the symbolism. this is one of the last vestiges of the cold war and the taking down, if you will, of the symbolic walls or substantive walls between the united states and cuba marks yet again the end of that era of history. it's also substantively important. what enough some ways with this administration what you might call the winning out of the trojan horse argument. the idea that the best way to bring about change in closed society is not by isolation and pressure but various forms of involvement, get internet in, get travelers in, get a little bit more money in, find ways to cooperate, put -- plant the seeds of change and over time that will bring you big change. that's what we're seeing being put into place today and this reflects frustration with half a

century of isolation and what it wrought. >> viewing -- exporting the american ideal via hyatt regency, via iphone, via nbc television and on and on and on? >> exactly. plant seeds. it empower individuals. over the last few years we've seen multiplication of cell phones in cuba and every person with a cell phone has a ability to community kate. that's big. that's something that limits the powers of government to control what goes on within a society. economic activity. you know have private sect or that's responsible for roughly a fifth of the cuban economy. if you allow people to be free you have no do things economically, sooner or later they will want to do things politically so what i think again we're seeing here is the beginning of the end of the old regime in cuba. and this is not simply an american initiative. i think, brian, this also recognizes the sense of the aging castro generation and now the new generation of cubans

that cuba also has to join the 21st century. that the socialism and communism that marked and defined cuba for half a century is obsolete. the soviet era, if you will of cuban foreign policy is obsolete. they, too, needed a change. so what's coming through here is that cuba met the united states halfway in terms of the exchanges they made, with prisoner releases, we'll hear the things we did, but i think it's important to look at what they did and what it tells us about cuba. >> mary murray is also on the telephone with us, our veteran producer in havana who has lived on and off in cuba since 1994 thereabouts. mary, so many questions. i'm thinking about all the americans who or their parents came here came over here with their belongings came with their money sewn in the hemlines of

dresses claims, family plot, family pieces of land back in cuba, just one question of many flying through our heads. >> well, he did say -- raul castro, by the way, was having an address in cuba at the same time president obama spoke in the u.s. and he did say that while there are core issues that still must be resolved between the two countries like the trade embargo and differing views he called them, human rights, he did say everything was on the table. so it's a matter of time we'll see whether or not they're going to negotiate issues are close to the cuban american heart. but he did say he was willing to talk about everything. what happens very interesting brian is that the whole tone was very different. he urged caw boons to respect and appreciate president obama's suggestions. the headlines of cubans here is that the main agents who have

been in prison in new york for the past 16 years, he said they're back on cuban soil. and then right after he said that he told cubans to appreciate obama's gesture. that to me indicate there is may be some hard-liners who don't appreciate this opening. >> mary, we're going to see that in both countries today. mary murray who will be part of our coverage tonight. this momentous day between these two nations. something tumbled down that has been in place for half a century. for mary murray, andrea mitchell, chairman on council foreign relations chairman richard haass, much more tonight on "nbc nightly news" as we sum up what we have just witnessed today. i'm brian williams, nbc news, new york. movie pass for a pilot program that lets you see a film a day for a flat monthly fee. amc theaters in boston and denver will start rolling it out, offering monthly

subscription packages starting at $45 and $35. and the air can get a little stale when you're cooped up in an airplane, but this first-time flier stunned a flight crew in china when he opened an emergency exit door while the plane prepared for takeoff. he told

ring ring! progresso! i can't believe i'm eating bacon and rich creamy cheese before my sister's wedding well it's only 100 calories, so you'll be ready for that dress uh-huh... you don't love the dress? i love my sister... 40 flavors. 100 calories or less. you're watching today in the bay. >> good morning to you on this wednesday morning. it's 9:26. i'm sam brock. new within the last half hour, crews have cleaned up a mud and rock slide on state route 84. that road was shut down from main street in sunol to mission in fremont. it's back open now, but a traffic mess remains. cars and trucks were backed up for at least a mile. it was so bad at points, some people got tired of waiting and just made u-turns. the chp issued a sigalert for a short time, but that, too, has been cancelled. again, road back open, but traffic is still backed up. happening now, arson investigators are on scene of four separate car fires in a san

francisco neighborhood. this is video of one of the scenes. each fire reportedly happened between 4:00 and 5:00 this morning. all of it within a 15-block radius. nobody was hurt. this is actually the second round of tires in the same area. you'll recall arson investigators responded to a very similar incident back in november. a number of cars were set on fire in the castro just a few blocks away from this crime scene. too soon to tell at this point if the incidents are related, but something that's being looked at. we'll also have a look at your weather and traffic after this break.

welcome back now. well, we're starting it to get a little bit more 5:00 at this time on your radar right now, but the heavy steady stuff is still a few hours away. we're not expecting that until about 12:00 to 9:00 p.m., and then we're going to get another round of potential flooding in places like marin county. just hasn't had a chance to dry out. and up in santa rosa, we've actually accumulated

three-quarters of an inch of rain. every single day so far this december. so we're looking at some record numbers. here's mike and your drive. >> all right, christina. fremont still a slow drive down here, but look at the stretch here for 880, as well as across the dunbarton bridge. that's the worst of it for your morning commute. southbound lightening up and as sam told you, we have reopened for highway 84 between sunol and fremo fremont. we had a mudslide and 680 still recovering, as well. bay bridge approach smoothly, but recovering out of the maze. back to you. >> yeah, those 84 images, mike, just incredible. glad things are back up and running. see you again in 25 minutes.

