>> back with another local news update in half an hour. in the meantime we send you to "today" show. enjoy that beautiful sunrise still going on. sudden a . good morning. sudden and severe, fierce storms tearing across the country. in the midwest, tornadoes and hurricane force winds. farther west, heavy snow causing drivers to lose control. 50 million americans facing severe weather warnings today. direct strike. nbc news records a man pointing a laser right into the man's eyes. the chopper's camera then capturing the man's arrest. and an unarmed man dies in

police custody after being tasered up to 20 times. police say it was appropriate and necessary, but the man's family called it police brutality. and home stretch. rokerthon 2 hits the final phase. 38 states checked off the list so far. >> utah, colorado, new mexico, arizona, the four corners! kentucky! we're here at the swam many here in louisiana. >> 20 more to go putting al on track to make weather forecasting history. >> from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> and good morning, everybody. welcome to "today" on a thursday morning. i hope al is feeling strong this morning. he's got 38 states down and a big weather forecast to talk about.

>> his energy has been great throughout the week. it's been fun to watch, though someone with inside knowledge, al, told me you were starting to slur your words this morning. [ slurring ] >> that person clearly was right. we're going to check in with al in just a second. also today the weather is our top story, damaging winds sweeping east after a rough wednesday for tens of millions of people. ron mots is in chicago this morning. good morning to you. >> hey, matt, good morning. it was a rough and tumble night across parts of the midwest, especially here in chicago which is earning that nickname today. it is very breezy. we are expecting gusts today upwards of 50 to 55 miles per hour and they're not going anywhere any time soon. expect it to blow here very hard. today all the way into tomorrow. in chicago overnight, stunning lightning lit up the windy city as the nearby suburbs had to

deal with downed power lines and massive downpours. the storm moving east after nine suspected tornadoes touched down in iowa wednesday destroying homes and overturning a semi that had to be lifted to clear the roads. uprooting trees and lifting this parked car into the air. in iowa city, wind gusts combined with rain and lightning. causing some flooding. over 700 flights cancelled across the u.s. wednesday with 175 at chicago's o'hare alone, along with more than 4,000 delays, the weather system wreaking havoc in the skies and on planes still grounded. >> it's going to hit the plane! >> wind in des moines pushing a stair car straight into a plane. in denver it was snow that caused a headache for air travelers and motorists with winter arriving a few weeks ahead of schedule. >> now they call this type of fall system the witch of

november, an appropriate name considering how much these winds howl'd overnight. as the sm moves to the east, that should calm down the unstable air. air traffic is going to be a problem today. >> ron, thanks very much. >> let's bring al back and and get more on e expecting today, al. >> it's going to be a mess. we could see more downed trees, more power outages. this whole pressure system is still winding itself up. the good news is not a lot of rain with it. we'll be looking at showers and thunderstorms through the great lakes from the midwest into the interior northeast. y -- we have about 50 million people at risk from this high wind system, all the way down into the kicarolinas.

the wind gusts o could be 50 miles an hour, we're looking at wind gusts in detroit, minneapolis. more trees coming down and more widespread outages. the good news is it will start to die down as we get into the later part of tomorrow. back to you. >> thank you very much. we'll check back with you in a little while. meanwhile dangerous laser strikes are back in the news with two major incidents overnight. a man aiming a laser right at the news helicopter for our nbc station, wnbc, a stunt that ended in his arrest. tom costello covers aviation. what happened? >> good morning. it's a federal crime to point a laser at an aircraft, but last night as you mentioned in new york and also in dallas, by the way, in new york it happened with our nbc affiliate on assignment over the city when it was targeted. police moved in and all of it was caught on camera. the incident took place wednesday night when a chopper

pilot for our nbc station, wnbc, was flying 1,500 feet above new york city. >> don't look at it. >> suddenly a bright green beam of light lit up the cockpit. >> they just did it again. >> nearly blinding chopper reporter dennis and his pilot as they hovered above brooklyn. >> you get hit in the face like that and you can get temporarily blind. >> reporter: he then spotted a police chopper called in to investigate. nbc cameras catching police arresting at least one man and doo tani detaining two others. it comes after a string of similar incidents earlier this year. >> american 1472, we have a green light about a mile out. >> in 2010, more than 2,800 reports. last year nearly 3,900.

while the suspects seemed to think it was all a joke, those inside the aircraft say it's no laughing matter. >> we're talking about a helicopter here that weighs almost two tons. imagine that coming down on your house because the pilot's vision is impaired. even more serious is if it was a jetliner. >> three aircraft were targeted by lasers in dallas, two commercial flights and a private business jet. these lasers can cause temporary blindness and permanent eye damage. the penalty for targeting an aircraft with a laser up to 20 years in prison and a quarter million dollar fine. the faa and fbi are taking this very seriously. back you to. >> as they should. tom costello, thank you very much. >> in the race to the white house, donald trump and his plan to deport millions of immigrants is under controversy once again, this time as he plans it use a deportation force to carry it out.

peter alexander is following the story. >> reporter: good morning. immigration is going to be a real flash point among republicans and in the general election next fall. trump has taken the toughest position of anyone in the field. this morning his latest comments are coming under fire as trump revealed how he proposes getting millions of undocumented images out of the country. donald trump defending his plan to remove nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants out of the u.s. by force. >> we're going to have a deportation force and we'll do it humanely. >> it's a silly argument. it's not an adult argument. it makes no sense. >> it just not possible. i think there's a better approach, a practical approach, a conservative approach that solves this. >> hillary clinton blasting trump tweeting the idea of tracking down and deporting 11 million people is absurd, inhumane and unamerican, no, trump. what's the price tag on trump's plan? one conservative think tank estimates removing all

undocumented immigrants would cost $400 to $600 billion, a process that could take up to 20 years. trump insist it is can be done, even invoking president dwight eisenhower's mass deportation of 1 million immigrants 60 years ago. >> moved them just beyond the border, came back. move them again beyond the borner caborn -- border, didn't like it. moved them way beyond south, they didn't come back. >> critics have slammed him for even making the comparison. >> they would drop people in the middle of desert. 88 died of heat stroke. how would yours be different? >> very, very different. >> how? >> it called good management practices.

>> trump has not described how he would track down those people. >> thank you. >> a major offensive launched in iraq today backed by a u.s.-led air campaign to try to retakes the isis-held town of sinjar. >> it was an onslaught that caused tens of thousands of people to flee. officials are telling nbc that american warplanes have carried out 20 air strikes against targets and some 7,500 kurdish fighters are closing in on three front aiming to reclaim control and cut off a strategic supply line used by isis fighters. >> to russia with president vladimir putin is calling for an investigation into allegations of doping monday his country's athletes.

keir simmons has more on putin's comments. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. weather president putin's athletes can compete in next year's olympics may be determined by the results of the damning doping results and that must be filed tonight. while a decision to disqualify russian athletes could be awarded to american athletes instead. russia has just hours to respond to allegations of doping, deceit and corruption. this week's damning report says agents working for putin's security service, the former kgb, were present in a moscow lab where athlete samples were tested. the report suggests the lab's phones were bugged, putin's sports minister fighting back, going after international officials saying drug testing at the 2012 olympics was worse than russia's.

police are investigating officials from the international athletics body over at gagllega of a complex conspiracy. >> we certainly do not think that russia is the only country with a doping problem. >> the question now, will russia be banned from rio's 2016 olympics? tomorrow the olympic committee will weigh in. >> will you see medals being withdrawn and athletes being sanctioned. >> if that happens, american alicea may be awarded a medal, three years after she finished fifth behind two russian athletes now accused of doping. but there are so many questions. the report says russian officials repeatedly failed to implement improvements they were told to make before the sochi winter olympics and the former

president of the organization that must decide russia's fate is under investigation by french prosecutors suspected of taking a million dollars in bribes. it is the reputation of world athletics itself that's on the line here. >> a lot of people are going to be watching what happens over the next couple of days. thank you very much. >> here at home investigators are trying to get to the bottom what caused this dramatic and deadly house explosion in a new jersey neighborhood. today national correspondent craig melvin is here. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. that home you just saw there was leveled. several surrounding houses were also badly damaged. the explosion itself triggered a frantic search for more than a dozen people who were inside at the time. the surveillance video captures the shocking moment at the top of the screen. a massive explosion destroying a two-family home in elizabeth, new jersey wednesday morning. a fire ball surging into the street. >> we're getting that the second

floor roof collapsed and there's people trapped on the second floor. >> one man was killed, 15 others hurt, including an 11-year-old who is now in critical condition. >> most of the people were in the rear of the building. some were still sleeping at the time of the explosion. >> reporter: the mayor said a gas episode likely triggered the deadly explosion but the local gas staecompany says there are indications of a gas incident. >> it's bad. we probably lost everything except each other. >> wayne lived next door with his wife and child, all of them shaken but okay. >> we just went to sleep and woke up in a nightmare. >> earlier this year, another home obliterated another home in stafford town, new jersey, injuring a dozen. two people were killed when a gas explosion rocked a manhattan neighborhood. now in elizabeth, investigators

are trying to figure out what went wrong here and how to stop it from happening again. union county officials say the force was so strong, it blew out windows and knocked people out of their beds. some told emergency responders they smelled gas before the explosion. >> we are learning more about the nine people who died when their small plane crashed into an apartment building in akron, ohio. investigators are taking a close look at new video. >> look closely at the highlighted portion of the screen. that's the doomed jet just seconds before a fiery explosion. >> i can see it burning right now. >> reporter: as the ntsb begins its first full day at the crash site, this surl video is a crucial piece of evidence. it shows the plane in its final moments flying extremely low behind the trees before banking to the left. >> it looked like something from

my afghanistan days. a bomb. >> reporter: raid are lives next door to the apartment building destroyed in the cash. he left home just a half hour before, miraculously no one on the ground was injured. on wednesday investigators recovered the bodies of all nine on board the ten-seat jet. >> we wanted to make sure that we understand all aspects of the weather and the conditions and the ground conditions. >> reporter: it was foggy and misty when the jet crashed into the busy neighborhood. visibility just one and a half miles. the cloud ceiling, 400 feet. nbc news has learned one of the co-pilots was miami-based andrus chavez. also among the dead, diane smoot, one of the employees of peb enterprises looking at properties across the midwest. >> it's just not real yet. i'm just heartbroken. >> reporter: as both grieving families and investigators look for answers. for "today," john yang, nbc

news, akron, ohio. >> the ntsb has recovered the flight data recorder. it's sending it to washington for evaluation. >> thank you so much. and now rokerthon 2. after a week of nonstop travel, al is nearing the finish line of his record setting quest to hit all 50 states in one week. it headed north to alaska, made its way to the northwest, on monster monday he knocked off 13 states with the help of a stop at the four corners, then he zoomed west, raced across the gulf coast, crossing another eight states off the list for a total of 38. let's count the miles. it is well over 16,000 so far. al has delivered 90 weather forecasts, snapped 38 selfies and, yes, greeted 24 goats along the way. this morning al is in the nation's capital. i'm exhausted just reading that. >> it just doesn't sound right.

