good morning, the nightmare before christmas. two massive winter storms set to wreak havoc on your holiday travel. heavy rains, high winds are in the forecast, could make it difficult to get to grandma's house on time. dylan is tracking it all. the president versus the ceo. the head of sony pictures fighting back, responding over criticism to pull "the interview." president obama calling it a mistake. >> i wish they had spoken to me first. >> we have not caved. we have not given in. >> this as sony wrestles with the decision whether the movie will ever see the light of day. after the fight. newly released video of moments after football star ray rice punched his then fiance, from her initial disgust to the two

in hand cuffs to surprise moments of tenderness. and santa's little helpers, stores across the country expected to be packed today for what's likely to be the busiest shopping day of the year. it is super saturday. millions of procrastinators wrapping up their christmas list. we are live as the last minute rush gets under way saturday, december 20th, 2014. welcome to today this saturday morning. i'm erica hill. >> craig melvin with sheinelle jones and doing some last minute shopping. >> of course you did. >> you totally would. you started? >> i started last night. i did. it felt so good. everything was picked over. once you start, you can't stop.

>> one for me, one for them. >> there have been so many sales this year, i have to remind myself my things aren't in the christmas budget. >> good luck today. see you out there shopping. we want to get to today's top story, nasty weather expected coast to coast. you want to get your shopping done today, it is going to hit at the worst time possible as tens of millions hit the roads, the rails, the skies for christmas vacation. dylan is following it closely for us. >> there's a lot going on. let's bring you to the maps. we have one big storm in the pacific northwest, that's going to transition to a big storm for christmas eve for the east coast. right now, we have really heavy rain, not a good day from seattle to northern california. we have this area of low pressure that's going to stream on moisture. we're looking at inches of rain likely, especially along the coast from seattle down to san francisco where we could end up with four to six inches of rain. also looking for mountain snow. watch as this starts to mo

move eastward. it will converge with another system and bring rain to the east coast. here you see the higher elevations, not so much snow, snow would be above 6,000 feet, but looking at four to five inches of rain in higher elevations. then transitions into a snowstorm for salt lake city, aspen, two feet of snow is possible. monday night, here is severe storms on the gulf coast ahead of this cold front, rain elsewhere. this is a warmer storm. we're not going to see widespread white christmas here, but we're looking for heavy rain to start moving in. by christmas eve, heavy rain up and down the east coast. strong storms from the carolinas to new england. we will see a wintry mix through the western great lakes transitioning over into snow. by christmas morning, all of this pulls away. it will still be windy. it is heavy rain and wind that will cause a lot of delays up and down the east coast, especially christmas eve. it is going to be a little messy, but not looking at a major snowstorm, but it is rain and wind. craig? >> thank you. president obama and his family arrived in hawaii a few

hours ago for the start of their two and a half week vacation. but it was all business for the president friday in a wide ranging news conference, he slammed sony pictures for cancelling release of the movie "the interview" in the wake of the hacking scandal. kristin welker is traveling with the president. kristin, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you, craig. that's right, president obama is kicking off his annual christmas vacation here in honolulu, but he did have strong words for sony pictures before he left after sony decided to pull its movie "the interview." that's a satire about killing the north korean leader, kim jong-un. sony made that decision after a series of cyber attacks and violence now attributed to north korea. friday, president obama called sony's move a, quote, mistake. take a listen. >> i wish they had spoken to me first. we cannot have a society in which some dictator someplace can start imposing sensorship

here in the united states. because if somebody is able to intimidate folks out of releasing a satirical movie, imagine what they start doing when they see a documentary that they don't like. or news reports that they don't like. >> reporter: now, also on friday the fbi released a statement saying that it had confidence that the cyber attacks were coming from north korea in part because of digital fingerprints and also because this latest attack resembled other recent attacks that have been linked to north korea. president obama vowed to take action but didn't say specifically what he planned to do, craig. >> what kind of options are available for the administration? what could the president realistically do here? >> reporter: well, craig, the only indication that we're getting right now about president obama's thinking is something that he said during that friday press conference.

he said the u will, quote, respond proportionally at a time and place of its choosing. intelligence officials signaled that they know who the attackers are, so the u.s. has a range of options, everything from indicting the attackers to trying to destabilize the computer systems in question. now, experts say the united states needs to be careful not to have an overreaction in part because north korea's leader is so unpredictable. it is expected that president obama will be briefed on a range of options while he vacations here in hawaii. craig, back to you. >> kristin welker traveling with the president. thank you. here is erica. >> thanks. the ceo of sony pictures is firing back at president obama's comments, defending his company's decision to pull the movie from theaters. sony is now looking at other ways to possibly release the movie to the public. halle jackson has more on that for us. good morning. >> good morning, erica. only a relative handful of people have actually watched "the interview," but sony hopes

anyone that wants to see the movie will get the opportunity to do so. the question is how. what started as a hollywood hack has grown far bigger than the big screen. >> this is the secretary of communication for north korea. >> oh, my god. >> a real life drama with real consequences. now the head of sony pictures is stepping into the spotlight, defending his studio's decision not to release the comedy. speaking with cnn. >> we have not caved. we have not given in. we have persevered and we have not backed down. >> sony argues it had no choice but to pull "the interview" after major theater chains refused to screen it, triggering strong reaction from some of hollywood's biggest stars. >> we have to realize that this is a genuine emergency, this is the popularization of cyber war. >> george clooney calls it a new reality. other a-listers signed the petition. says nobody stood up. nobody took that stand.