welcome back to "today" it is wednesday morning, december 17, 2014. i'm willie along with al, natalie and tamron. tam rochbl >> yes, tamron. apparently though, i am the medium for the love between willie and mindy kaling. >> windy calling. >> i'm like whoopi goldberg in "ghost." >> okay, who's dead? >> no one. not exact, al. >> pottery wheels. >> who is making a pot? >> mindy kaling's love -- >> you getting dread locks? >> all things willie geist continues.

here is the backstory. so on mindy's show, she revealed what is affectionately called the wreath witherspoon. it is a wreath, it is amazing, made of pictures of reese witherspoon. >> and that blew up online. >> blow up online, everyone did my personal favorite, the aretha franklin. keanu wreath. savannah -- savannah -- >> savannah. savanny guthrie. overnight, late word, breaking news, big development, mindy stayed up all night long to dedicate a breathe to her one true love. >> come on. stop it too much now. >> willie -- willie wreath -- your name is -- >> it does. >> guise wreath. how much she loves him, his name doesn't fit in the wreath part. >> go it with it tamron. i'm a huge mindy kaling fan. i have made no secret of that over the years much she is smart. she is cool. she is beautiful. she is fun. i like me some mindy kaling as

well. >> would you hang that wreath in your home? >> i don't think my wife would go for that as much. >> your wife. >> but the one from mindy -- >> so in honor -- >> i'm honored, mindy. >> we are asking you, would you hang a willie wreath in your home? >> oh, my gosh. >> a wreath of willy? i don't know if i would do that. >> why? >> would you, tamron? >> put a wreath of you -- up next to the shrine i already have. good answer. good answer. >> a whole bunch of different willis, like willie mays? willie wonka? a whole bunch of willie cities in want to put a wreath of willis on your door. it could be a whole new thing. maybe you do it for festive. have you you never know. look for wet weather along the west coast. high surf advisories, southern california. an icy mix in the mid-mississippi river valley, more rain you there texas. sunshine here in the east, although rain and snow as you get into new england. tomorrow, snow along the great lakes, northern new england, an icy mix stretching from nebraska

all the way into parts of kentucky. a lot of wet weather down you there texas on into the southwest and more rain moving oh, in our neck of the willy, we've got some showers coming in, but the heavy stuff isn't going to move in until we hit the second half of today, then we've got a lot of rain. another round of heavy rainfall moving through the bay area. temps in the 50s. it's going to be cool, overcast, then between 1:00 and 9:00, that heavy stuff moves through. we're going to dry out. you're going to have an opportunity to get outdoors without carrying the umbrella. tomorrow another round returns, saturday and sunday, mostly dry for the upcoming weekend. >> and that's your latest weather. she is quickly becoming one of hollywood's it girls, talking about brie larson, you may know best from showtime's "united states of tara" or her turn as molly, jonah hill's love interest in the film "21 jump street." >> so good.

now she co-stars along mark wahlberg in "the gambler." wahlberg place college professor with a gambling addiction. one of his students played by brie suggests having a an affair it feels like a pretty safe bet. take a look. >> hey. >> hey. >> if i have to pull you into an inappropriate relationship to get you out of your job, i'm ready to go. >> it's on. >> we like that clip. >> so this is a great role for you, female empowerment role which i know you love to play. you plate student, he is the professor/gambler but you seem to have all the answers when it comes to to the relationship,

right? >> yeah, kind of got a nice play on the sort of teacher/student role. just because we watch mark play this literary professor who he knows so many words so incredibly well spoken, you watch him do these, like, 15-page monologues, tend of the day he is learning from her, from the stillness, from -- she uses very few words in the movie but those words are meaningful. mark paid you a really nice compliment. he did an interview, he said after the your audition, there was nobody else possible. it was you and nobody else. >> that's very nice. >> did you it feel that way during the audition? >> i felt that way for him we should get him for this movie. >> i see. you are confident. >> i really think's got something. >> breaking news, you chose him for this movie, not the other way around. >>ly i do people know. >> how it was like working with mark on set? >> oh, my gosh, he is amazing. i think any field that you're in, just being around someone who is just a master what the it is they do is a pivotal point. >> who are some of the women,

obviously, this character has a lot of confidence, who inspired you? what role models did you have to play a person like this? >> well, i mean, of course my mom was the beginning of all of it. i started acting real young. i was about i think 7 or 8. so she drove me around for many, many years and we've been a team for so long. and then getting "tara" and working with tony collette, my absolute hero, it was a game changer for me. >> yeah. >> talk about your mom in hollywood but music, people don't realize, age 16, you dabbled in music, even went on tour. just took a deep breath when i said it like i said a fear word. is music behind you? what is it? >> oh, no, not at all. it blows my mind when people stay because it feels like -- just like a different -- i can't believe it oh, there i go. >> i love that. worked with jesse mccartney. >> seems like a dream i went on

tour. that happened. >> yeah, that happened. i'm still playing music. i love it very much. yeah. yeah. >> you can always do both. >> yeah. why not? >> brie larson, thank you so much. "the gambler" opens christmas day. >> thank you. good luck. not that you need it play us out. coming up next, britney spears flaunts a gorgeous bod on a new magazine cover but was it photo shopped? we all want to know. photo shopped? we all want to know. that's coming up ♪ if you're happy and you know it, eat a snack. photo shopped? we all want to know. that's coming up ♪ if you're happy and you know it, eat a snack. ♪ when you're sad and you know it, ♪ then you face will surely show it, ♪ if you're sad and you know it, eat a snack. ♪ ♪ if you're bored and you know it, eat a snack. ♪ ♪ if you're lonely and you know it, eat a snack. ♪ if you're sleepy ♪ if you're guilty ♪ if you're stressed or if you're mad, ♪ if you're human eat your feelings, eat a snack. ♪ how their holiday glscent made me feel,ing