i'm going to say, i'm going to record. doesn't sound right. we are in the nation's capital and we are here at the amtrak station, union station. it is amtrak thursday. we're getting on the northeast regional number 172 to boston, ladies and gentlemen. we want to check off the district of columbia. we have our fabulous ipad pro. in washington d.c., 65 degrees, partly sunny skies and our overnight low tonight, we're looking at 45 degrees. matt, give me the flag so i can put up washington d.c. that's what's going on. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds.

good morning. i'm meteorologist kerr rae ham. chilly out the door. 4 degrees in the east bay, san francisco 5 the degrees and still in the 30s in the north bay. as we go into the afternoon, we're looking at highs that will be topping out in the 60s all across the board. 65 degrees in the peninsula and the east bay 64 degrees, san francisco 63, up to 67 in the tri-valley while the north bay tops out at 68 degrees, not much of a wind today but a little bit of a breeze in san francisco. guy. we are getting on. we are going up. we're going to kick off 12 more states. i'll get on this train and kick off a lot of people. whoo hoo! here we go. >> al, get the quesadilla.

get the quesadilla. >> yes. good advice. i will be in the quiet car. >> i was about to say it, don't get on the quiet car. >> see you in a little while. thank you. >> get the deathly stares on the quiet car. >> safe trip. speaking of trains, we have a frightening near miss. a brazilian man inches away from getting hit by anion comie onc train. >> it happened in rio. the man aparparently had no ide the train was coming toward him. he cleared the tracks with no time to spare and never looked up. the other angle shows -- i mean, it brushed his back. apparently, he kept on trucking. one lucky guy. and he's speechless. coming up, the easy way thieves can take control of your computer.

holding your private information and photos hostage until youexc. unarmed man dies after being tased repeatedly by police in virginia, even after he was retrar restrained. his sister speaks out. first, this is "today" on nbc.

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for many, orencia provides long-term relief of ra symptoms. it's helped new ra patients and those not helped enough by other treatments. do not take orencia with another biologic medicine for ra due to an increased risk of serious infection. serious side effects can occur including fatal infections. cases of lymphoma and lung cancer have been reported. tell your doctor if you're prone to or have any infection like an open sore, the flu, or a history of copd, a chronic lung disease. orencia may worsen your copd. if you're not getting the relief you need... ask your doctor about orencia. orencia. see your ra in a different way. at ally bank no branches equals great rates. it's a fact. kind of like ordering wine equals pretending to know wine. pinot noir, which means peanut of the night.

coverage... ==topvo== and san francisco police have not yet identified the gunman who climbed a mission district buildi good thursday mark. i'm sam brock. san francisco police have not yet identified the gunman who climbed up a mission district building at a construction site yesterday and opened fire. officers later shot and killed that man. the chaotic scene unfolded yesterday afternoon where the new hospital is being built. the gunman was armed with a roifl and a handgun and fired two shots from his perch before he was killed by the officers. investigators believe the gunman stole the rifle from a sporting goods stosh hours earlier. fortunately nobody on the ground was injured but most certainly terrified. a quick check of your temperatures, in the 50s in san francisco? >> you notice the huge difference if you're walking out

the door in santa rosa and driving towards san francisco. the temperatures going up. cool in livermore, 38 degrees, areas of patchy frost. but it's going to warm up and make it up to 66 degrees in los gatos and san mateo, mostly sunny skies and a light wind, 68 in santa rosa, pittsburgh 71 and pleasanton looking at a high of 68 degrees. how are the roads? things are looking good. we have a shot from the san mateo bridge. traffic is stop and go getting on the western span of the bridge. switching over to the maps i want to show you what's happening from hayward down towards fremont where we have traffic stop and go pull as we get to the peninsula, a couple of the early accidents, that's keeping things slow all the way to san mateo. things are picking up from 101 in san jose. still spot where there on

101. that will do it for us right now but we'll be back in 25 minutes with more updates. now back to the "today" show.

my name is 127 willow lane. and i've had some work done. in '62 they put in a conversation pit. brilliant. in '74 they got shag carpet. that poor dog. rico?! then they expanded my backside. ugh. so when the nest learning thermostat showed up, i thought "hmmm." but nest is different. keeps 'em comfy. and saves energy automatically. like that! i'm like a whole new house! nest. welcome to the magic of home.

now, he's a conductor. 7:30 on this thursday morning. it's the 12th day of november, 2015. there's al on the rails, riding amtrak. >> his fourth grade dreams are coming through this week. >> from our nation's capital to boston, all part of rokerthon 2. we're going to check in with al in a couple of minutes. >> there he is, pretending to read the newspaper. we'll give you the headlines. you don't need to do it. >> i'm reading the comics. >> okay. here are the stories making headlines on a thursday morning. powerful storms racing east today after hammering the midwest. at least nine tornadoes reported in iowa. today about 50 million are under wind advisories and high wind warnings as well.

we've got the faa investigating new laser attacks on aircraft, including this one that targeted our new york station's news helicopter overnight. the crew guided the police to the scene, where one man was arrested. in dallas three planes were hit by laser beams as they approached love field. a natural gas leak is suspected of causing this multi-family home in new jersey to explode. at least one person was killed. 15 others were injured. also several nearby buildings damaged by the blast. and our no-shave today campaign is in swing as guys put away the razors for the month of november to draw attention to men's health issues. if you're afraid of going to the doctor, thick about this. heart disease is the leading cause of death for men in the united states, killing about 300,000 every year. in 2015 more than 220,000 new

cases of prostate cancer and 8,000 cases of testicular cancer will be diagnosed. so if you're a man or there is a man in your life you care about, make sure you get the checkups that are appropriate for your age group. coming up, we're going to show you what happened when i recently got a full body scan. >> in full tie, i noticed. >> they said you don't even have to get undressed for this. >> that's a powerful scanner right there. by the way, at the end of the month, we'll host a shav shave-off for the guys taking part in our campaign. head to the today.com to rsvp. share your photos with t the #noshavetoday. most importantly, remember the public health message that underscores this. >> it's not just about fuzzy faces. that's for sure. we'll look at troubling video obtained as part of an msnbc investigation. unarmed virginia man tased repeatedly, restrained and tased again, before dying in police custody. msnbc chief legal correspondent

ari melber broke the story. ari, good morning to you. >> good morning. during the investigation, we obtained both police and hospital surveillance video of the incident. we'll warn you, some of the images are disturbing. lawyers will be in the court for the civil case brought against the officers. police say lynwood lambert was hallucinating and acting paranoid when police arrived. >> we're not going to lock you up. we're going to take you to the emergency room. >> once at the hospital, lambert is seen kicking out the police car window and running toward the e.r. they tased him at the doorway, and then they tased him to the ground. >> every time you get up, i'm going to pop you. >> i didn't do nothing. >> i'm going to light you up again. roll over. >> instead of bringing lambert inside the hospital,

police take him back to the squad car. arms and legs cuffed, he's slumped, when they tase him again. the squad car then takes lambert to jail, where officers find he's unresponsive. he's then taken by ambulance back to the same e.r. where he's pronounced dead on arrival an hour after the incident began. lambert's sister just recently saw the tapes. a court ordered police to provide them after she sued the officers for $25 million. >> i got up and went to the grave site and i talked to my brother. and i said, i'm sorry. i'm so sorry for what they did to you because i didn't know. >> the police deny the family's allegations and say the tasings were appropriate and necessary because lambert's behavior put persons at risk. but federal guidelines say repeat tasings may increase the risk of death or serious injury. law enforcement experts note force is only allowed on combative suspects. >> there's no possible justification to taser a man shackled and restrained like this in the back of a police car.

>> lambert's family is calling it police brutality saying the tasings caused his death. the autopsy notes tasing wounds but lists the cause of death as cocaine intoxication. gwendolyn small says nothing will bring her big brother back, but she hopes his story will spur action. >> you said you want justice. what would justice look like here? >> jail time. jail. >> while that civil case has a hearing in federal court today, the local prosecutor also tells me the criminal inquiry remains open and will go on as long as it takes to determine what happened that night. >> it's stunning. this happened in may, and yet this video never came out after his death. it only came out because of the civil trial. >> that's right. under court order, that's when the family got the tapes. so for two years they never knew what happened that night. >> wow.

>> the videos certainly takes this in a new direction. ari, thank you very much. let's get a check of the weather as al checks off another state from his rokerthon list. hey, al. good morning. >> hey, good morning, guys. we're on an amtrak northeast regional 172 heading toward boston, and we're pulling into the new care ol'ton station. in the meantime pulling into the pacific northwest there's a massive stern. we'll show you what it's going to look like. we're going to be looking at pacific moisture pushing on in. as it does, rain is going to increase. we're also going to see winds increasing, as well. so the futurecast for today in the pacific northwest, we have a flood watch from thursday to sunday. high wind warnings, costal areas, washington state, wind gusts of over 55 miles per hour. as that front pushes in, heavy rain, wind, and snow. look at the rainfall we're talking about. through saturday, the cascades and olympics, 6 to 8 inches of rain. upwards of 10 to 12 inches in the olympics and northern cascades as well. up to a foot or more in parts of the pacific northwest. that

and that system makes it into the bay area sunday morning. in the meantime we have dry weather, cool mornings and warm afternoons and a big temperature range from the south bay where now it's 39 degrees, san francisco 52 and 34 degrees now in the north bay. expect it to become a little more even all across the board with highs today in the mid to upper 60s. in the east bay 64 degrees, mostly sunny skies, also for the south bay, 67 degrees, and 63? fran. >> announcer: rokerthon on "today" is powered by netjets. travel with the worldwide leader in private aviation. >> i have to tell you what's been wonderful about this trip is the people we have met who have waited for us and have been thrilled to be part of a record that we're trying to set on

rokerthon. we talk about one of the other important things about this trip a little later on. in the meantime, ladies and gentlemen, planes, trains and automobiles, we are in the homestretch. >> we're here at the honey island swamp in slidell, louisia louisiana. >> reporter: out of the bayou and into the winnebago to rolled out for rokerthon. >> happy veteran's day. >> reporter: we were honored to have a sergeant behind the wheel getting us to massachusetts. >> the hurricane hunters are based here. good to see you. thank you so much. >> reporter: then it was all to alabama for a special veteran's day celebration. >> we are here at the uss alabama. historical park. their 50th anniversary. what better place to be on veteran's day? >> reporter: once again, on the road with yours truly behind the

wheel, heading southeast to the next stop. when i noticed -- >> hold on. >> reporter: we were running on empty. >> we can roll into the gas station. we're good. if we don't -- >> reporter: just in the nick of time. >> we were a little close to empty, but we made it, baby. on to pensacola. >> reporter: in pensacola, florida, it was nothing but blue skies and mighty blue angels. >> they're so trim, you know. if i had that jumpsuit on, it'd be like, does this make me look fat? because it would. next stop, my favorite co-anchors name, savannah. that's where we're headed. yeah, baby. >> reporter: we got a heap of southern hospitality. savannah, look what i found.