>> this is a moment you would expect the industry to rally around and support you. >> even after sony executives received a message that appears to be from the cyber attackers, demanding the studio wipe all traces of the film off the internet, sony insists it wants "the interview" to go public. >> if it is not in theaters, they're going to find another way. now the job of sony is to figure out how it can get the film out there. >> the studio is looking at what video on demand platforms could be used to distribute it. to some celebrities, the more visibility, the better. judd app a toy says it all started as a goofy movie, but now people will see it and see why it is not okay to control people. turning the spotlight on the hackers themselves. >> sony ceo predicts the studio will recover in six months to a year. the fallout now is significant not just financially with the loss of estimated $100 million, but remember, sony is also now facing four class action

lawsuits. erica? >> halle jackson this morning, thank you. editor with variety joins me. nice to have you here. >> nice to be here. >> there are so many angles to the story. the criticism sony is receiving, all the way up to the president and folks in hollywood, there's discussion and the president brought it up about the precedent this sets in terms of allowing outside forces to control what's released. what's the conversation in hollywood about that? are people now stepping back from plans? >> it is not just the president, we just don't know who the hackers are necessarily. we don't know if their demands will stop. they issued more demands saying they wanted everything pulled. i think there's a lot of fear in hollywood and uncertainty what to do moving forward and sense that maybe the movie should have been released and people should be able to see the movie. don't want to let north korea dictate what we can and can't see. >> sony is saying they're trying to figure out how to release it. >> they changed their tune. earlier they said they have no

plans to release it. after the president's press conference, the ceo of sony went on tv saying they're looking for different ways to release it. since movie theaters aren't going to show it, they have to figure out if there's another way, vod or netflix or something else to show it. >> the head of sony said we should have had more people rallying around, heard from george clooney, saying i tried to get people to petition to rally around. even though they weren't saying things publicly, whether out of fear, we don't know. was there a rally privately in hollywood of heads of studios getting together and trying to figure out how to help or no? >> i think one of the things it has done, it shows how hollywood has become as a business. sony tried to get other studios to come together and rally and publicly support it. and the other studios didn't come to their defense. >> sony has been criticized for the way it handled it, including a report earlier this week that sony was criticized, seth rogan saying he pushed too much on a film. can sony recover even from the

pr standpoint? >> i think a long time to recover. they're deep wounds, based on e-mails, private exchanges, jennifer lawrence wasn't paid as much as male co-stars, know the ending of the new james bond movie, saw producer scott rude ene-mails about angelina jolie. a lot of people were dragged into this hack. it will take awhile for sony to untangle the mess. >> also you hear about people that aren't big names that were pulled in, a lot of them understandably fearful. when you look at it in the end, it is great pr for a film, even if it wasn't planned that way, and movie that people that have seen it say wasn't that great. >> i think in this case this has been baffling because it has been pulled. good pr for a movie no one can see. eventually if it comes out, people are curious to see "the interview." given the mess that emerged, given the fact that sony lost so much money, don't know how much

money they lost, estimated they lost $75 million on "the interview" alone, it has been pretty catastrophic. >> nice to have you here this morning. thanks. there is new video that's just been released on the ray rice scandal. sheinelle following that and more. >> we begin with never before seen images after ray rice's attack in the new jersey casino. the tape was obtained exclusively by nbc news. >> it is a video ray rice thought to keep from reaching the light of day. abc news won a court battle to get it. in it, you see the then baltimore ravens star being held by security. moments after the infamous elevator accident in which he knocked out his then fiance. it eventually led to his suspension from the nfl before he won reinstatement last month. you see her at first seemingly wanting nothing to do with rice

after the fight. she also received medical treatment. then at one point with both in handcuffs as she was initially accused of assault, the couple is escorted into an elevator. rice and palmer appear to kiss. rice's lawyer opposes release of the video, saying of his client this is a time of healing and he quite naturally doesn't want another media showing of what must have been the worst event of his life. the couple married following the atlantic city episode. and in an exclusive interview on "today" she talked about how she went from rage to reconciliation. >> i just knew he hit me and i was completely over it. i was done. didn't want to hear anything. in the back of my mind and in my heart, i knew that our relationship wouldn't be over because i know that this isn't us and it is not him. >> big deal for me to always

protect her. that's why i say i take full responsibility. she can do no wrong. this is something as a man you have to own and, you know, we are horribly sorry. >> new trouble for the running back as he tries to rehabilitate his career. 18 time olympic gold medallist michael phelps dodged jail time in his case in baltimore. he pled guilty friday to dui after he was arrested in september. his second such arrest in ten years. he got a one year suspended sentence, but the judge warned if he slips up, the only option is jail. phelps says he is now in recovery after a stint in rehab. >> i'll continue to grow from this. continue on my path of recovery. next couple years are going to be very challenging. i am very pleased and happy that i have the great supportive around me. former linebacker ray lewis showed up to support phelps at sentencing. now to california, a woman

accused of mowing down four people with her car outside a church made a dramatic appearance. she was wheeled in court cuffed to a gurney and propped up with pillows. pled going to manslaughter in the crash that killed four people, including a six-year-old boy. five other children and eight adults hurt in the crash after a student christmas concert wednesday. a warning this morning about caramel apple and bacteria that could make you sick. centers for disease control says they're linked to four listeria deaths and more than two dozen hospitalizations nationwide. while the prepackaged apples are popular around halloween, have a shelf life more than a month, may still be on store shelves. and the must have present this holiday season, apparently drones don't bring joy to kangaroos. look at this drone attempting to film them in australia. one decided it was getting too close for comfort and knocked

the drone out of the air with a left hook, no less. footage was rescued, this morning the drone is beyond repair. sometimes enough is enough. >> nothing to see here. >> the drone hovered for a second. the second time when it came back, kangaroo let him know who was boss. dylan is back with a check of the rest of the country's forecast. what are we looking at. >> a lot of people shopping today. the weather for most of the country looks good. you can see from the eastern two-thirds of the country, high pressure in control. maybe a couple flurries in south dakota. it is really fairly quiet. few sprinkles on the east coast, north carolina. we have a storm system bringing heavy rain from good saturday morning to you. we do have no flight delays at this point out of sfo or sjc. it's a big travel day.