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when you don't get enough sleep... and your body aches... you're not yourself. tylenol ® pm relieves pain and helps you fall fast asleep and stay asleep. we give you a better night. you're a better you all day. tylenol® ♪ >> it's pop fix time. okay. keeping things -- kicking things off is britney spears. according to our buddy ryan seacrest iggy revealed that the jingle ball concert she and spears recorded, spears new

album due out. speaking of look at her unbelievable body on the cover of the new women's health magazine. >> wow. >> i'd say wow. she was abtastic. sparking debate whether she was photo shopped. >> come on. >> look. this is the video behind the scenes. women's health fitness is for people to judge for themselves. you can't photo shop video. >> you can but -- that's a lot of work. >> no. that's her body. she looks amazing. >> really good. >> works hard. >> it's her job to look hot and she's doing a good job. opening up about dating younger men. the 45-year-old has always been private about her relationships except for in the book she wrote telling us about it. but in the new issue of "self" magazine she takes on critics who say i date add younger guy once, possibly referring to her ex who was almost 20 years her

junior. she says all of theed old cliches about women. enough already. we're in the other position now, we're desirable older women and we can date younger guys. amen. it's not a big taboo. men have been doing this for year. >> the dance party is going on here next to me. it's like -- >> hip restaurant in 1998. >> the question is are you cool with women dating 20-year-old boys younger. i'm all good. >> we're good. >> this one will get your attention. i have to struggle to keep these guys in line. ready? okay. kim kardashian drama. the queen of selfies getting slammed for posting this photo on instagram. what is wrong with this? >> i see half a baby. a quarter of a baby face. >> cropped out baby north. after the backlash she responded saying her eyes were closed and i was feeling my look.

can i live? >> by the way, she didn't want to show her baby, that's all right. that's all good. >> we're not just taking another picture. >> people all up in arms about. >> people get up in arms about -- banana being yellow. >> get over yourself. >> arms up. come on, natalie. willie. come on. goodness gracious, that is your pop fix with the remix. how will the cookie crumble? what a transition of music. the finalist, a winner in our holiday cookie contest right after this. what the club music can't go with cookies?

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but... chocolate is my other favorite... but apple cinnamon is my favorite too... and fruity... oh yeah, and frosted! okay, but...what's you're most favorite of all? hmm... the kind i have with you. me too. all this month, asking for the best recipes for the cookie contest. time is here. we flew three top bakers here to compete for the tightle of best holiday cookie in the usa. here are our finalists.

karen hair from san jose, whitney here mariucci. es and our judges, natalie, tamron, will wlachl are they playing for? you don't know. >> cookie cutters, baking mats and rolling pin. >> and classes at any sur la table. >> karen what do you call your cookie? >> i call it what's under santa's hat. love. when you lift up the lid, you can see the chocolate heart. >> cute. >> so how does this come about? >> this is a spicy honey recipe i got from my neighbor, mrs. worely, bringing them to my house my whole childhood. shrinks and i used to fit over them. now my daughter and i fight over them. what you do is cut out four different parts, circumstance a

circle, a scallop circle, hat top and tip of the. what ice them the right color, pipe out a chocolate heart and then you dip the tip of the hat in icing -- >> like royal ice? >> confessioner sugar, lemon glaze icing. tasty cook kim >> okay. >> thank you and dip it in sugar and place it on. >> terrific. nice. all right. now whitney, you call them simply snowflakes? >> yeah, they are gingerbread snowflakes. yeah. >> all right. >> so i use royal icing to get the white on white affect and then i use a plastic bag and my hair ties and i just -- >> since your hair is now -- >> no ponytail today. then he just go like this, oh, my hands are shaking. and i pipe them like that. >> i got to tell thursday design here is one of the most intricate i have ever seen. >> then sprinkle them on. >> what kind of cookies are they? >> gingerbread. very nice. >> soft and chewy. >> whitney, this is good.

>> those are good. now, julianna, you have got a very nice -- you got a lot of stuff. >> you like it? make you want to bite it? the whole idea, 'cause there's a secret inside, al. a very big secret. >> really? >> shhh. i'm gonna share it with the world. >> what do you call this? >> i call it my outrageous holiday cookie. >> of course you do. >> 'cause everything i do is outrageous. >> what do you have here? >> basically a dark and semisweet chocolate cookie dough but inside is one of the holiday sandwich cookies baked right into, covered with a ganache. a cookie within a cookie? >> absolutely and i did it because my daughters adore chocolate. so you have to have an overload of chocolate. >> all right. let me go to the judges. what do you say? what say you? >> a quick hidel. >> huddle. >> is it karen, is it whitney, is it julianna? >> we like. >> really hard. >> really hard. >> but we do all love an

overload of chocolate. right? and we love how outrageous you are. >> and so -- >> i think whitney. not whitney. julianna. >> l congratulations. >> congrats. >> i do get to kiss you? >> oh. al. wow. >> yay! >> talk about your overload of chocolate. karen, whitney. thank you so much. thanks to sur la table for this great prize. you like to try these recipes at home, yes, today.com. we are back in a momentship. "today" on nbc. congratulations.