it's your name. >> reporter: next stop, beautiful hilton head, south carolina, where some folks got a bird's eye view of team roker jr. th thon in action. our next stop, elizabeth city, north carolina. >> welcome. >> reporter: we were welcomed by more of the country's brave men and women in uniform and their families at coast guard air station elizabeth city. then back in the air for the last stop of the day, charleston, west virginia, where i checked off someone's list. >> yesterday was really special. especially taking a look at all the veterans and all our military installation. by the way, we want you to go to today.com/rokerthon. there's a spot there, feeding america. we're doing this also to help raise money to feed the hungry, especially in this holiday season. feeding america, for every dollar, donates 11 meals.

we'd love to get millions of meals to feed america for the holiday. today.com/rokerthon and donate. guys, we're moving pretty fast. our next stop is bwi airport station. oh, man, i love me some trains. >> al, can we go back to the winnebago that nearly ran out of gas? would that have been sean reese's job, to keep that fueled up? >> no, no. sean was actually not in the winnebago. it was not big enough to get sean in the winnebago. but that said, for folks who don't know, he's about 7'18". >> one of our "today" show producers. >> buddy, good seeing you. great trip. >> sean was racking up the charges on the nbc credit card. coming up, a major mistake in packaging on birth control pills lead to unwanted

pregnancies in up to 100 women. a scam that lets criminals get ahold of your computer and the contents, and hold that hostage until you pay. we'll have that story right after this. ♪ (music plays throughout) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ here's to more good cheer. buy one holiday drink at starbucks and get one free to share november 12th through 15th, 2 to 5pm.

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>> it's called ransom ware. tom costello has been talking to the experts about it. >> how many times have you gotten pop-up messages saying your computer has been affected by wamalware? don't click on the link. it could cost you big time. >> reporter: the latest cyber crook strategy, lock up your computer and hold ransom everything you hold deal, family photos, health records, financial documents, and demand you pay up to get them back. among the experts on ransom ware, james. becoming a victim is as easy as a bad mouse click on a pop-up window, e-mail or web link. >> we have this help restore file web page, saying all our files were protected by a strong encryption. >> reporter: the message, if we can pay, we can regain our access. >> we try to open this up.

first warning sign is the computer doesn't recognize it. when we do open it up, it's all encrypted non-sense. >> gibberish. >> every document on the system, wherever they were, has been found by this malware and encrypted. >> reporter: to unclock our files, we must pay up. it happened to valerie, who was locked out of her computer. patient information and tax documents, out of reach. >> i was really scared and not sure what was the right thing to do. i felt violated. >> reporter: to unlock the files, cyber criminals demanded $500 paid in an online anonymous currency, and gave her 24 hours with a clock counting down on her computer. >> pressure, lots of pressure. >> reporter: intel security has seen a 127% jump in ransom ware cases in the last year. >> because it's an anonymous currency, it's easy for the -- easier for the criminals who are delivering ransom ware to kind

of get payment and do so without, you know, being tracked through credit card accounts. >> reporter: the going rate to buy back your digital life, $300 to $500, show some criminals demanded $2,000. one tactic, sending the computer owner a message that they've downloaded illegal material and they'll be turned over to authorities if they don't pay up. >> it's an unbelievably clever scam that plays to people's natural paranoia of their computer. and, of course, the fact that people have important data that they haven't necessarily backed up. >> reporter: how can you avoid getting attacked by ransom ware? sophos advices always use up to date anti-virus software, enable your pop-up blockers, back up your computer regularly and be careful what you trust. don't click on suspicious e-mails or web links. in the end, valley uerie decide to pay. she'd rather lose her files than pay a fee.

>> what should you do if your information is hostage? many cyber security pros say it's best to pay the ransom. your local police department is probably not going to be able to track down whoever is behind the ransom ware, especially if they're overseas. i don't know about you, but i've been getting phone calls saying they detected that my computer has a virus. that's a scam. nobody is going to call you and say they've detected suspicious activity on your computer. hang up. back to you. >> disconcerting even to get a call like that. thank you so much. coming up, we pose the question, who needs a nap more, shia labeouf, live now -- >> or is it al on rockerthon 2? tw

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today... ==topvo== a legalis a very good morning to you. it's 7:56. happening today, a legal dispute heads back to a south bay courtroom. they're suing over the behavior of a child and the parents' response to that behavior. neighbors claim the 11-year-old boy has been violent to the other children. to them that constitute a nuisance. they're now suing for monetary damages. another bay area city may be on the verge of banning vaping in public. the mercury news reports that the councy members are recommending that e-cigarettes be banned in all areas where tobacco smoking is outlawed. council members are split on whether to support efforts to raise the legal age to buying tobacco from 18 to 21. let's check in with cary.

>> it was such a cool start to the day and now it's 52 degrees there, 42 in napa and santa rosa at 48 degrees. cooler in the north bay and expecting high to warm up to the u upper 60s. 64 and 71 degrees today in pittsburgh. anthony? >> well things are moving good but it's slow and lots of spots. especially across the north bay, 101 into the city. but the other side moving without problems. as we switch over, the bay bridge toll plaza, the cash lanes are moving a little slower. we have lots happening across the east bay, 680 a few accidents through dublin, 880, a couple of accidents there. in the south bay we have an accident on 11, capital express way and 280 approaching 17. thank you very much. we'll be back with another local

update for you in half an hour. have a great morning.

it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, flu shot confusion. can the vaccine be less effective if you got one last year? we'll get answers and vaccinated live. menus based on the weather? the new push to make one fast food restaurant smarter. >> and when matt met billy. >> yes, yes. >> i'll have what he's having. >> matt shares a central park bench and a few laughs with the legendary billy crystal today, thursday, november 12th, 2015. ♪ i look just like buddy holly >> we're in new york city!

>> i'm working. >> and i'm playing. thanks for watching the kids, mom. >> we came all the way from iowa. >> shout out to our people in lincoln, nebraska. >> hi, everyone in buffalo. >> good morning, everyone. welcome back to "today." it is 8:00 in the morning. great morning on our plaza. having a great day. dylan, i like your sassy selection for throwback thursday. >> i forgot the pick. "buddy holly" by weezer. one of my favorites. >> do you recognize this hat? >> i gave you this hat. >> this is from the matt lauer collection. thank you. i really like it. >> i feel a little left out. >> i'm sorry. i'll give you one for tomorrow. >> everyone gets a hat from matt

lauer today. >> al roker, training his way toward the end of rokerthon 2. somewhere probably in maryland still, is that about right? i think so. >> that's right. we're getting ready to pull into baltimore. >> cool. this has been an epic journey. you'll end up in boston a little later on. we'll check in with him in a moment. with natalie on assignment, tamron has the morning's top stories. tamron? >> good morning, everyone. a storm system that unleashed tornadoes in the midwest is moving east with high winds and heavy rain. nbc's ron mott is in chicago for us. ron, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. wind is the word of the day in chicago. we're expecting gusts 50 to 55 miles per hour today. this follows a rough and tumble night last night. look at the scene downtown chicago. we had a little lightning thrown in the mix last night. that made things interesting. it was quite interesting next door in iowa. as you mentioned, a suspected

nine tornadoes touching down. most of them in rural areas. the property damage was at a minimal. we should also tell you today, the system, as it moves east, is running into more stable air. the threat from tornadoes and severe thunderstorms is going to be diminished. but, you will have to contend with the wind and the rain today. obviously, air travel is going to be affected. we've already seen delays and cancellations at o'hare. we expect they'll grow throughout the day. wise to call the airline before you head out the door. >> thank you very much. a laser strike on a television news chopper in new york ended with a dramatic arrest. wnbc's chopper 4 was hit by a green laser while covering a story wednesday night. it's a federal crime because it can temporarily blind or damage a pilot's eyes. the helicopter crew stayed airborne and guided police to the laser source. they recorded officers making at least one arrest. more than 100 women who became pregnant after taking

what they say are mispackaged birth control pills are suing the companies who made the pills. some of the women are seeking the cost of delivering and raising children who resulted from the unplanned pregnancies. the fda issued a recall notice for the pills in 2011. according to the suit, the recall was triggered when one woman noticed that the way they were packaged, the pills would be taken in reverse order, improving the chances to become pregnant. there's no evidence the packaging problem has reoccurred. a jury awarded more than $21 million to an illinois businessman hit in the head by an automatic sliding door on a holland america cruise ship. it was captured on security video. his attorneys say the 61-year-old suffered a minor brain injury resulting in memory loss, vertigo and seizureseizur. the attorneys produced evidence that dozens of other passengers had been injured in similar incidents across the holland america fleet. only once in a blue moon

does a beauty like this go on the market. a 12 carat gemstone was sold in geneva wednesday night for $48.5 million. that's said to be an auction record for any gemstone. the hong kong billionaire who bout it promptly renamed the gem to the blue moon of josephine, after his 7-year-old daughter. she has a lot to look forward to. let's go to savannah now. new questions about flu shots. just how effective they are. dr. natalie azar is an nbc medical con trub you tor. doctor, good morning. >> good morning. >> we've been reading these headlines that if you get the flu shot every year, somehow, it is less effective. >> right. >> that makes me think, am i supposed to get my flu shot or not? >> i know. the flu has gotten bad rap this year. we absolutely are recommending the flu shot every year.