no flight delays. counting on some over the course of the next few hours. there is some thick fog out there and we have showers on the radar this morning. this will continue for the first part of the day. in the afternoon though, gradually clearing you out. tomorrow morning at this time, no rain. >> that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thanks. you heard of the phrase as american as apple pie and baseball. not sure cuba has a slogan like that. there's hope that new relations with the united states will help give new life to three institutions there, ballet, big cars, and baseball. nbc's jacob rascon is there. >> reporter: hey there, craig. the political consequences of the u.s., cuba relationship is is not what people want to talk about. they want to know how will changes improve my daily life in

ways most americans take for granted. life in cuba has not suddenly changed but if better life is a door, cubans believe they were just handed a key. >> the best. >> reporter: the promise of a new relationship between cuba and the u.s. gives new meaning to field of dreams. 20 cubans already play major league ball. to join, they had to defect because of u.s. sanctions. cuban star wants to play for the yankees. the goal is always to play at the highest level, and the whole world knows the highest level is in the u.s. cuban ballet is no different. producing some of the world's finest ballerinas, with similar american ambitions, and potentially a path. on the streets, the dream is more basic. >> all the people of havana seem to care about is how will the

changes improve my day-to-day life, from the food they eat to phones they carry to the cars they buy. except if you own one of these. the iconic cuban symbol, the classic american car which some cubans want to stay exactly the same. others may be persuaded by u.s. car collectors in overdrive, willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars, perhaps even more. >> no, no sell my car. >> reporter: and we should note that many we interviewed insisted we not ask the difficult political questions. there's fear of retaliation. other than that, the people in cuba seemed genuinely excited and only hope that promises of change are not empty. craig? >> jacob ras cone in havana, thank you. we have seen some over the top christmas decorations. one pub in england may take the cake when it comes to decorating. give deck the halls a whole new

meaning. kelly kobe aa checks it out. >> reporter: it may look like any other country pub, but step inside. fake snow, golden stars, giant snowflakes, a polar bear, five snow men. make that six. every nook and cranny covered in holiday cheer. >> christmas forever for us really, the whole year really, because we're thinking about it for months. >> reporter: and working on it for three weeks. 6,000 glass ornaments, hand tied with five miles of string, and 40,000 staples to hang them from the ceiling by the staff. >> blisters from doing it with the staple gun and everything. >> reporter: you're kidding. >> no, glitter stuck on your face for weeks. >> reporter: they have been doing it over 20 years. each year it gets bigger and boulder. there are 35,000 lights in the pub, over the top electricity bill to match. over $6,000 a month to keep them

turned on. why spend so much time and money on santas and snowflakes? just count the meals coming out of the kitchen. they have been booked solid since november. >> we can do 11 months' trade in one month, that good. >> just from the christmas lights? >> just from christmas. >> and that other payoff. >> smiles on the little kids' faces, some are like oh, my god. they love it. >> reporter: if you're dreaming of a colorful christmas ducking under the decorations, better hurry. they're already filling up for next year. >> looks like the hail house. >> i love that, i don't want to be the person to have to put that all away. break out the boxes again. >> good point. still to come, they're some of the most talked about items

of the season, the holiday photo cards. like everything else, they're being judged. we will look at them.

it is win of the most wonderful times of the year, you know what we are talking about, pick up the mail, filled with holiday cards from friends and family. >> i love it. i totally look forward to it. >> dylan is in the orange room with more. >> these are fun. we asked you all to send the most creative holiday cards and photo fails. you didn't disappoint. let's work from the failed to the nailed it. start with not so good ones. lillie meeting santa. i love santa's face. and this one wishing you peace and harmony this holiday season. something this family doesn't seem to be getting.

another fail. so much joy. not for this poor kid. why do we do this to our kids. my cousin did the same thing, tears coming from the faces on santa's lap. let's send it to some good ones. i love this. here is hoping santa brings you quite the stash. i don't know if the baby drew that himself. and look at the picture above the fireplace. it seems like they got this theme going on. i love it. jennifer on facebook. i'm so gullible. i don't know if this is photo shopped or if they did duct tape this boy to the wall. >> photo shop. >> i want to think it is real. this one i guess photo shopped also. not sure. hope 2015 is a walk in the park. also have this one, matthew mcconaughey, merry christmas to all, all right, all right, all right. keep them coming. we want to see your hits, your fails, everything. #orangeroom. >> i love it. many they thought were misses i

thought were funny. >> gave me an idea. i am working on mine. >> i'm good morning to you. 5:56 on this saturday morning. we are taking a live look outside in san jose where we have seen some rain this morning. it will clear up. good morning to you. i'm kira klapper with christina,