our 21st annual toy drive is heading into the hope stretch. today, earlier, our celebrity elf, charli xcx made the rounds on the plaza, collecting donation. joined by another corporate contribute exsarah from tyson

food. sarah, good to have you with us. back again this year. thanks for having us here. >> tell us what you brought this year. >> we are making a $200,000 donation of jimmy dean frozen breakfast, hill shire brand sausage and ballpark fraction, a lot of other prod during 55,000 meals to help the toy drive. >> good four. >> especially during the holiday, food is so important. >> so, how can you be in the food guess best and not try to help hungry people, right? but it is tough at the holidays. more americans experiencing hunger than ever before. we want to encourage others, other companies, other people to get involved in their communities and help out this holiday season. >> thank you. >> amen. >> thank you. >> thank you so much. >> thank you to tyson. don't forget you have until friday to doughdonate. willing to hang a willie wreath in your home? sarah what say you? >> yeah! >> 75% said yes. >> only 25. >> start selling them.

good morning, everyone, 9:56. i'm scott mcgrew. happening today, soil experts will be out in marin county. they are going to look at a mudslide that's been blocking

several popular hiking trails. it slid across tennessee valley road yesterday. they haven't been able to clear it because they don't know it it's safe to do so. today experts will try to figure out if more mud will be on the move. and crews are cutting up a tall tree in santa clara this morning. happened on burbank drive just off lawrence expressway. the recent downpours likely loosened the dirt around the roots and that caused the tree to tumble. well, let's check, we've got more rain on the way, christina joins us. >> we just can't get rid of it, scott. it is relentless. we need it, so there's a good side to the story, as you know, but take a look at this. in santa rosa so far this month, december 17th, 17th day of this month, i'm tired, these storms have been hitting me, as well. we picked up over three-quarters an inch of rain every day from december 1st through the 17th in

santa rosa and additional inch on the way between now and friday. we're going to continue to see the showers roll through the bay area. we'll get a break next week, but not today, tomorrow a little bit better. 56 degrees for the south bay. 55 on the peninsula, and 55 degrees in san francisco. if you're trying to get outdoors, we're going to give you a complete timeline for the upcoming showers at 11:00. see you then. first, mike and your drive. >> heading over to the high-rise, slow coming into foster city. see that slowdown on the map, see a slower drive, as well. they've cleared the incident from the bridge. pretty typical for the southbound sigh, but a number of crashes for 280. lighter volume of traffic around the bay, south slow through fremont, still the compression continues and the dunbarton recovers. back to you. >> okay, mike, thank you much. another local news update in half an hour. we'll see you then.

♪ wow something sounds sweet in here!!!! ♪

need a little honey in the bowl. yeah!!! badabopbopbopa!!! no? must be the honey!!! from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. hey, everybody. it's wines day wednesday, december 17. we are so happy that you're with us today. you know who is with us? >> this is unbelievable. >> tony award winning actress and singer bernadette peerts. >> who by the way, hoda, we were commenting when she walked in, has never looked better! she is in our studio right now.

>> somewhere. we thought we would be taking a shot, but maybe not. >> there she is. >> stop it. stop it. she's never in the sun. her skin is flawless. >> she would have been the carnival cruise line lady, she gets sea sick and never goes in the sun. thank you, bernadette. >> can i say something else we're not supposed to talk about? that dress. >> i am the official salvation army red kettle woman. >> look at this dress. first of all, it's a cape. >> who makes that dress? >> adrian -- >> adrianna papell. >> adrianna papell. >> isn't it cute? it falls on the arms. it's not sleeveless. if you're having a hot flash, you can go -- >> by the way, gorgeous. >> adrianna, one of my favorite

designers. >> these earrings i got as a christmas present jennifer miller. >> beautiful. >> when she was picking out her gift, i said what are you going to get. she said i know exactly. >> a big day today after we interview bernadette. >> i'm going to radio city where they ask people to read children's stories to the kids before the christmas spectacular which is so much fun. it's going to read "twas the night before christmas." i wonder if i need glasses. time for words of wisdom. shall we? i think we like to complicate things when it comes to -- when it's really quite simple -- >> start again, please. >> okay. i think we like to complicate things when it's really quite simple. find out what it is that makes you happy and who it is that makes you happy, and you're all set. promise. >> is that a none? >> i don't know. found it on google.

let's do good news. there's so much bad news. here we are the good news people. >> we are the good news network at this time of the day we are. earlier this week there was a woman who went into toys "r" us and paid off 150 layaway accounts adding up to $20,000. there are now what we call layaway angels. a man walked into a walmart in pennsylvania and covered $50,000 worth of layaway accounts. he paid off 100 accounts. imagine you've been saving and saving and saving to pay off your account. gao to the counter and somebody has said it's all done. >> do you know who is nervous right now that i'm going to ask him to do it -- i'm not going to. jonathan tisch. jonathan, i'm not going to say it. he's one of the most philanthropic people in the whole world. >> the owner of the giants. >> half owner with the mara

family. >> isn't that lovely? >> so this charity, i didn't really -- we thought people were doing this individually. it's called pay away the layaway. paid off the account of nine families in a walmart in south carolina. >> there's more. >> look what it means to people. it's just awesome. >> there was a man out there who just walked into a random coffee shop and hands out $100 to the employees. he did it in massachusetts. he said merry christmas, printed in red on the front of each envelope. the employees didn't know the guy. it's not like he came in every day or anything. i guess the moral is pay it forward. >> yes. these are all people who have been blessed. and to whom much is given, much is required, the good word says. some people on the other side of the coin are having trouble with kmart layaways. >> some people are showing up to pick up and finding out their goods are not there, they're