the study raises questions about immunology of flu vaccination. meaning, could you have antibodies that last year that neutralizes this year's vaccine. it raised interests questioning from the biological point of view. even the study authors and we recommend the flu shot to be gotten every year. it is the best protection against influenza. >> get your flu shot, bottom line. but don't they change it every year? >> they do. >> the flu changes every year. >> exactly. it's important to remind people the strains chosen for the next year's flu virus are chosen in the spring. that leaves six to seven months while the flu shot is being made for all those viruses to drift or mutate. it's not always a perfect fit. last year, we had a lot of news about how it was a bad year and a mismatch. but this year, the strain that's circulating appears to be well matched to the vaccine. really encouraging. >> who should not get a flu shot? >> children under the age of six months, absolutely. people who have a severe egg

allergy or have had a severe reaction to a flu vaccine in the past shouldn't get it or speak to your doctor. there are egg-free options available. >> i see you brought your needle with you. i decided if you were convincing, i would get my flu shot. >> right. we practice what we preach. i got mine about two to three weeks ago. my arm was a little sore for a day. >> okay. >> i had zero reaction. i should also mention that it does take -- >> i hope i do, too. >> it does take about two weeks for your body to create the antibodies. >> ahh -- just kidding. >> i knew you were going to do it. >> no, it's fine. >> for protection. you definitely want to do it as early in the season as you can. >> okay. >> usually early to mid october. i am going to dispose of this needle properly. we don't recommend recapping. >> put it in matt's office. >> yeah. >> i brought that for you, too. >> thank you. it's not too late to get a flu shot? >> never too shot. >> thank you.

celebrity flu shots, thank you. coming up next, is he going to make it? we're going to check in not on al, no, on shia labeouf, and his unusual marathon of watching all of the movies over the course of three days. plus, two guys, one bench. matt chats with billy crystal. their little "when harry met sally" moment. al motors on to his next stop on the rokerthon 2 tour. first, these messages. the first fridge with a keurig brewing system. only in the ge café series. made for everyday and extra special days. ♪ get up to 40% off select major appliances. $396 and more. now at lowe's.

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we're back now. 8:11. let's get to what's trending. companies are always looking for ways to get you to spend more money, right? mcdonald's may have found a unique method. they'll begin installing so-called smart menus nationwide. here's what happens. the digital displays will make food recommendations based on the weather outside. let's say you walk into a mcdonald's. it's cold outside. the menu, the digital menu, will highlight hot drinks and hea heartier meals. in the heat, it'll highlight ice tea. business insiders say the menus were tested in canada. guess what? when used, customers tended to spend more money. >> i beguess the proof is in th pudding. i would say, don't you feel the weather? >> it's the power of suggestion. all the menu items are up there. when it says to buy the hardy

male meal -- >> what weather is good for an egg mcmuffin? >> any weather. >> i knew you'd get it right. earlier, we talked about starbucks and red cup controversy, or red cup gate, as i call it. the company is accused of waging a war on christmas because it has a simple red design. no festive stuff. call it good timing. call it savvy marketing. here's the holiday cup from dunkin doughnuts. doesn't say christmas. but you see, "joy." >> they probably wouldn't have done this high profile rollout if not what's happening across the street. >> they're red, green, they both look like christmas. >> both gives me good joy, especially when i see what's in it. >> all are empty now. >> what time do you normally wake up here?

>> 4:00. >> 3:00. >> 4:00. >> what time did you wake up today? >> 5:45. >> savannah overslept by two hours and 45 minutes. can you imagine that? >> you seem wide awake. >> that's because i got a good night's sleep. >> you should have seen her when they rolled her into the makeup room this morning. here's a way to make sure you never oversleep again. the clock that smacks you to wake you up. >> come on! >> we are installing this right now in your home, on your headboard. this is a lady who invented this. added a more tortor and rubber . she never has to worry about oversleeping. if you happens tomorrow, you'll be here on time. you'll be bruised but up on time. >> i needed that this morning, so bad. they called mike, who is in washington, d.c. why are you calling me? >> not my problem.

why jennifer lawrence says she can't get a date. shia labeouf's marathon. jennifer lawrence, what does she want now? a date. jennifer opens up in the latest issue of "vogue." saying she can't wait to get married but she likes spending time with her neighbors, ashton kutcher and mila kunis. who is her ideal guy? i need to have a guy who doesn't know who i am and what i've done. next to billy joel and great news for his fans. he's extending his residency at madison square garden. he's been holding a concert every month since early last year. billy will great two records. the longest run of any artist

and the most number of performances by any artist. billy will continue the concert as long as there is demand. i have a feeling demand will be high for a long time. >> we saw that show. fantastic. >> i want to see it. it's always sold out. >> i haven't seen it. we'll get with them later. >> i need to cash in on it. al isn't the only one in the middle of a marathon adventure. move over, rokerthon. here's shiathon. we told you about the stunt by shia shia labeouf, watching all of his movies. this is a live shot of the theater now. shia is in front. almost done. supposed to finish the movie marathon tonight. he's been through a range of emotions, just like al. everything from smiles, tears, boredom and, yes, some sleep. i don't know if he's watching "charlie's angels:full throttle." >> look at the people behind him. they're not moving.

>> they look like watching the yule log. it's strangely mez myrsmerimesm. just ahead, we have a big announcement from justin bieber. more from al's rokerthon 2 adventure right after this. that's a side of matt greenfield we haven't seen. >> poor, matt. >> they're making fun of you. >> they're making fun of you. >> great. padvil pm gives you the healingu at nsleep you need, it. helping you fall asleep and stay asleep so your body can heal as you rest. advil pm. for a healing night's sleep.

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we are back with our no shave today campaign. >> once again, we're growing our beards to raise awareness for men's health issues. one way to take care of yourself is a full body scan. that along with other tests can give you a baseline for your overall health. take a look. >> 34 seconds, a guy like this can detect something that might save your life. >> reporter: two years ago, al and i had prostate exams live on the air. last year, willie and carson had testicular exams. this year, we're taking a full body approach to preventive care. we went to new york presbyterian men's center. >> take everything metal off. >> right, there you go. >> reporter: i got into the lunar body composition scanner. >> what exactly are you looking for? >> just a picture of how you're

built and where it's distributed. >> reporter: that's dr. alex. the scanner uses low dose radiation to map out my muscle, bone and fat. it doesn't just look at the belly fat right below the skin. it also measures the fat closer to the organs, which can be an indicator of serious conditions, like type 2 diabetes. where a man stores his fat can also be an important predictor. those who are apple shaped have more fat in the waist, putting them at greater risk for high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. for those who are pear shaped with fat in the hips and thighs, the risk is lower. the scan takes seven minutes but generates a wealth of information. you see it all there on the screen. >> all the bones appear to be in the right place, right? >> look good. >> when it comes to fat. >> your numbers are low. they're in great shape. >> reporter: the hospital also drew blood, quite a bit of it.

>> you took ten, ten viles of blood from me. what did you learn from them? >> what we do when we take ten viles of blood is to get a complete picture. >> reporter: that picture includes testing my lipid levels, including cholesterol, to see if i'm at a greater risk of heart disease or stroke. >> in terms of the lipids and stuff, i'm on a statant. how am i in the area? >> you're good in that area. >> reporter: other tests look at my thyroid which regulates metabolism. >> fatigue is a big thing in my life. am i more prone to that than other people? >> your thyroid function is normal. >> reporter: further testing looked at how my kidneys, liver and hormones are functioning. the results show all are fine. as we continue the no-shave tra

diction of getting poked, prodded, it's nice to see a good bill of health. >> everything else is fine. of course, it's important to exercise and eat right. that's the most important information we can give you. the scanner though is a good way to get a snapshot of your overall fitness at one particular moment in time. in fact, it's used by a lot of nfl teams to help their players train better. the scan can cost over $1,000 and is an elective procedure. you'll need to check with your insurance provider to see if it's even covered. >> fascinating. it's a snapshot of your overall health, if you can afford to write the check. it's worth doing it. >> ten viles of blood before the show one morning. that was fun. >> how whoozy were you? >> exactly. >> we're doing no-shave november for men's health. let us check in another big

event around here, rokerthon 2. al, how are you doing? >> we're doing great. we want to thank everybody at amtrak. they put two extra cars on the back of this train. not so much because -- anyway -- look radar. the storm system is bringing the wind into the plains. we'll be looking at those showers and thunderstorms. wet weather, big storm moving into the pacific northwest. afternoon highs will be chilly. 30s, 40s and 50s. 40s and 50s in northern new england. only warm spot around the gulf coast of florida. we do have windy conditions in the pacific northwest. windy through the great lakes. airport delays will be a problem. later today, showers in the northeast and new england. lots of sunshine through the southwest and down through the gu good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. our temperatures are in the mid to upper 40s.

52 in san francisco. a lot of sunshine in and the temperatures are warming up. et expect 68 in the north bay. 63 in san francisco. east bay, 64. in the tri-valley, highs in the upper 60s. 67 in the south bay. have a great day. >> are we at 39 now, 39 states? we just checked off maryland. i got this from the u.s. navy. it's the naval academy. my own football jersey. i think they're being generous. i can't fit into this thing. >> looks good though, al. check in with you in a little while. thank you very much. coming up, we have big news from justin bieber. we're going to go one-on-one on a bench in central park with comedy legend billy crystal. we have mary-louise parker with news of her collection of letters to men who impactei'm .

coverage... ==topvo== good thursday morning. it's 8:26. tipping coverage, san francisco police have not yet identified the gunman who climbed a building yesterday opening up fire. officers later shot and killed that man. the chaotic scene unfolded yesterday around 4:30 where the new hospital is being built. the gunman had a rifle and a handgun and fired at least two shots from his perch before being killed by officers. investigators believe the gunman stole the rifle from a sports goods store hours earlier. fortunately, nobody on the ground was injured during the scene. a quick check of traffic. things lighter than normal. >> they were earlier. they are starting to pick up in san jose. last half hour has gotten slow.

this is 101. things really slow, not only on 101 but 880. let's show you what i'm talking about. that's 880 passing 101. we have three accidents in the span there right before you get to 280. keep in mind it's a slow go for the compumuters. 101 southbound slows in spots. off toward the east bay, 880 littered with accidents. you can see things moving slow approaching the bay bridge toll plaza. >> a slow start to a chilly day. thank you very much. a live shot of downtown san jose.

we're back now. 8:30 on a thursday morning. it is the 12th day of november, 2015. big crowd out on the plaza. you know what? we hope to have an even bigger crowd here tomorrow morning when we welcome al back from his rokerthon 2 adventure. if you're in the area, come on down. we want to have a big celebration to mark the occasion of him doing weather live from