our first time working together. you are talking about a clear-up today. >> yes, i watched you, as well. i'm happy to be here. happy saturday morning. we do have those showers right now. if you're trying to get out and about, maybe get a leg up on your holiday shopping because that heavy rain has kept you in. the good news is showers are going to start to clear today. we've got a nice stretch of dry weather ahead. i take you to your futurecast. we start the clock at high noon. mostly dry at that point. a gift for you for christmas week. i have to tell you, i have been watching the storm track. it does look like it's going to return as we head throughout the 30th into the first week of january. enjoy this dry stretch as long as it lasts. we'll stay nice and comfortable through christmas eve and maybe, just maybe some showers on christmas day. they are looking light. we'll talk more about that coming up here. >> stay tuned. thanks. a state of emergency has

been declared in san mateo county after those recent storms. it caused severe damage. the board of supervisors vote comes after several home parks flooded forcing dozens of people to move into shelters. community members aren't waiting for state and federal help. they are acting now. they are coming together raising money for the flood victims. more than 30,000 has been raised. >> last night a city council member delivered gift cards to many victims. families are grateful for that help. >> joy in my heart because everyone cares around each other. >> heavy rain cut those special deliveries short last night. they will be back on monday. >> standing water has been a big issue over the last couple of weeks. look what happened yesterday. this driver had to be rescued by firefighters after getting stuck in about three feet of water.

it happened on valley ford road. don't drive into standing water because it's hard to tell how deep it is. for the latest conditions on the roads and weather all at your fingertips. download our nbc bay area app. coming up on "today in the bay," making sure you know who is picking you up. a local ride share service gives users a new option in the name of safety.

♪ we are back on saturday morning. it is december 20th, 2014. beautiful shot of the rockefeller center christmas tree there as the countdown is on. five days to go, if you're counting there. five days to get those presents under the tree. are you done shopping? >> i am. >> i think you're the only one done shopping. very impressive. >> you started. you told me you have been, quote, collecting gift cards all year. >> coupons. >> two or three gifts for the people i really care about. >> not collecting gift cards others gave you to regift. just checking. >> never know. >> don't start giving away my holiday secret. >> we have a lot coming up this half hour, including a look at a

very popular reality show called 90 day fiance. a story about couples where one half of the couple is american, the other half is from another country. they come here to live in the u.s. with their overseas partner for the first time through a special visa, if they get alongs, could be happily ever after. if they don't, they go back home. i sat down recently with all the couples to talk about the experience and get inside scoop where it stands. it is a really addictive show. >> really? >> these are not mail order brides. >> how does it work? >> one couple has been together three years, they're just now taking that plunge. each of them for a different reason. >> see each other the first time. >> we see them when they first get to the states, but they have been together before. yeah. >> interesting. looking forward to it. and remarkable story about a young man who has defied the odds after he was declared dead at one point. he has come back.

he has come back in the most unbelievable way. we will talk about his amazing recovery. >> it is an incredible story. also, talk about outpouring of support for this woman dealing with a rare form of cancer, her story will warm your heart this morning. the entire community coming together to be there for her and her husband. so much to get to. we start this half hour with public acknowledgment from seventh heaven actor stephen collins that he inappropriately touched young women. collins is speaking out about exactly what happened. francis rivera has more. good morning. >> good morning. this is the first time he has gone on camera to talk about the encounter which he admits to. he sat down with katie couric on 20/20 and described his actions as quote, unthinkably wrong. >> you made it. >> hi, dad. >> after playing a virtuous father on "seventh heaven", in an interview on abc's 20/20,

stephen collins faced up to what he called inappropriate actions. first describing two occasions in 1973 where he says he exposed himself to a young woman and later going further. >> she and i were watching tv alone together and i took her hand and moved it in such a way that she was touching me inappropriately. i knew that something unthinkably wrong had just happened. >> collins confessed to exposing himself to a teenage girl in 1982 and 1994. he was adamant he is not a pedophile. >> i do not fit clinical or dictionary definition of it, but i'm absolutely not attracted physically or sexually attracted to children. >> the revelations first came to light earlier this year in an

audio tape collins said was secretly recorded by his now estranged wife during a marriage counseling session in 2012. the couple is now going through divorce proceedings. grant says she gave the audio tape to police but didn't leak it to the press. collins says he has been in therapy continuously for more than 20 years. >> i think of those women every day, and i would say with all my heart i am sorry. >> collins has also said nothing inappropriate ever happened on the set of "seventh heaven." we should note there have been no criminal charges against collins and the victims themselves have not gone public. guys? >> francis, thank you. dylan is on the plaza with a check of your weather. good morning again. >> good morning, guys. going to look at weather. in fact, we have a joke.

what do snow men eat for breakfast? frosted flakes! of course! who came up with the joke? >> the internet. >> classic internet joke. let's look at weather across the country. looking at snow cover. everybody wants snow for a white christmas. we have snow on the ground especially in the rockies. talking about a storm in the northeast, will it make for a white christmas? not so much. in boston, we average 20% chance of a white christmas. it is typical to not have snow on christmas. 12% chance in new york city. albany, a better chance. could get some christmas day. pittsburgh not so much. and then up into buffalo, a 62% chance of a white christmas on average. this year you should get it. lake effect snow kicks in christmas day after that big storm system that's going to bring rain wednesday, starts to pull away. today we're about the rain and snow in the pacific northwest. four to five inches possible, especially in the mountains, above 6,000 feet, could see

several inches, up to a foot of snow. we're looking for gusty winds from seattle to speaking of that rain, taking a look at the live radar right now. you can see it is light. we are going to see these showers the first part of the day by about lunchtime, 2:00 clearing out and you can get outdoors. tomorrow, is the first official day of winter. the shortest day and longest night of the year. we get into our wettest months by statistical averages in the bay area. dry until then. >> big birthday on the plaza today. how you feeling? >> wonderful. >> and with sparkle and glitter all over your face. it will last until the new year. guys, back to you. >> thank you. how one man came back from the dead, proved his doctors