gone. when you think you're paying it off, you think they're holding it for you. >> they put it away for your layaway payment plan. >> our local affiliate in kansas city reported the story. they said when they came up to pay off their layaway, they were told their items were no longer in stock. some were told there money would not be refunded for ten days or more. >> if you're on that kind of a budget, you don't have the money to go and get something else in the meantime. >> i guess on kmart's facebook page, a lot of customers posted those exact stories, layaway problems. the store does have a layaway policy. it says as long as the payments are made on time the merchandise will be held for you. why wasn't it is the question. >> of course, we reached out and the one time we get a response, which is about this long. >> go ahead. we deeply apologize to our customers affected by this online layaway issue. some of our online layaway

customers received inadvertent cancellation notices. we are in the process of contacting those customers who are affected and are working with them to solve the issue. >> we are working hard to deliver those items to customers before the holidays, including expedited and free shipping -- >> the longer statement is on our website. >> anyway, what a bummer. if you've done all that. >> so back to good news again. "the voice" finale. you remember how it was. blake had one person in the finals, adam had three and gwenn and pharrell had none. blake had a one-in-four chance of winning. blake can do anything. >> yes, he can. >> his name is craig wayne, he's a country star. >> let's take a look at the winning moment. >> the winner of "the voice" is -- craig wayne boyd.

[ cheers and applause ] >> that was kind of like a gloating laughter. >> a little bit of bravado there. congratulations to him. what a nice, and by the way, this is a guy who had a rough kind of go of it. i think blake picked him up first and dumped him. then gwenn picked him up and he got cut. blake picked him up again. >> bruno mars did your favorite song in the whole world, he did it with a bit of an edge. >> he did. it's called "uptown funk." let's watch. ♪ ♪ >> the reason he's wearing curlers, by the way, is not unusual. >> going out later tonight. >> if you watch the video, he's under a drier sitting with other

people in the salon and that's his look. it is such a fun dance party workout song. >> remember elaine, she showed up once to a luncheon when she was being honored in curlers. she had to do a show that night. >> i like that. >> jennifer hudson wore basically very little at all. >> let's take a look at her performance. ♪ >> whoa! ♪ >> wow. by the way, do you remember, she was on weight watchers, lost all that weight. >> looks fantastic. >> i can't believe it. >> she looks fantastic. one of the greatest singers on the planet, too. >> she is. also, "the voice" decided to have fun with blake. turned him into a rapper. ♪ can't touch this

♪ my music hits me so hard, make me say oh, my lord ♪ ♪ thank you for blessing me ♪ this is the beat you can't touch ♪ ♪ i told you home boy ♪ can't touch this ♪ can't touch this >> like the brian williams thing. just can't get enough of him, can you? >> do we have anymore blake information? blake didn't win. craig won. but blake's team won. >> we're happy for him. she's a new york native and the youngest person ever to be inducted into the theater hall of fame. >> what is she doing now? we'll have fun with tony and globe winner bernadette pe

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critically acclaimed stars of stage and screen. bernadette peters has received countless awards from tonys to golden globe and a star on the hollywood walk of fame. >> now the singer and actress and author stars in "mozart." >> bernadette plays the chairman of the new york symphony and

there's a new hot shot conductor she's brought in. take a look. >> been courted by boston, los angeles, san francisco, munich and we got him. your new conductor and musical director rodrigo. >> i like it already. >> we love it. a great chance for you to be a diva and wear those great outfits. >> great jewelry, great outfits, great cast. >> do you get steamy with him? >> no. >> but it's only the first season. >> that's right. >> when they came to you -- it was on amazon, what was appealing about it to you? >> what was really appealing, you get to see the pilot and then you don't know -- hopefully it gets picked up. >> that's a year ago.

>> yeah. then you don't know what is the writing going to be. the writing is the wife of roman coppola and jason schwartzman, a great actor. and the writing, the comedy is very unexpected. that's what i love about it. it's not anything expected. the show is poetic at the same time. >> a world we've never seen except for "phantom of the opera" or something. but that's completely different. >> matthew madell plays the conductor. >> bernadette, do you sing in this? >> i haven't yet. there was a number a little girl sang. who knows in the future? it has to come naturally. >> and be dependent upon how many people love it, right? >> yes. >> it always comes down to that. >> it's really good. >> how do people find snit how do you see it and where can you

see it? >> well, first of all, it's streaming. it's on the computer at amazon. then if you have a smart tv which i don't, i have a stupid tv. so i have to get that little box that you can attach to it. it can go through the tv, at the am store. >> i have apple tv. you click on amazon. >> the first month is free. >> so get you hooked. >> start watching december -- >> you are known for a lot of reasons, but your curly hair. other women or men with curly hair. we're calling the game "curly who." who is that? >> beethoven. >> no. the correct answer is share. >> i thought it was weird al jankovic. >> next one, please. curly who? >> oh, my god. not god. i don't know who. >> that is justin timberlake.