50 states in seven days. >> so classic. which charger goes where? >> he's the most organized person. you've traveled with him, he has his case and all the wires. this is all acting. >> when he's not here, the wires look just like that. they do. by the way, al has a little ways to go. we shouldn't prematurely celebrate. we'll check in with him. he has 11 more states. >> did you just jinx him. >> no, no, no! i was just trying to keep the suspense going. i'm sorry, al. >> little earlier, we promise add big announcement from justin bieber. next week, the music superstar kind of taking over "today." take a look. >> matt, i'm looking forward to sitting down for an interview, dude. we have a lot to talk about. this wednesday, the "today" show, biggest concert i've ever done. >> looking forward to that. justin is here monday, tuesday, wednesday. interview, monday.

t huge concert on tuesday. fun surprise. >> can i call you dude? >> absolutely, dude. >> we'll have a big concert on wednesday to celebrate the release of his new album "purpose." can't wait to welcome him back to our plaza. justin bieber week next week on "today." still ahead this morning, we're kicking off something new with the help of comedy icon billy crystal. plus, what would you want to say, good or bad, to the men in your life? savannah, we were discussing that on our break. >> it's a fascinating concept. >> we're going to talk with mary-louise parker about her revealing new book, tackling just that. we're taking your kitchen to the next level with a special today's food club edition of the stuff we love. >> the little lids, brilliant. first, let's get a check of the weather with al. >> hey, guys. thank you so much. okay. we just rode into baltimore ten minutes ago. we've made our way through

virginia, washington, d.c. earlier this morning. we're at a total of 39 states and the district. we're hitting nine later today. we wraracked up over 16,000 mil so far. we've used 12 different modes of transportation. i've done the weather 93 times and taken 38 selfies. there you have it. all right. your forecast looks like this. for the weekend outlook, here's what we got for you. for tomorrow, heavy rain in the pacific northwest. snow in the up of michigan. showers down in florida. on saturday, the eastern 2/3 of the country looks spectacular. more rain in the pacific northwest. chilly conditions there. as we move into sunday, sunday, big storm system bringing snow and rain into california. the kas nacascades, inner mount region. more rain in texas, eastern third of the country looking

good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. looking forward to the rain sunday. now it's clear and cool as we get a live at san francisco. clear skies. it's 47 degrees in oakland and san jose, 45. 52 in san francisco. looking at highs today in the mid to upper 60s. a couple of spots may hit 70 like a few spots in the east bay. in napa today, expect a high of 66 degrees. >> that's your latest weather. today.com/rokerthon for our itinerary and we're asking you to donate to feeding america to help us stamp out hunger during the holiday season. guys, back to you. >> al, thank you so much. this morning, we are starting a new series. it's called, chat with matt. there's even a central park bench dedicated to this.

>> yes, there is. who better to help us kick it off than comedy legend billy crystal? we sat down in central park to talk about comedy, honoring his dad and the big performance that billy has lined up later tonight. >> welcome to the matt lawyuer bench in central park. >> look at this. we are now two jews sitting on the bench. we are those guys. >> i've always wanted to be the source of that line. okay so -- >> two jews sitting on a bench. one goes, oh. the other goes, i thought we weren't going to talk about the kids. >> how much of these aany of th? >> a lot. >> you're going to do the new york city festival. >> they asked me and i said, it'd be great. >> it's not standup. >> it is and it isn't. the great comedian stein bedavi

steinberg is going to interview me. >> why david? >> he was one of the greatest ever. he hosted the "tonight show." >> is this off the cuff? >> most is off the cuff. there are a couple things i want him to lead me into. >> 700 sundays is his stage show that earned him a tony in 2005 and later became an hbo special. focused on the 700 sundays he felt with his father, jack crystal, who died when billy was 15. >> love music. >> yes. >> had a music store. he organized jazz concerts called the sessions. he was, at a time when the country was segregated, extremely color blind. >> mm-hmm. >> for someone who didn't know him, how would you describe your dad. >> humanitarian. he was very shy. >> wasn't he the guy who stood up in front of the room during those jazz sessions and kind of -- he was the mc?

>> it was part of his thing. he loved presenting this music to the world. over the years, no matter who it may be, they come out of the woodwork and say, he was such a nice man. i loved him. from people like woody allen. >> what did he say? >> he was so nice to me. i was 17. i didn't have proof of age because there was liquor there. he let me stand in the back. he'd do that for me. >> now 52 years later, the ballroom, which is a theater at new york university, is being named the jack crystal theater. >> this is a special place. something great happened here. i didn't want it or my dad to ever be forgotten, and now he won't. >> can you imagine how he would feel, to see his name on that? >> i think he'd go, oh, no, no. i don't deserve this. no, no, no. thanks, anyway. >> how will you feel, knowing that for the next however many years, young people, whenever there is an event that they need to go to, they'll be using your

dad's name. >> it's amazing that every day, someone will say his name now. where's rehearsal? at the jack crystal theater. the show? jack crystal theater. the fact that young artists will be in the same space and find their own jazz, their own music, that's kind of perfect. >> we started by talking about new york, so let's wrap it by talking about new york. we're here in correntral park, which makes me think about "when harry met sally" in the deli. >> yes, yes, oh, oh! >> i'll what have -- have what she's having. >> look at the size of these. what's your preference? >> you can work out with these. look at these. >> cheers. >> cheers. >> to all your success. >> hmm, yes, yes, yes.

yes, yes. >> i'll have what he's having. >> charming. >> what a good guy. >> nice man. >> the way he's honoring his father is so sweet. >> goes in the hall of fame of "today" show guests over the years. >> he does. >> you can catch billy at town hall here in manhattan. part of the new york comedy festival. >> love him. up next, the stuff we love in the kitchen. she's with mary-louise parker, who will talk about her new book. first, this is "today" on nbc.

we are back now. it's 8:41. mary-louise parker, the famous actress, is here. she's conquered the screen and the stage. including "fried green tomatoes." and her roll on "weeds." now, parker is out with her first book. it's called "dear mr. you."

ma mary-louise parker, good morning. >> good morning. >> it's an honor to meet you. i'm a big admirer. >> thank you. >> i didn't know you were hiding this literary talent. this was your first book. you've written before, but you are a real writer. >> thank you. david granger really -- i have him to thank for believing in me. >> your agent. >> no, he's the editor in chief of "esquire" magazine. he let me write for a number of years. >> i mentioned your agent. he did something that is really cool. when he sent out this manuscript, he didn't attach your name to it. >> right. >> he didn't want people to think, oh, it's a celebrity memoir. >> right. >> it's something else. i think that's a courageous thing to do. >> it was really great idea, unless he's lying and said that to make me feel better. but no, it was really brave on his part. it was something he wanted to foster, the idea that people

meet these letters, you know, as something other than an expose or someone telling their life story. >> there's a little bit of confusion about that. it's called "dear mr. you." some people have shorthanded it, that this is, i don't know, a dishy tell-all. >> there are no dishes. >> tell us what it is. it is a collection of letters to men. >> yeah. well, i really wanted to write something, most of all, that was positive. i think of it as, you know, a epistilary. it's on the gender itself and my love of things male and men in general. i've had, you know, amazing, heroic men in my life, starting with my father and brothers. it's little moments that impacted me where someone -- i might not even have known their name, or they might have not lingered in my life for long,

but they impacted me in a way that was positive. >> one of the most powerful c chapters i thought was the letter to the orderly in the hospital room where you delivered your little boy. >> right. >> it wasn't about the orderly so much as it was about that moment and you wanted to hold on to the baby. >> yeah. it was something i really had waited for all my life. i say in the story that i was a baby -- i'd wanted a baby my whole life. i was a little girl who wanted a baby. they wanted to take my son to the nursery. i just, you know, hadn't slept and had an actual childbirth, and i was like, there's no way you can have this little boy right now. >> i think a lot of moms will relate to that. for better or for worse, one of the most infamous parts of your life is you had a famous breakup while you were seven months pregnant. to be clear, you are not really writing about that in this book, but there is an interesting letter where you write to a cabdriver. in the moment, it's a powerful

moment and a way that you talked about it without talking about it. can you explain? >> i think it's less about whatever was going on in my life, which is you know, private to me and will always remain so, is that this was a complete stranger who met me at a low moment. had i been in touch with, you know, sort of a higher self or something and been forgiving of him, it would have been heroic. but i was so attached to my own unhappiness that i was unable to sort of rise above feeling persecuted. it just created this dynamic with this perfect stranger, where this naked, you know -- it was almost like he held up a mire -- mirror in my face. he haunted me because i didn't consider him or his life. i've subsequently gone on to really consider what was going on with his that day. all i could think of is what was going on with myself. that's how that letter came to

be. >> well, it's really thought provoking and revealing, and i hope you have more books in you. >> thank you. i'm lucky enough -- i'm friends with mary carr, and we're going to do events together. we just wrote "the art of the memoir." she's sort of like a mentor to me and has taught me so much. her books have impacted my life. she's helping me. >> congratulations, again. >> thank you so much. >> the book is "dear mr. you." mary-louise parker, thank you so much. >> thank you. the stuff we love. we scoured the country for the coolest kitchen items around. is that tacopedia? yes, it is. first, this is "today" on nbc.

the drought is affecting all of us. at pg&e we've definitely put a focus on helping our agricultural customers through the drought. when they do an energy efficiency project and save that money they feel it right in their pocket book. it's exciting to help a customer

with an energy efficiency project because not only are they saving energy but they are saving water. we have a lot of projects at pg&e that can help them with that and that's extremely important while we're in a drought. it's a win for the customer and it's a win for california. together, we're building a better california. 8:48. time for a special edition of

"stuff we love, world trade center -- as we celebrate the kitchen. we looked for gadgets and gizmos you'll want in your kitchen. good to see you. >> good morning. >> it's been a parade of people stopping at this spot. they want to know about these lids. >> they're littsilicone lids. you can use it for anything you'd use a plastic wrap or foil for. it feels things fresh, hot or cold. >> once you put it on, it makes this incredible seal. >> isn't it incredible? >> expensive? >> starting at $7.50. we are obsessed. >> we love these. plaid is hot. >> we love these plaid accessories at target. starting at $10.50. who doesn't need a plaid rolling pin? >> exactly. functional and fashionable. >> we love. >> my kids are addicted to tacos.

you have a book i want you to tell me about. >> we have the "tacopedia." everything to know plus hundreds of recipes. taco thursday, matt. we're bringing it back. this is from blue ribbon general stores, $15. >> you love the towels/aprons. >> it is linen, oversize and had you can fashion an apron out of it. >> really smart. >> this is from snow home. $25. >> brewing one cup of coffee at a time. >> innovative. press by bobble. you can take this thermus, wait three minutes and you have fresh press coffee to go. >> really smart. >> these cutting boards, this is an index cutting board. >> color coded for different foods. >> exactly. for your meats and for your fruits and vegetables. this helps with kitchen safety

and cross contamination. >> no more raw poultry or meat and on to fruits and vegetables. >> exactly. they're designed to put in the wash. these are from amazon starting at $24. >> when you're baking something, you want to know, is it done? instead of cutting it apart, you have this little tester sample. >> this is the nibble pan. if you're baking the cake for your boss, you can take a nib e nibble. >> does something in a small quantity cook at the same rate? >> we're not concerned about times. we want to know how it tastes. if your boss is going to actually eat it. $19. >> if we want to know how things taste, you have great samples. >> thank you. >> customized ice cream. >> this is from ecreamery. it is custom and personalized ice creams you can order online. beautiful selections were made for you. just for matt mint, which i believe is right here. >> this one here.