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fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. we are back on saturday morning with a miraculous recovery for a man doctors actually thought might never survive after being in a terrible car accident in 2011. not only did he start to recover, he is now speaking out for the first time in three years. nbc's kerry sanders has his story. >> reporter: this is the time of year we look back at what we've achieved in 2014. but sam schmidt is looking forward. which makes sense when you understand this 24-year-old feels he has been given a second chance at life. >> stay in front of him. >> reporter: because sam schmidt died. that's right. he died in a horrific car accident. >> this joy of having this

second chance. joy of god not saying sam, you're done, we're going to let you stay, going to let you live the rest of your life. >> reporter: in a coma two weeks with an mri that showed no brain activity, doctors were preparing to take sam off life support, when inexplicably he moved two fingers. still, he could not walk, talk, not even swallow. it appeared his awakening came at a huge cost. >> i started pretty low. >> reporter: you were technically dead. >> correct. >> reporter: is it hard to even hear that word? >> no, because i'm not dead now. >> reporter: every step, every day around the clock for three difficult years, sam's family joined him for rehabilitation at barrow neurological institute in phoenix, one of the premier traumatic brain injury centers. doctors privately feared the family's optimism was too

hopeful. >> we were concerned that he was overly optimistic. >> proved you wrong. >> he did, yes, and he is very happy about that. and so are we. we are delighted. >> reporter: on the courts where he coaches, everyone knows sam's recovery is remarkable. >> he is like my role model, my inspiration. >> for me, he is always encouraging, always try harder, try harder, you can do it, you can do it. >> you hear him say that, and you know what he has been through? >> it fills you with courage and strength. >> i'm always climbing the ladder. >> is there an end? >> never. >> because? >> because there's always something greater to survive for. >> reporter: maybe that's sam's lesson for all of us. for today, kerry sanders, nbc news, tucson. >> man. >> wow. >> man. >> puts it in perspective. >> beat me to it. >> wow. speaks for itself. just ahead, what's it like,

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we put veterans first. search va careers to find out how. have you seen the newest reality show, called the 90 day fiance? a show about real life love under extreme circumstances. is that an accurate description? >> you could say it that way. the show follows the journeys of six engaged couples, where one half of the couple is american, the other traveled from their home country to be with their fiance here in the united states. here's the catch. they come in on a visa where they have 90 days to decide whether or not they stay and get married or go back home. the coupling of love and reality tv isn't new. bring together two people or more. >> marry me? >> yes. >> throw in some tension.

maybe an exotic locale, let the audience watch the drama unfold. but 90 day fiance, tlc's highest rated new show is arguably putting the real back into reality tv. >> okay, baby, i love you. >> it follows six foreigners that came to the u.s. on k-1 or fiance visas to join their partners for 90 days. at the end of that period, they must get married or return home. it is a situation that plays out every day for thousands of americans who met people outside the u.s. or maybe even online, and it all makes for compelling tv. >> oh, wow. >> these people aren't falling in love in big mansions with swimming pools and people handing out roses, and i think people kind of respond to the fact that these people are coming to an america that looks very normal instead of this fantasy world that a lot of dating shows create. >> some of the couples spent a few days together in person. >> we have always been in --

only been in the presence of each other two weeks. >> they have shown their willingness to leave home. >> i gave up everything in the philippines. >> leave successful careers. >> like the justin timberlake of the crowd. >> and new families in sometimes awkward and uncomfortable situations. >> are you two really prepared for this interracial marriage in our country where it is not accepted? >> people on 90 day fiance that come from other countries arrive here, pretty soon are confronted by suspicion, either from family members or friends of the person that they're engaged to, and that can often bring out all kinds of things. >> for the first time ever. >> i sat down with all six couples for a tell all to air after the season finale, asked them about their experiences. >> are you and danielle being truthful about your relationship? >> it wasn't like love from the beginning. everything is different. >> while the name 90 day fiance

may make some think of a mail order bride or groom, these couples insist their true romance is the only reality they are interested in. >> the season finale airs tomorrow night on tlc. as you saw, i sat down with all six couples to talk about the show and their lives. that is a special that will air on tlc december 28th at 9:00, 8:00 central. it was fascinating. the show sucked you in. >> did you feel true love in the air? >> i did. i really wanted to meet the couples. i'm telling you, some of them -- it is not like they found oh, craig, we will take you and have this lovely woman coming in from france. no. some were together three years before this. >> okay. >> each have their own story. there you go. still to come this morning, a look at some of our favorite holiday traditions, including what involves a chain saw.