>> a gazillion years ago. >> next curly. curly who? rhymes with curly. >> shirley temple. >> and curly who? >> i think it's carrot top. >> no. it is diana ross. >> i thought it was oprah. this is fun. >> last one? >> oh, beethoven again. >> no. it is weird al -- >> oh, my gosh, it is weird al. >> you don't know your curlys. >> you know what would have been funny, if we had one of bernadette and she got that wrong, too. >> we love you. >> have an awesome holiday. >> you, too. you're gorgeous. i watch you every day. >> give our smooches -- >> your wine is terrific. >> you can find all the ep soerds of "mozart in the jungle" starting december 23rd. don't let a pile of wrinkled

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doesn't it seem like every time you go on a trip no matter how carefully fold your clothes, severing a wrinkled mess by the time you arrive. >> fret no more! >> here with the tips and tricks you need, "marie claire" senior fashion editor zanna roberts rassi. how are you? >> very good, thank you. >> this is going to be fun. >> let's minimize. when we pack, what's the right way to pack to try to minimize wrinkles? >> there's a few really great tips. rolling is better than folding, and space saving. also an interesting tip, wash your clothes in white vinegar before. it's actually a wrinkle releaser. >> what? >> yes. it doesn't smell at all. >> white vinegar. also this. dry cleaning, you know the pesky plastic you throw away. keep this and stash your clothes in it and lay your clothes -- >> that works, putting it in a dry cleaning bag.

>> it does. >> mostly it's the fabric. isn't it? you get a wrinkly kind of fabric. >> linen is going to be a problem. >> luckily it's winter and we can do knit, wool. >> you're going to dress these women. first we have ari. how are you? >> jeans, obviously, very hard working. this shirt is literally -- >> what is it? >> nylon with a metallic weave in it. it's like a mattress, literally springs back. >> put that on. >> that's adorable. >> it's not even wrinkly! what else? >> we'll elevate the look. on a trip, you want to wear a little jacket out for lunch, elevate it with this tweed number. >> tweed never wrinkles. >> exactly. >> oh, my gosh. >> dot the i. >> awesome. and then? >> do you roll up a jacket that's that thick? >> yes. i folded this one. when it's bulky, never roll it. fold it. >> thank you very much, ari. sarah is up next.

>> sarah, sarah, sarah! >> wrinkle releasant. >> it can often look a little fake and a little cheap, but this zara skirt tapestry. obviously the triangle skirt, ware liking that right now. wearing this with a simple easy knit. this is very tight to the skin. >> are you guys embarrassed walking out here in a t-shirt? >> no. >> i paid them very well to do this. >> you're doing great. >> we owe you a glass of wine. >> that's like a $30 top. >> i love that top. >> it's interesting enough that it's not plain. >> when it's tight, you're right, you don't see the wrinkles. >> excellent. >> next up. >> hi! >> this shirt. this feels like chiffon silk. it's actually 100% polyester. >> throw it over your head. i don't think enough room.

>> by the way, that's an awesome material. >> that's pretty. >> the print, you're never going to see a wrinkle in there at all. >> so wear prints. >> that's true. >> never do a leather pant. faux leather, not only cheaper, but less likely to wrinkle because it contains polyester. which, obviously, is a -- better up against each other. >> while orabelle is getting dressed, we'll bring out brittany. sorry to interrupt you. >> these are zara pants, $9.00. >> brittany and phyllis. they're both here. how exciting! >> i love those. so cute. >> so fresh, $19. you can't go wrong. >> knits are great. knits are such a big trend, michael kors. >> shake it out! >> what about phyllis who is patiently waiting! >> my favorite. oh, my gosh! >> i want to see. >> also, this is crazy. >> we love this top. i'll tell you why. you told me about it.

it doesn't wrinkle at all. it's fantastic. >> look how classy looking it. >> look how it comes off the shoulder. >> look at that. >> that's a dress? >> that's a dress. >> you are awesome. thank you very much! hershey's miniatures. choosing is half the fun. because there's a little something delicious... for everyone. hershey's miniatures, choose your own delicious.

we never plan on a full house. it just...happens. like my ranch dip. two cups of sour cream, a little this, a little that, and a packet of hidden valley original ranch. ranch dip. hidden valley it. did you get chips for the party? nope. (ding) cheese plate? cheese plate. no, i made something better. you used the oven? boom. pillsbury crescents. make the holidays pop. who's been using walmart savings catcher, now is the time to redeem your savings on holiday stocking stuffers. so you can use that to get this? yup. or this? yes. or this? yeah - or that, or this or this or this or that. redeem your savings catcher savings on last minute gifts at walmart. you're watching today in the bay. >> good morning, 10:26, i'm scott mcgrew. happening right now, glide memorial in san francisco passing out 5,000 bags of

groceries to less fortunate families in the bay area. the church does this every year, and hundreds of people line up outside the church, even before the sun comes up, to make sure they can take advantage of that sweet generosity. every bag of groceries has fresh fruits, veggies, bread, pasta, rice, beans, and either turkey or chicken. a look at weather and traffic coming up after the break.

10:28. welcome back. not going to get a break from the rain today. you may be looking for one.

we are going to get one tomorrow, but today more heavy rainfall on the way, expecting to get slammed between 1:00 and 9:00 across the entire bay area. i'm going to show you today at 11:00 what we are expecting, how much rain where you live, plus we'll bring you up to date with how much we've received so far this month, record breaking numbers to tell you about. keep the umbrella handy for today. by tomorrow, looking nice and dry, friday we get another round, looking good saturday into sunday. we'll have your christmas forecast today at 11:00, as well. first here's mike and your drive. >> all right, christina. backup at the bay bridge toll plaza, fast track lanes thinning out. this isn't bad, a lighter volume of traffic around the bay. looking towards your maps, a smooth flow of traffic, but the green overlaying the entire upper east bay, still looking at wet slick roadways in many spots. be careful out there. north bay smoother drive and through oakland, as well. 880 with a little slowing across the coliseum. recovering for the san mateo and dunbarton bridges, that

compression through fremont and up past the airport, the last of your commuter. look at the live shot of fremont, smooth drive, flag gently flapping. back to you. >> thank you much. join us for the big newscast coming up at 11:00. we'll see you then. we're back with more of "today" on this wines day wednesday, ready to play "who knew." today is december 17, write brothers day celebrating the anniversary of their first successful power flight. we'll have fun with trivia. ka thi went across to industry. she's ready to hand out 100 bucks to those who get it right. if they don't, they get one of her fantastic cds. here to help me is mark ellwood. hello, mark. how adorable is mark. let's play, kathy.