>> yup. how delicious is that? >> nothing wrong with that. that's fantastic. >> isn't it good? for savannah, they made an espresso with pumpkin and spices. >> special packaging and flavors. expensive? >> $74 for four pints. they say to send it instead of flowers. for al, a chipotle maple bacon ice cream. >> glad that's for al. these are gourmet marshmallows. >> we love a marshmallows. these are incredible. we have a set with bourbon marshmallows. these have 24 karat gold in them. these are from wonder made. >> give me the name. >> these have barnacles. >> pigs in a blanket. sa vanvan -- savannah, come her. >> these have original spicy chicken and veggies.

>> is there hot sauce in the ice cream? >> might be a little spicy. you might be trying al's. you have to try these. one of the best things ever. they are sausages made in the european tradition. no filler or addadditive. >> they come frozen. $24. >> those are good. >> these are the best gadgets in taste things ever. fantastic. thank you. join the today food club. go to today.com/food club. while you're there, enter for the chance to win an all expense paid trip to studio 1a. $3,000 worth of cook ware and cutlery. come back here with those. we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. save me some.

we are pigging out right now. >> we can have another one, right? >> these are unbelievable pigs in a blanket. >> try the hot sauce ice cream. crazy. >> wash it down with this. >> what's coming up next hour? tell us. >> tell us right now. >> curtis stone and lindsay price will have more food. the hilarious craig robinson. dylan is sticking around. who let the dogs out?

the baha men in throwback thursday. >> cool. >> there you have it. i'm ... ==vo== a former inmate who says guards beat him at santa clara county a very good thursday morning to you. it's 8:56. a former inmate who says guards beat him at santa clara county jail is planning to file a legal claim today. he says two collectional deputies broke his jaw last july while he was behind bars at the main jail. his attorney showed us pictures one month later when his jaw was still being treated. he says the day after his confrontation with guards ez had a fight with a fellow inmate.

the sheriff's office is looking into all of his allegations. the news comes as three correctional deputies face criminal charges in the august beating death of an inmate. another local news update in about half and hour or so. it's going to warm up this afternoon. e a bow and arrow ♪

♪ a broken guitar ♪ while the rainwater washes away ♪ ♪ who you are ♪ we go over the mountains ♪ and under the stars ♪ we go over the mountains ♪ and under the stars [♪]

this morning on "today's take," who let the dogs out? the baha men sing their hit song live for throwback thursday. find out what curtis stone and lindsay price stone are cooking up as our guest co-hosts. from the "office" to our office, the very funny craig robinson. coming up now. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today's take" with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist and tamron hall, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> a very excited crowd on the plaza. they know we have phenomenal co-hosts with us in studio. foodie and beauty. we have it all. welcome to "today" on this

thursday morning, november 12th, 2015. i'm tamron hall. dylan is here. n nat, al and willie are on assignment. we brought in curtis stone and actress lindsay price stone. this is your morning jam. tell me about it. >> we have family dance parties. it's a good way to burn off some young boy energy. >> oh, yeah. i have two young boys, and i'll play jennifer hudson and iggy azalea. >> this song is called "trouble." >> good intention. we had dance parties before the kids. >> just mommy-daddy dance parties. >> you can do both. mom mm m mommy-daddy date nights. >> we were in our pajamas in the kitchens for our dance parties. >> your boys are how old?

>> hudson turned 4. emerson is 1. it is trouble. >> having fun touring around new york with the family? >> it's a dream. >> it's a cool city to be in with the kids. we went to the theater, the r k circus. >> burn off the energy. curtis just opened his first restaurant here in the u.s. >> yeah. >> mod. i love the name for many reasons. >> it's fairly successful, right? getting a lot of reviews. >> it's a tiny place, only 24 seats. i wanted a little joint i could cook instead of being in meetings all day. >> it's named after your grandmother. it's very successful. 24 seats. i hear you really have to babysit your boys, donate something like bloodwo work, i don't know, to get a table.

how do we get a reservation? what's the secret, the golden ticket? >> look, we open the resignations on the 1st of the month for the next month. we switched to an online system. we were selling the entire month in a couple hours. now, you go online and book it there. >> best restaurant in los angeles according to the "l.a. weekly." last year, the best new restaurant in l.a. >> we take one ingredient and cook a dozen courses out of the one ingredient. it changes each month. >> you could have brought food for us. when they say chef curtis is coming on, i was like, great. >> later on, right? >> we'll make something for you. we have your lunch. actually, one of lindsay's dishes. she's a good cook, too. >> i can't teach him much, mr.

winning awards and stuff. we'll do korean flair on one of his ideas. >> people know you, "90210." we've seen you on any show that you can name. but your -- we have a bond in a way. my first job, 14 years old, texas, toys "r" us. >> you're kidding. >> toys "r" us. i hear while i was selling plush stuffed animals -- >> you advertised? >> i was at the cash register. i let my dad lie with me. i was 14. but you were the face of toys "r" us. >> i was one of the faces but, yeah, the huge, i'm a toys "r" us kid campaign, i somehow, at 5 years old, ended up on that -- >> would you like to see it? >> okay. >> yeah. uh-huh. >> roll tape. ♪ there are a million toys at toys "r" us i can play with ♪

>> which are you? >> the far right corner there. so funny. >> did you get sick of the song? >> i did. people always had us singing it. also, in that shot, it was jaleel white. >> that's jaleel white? >> uh-huh. jenny lewis. >> curtis and you met on a blind date. did you know her credentials, as a toys "r" us face? >> that's what sealed the deal. >> got asked by a mutual friend, would we go on a blind date. she was like, absolutely not. i said, of course not. then i saw a photo of her -- >> i didn't think i needed to be set up, but i clearly did. my picker was broken. >> i saw a photo and i was like, i'll go on that blind date. >> can you call it a blind date when you're both famous? >> he's an amazing, amazing man, but he doesn't know very much about, like, pop culture.

the other day, he said to me, who is that singer, cher? >> yeah. >> was it an accent? >> no, which is amazing and refreshing. >> i'm not great. >> you didn't watch "90210" when she was on it. >> i did and i didn't know it was her. it was interesting. >> did you google her? >> i did, yeah. once i saw the photo, i was like, who is this girl? then i googled her. linds is also a singer/songwriter. i saw her sing, and i'm like, i'm doing everything i can to make this happen. it worked. i'm sitting next to her. >> that is sweet. >> when they sat down, they took a selfie together. you guys are so adorable. >> we're happy to have you. >> thank you. happy to be here. >> since you are familiar with the restaurant business, there is an interesting article that a man wrote to the "washington post." he says that his wife has a habit of asking for a bite of

his food when they go out to dinner, and he said no, if you want it, order it yourself. i am one of the people that loves to sample off of other people's plates. my husband lets me and never wants mine. i'm in a good situation. how do you feel about that? >> we love to share. don't we, babe? >> uh-oh. >> we have learned that sharing is the nice thing to do. and the way to enjoy many different dishes. >> we have a rule. the audience, they can tell when we're not being honest. we have a rule, when willie, natalie and al, we've committed ourselves. before we start the show, we go, go team truth. >> i'll be honest, i'm not a sharer but, you know, at heart, but i really -- >> why? >> because -- because -- i think when i sit down to eat, i'm so hungry, and i get into what i'm doing. if you have your plate and you're eating it, and someone wants a bite, maybe you're still in your moment, you know? that's why i feel that way. >> it probably has something to do with occasionally, my fingers

running through her sauce. she'll hit me with her fork. >> don't even use you till siut >> when you're married to a chef, we go to the most amazing places and he cooks amazing meals. truly, sharing is the best. >> he got you in the restaurant with 24 seats. >> i carved her name into the concrete under a seat. she always has a seat there. >> so sweet. something else sweet, al roker, still rolling along the east coast by train for rokerthon 2. al, how is it going, buddy? >> we have added delaware now to our tally. we are at 41 states and the district of columbia. i just want -- we are in this amtrak train. amtrak train northeast regional 172. it's amtrak thursday on the program. we've got -- they put two extra cars on this train. this is our audio setup.

this is bob. he's the most handsome audio man in the world. he just sits here. this is kate, our unit manager. these are our witnesses, witn s witnessing us getting these. i don't know who you are. >> susan. >> somebody we picked up. i don't know if you realize this, a couple years ago torks , we'd have had to had a satellite on the roof. this is all done by these called live you. it's basically an array of cell phones in there that broadcast the signal. it's amazing stuff. i've got to tell you, we have had such a great time doing this. i know i didn't do the weather, but i wanted to show you what we have going on here. then we have more -- hey, for those of you that don't know, this is matt greenfield. if you saw the piece, what was

it, on tuesday, matt was the guy changing the tire. >> on monday. >> did his best imitation of a plumber when he turned around. it was fantastic. >> as always, thank you. >> the new orleans time said he was butt-crackingly good morning.. i'm meteorologist kari hall. complains a temperatures are making it into the low 50s. east bay 52. some 40s still low as temperatures warm up into the 60s. it will be 67 in the south bay, 65 in the peninsula. and the east bay, 64. tri-valley up to 67. a few spots may hit 70 degrees, but we're getting a little warmer each day and a lot more sunshine in that forecast. >> by the way, this is sean reese.

this is him normal size. the same size as me. stand up, sean. we actually had to raise the roof of the train. >> just for sean. that's crazy. al, we are rooting for you. we know you'll be heading to -- >> on a moving train! >> incredible. keeps getting better, al. up next, someone that al loves and loves al. a love fest. the comedian and actor who doesn't mind being called nasty delicious. the very funny craig robinson is here and he has a lot going on. he's g going to talk with us rit af ♪ the way i see it, you have two choices; the easy way or the hard way. you could choose a card that limits where you earn bonus cash back. or, you could make things easier on yourself. that's right, the quicksilver card from capital one. with quicksilver you earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, everywhere. so, let's try this again.