>> lovely. >> first, this is "today" on nbc.

back on saturday morning with some of our favorite holiday families and traditions. full disclosure. sheinelle and i, we decided we are starting new traditions. we don't always have pictures of everything. don't have as many pictures as you two do. but still love christmas. >> you have pictures, i thought i was the only one without pictures. >> i didn't have them either. >> we were enjoying our moment. >> three years ago when i got married, my wife and i were like we should chop down a christmas tree. i was skeptical. she talked me into it. and for the last three years we have been doing it. we go out, there's a tree farm in connecticut, this year we took the boy the first time. >> the boy? i call him that.

my wife narrates. >> such a nice tradition. >> we name the tree as well. >> such a nice tradition. >> we name the tree as well. this years tree's have been masters of jewelry design for centuries."ly this levian collection is amazing. maybe it's time to start your own. kay jewelers presents today's levian collection... featuring exclusive levian chocolate diamonds. including incredible limited edition styles like these. one more reason kay is the number-one jewelry store in america. it's...(she can't find the words) a work of art? ♪ every kiss begins with kay. oh and could you turn on air conditioning i'm starting to sweat. i'll just do it myself. useless. that's nice. set's the mood.

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now in colorful new styles. ♪ good morning to you. welcome. this is a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza where we are seeing a little bit of rain. slick road conditions out there this morning. thanks for joining us. i'm kira klapper with christina

loren. a little wet but dryness on the way. >> right. a prolonged stretch of dry weather. people definitely looking forward to that. we do have flight delays. a lot of people doing some traveling today. look at that though. the only place across the entire nation when it comes to major airport right here in san francisco with 44-minute delays. that's how it goes, i suppose. 6:27. you see light shower activity. by 9:00 a.m. a lot of this will be clear. by noon we are looking toward a mostly dry bay area we could see residual activity in the north bay. then we'll kick off this prolonged stretch of dry weather that extends to christmas eve. maybe some showers on christmas day. we will talk about that during "today in the bay." >> at 7:00 a.m. christina, thanks. >> a san francisco sheriff's deputy is under arrest accused of attacking a person then lying

about it. san francisco district attorney george gascon tells us the deputy was arrested yesterday after they saw video of the attack. it was last month inside sf general hospital's emergency waiting room area. it reportedly shows the deputy grabbing and choking a man who needed a cane to walk. the deputy initially filed a report saying the victim attacked him with his cane. he says the video proves otherwise. taking you live outside to the golden gate bridge. foggy and wet morning. a new safety feature will soon change the look of the iconic bridge. this also means shutting down the span for two days next month. crews will install a moveable median to protect drivers. thousands of pieces of the concrete barrier right now are stacked by the bridge ready for assembly. that will replace yellow cones that currently separate drivers

from oncoming traffic. the bridge district says the new median should prevent head-on collisions. crews are installing blue dots on the span that will serve as a guide. the work is expected to continue tonight, which means fewer lanes for drivers. the golden gate will be closed january 10th and 11th for all traffic except for buses. coming up this morning on "day in the bay" making sure you know who is picking you up. a local ride share service with a new option in the name of safety.

good morning. it is saturday, december 20th, 2014. here's a look at today's top stories. the nightmare before christmas. major travel woes expected this week thanks to two massive storms set to hit christmas eve. bringing with them the not so welcome gift of flight delays and major problems on the roads. dylan will let us know if you can make it to where you're going in time for christmas. the president versus the ceo. the head of sony defending his company's decision to pull "the interview" from theater, this after president obama calls that decision a mistake. sony says it's now trying to find a way to release the controversial movie. and santa's little helpers. they'll be out in full force today, just five days to go before christmas and stores are expected to be packed on this

saturday. retailers hoping for their best day of the year. supersaturday is expected to be even bigger than black friday. we're live. a cold day. i'd kind of forgotten. >> it doesn't actually happen until tomorrow. >> then it's like right up till the spring. >> then it's like almost summer. >> couldn't come fast enough. >> you're saying that before dyl dylan, who will spend the next three months outside. >> i don't have that much going on. >> exactly. good morning again. i'm erica hill. >> you made it on the list this year with the forecast. >> don't blame it on her. she's the messenger. >> i know, we always blame it on her. >> make sure you give me praise in the summertime when it's sunny and 75. >> that's not the way it work. >> more on that battle between

sony's ceo and president obama. >> good morning. the first family is enjoying their first day of christmas vacation in hawaii, but the president had a busy day wrapping up things at the white house before they left. kristen welker is traveling with the president and brings us more. >> reporter: good morning. president obama has harsh words for sony pictures before he left during his end of the year press conference, this after sony pulled the movie "the interview." that's a satire about killing north korean leader kim jong un. sony made the decision after several threats of violence now attributed to north korea. on friday, president obama called sony's move a mistake. >> i wish they'd spoken to me first. we cannot have a society in which some dictator some place can start imposing censorship here in the united states. because if somebody is able to

intimidate folks out of releasing a satirical movie, imagine what they'd start doing when they see a documentary that they don't like or news reports that they don't like. >> reporter: now president obama also vowed to take action, although he didn't say what he specifically planned to do. meanwhile, north korea is calling for a joint investigation warning that there will be consequences if the u.s. rejects its offer because north korea says that investigation will prove that it had nothing to do with the cyber attacks. on a separate note, president obama also defended his decision to normalize relations with cuba saying, quote, we have a better chance of bringing about change than we would have otherwise. he also acknowledged the concerns of his critics to say cuba is still a regime who oppresses its own people. one more point, friday's news conference was historic. it was the first time ever that a president only called on female reporters. back to you.