>> how are you, gidget? how long did the very first wright brothers flight last? 12 seconds, 59 seconds or three minutes? >> can i get some help. >> do you have someone with you? >> i do. >> it's eight. >> i'm going to go with him. >> how did you know that? >> how did he know it was 12 seconds? >> he was right. just 12 seconds. >> can you imagine, these two men didn't even go to college, neither of the wright brothers went to college. yet they managed to get a plane off the ground for 12 seconds. >> shows college may be overrated. back to you. >> lovely lady from lakeland, florida, super sonic means, faster than the speed of light, faster than the speed of sound or faster than a speeding bullet. >> b. >> indeed. >> faster than the speed of

sound. >> actually the first super sonic flight was in 1947 in the air force. i miss concord, i don't know about you. >> how long have they been out of business? >> decommissioned in 2003. it's a decade too late. i never got to ride it. >> a lovely gentleman from toron toronto, canada. who among these actors is the tallest. john lithgow, jeff gold blume or joe manganiello. >> i would say jeff gold bloom. >> he's awfully tall. he'll love this just in time for christm christmas. >> the correct answer. joe manganiello. >> how close? >> i'm 5'10". next to them i would look like a tiny person. it's within an inch. lithgow is 6'4", jeff gold bloom 6.4 half and manganiello 6'5". >> manganiello has more hair.

>> not that hoda noticed. according to the faa, how many aircraft are flying above the united states at any given time, 7,000, 15,000 or 23,000 aircraft. >> i'm going to go with b. >> no. but that's okay. because you get "good night angel." i love that cd. >> correct answer, 7,000. a lot. >> which is still a lot of planes when you think about it. aviation, it takes -- gives us 11 million people and 15,000 air traffic control people. >> didn't know. back across to ka thi. from rochester, putting you to work. finish this hear reek. 1967 classic by jackie wilson, your love keeps lifting me. >> ♪ higher and higher ♪ your love keeps lifting me higher ♪

>> you got it. >> that was awesome. >> better than i would be. i think that song was 248th in "rolling stone's" list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. >> mark, thank you so much. appreciate you coming to see us. still stuck on what gifts to get your kids? we have fun toys and games to keep them off electronics. you won't believe this young lady. she's 15 years old, already my budget used to be hard on me. especially around the holidays. i was pinchin' more than pennies! but thanks to fingerhut.com, now we can shop over 150,000 items from brands like samsung, keurig, fisher price. happy holidays to me. all you gotta do is click on over to fingerhut.com and get the credit you deserve to get all kinds of great stuff. [ doorbell rings ] oh, i hope it's the microfiber recliner! [ laughs ] ahhh. ♪

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very excited, we're back with elvis durant's artist of the month. introducing us to the next big name in music. >> today he's chosen 15-year-old bea miller, self-taught singer and songwriter who rose to the top on "the x factor." >> now with her first ep titled "youngblood." elvis, you've never steered us wrong. >> a jersey girl who lives in l.a. out on the rode with our friend demi lovato. >> she's beautiful, brilliant. >> you talk a lot about different artists. the thing you seem to say about her that's different, how smart she is. >> really? i love you're saying good things about me behind my back. if you're talking behind my

back, it's good. >> who taught you? your mom, was she part of it or just you? >> i think naturally people who become performers later on are born doing to do it. i see toddlers singing along, it never ended from there. it just kept going. >> how old were you when you wrote your first song? >> my 13th birthday. i got my first acoustic guitar. i went upstairs and wrote a horrible song. as soon as i finished, i said look, mom! look what i did. >> what are you going to zee sing for us today, bea? >> my single youngblood. >> who is this on the guitar. >> hanan. >> bea miller. ♪

♪ we were making history, breaking rules and breaking free questioning the writing on the wall ♪ ♪ coming from the underground, laughing as we're falling down, soaking in the glory of it all ♪ ♪ but at nighttime when we close our eyes it's a nightmare, it's a nightmare ♪ ♪ when the sun don't shine, we lose our minds, but i swear we can get there ♪ ♪ we've got youngblood, can destroy us, we make our own luck in this world ♪ ♪ we've got young blood, no one shows us, we make our own love

in this world ♪ ♪ and the voices will get loud, if you don't shut them out ♪ ♪ if you're lost, you can be found ♪ ♪ put 'em up, put 'em up now ♪ we're never backing down, oh ♪ we've got youngblood, can destroy us, we make our own luck in this world ♪ ♪ we've got young blood, no one shows us ♪ ♪ we make our own love in this world ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> wow. >> thank you. >> good job, bea. >> hit it out of the park, didn't she? >> yes. like a young adele, hoda.