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with one towelette. need any more proof than that? neutrogena. cayman islands, and you didn't call me. we're having a lover's quarrel. he's handsome, forgets your birthd birthday, funny and funky. that's why audiences love craig robinson. you know him best for his

breakout role as darrell in the "office." >> now, he's in town as part of the new york comedy festival. he'll be performing with his band that has the best name in show business, the nasty delicious. craig, nice to have you here. >> great to be here. thank you for having me. oh, i see that. that was nicely done. thank you, everybody. >> we bring out the best for you. we had a hot tub once. now we have the logo there. >> yes, always something wonderful at the "today" show. >> what do you have going on in brooklyn? >> we're doing the new york comedy festival. we're closing out this weekend at the brooklyn bowl. sunday night, 7:30. i hope you all will come out. >> can we come? >> absolutely. comedy, jokes and dancing. >> and bowling? perfect. >> yes, apparently. have you never been there? >> i haven't.

>> i didn't know that's what it was, the brooklyn bowl. it's a bowling alley. >> they can't bowl when you're performing. you're nasty delicious. tell us about the name. what's the back story? let's acknowledge -- >> let's acknowledge it. >> craig is -- >> i ran here, like four blacks. i had to just come in. that's what's going on. >> you have a portable fan with you. >> can i hold that for you? >> you're melting like a chocolate hershey's kiss on us. maybe that's the next band, chocolate hershey's kiss. it's currently the nasty delicious. >> it's the nast w doe that mea? >> okay. so -- >> it's self-explanatory. >> it's all about the funk. hmm, you ever eat something and it's delicious but you make the face like, oh, you know what i mean? >> yes. >> curtis, as a matter of fact. >> that's exactly the face i was talking about. right on.

yes, yes. >> it's such a brilliant name. it's sort of describing the style of the music. you do soul, funk, rock. >> we mess around, you know. we do covers, get the crowd going, jumping and dancing. i like to say we're funk mixed with fank. >> one of my favorite songs was this is the end, sang to r rihanna. is that your style? >> that'll be here sunday. >> i love that. >> thank you very much. >> we have to remind people, you're from a family of musicians. >> yes. >> you guys jam it out at the robinson house. >> it was a rehearsal studio. we have the piano upstairs, downstai downstai drums, bass guitar. everything was in our house. we had our pick to see what we could figure out. always on the keyboard. >> your brother, chris. >> my right-hand man. >> we have a quiz. >> okay.

>> we have names of bands and you'll tell us if this is a real name or a fake name. >> okay. >> here we go. quiz him out. >> the first is called one bad pig. >> real. >> the way you say it, it's real. >> believe it to r nor not, it' christian punk band. a little strange, one bad pig. >> as a mom, i can relate to this, take your vitamins. >> fake. >> is it? >> fake. >> but it's for real, you have to take your vitamins. >> you can get craig to make you a song for the boys, take your vitamin funk song. >> i love it. >> the va. >> real. >> british punk band. >> we'll finish this at the commercial. new york comedy festival on sunday. he stars in "orange is the new black" and "how to get away

with murder." we'll catch up with matt mcgorry after this. they think that it's sad. i think it's important for everyone to know that there is so much more to memory support than the stigmas you hearabout. that these residents still have lives and their lives still matter and that they are still living their lives. that they're not locked away and that they still have a lot to live for, you know, that they have people that care about them and they have people that love them and i love them, so their lives still matter. that is what i do this for. when we go to the store, i find my box of honey bunches of oats and i'm checking to see if i packaged it. best cereal in the world right there. if the last 3 letters were p22, that's me. no, no, no! i am your father. i am your father.

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get up to 40% off select major appliances. $396 and more. now at lowe's. it doesn't get much better than this for an actor. matt mcgorry is starring in not one but two hit tv shows. >> what a dream. he plays a corrections officer on "orange new blais the new bl and he's asher millstone on "how to get away with murder." >> how did you fit us into your schedule? >> you're important to me. it's been great. it's incredible. you're lucky to have one show that works well as an actor. having two shows is very bliss -- blessed, you know. >> how is it emotionally trying to prepare for two different roles? the characters are different. >> it helps they're that different. there's never a moment i'm like,

this feel more like ben or asher. delineated in my mind. if it was in the middle, it might bleed over. they're different. >> i'm in a taxi and i think to myself, am i in melbourne or new york? do you get into an argument between the two characters for breakfa breakf like pancakes. sometimes i go hungry because i don't know what to do. >> do they shoot at the same time? >> a little concurrently. >> crazy. >> it's been a lot. >> who would you say you're more like. >> good question. people ask me that. i have qualities of both. i'd like to say they're both empathetic, which i think is a quality that i have. clearly, not humble. i'm kidding. but, you know, i don't know, there's parts of asher's humor that i kind of identify with. though i like to think i'm a little more aware and less

less ignorant than he is. a little of both. >> that's why you do the roles so well. tell me about this career as a magician. the neighborhood you grew up in in new york. >> i did street magic when i was -- >> like card shark on time square? >> no. wow, been a while since i lived in new york, apparently. yes, people would pay me, but it was donations. i wasn't swindling them. from the age of 10 years old, my parents would let me -- i had this box i would roll out and it unfolds into a table. >> adorable. >> i would do magic on a street corner. >> how old are you? >> 10. >> so it's still cute. >> scary though. for 10, i mean, no supervision. i turned out okay. i'm alive. >> i'm sure they're proud of you. congratulations on that. >> thanks so much. >> we love watching you on all your shows. coming up, you don't have to give up chocolate to lose weight. is that true? >> dark chocolate. >> joy shows us our 16 to 16

team. guilt free sweet treats. first, your local news. matt, you can stick around if you want dark chocolate. it's a long day and sometimes, an even longer night. helping with homework before doing your own. and you may think no one notices... but she does. she sees more than "mom," she sees determination. we do too. for nearly 40 years, we've designed an education for people just like you. learn more at phoenix.edu. cool. these aren't the droid viewers you're looking for. but... i am your... honey.... collect free droid viewers inside specially marked general mills cereals. star wars: the force awakens. this film is not yet rated. only in theaters. first i wash... then i apply it to my wet skin. it moisturizes with no sticky feel.

i quickly rinse off. and i'm ready to go. nivea in-shower body lotion -- in the body lotion aisle. coverage... ==topvo== and san francisco good thursday morning. it's 9:26. i'm sam brock. continuing coverage now. san francisco police still have not yet identified the the gunman who climbed a mission district building yesterday and opened fire. officers shot and killed that man. chaotic scene unfolded yesterday afternoon with where the new st. luke's hospital is being built. police say he was armed with a rifle and handgun and fired at least two shots from his perch before being killed by i'ves. investigators believe the gunman stole the rifle from a sporting goods store just hours earlier. no one on the ground was injured. >> happening today, a legal dispute among neighbors over a child with autism heading wrak to the courtroom. thabs are suing a family over the behavior of their child and the parents response to that behavior.

neighbors claim the 11-year-old boy has been violent against other children and his parents are not properly supervising him. to them that constitute as nuisance and they are suing for monetary damages. and another bay area city may be on the verge of banning vaping in public. palo alto city council members are recommended e-cigarette smoking be banned in all areas where tobacco smoking is outlawed. they must approve it for it to go into effect. these and clear and blue out there. also a little cold. the weather and traffic update right after this break. weather toss to traffic

traffic good morning. i'm kari hall. as we take a live look at san jose, clear blue skies and chilly temperatures this morning. but it's a starting to warm up. now it's 49 degrees, 46 in livermore. and oakland now at 52 degrees. as we head into the day, making it into the upper 60s. san jose 67, 68 in pal lo alto.

mid and upper 60s with a few spots hitting 70. >> things are moving pretty slow across the east bay where we have a few accidents on 880 northbound from san leandro toward the oakland colliseumcol. want to take you outside and show you what it looks like. still stop and go, south boboun moving without a problem. toll plaza is quite slow, as well. back to you. >> rarely clears up until later in the morning. we'll be back in 25 minutes with another update. who coined the term "side bread?" because there's nothing "side" about this bread. it may look like the moon. but it's the star of the show. unleash the power of dough. give it a pop. that sound. like nails on a chalkboard. but listen to this: (family talking) that's a different kind of sound.

the sound of the weekend. unleash the power of dough. give it a pop. taking a look at the headlines. 113 women who became pregnant after taking what they say were mispackaged birth control pills are suing the company that made and packaged the contraceptives. some of the women are seeking the costs of delivering, raising and educating children who resulted from the unplanned pregnancies. the fda issued a recall notice for the pills in 2011. according to the suit, the recall was triggered when one woman noticed that the way the pills were packaged, they'd be taken in reverse order, increasing the odds of getting pregnant. there's a warning from the national retail federation that some holiday gift items are already in shoft srt supply. 40% of holiday shoppers started buying gifts before halloween. among the things hardest to

find, l.l. bean boots are limited. some styles back ordered until february. other big sellers are lego products and paw patrol products and "star wars." experts say if there is a toy your child wants, buy it as soon as possible. apple is in talks with several big banks to create a person-to-person mobile payment service. it could complete with paypal's app. the service would let mobile phone users transfer money from their checking accounts and be linked to apple pay. apple could launch the service next year. now a near miss caught on camera. a brazilian man inches away from getting hit by an ancooncoming train. the man had no idea, never looks up. inches to spare. another angle shows how close. a good reminder to stay present and watch where you're going, i

guess. that is terrifying. let's get a check of the weather from someone on a train, but safely, headed up the east coast. hey there, al. >> hey, tamron, we are having a great time. rokerthon, we just did pennsylvania. we're at 42. oh, my gosh! oh, my gosh. >> what are you doing here? >> my man! >> how you doing? >> i'm riding the train. what's going on? how are you? >> what's going on, big boy? >> i came to surprise you. >> first, you're back with liz, and now you're here. >> yeah. >> my gosh. >> yeah. >> wow. >> i think i have an alarm buzzing. someone has an alarm buzzing. >> everybody, look who is here! >> hey there. >> who are you? >> are you exhausted? what's happening? >> i am punchy at this point. i have no idea who i am.

no idea. >> i can remind you. >> yes. >> you're al. >> yes. >> you're on a mission. >> yes. >> to get all 50 states in one week. >> that's amazing. >> i know. it's pretty good. >> wow. >> pretty good. >> my gosh. so good to see you, my friend. >> you, too. i have to do the local. that's what's going on around the country. >> that's what's happening around the good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. getting a little milder outside with our temperatures in the upper 40s to lower 50s now. mostly sunny skies will help warm us up into the mid to upper are 60s as we go through the day. and it's right at about average for this time of year. we will have more of this weather with cool mornings, sub any afternoons and breezy winds as we go into the next couple of days. we are watching for a chance of rain as we head into the end of the weekend.