>> something of note, i guess. >> kristen welker traveling with the president. the newly released video from when ray rice and his fiancee were arrested afterng a while they're both in handcuffs. it happened as they were taken to jail after he knocked out janay in an elevator. rice's lawyer fought to keep that video from being released. more than 70 arrested after a march to protest a black man shot by milwaukee police earlier this year. hundreds blocked traffic in rush hour. no charges were filed against the officer, the milwaukee district attorney is expected to make a decision any day. the governor says national guard will be ready when the decision is announced. police in memphis are searching for the gunman that shot a fedex driver hit in the leg by a high powered rifle out with his 18 wheeler. he is expected to survive. this morning, investigators say they have identified a person of

interest. health officials say the flu is now hitting hard in parts of the south and midwest. the centers for disease control and prevention says they saw cases across 29 states last week. experts worry it will be a bad season because the dominant strain seen in two-thirds of recent tests is a nasty bug, not covered in this year's vaccine. and finally, a bicyclist fights with a big rig. a 14 wheeler, hitting the bicyclist turning at an intersection. he fell off his bike. rolled under the truck, just missed being run over by the tires. the truck driver, look at this. drives off without stopping! the bicyclist only had minor bruises. that was it. >> did they get the truck driver? >> kept going. >> man. >> glad he's okay. >> everybody going wow. dylan dreyer on the plaza with a check of the forecast

this saturday morning. >> i heard the screams. you said please do the weather here. where are you from? >> originally from fort worth, live in syracuse now. >> we have a 98th birthday. watching in west virginia. how old is she today? >> 98 years old. >> have to say it again, happy birthday, mamaw. today will be a decent day, eastern two-thirds of the country, enjoying a nice area of high pressure. couple showers, north carolina and bigger storm in the pacific northwest, with mostly rain. about 4 to 6 inches of rain possible, also some really gusty winds. tomorrow, it starts to move into the rockies, parts of the rockies could end up with two feet of snow west of aspen. going to see another storm system develop near the gulf coast. heavy rain expected near the 6:36, good saturday morning to you.

i'm meteorologist christina loren. a foggy golden gate bridge this morning. we have flight delays out of sfo for low ceilings and shower activity rolling through there, as well. you can see very light for now. we are not going to see that heavy stuff today. the showers are heading out of town for a good stretch of time. we'll see a nice prolonged stretch of dry weather that extends well into wednesday. 69 by tuesday. storm window reopens the first week of january. >> nd that's your latest forecast. craig? >> thank you. if you are like millions of other americans, right now you're drinking morning coffee, fueling up for the long day of holiday shopping that's ahead of you. today is super saturday. a huge day for retailers as all of the holiday shopping procrastinators hit the stores to get the rest of the items to fill their christmas lift. anne thompson down the street in times square. hey there, anne. >> reporter: good morning, craig. believe it or not, there's a steady stream of shoppers coming

into this toys r us. they're already up and at it, on what's called super saturday. the people are expected to jam stores across the country and set a new trend in shopping. welcome to the shopping season home stretch. >> american girl dolls, legos, my oldest, all things clothes and fashion. >> reporter: today could be the biggest shopping day of the year. >> been feeling the pressure for weeks, even more so now that we are less than a week away. >> reporter: five days to christmas, they expect sales to hit $10 billion. surpassing black friday for the first time in a decade. a big number driven by big discounts. >> i think there's deals to be had if you're smart about your shopping. >> reporter: last minute santas will find savings on 40 to 50" tvs, home appliances, and clothes. the princesses of frozen among

the hottest toys. several put perennial barbie on sale. last minute price cuts on coach handbags. if you're in the market for popular fitness trackers, strong demand is making bargains rare. even though we can let our fingers do the shopping, today expect to be shoulder to shoulder with fellow procrastinators. >> over 90% of commerce is taking place in brick and mortar. it is a brick and mortar phenomena in the last days to christmas. >> reporter: you'll find conveniences to make it easier. gift guides, express lines, extended hours. toys r us open until 2:00 a.m., kohl's won't close from now until 6:00 p.m. christmas eve. now, also working in everyone's favor, an improving economy with lower gas prices, falling unemployment rate, and improving consumer confidence. when all the buying and counting

is done, shopper trak believes this holiday season will see sales rise about 4%, compared to last year. craig? >> anne thompson for us this morning at toys r us. thank you. turning to a story of love and hope as an entire community rallies around a young couple getting devastating news, tough in the holiday season. sheinelle is back with their story. >> the couple you're about to meet received horrible news this past thanksgiving, a rare form of cancer liza had beat was back a and she didn't have long to live. they decided to celebrate what they did have in a special way. it is so easy to see, wyatt adores liza. he fell for her even before he laid eyes on her. >> i think before i had seen her, i heard her laugh coming up the stairs. >> it was clear they knew they had something special. recently, liza thought dreams of their wedding day might slip

away. >> for three years wasn't bad news. i thought we had it beat. when it came back this time, it was such a whirlwind. you're not ever ready for that news. >> liza was diagnosed for the second time thanksgiving day. this time, the rare form of cancer returned more aggressively. given less than a month to live. she knew if her dream to marry was to come true, they needed to work quickly. they certainly pulled it off. 48 hours later, more than 100 friends and family flokd to shreveport to throw an impromptu wedding. a day filled with a lot of laughter. and in a matter of days, an online campaign with the hope of raising $10,000 has already brought in close to $300,000. >> i guess i would want everyone to know that people who have cancer, you're still living and, you know, i feel like i'm definitely living with cancer, not dying with cancer. >> the money will go toward

research for synovial sarcoma at johns hopkins. as liza continues to fight for every day, she's at peace. >> i can't really explain it. it's just so comforting to know that you have unconditional love and someone who will be there for you 'til the very end. >> liza tells us she's glad to be able to help raise awareness because synovial sarcoma is such a rare disease. her family hopes funds raised will help uncover new treatment. >> what an incredible attitude, for her to say i'm living with cancer. >> never heard anybody say that. and it sticks with you, doesn't it? >> remarkable spirit. >> how about pulling off a wedding in two days. 48 hours. >> 48 hours. >> sheinelle, thank you so much. let's go over to dylan dreyer, hanging in the orange room. she has today's plaza fan of the day. >> today, craig, we tried to find the coolest name on the plaza. we have preston rogers from chat noog a, celebrating your daughter's 18th birthday. >> yes. >> been smiling all morning.

