packages. >> a lot of people want to know what that is. we're back at 7:25 and a live local news update. >> happy "star wars" opening. we'll see you tomorrow. good morning. good morning. carter now admitting it was a mistake but the question thi morning, why didn't he know better? >> late night confession. >> i've been a little bit divisive in the sense i've been hitting people pretty hard. >> a little bit. >> a rare admission from donald trump as he tells jimmy kimmel he'd like to see people come together. >> hours earlier it was vintage donald. >> i had jeb cam at me, low

energy. he said it just the way his pollster told him to say it. >> soccer punch. a 17-year-old lands a vicious hook on the spanish prime minister. the blow so hard it left that mark. the teen tackled to the ground and now in custody facing serious charges. and not so far, far away the opening of "star wars: the force awakens" opens just hours from now. and one member of our team may be too excited. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning, erybody. welcome to "today" on this thursday morning. >> spoiler alert. okay, the storm trooper -- >> it's not the storm trooper we were looking for? >> no. >> welcome back, buddy.

you want to take that helmet off? >> hello, everybody. >> it's carson! >> boy, i could use a nice, hot cup of coffee. excited for "star wars." great to be back. >> let's get to our top stories, the revelation that defense secretary ashe carter used his personal e-mail for work related matters and he was doing that after hillary clinton came under fire for doing the same thing while she was secretary of state. let's go to jim miklaszewski at the point gone. >> reporter: given the uproar, it's hard to imagine secretary carter would use personal e-mail for government business but that's exactly what he did. senior defense officials tell nbc news secretary carter began posting official e-mails on his personal account shortly after being sworn in as defense secretary in february. only a month later it was revealed that former secretary of state hillary clinton used

her personal e-mails exclusively for official business, sparking a scandal that overshadowed her presidential campaign. despite the scandal, secretary carter continued using his personal e-mail for at least two months. this morning secretary carter told cbs he takes full responsibility. sfli have to hold myself to absolutely strict standards in terms of cyber security and doing things that are appropriate. i didn't in this case. it's a mistake and it's entirely my own. >> first reported by the "new york times," the white house discovered secretary carter's e-mail use in may and contacted the defense department to ensure that he was following all federal laws and regulations governing e-mail use. even though the e-mails c contained no secrets, it does raise questions about the secretary's judgment. >> a lot of those questions just unfolding now. jim, thank you very much.

>> we have new information tied to the san bernardino shooting. federal prosecutors have decided to bring criminal charges against the man who purchased some of the rifles that were actually used in that attack. let's turn now to nbc justice correspondent pete williams. tell us more. >> reporter: good morning. several federal law enforcement officials tell nbc news that the first criminal charges to stem from the san bernardino mass shootings could be filed as early as today. officials say the charges will be brought against enrique marquez, a long-time friend and former neighbor of farook. they say he bought the rifles two and three years ago that wound up being used in the shooting. marquez told them he did this as a favor so farook would not have to go through a background check or be on record as a purchaser. he told the fbi he and farook talked about some kind of attack in 2010 but called it off.

agents have found no connection between farook and the people arrested back then. comey also said despite reports to the contrary, investigators have found no social media postings by tashfeen malik in the months before she came to the u.s. that means the state department and homeland security officials who reviewed her background before giving her a fiancee visa did not miss any publicly available social media postings. all of her statements in support of jihad, comey says, were in private messages or e-mails. as for marquez, officials say he did agree to be interview by the fbi for several days without a lawyer, even though it's been clear almost since the beginning that he could be charged with a crime at the very least for buying the guns for farook. >> pete williams on the story for us. thank you very much. by the way, president obama will travel to san bernardino tomorrow to meet with the families of the victims. the president will stop in southern california on the way to hawaii for the first family's annual christmas vacation. >> in the wake of the san bernardino attack, the