>> from "blacklist." i couldn't remember who you are. my brain is gone. mush, completely gone. >> that's all right. >> so nice of you to do this. >> happy to be here. >> how far will you come with us? >> all the way. i'm not getting off -- >> going to boston. we'll get some tea. >> yeah. people can throw it off the boat. >> you are good at keeping secrets. >> yes. we love ryan. have fun, guys. all the way up to boston. meanwhile, now to week nine of our series 16 to 16, where we challenged three viewers and you at home to get healthy by 2016. for every pound mary-jean, rochelle and ken lose, we'll donate to feeding america. we donated more than 9,000 meals. >> incredible. dieting doesn't come without its temptation. one of them is chocolate. of course, we brought in "today" nutritionist joy bauer to help

them indulge in their sweet tooth. >> it's possible. >> we have a lot of chocolate in here. talk about temptations. >> let's put it into perspective. in the spirit of chocolate, they have lost this much chocolate in pounds. 55 pounds of chocolate! >> delicious but i can't look at it. >> that's before this week. in addition to this 55 pounds of chocolate, mary-jean lost another four pounds, down a total of 25 pounds now. >> yay. >> rochelle stayed the same, which is still a huge feat. she's down 16 pounds. ken is down 22 pounds. >> incredible. >> i'm going to add eight pounds of chocolate on top of this. >> that's he have avy. >> total of 63 pounds. >> this is temp iting. you'll have a little challenge with it. >> we have three different stations. we're going to make this into a game. fact or fiction. i'll say a statement. if you all think that it's true,

you haze your paddle and it says coc cocoa, which means true. false, raise the other side, loco. >> they can't just have chocolates? >> they have to work for the chocolates. >> cocoa or loco, dark chocolate is loaded with vitamin c. >> are they right? >> the answer is loco. >> i switched. >> rochelle gets the point. >> here's the deal, dark chocolate has a lot of compounds that could enhance cardiovascular health. it also has a few grams of fiber, which helps with digestion. it does not have vitamin c. you still earn frozen goodies. i'll show you a few things you can indulge in that will not derail your diet. this is from good pop, chocolate pop that's delicious. 120 calories. this is from dole, dippers. they have frozen fruit covered

in dark chocolate. 60 to 100 calories. these are diana's bananas. 130 calories. >> we have to do lightning round. >> cocoa or loco. one tapeblespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder provides 12 calories. cocoa is right. >> yay. >> how cool is this? an ounce of dark chocolate has 150 calories. a tablespoon of unspeetenweeten cocoa powder is only 12 and has more of the health perks than regular chocolate. you can add a tablespoon into your coffee, some milk and a bit of sugar. you can add a little cocoa powder into a low fat vanilla yogurt. or you can add some into your oatmeal for dark chocolate oatmeal in the morning. >> nice. >> these are great do it yourself ways to use cocoa powder.

>> we're out of time, unfortunately. we'll get to that and all the delicious snacks over there. thank you so much. coming up next, curtis and lindsay get busy in the kitchen, whipping up some of their family's favorite go-to meals, right just press clean and let roomba help with your everyday messes. a full suite of sensors automatically guides roomba throughout your home. cleaning under furniture, along edges and in corners. and with its powerful three-stage cleaning system roomba picks up pet hair, dust and debris for up to 2 hours, recharging itself when it needs to. which means your floors are always clean. you and roomba from irobot®. better together™. everything you need to know about life, you can learn from granola. keep it simple. always be real. don't be artificial, but always be sweet. nature valley granola bars. no artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners. just good.

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. and now we come to the best part of the show. we lucked out having curtis stone and lindsey price with us because of course -- >> we get to eat, which is what we like to do best. >> so it's taco time. it's sort of a korean taco. let's start making it and we'll explain. >> typically in korean cuisine, the steak is always a sweet and salty. go ahead, babe. >> jalapeno, cilantro, black pepper, and coriander. so that goes into a bowl. then you add some sauce. what have we here? >> soy sauce, sesame oil and --

>> canola oil. >> and your boys love this meal? >> they do. they love it. it's something they can eat with their hands and they can put it together themselves. >> and you're both so busy, it sounds like it's something that you can whip up in a pretty short amount of time at home. >> we'll never tell them where this great recipe actually came over because lindsey's mom was over and she cooked this beautiful korean food and we woke up with the worst hangover in the world. >> honey. >> and we were like korean tacos and it worked so, so well. you can marinate this overnight but even if you just get it on real fast, it will still give a real flavor. this is a big juicy flank steak. we're cooking on a hot grip. the way you tell that it's done, use your index finger and press on the meat like this. if you put your first finger on your thumb and you feel it, that

is rare, next finger medium rare, next finger medium well done and the next finger well done. >> we've already started eating. it's fantastic. >> growing up in southern california, i've had so much exposure of mexican food. having a husband that's a chef, he does something like this for me is like the equivalent of a musician writing you a song. >> oh, you never explained it to me like that before. >> that's so great! >> so what is the slau that goes on top? >> we have napa cabbage and. >> green onions. >> what's the secret to your guacamole? >> i developed this for my whiff

when she was pregnant. >> when your wife tells you she wants something when she's pregnant, you just figure it out. >> the recipes will be on today.com/food. we're going to make thanksgiving pies next hour. up next, it was the question on everyone's mind 15 years ago. you know what i'm talking about. who let the dogs out? who? who? >> do we know the answer yet? >> if we don't after all these years, we're in trouble. we're just going to jam to it, we don't care. oh, it's a party with tacos and guac! first get the food and peel baby. you could win instantly... i won $50! or text the code and watch the game to see if your team is picked. you may win one of the guaranteed $500,000 weekly prizes. maybe tickets to super bowl 50. so, grab your gear and get your butt in here.

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softer, smoother skin after just one shower. just about anywhere you can use splenda®... ...no calorie sweetener. splenda® lets you experience... ...the joy of sugar... ...without all the calories. think sugar, say splenda® >> announcer: the citi concert series on "today" is proudly presented to you by citi. >> it is throwback thursday. let's go back to summer of 2000. when -- ♪ who let the dogs out >> yes, that was the question. who let the dogs out was an infectious tune that turned a band from the bahamas into stars. they call themselves baha men, and their hit single took home a grammy for the best dance recording. wrangler is in the mood. 15 years later, baha men cons t

consists of one dog. they just released a new record, "ride with me," featuring might and day. we know the one in our hearts, the song about the dogs. the song that gets us grooving, even in studio 1a. who let the dogs out. ♪ the party was nice, the party was bumping ♪ and everybody having a ball ♪ ♪ until the fellas start the name calling ♪ ♪ and the girls respond to the call ♪ ♪ i heard a poor man shout out ♪ who let the dogs out, woof, woof, woof, woof ♪ ♪ who let the dolgs out ♪ ♪ who let the dogs out, who let the dogs out ♪ ♪ what's up, everybody

♪ i'm gone ma tell to any girls calling them canine, tell the gummy, hey, man, it's part of the party ♪ you put a woman in front and herrmann behind, her bone runs out now ♪ ♪ who let the dogs out ♪ who let the dogs out ♪ who let the dogs out ♪ who let the dogs out ♪ say, a doggy is nothing if he don't have a bone ♪ ♪ all doggy hold ya bone, all doggy hold it ♪ ♪ wait for y'all my dogs, the party is on, i gotta get my girl and i got my mind on ♪ ♪ do you see the rays coming from my eye, what could you be a friend ♪ ♪ that benji man that's breaking

them down ♪ ♪ me and my white short shorts and i can't seek a lot, any canine will do ♪ ♪ i'm figuring that's why they call me faithful, cause i'm a man of the land, when they see me they do ♪ ♪ who let the dogs out ♪ who let the dogs out ♪ who let the dogs out ♪ who let the dogs out >> 2015. let's go. >> if the cops going in, they'll shut us down ♪ ♪ there ain't no way we're going back ♪ ♪ who let the dogs out ♪ who let the dogs out ♪ who let the dogs out ♪ who let the dogs out >> here we go. turn it up.

♪ ♪ >> that's how you throw a party. this is "today" on nbc.

what a show. thank you, baha men. thank you to curtis and lindsay. our dance party crew. craig robinson in the house. good luck hoda and cath thee lee. after your local news and close to fully containing w

>> good morning. 9:56. let's take you to southern california. a wildfire, firefighters say they are close fto having it fully contained. it started yesterday. very fast moving in ventura county. about 40 acres were hit in a

matter of hours. firefighters say they kept it away from homes and no evacuations were necessary. let's check your northern california forecast. all of this sunshine across the bay area will help our temperatures warm up after such a chilly start. it's going to warm up to 64 degrees in the east bay and san francisco 63. 68 in the north bay. wouldn't be surprised to see a few spots hitting the 70 degree mark. more of this weather heading into the next couple of days and tracking rain for the end of the weekend. good morning. we aren't finding any major accidents across the silicon valley. slowing on 280 towards cupertino. a couple accidents on 101 southbound getting on to the dumbarton bridge. some slowing there and east bay finding residual effects from earlier accidents, still seeing slowing on 880 northbound.

same for the southbound direction. let's take you outside and you can see what i'm talking about. there is the congestion i was telling you about. and toll plaza is still stop and go. >> another local news update in half an hour. not getting your best sleep? could be you've got the wrong bed.

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>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hello, everybody. it's thirsty thursday. it's november 12th. that's called "house party." you love that song. >> if you crank this up on the weekend, it will get you in the best mood. >> if you crank it up, you won't get cranky. ♪ trying to put us down ♪ if you wanna be a home body ♪ your wanna have a house party ♪ >> didn't you have this as your i-hoda? >> i did. sneaking in