>> you were awesome, too. >> you are so believable. we believe that's coming from your soul. it's awesome. >> congratulations. >> come back when you're a major superstar. >> i hope so. >> they've made their own list, checked them twice. >> we're going to show you what checked them twice. >> we're going to show you what kids real wellllll... ♪ ♪ earlyfit ♪ latefit ♪ risefit ♪ fallfit ♪ ballfit ♪ wallfit ♪ pingfit ♪ pongfit ♪ pingfit ♪ pongfit ♪ rowfit ♪ throwfit ♪ slowfit ♪ olliefit ♪ oopsfit ♪ otisfit ♪ thiswayfit ♪ thatwayfit ♪ daddyfit ♪ pappyfit ♪ datefit ♪ weightfit ♪ goalfit ♪ gooooooalfit ♪ stepfit ♪ stairfit ♪ smartfit ♪ heartfit ♪ spinfit ♪ bikefit ♪ hikefit ♪ yikesfit ♪ wheeeeefit ♪ wowfit ♪ whoafit ♪ findyourfit ♪ it's all fitbit to make your signature christmas dish.rt has everything you need mine is mouthwatering mashed potatoes. i mix my russets with milk, butter, and cream cheese to make them super creamy. mmmm... and yours? sock-it-to-me spiral cut ham! whoa! you made this?

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hate to tell you, but there are only eight days left before christmas. if there's one thing kids have on their wish list every year, it's toys. >> they want them and we've got them, thanks to our toy insider man lori shack. >> we'll talk about what the kids want. >> what do they want? >> they like a place all to their own to play. pacific play tents makes these tents, a two-in-one, grocery store on one side and puppet theater on the other. >> are devon and grace inside? >> they are. >> easy to build. it's huge. lots of kids can have tons of

imaginative play. since we have a puppet theater, let's talk pep pets. fis moneys makes the most beautiful puppets. they're great. parents can tell stories to their kids. as they get older -- look at my oumette, very shy. on national tv you know. >> the dog looks real. >> look how some of our kids are dressed. you know dressup isn't just -- how did i know that would happen. dress-up isn't just about halloween anymore. kids want to get dressed 365 dais year. there's a new line called imagine. kids can be superheroes, princesses, villains. the prices are great, start at $9.99. >> what is mckenzie wear? >> we'll get to that. we lost blake. he was going to be playing -- >> there you are. >> i want my cape back! >> we have a basketball hoop.

>> no, not yours. >> he's busy. >> we have our basketball hoop. we have our soccer net. we have lights, we have sound. ef every time kids make a basket or score a goal, the l.e.d. comes on and encourages them to keep wearing. >> what's mackenzie wearing? >> everything "frozen" is so hot. this is our cool toons boom box. kids sing with the real mic. >> do you want to sing along mackenzie? >> mackenzie says -- ♪ let it go, let go, can't hold it back anymore ♪ >> with the movement. good job mackenzie. >> let's start right here. this is big these days, this is the leap pad. it's a virtual pen inside. but they have to do physical challenges so they can take care

of the pets, wiggle like a worm or hop like a kangaroo. they get points and can take care of their pets. >> legos. >> jack and ryder are here. >> we have something for the kids in the middle, legos junior. >> what age? >> 4 to 7. this is our fire set. the kids are building. it's 123 piece, they build the trucks, the station. off they go to make sure there's no fires anymore. >> what's crayola doing. >> they've taken creativity to a whole new level. this is our pro design set. we have fashion, we have cars. look how beautiful. >> i would have loved that. >> when it's done coloring, they bring it to life. scan it into your smart device. you can have a virtual fashion show. >> are you kidding? >> your custom car goes on a track. it's amazing. >> unbelievable what they can do. >> i got to get this for my

niece. >> tony hawk fans creating the ultimate skate park. these are circuit boards. we have our ramps, our decks, our stairs and our skate boards. you can play with your fingers. look at collin, he has a remote control. >> what is mia doing? >> we know kids love looking for treasure. whether the beach, the back yard or for me it was grandpa, get off the coach, this is our treasure tracker. she is looking for treasure, and i think she found it. >> what's under there? >> money. >> merry christmas and happy hanukkah, kids.

we're in the final days of our 21st annual toy drive. we've sent out more than $17

million worth of toys and gifts across the country. >> here with a very generous donation, ann marie grill, vice president from jacks pacific incorporated. for the eighth year. >> thank you for having us again this year. >> what may be the hottest toy -- >> one of our hottest toys this holiday season, a snow glow elsa. she says phrases from the movie and she also sings "let it go." >> oh, my gosh. >> she's hot. >> it's important. you guys always are so generous. >> we try to. we love working with the toy drive. this year we're giving over 7,000 toys to multiple organizations. >> thank you so, so much. we want to put it right here in our little -- thank you so much. our toy drive ends this friday. if you're in new york, bring a toy to the plaza or to the nbc experience store or donate online at amazon.com/today slooet show. so impressed with the singing of angela hill in rochester, new york, we want her

to sing a little something for us. >> take it away. ♪ you make me happy ♪ you make me whole ♪ you take the pain away, i'm so in love with you ♪ ♪ you make

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we just may change their minds. ho ho ho green giant! >> announcer: this is an nbc news special report. here's brian williams. >> greetings again from nbc news headquarters. greetings from nb headquarters. we will take you to washington. a press statement that has just gotten under way. that is alan gross, freed today after five years in prison in cuba. part of this momentous change in policy announced today, between the u.s. and cuba as he begins to talk. we have been warned he has losty because of deteriorating health. but he is back home and safe with his life. let's listen in to alan gross. >> my endless gratitude, l