smile and take it away. >> still to come on "today," a friendly weekend competition, who can build the best gingerbread house. we'll find out. but first, these messages! >> awesome! happy birthday! >> thank you they're going to love you. at famous footwear we're not just selling the hottest shoes of the holiday season. we're selling "here comes your future daughter-in-law"

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so you can get in and out in no time. most walgreens are even open 'til midnight, to help keep the magic in your holidays. at the corner of happy and healthy. if you've ever tried to build a gingerbread house, you know it is not exactly the easiest thing to put together. imagine building a thousand of them. >> check out gingerbread lane, 480 square foot edible village on display at the new york hall of science. took a year to build all 1003 houses, used 600 pounds of gingerbread. 3600 pounds of icing, and 700 pounds of candy! >> that masterpiece, created by john who holds the world record for largest gingerbread village.

good morning. so what inspired you to build that masterpiece? >> you know, i started doing it like 20 years ago, small, like 12 houses about the size of these. got bigger and bigger. noticed other people laying claim to world's largest that weren't. i called them out, said i'll make one larger and get the world record, now i have it. >> so you have great advice we hope you'll give us. >> i will try. >> what makes a good gingerbread house. >> you make your own gingerbread if you have time, patience. from there, fluffy icing. when you buy the kids, they don't give you icing, it is more like glue, beat the daylights out of it, get it fluffy. that's the key. use a lot of it, you're good to go. >> 90 seconds we have. give us a countdown. judge us at the end. >> i have a lovely ribbon. you ready? three, two, one. ice. >> wow, you didn't waste time. >> squeeze that icing out. a lot of pressure.

>> what are your favorite candies? >> anything red and green. >> anything with a nice holiday look to it. don't be afraid to use a lot of pressure to squeeze that icing out. >> i have pictures. >> she tweeted at me, e-mailed me at 3:00 in the morning. >> supposed to be getting fancy? i am putting on things my kids would like. playing the kid card. >> mine looks like a kid did it. >> if you keep eating the ingredients, you never get the ribbon.

>> 30 seconds. >> do i have any clear cut winners here? >> i'm doing good. i think i'm doing good here. i have collar schemes. >> okay. ten seconds. no pressure. >> alternating, as many as you can. >> between red and green. >> right here, like the movie elf. >> time. i have to pick a winner. okay. >> he said time. >> i was pulling for you with the cool name. i'm sorry. if nothing else, have to give a ribbon to the person with the most candy on the house. >> do i get a ribbon? >> no. >> congratulations, put it on your tv. >> my first gingerbread house. may be hard to top that. >> you need to keep it, bring it out every year. >> we were way too methodical.

>> thinking way too much. she has the best one. >> he did write ho on the roof. >> ho-ho-ho. he ran out of roof. >> this was really fun. >> thanks for having me. >> when is gingerbread village over? >> january 11th, give them all away. >> can save them for years? >> you can, they'll last for years. >> back with more. first, this is "today." definitely put the ribbon on.

put on icing. i am learning rules from the blue ribbon winner. >> my holiday tradition is

blue ribbon winner. >> my holiday tradition is watching the godf "to ♪ ♪ blue ribbon winner. >> my holiday tradition is watching the godf "to ♪ ♪ ♪ even if it's your last one, always share the softness of kleenex tissues. and share your kleenex care story at kleenexcare.com and there are some people you shouldn't. people you should.

shouldn't. janice! should. shouldn't. yes. no. should. no way. should. no. definitely not. ha ha, nay. you shouldn't give underwear to everybody. but for those you do, give them fruit of the loom. i can... order safety goggles. play music for seedlings. post science fair projects. schedule guinea pig feedings.

video chemical reactions. take pics of mr. bones. time the next launch. calm down principal jones. i can do all that with my android from tracfone. 90-day plans start as low as $20. unbeatable nationwide coverage. no contract. for a limited time save $20 on the zte valet. now just $49.00. tracfone. do everything for less. is a really big deal.u with aches, fever and chills- there's no such thing as a little flu. so why treat it like it's a little cold? there's something that works differently than over-the-counter remedies. attack the flu virus at its source with prescription tamiflu. and call your doctor right away. tamiflu is fda approved to treat the flu in people 2 weeks and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu tell your doctor if you're pregnant, nursing, have serious health conditions, or take other medicines.

if you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion or abnormal behavior. the most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. ask your doctor about tamiflu and attack the flu virus at its source.

good morning, i'm kira klapper. next on "today in the bay" he must have forgotten about the cameras inside this hospital. what they caught a deputy doing on surveillance tape. >> watch what you say. the glitch making it easy for hackers to listen to your calls. why the golden gate bridge will be closed for two days.

good morning. it's 7:00 on this saturday morning. a beautiful look at san jose airport where we are seeing a little bit of drizzle this morning. thank you for joining us. i'm kira klapper. meteorologist christina loren is here for anthony slaughter. our first time working together. we are having a lot of fun. it's ladies' morning. you have wet weather, then a nice break. >> a nice ea