department of homeland security is adding a third warning level to the terror alert system, the bulletin level will allow the public to be aware of any potential terrorist threats. it will include action the government is taking and suggestions about what the public should do in response. the former system had two levels, elevated and imminent. officials say this change has been in the planning stages for months, it is not in response to any specific or credible threat. >> let's turn to politics now. in the presidential race, donald trump's debate feud with jeb bush has spilled over on to the campaign trail. but during the late night show, the front-runner appeared to have a change of heart and new message for his party. peter alexander has more. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. donald trump is picking up where the debate left off, again swatting at jeb bush, insisting he doesn't want bush's endorsement because he said nbc news bush does not represent strength, power and stamina,

qualities he says the country desperately needs. donald trump marking six months in the race, almost all of them atop the gop field, the same way he spent much of that time on tv. overnight with jimmy kimmel. >> i would like to see the republican party come together, and i've been a little bit divisive in the sense i've been hitting people pretty ahard. >> a little bit, huh? >> trump dismissed critics who insist he's just a showman. >> somebody said trump's a great entertainer. that's a lot of bull [ bleep ]. >> and -- >> this is a tough business to run for president. >> you're a tough guy, jeb. >> i had jeb come at me. low energy. he said it just the way his pollster told him to say it. >> still bush is confident he's finally cracked the trump code. >> i don't think he's a serious candidate. i don't know why others don't

feel compelled to point that out but i did. >> the battle to be the anti-trump may be once again up for grabs with jeb bush and chris christie delivers strong performance and marco rubio defending accusations from cruz that he's too moderate on immigration. >> i've always been at the right, i've always been a consistent conservative -- >> that happens to be ted cruz's campaign, consistent conservative. >> but have i been for longer than just two years in the senate. >> it doesn't mean that i supported the other aspect of the bill, which was a terrible bill. >> insisting his position hasn't changed. >> i categorically oppose amnesty. my first priority is securing the borders. >> so the more the next tier republicans fight amongst themselves, the more trump just steams ahead unscathed. even he seemed to be taken aback

by his support, several thousand people in the crowd in the middle of the day saying something is going on and it's beautiful to see. >> thank you very much. >> big news in the economy. the historic move by the federal reserve, raising key interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade. chairwoman janet yellen saying that marked an historic period. >> the economic recovery has clearly come a long way, although it is not yet complete. but when the economy performing well and expected to continue to do so, the committee judged a modest increase in the federal funds rate target is now appropriate. >> olivia stearns is here to explain what all of that means. >> it means it's going to get a little bit more expensive to borrow money. the fed raised their interest rate, which so many loans in our economy are pegged to by just one quarter of one percentage point.

they were wide lily expected to that and they were doing it because they say the economy is finally ready to stand on its own two feet after seven years of 0% interest rates. one sign that we were actually ready for it, wall street rallied on the back of this news. the dow jones shot up more than 200 points and that's a signal that even investors think we can cope with slightly higher rates. >> the question is will we see more hikes? >> all eyes on the next fed conference coming up in march. the question is will janet yellen move to raise interest rates again? she said only if we continue to see the economy improve and will move gradually. on the flip side, if we see the labor market or growth start to accelerate and inflation start

to pick up, she's more likely to raise rate and do so at a quicker pace. she said she expects to raise rates at about 1% over the next two years to be at 3.5% in two years. >> protesters took to the streets of baltimore last night hours after a mistrial was declared in the freddie gray case. demonstrators remained peaceful but at one point they tried unsuccessfully to block the interstate. on wednesday the judge announced a hung jury in the manslaughter trial of william porter, the first of six baltimore officers to stand trial in connection with freddie gray's death while in police custody. >> an video showing an ax-wielding student at the university of north texas. >> good morning. the shooting happened on sunday. the trainings are released dash cam video of the incident shortly after university

officials named unt police officer steven bean as the officer involved. police dash cam video shows an officer with the university of north texas fatally shooting a student on sunday. the shooting happened at around 1:30 a.m. when the officer responded to a call about a man smashing car windows inside a parking garage near the campus. sophomore ryan mcmill aan can b seen walking toward the officer with a small ax in his hand. the officers repeatedly tells mcmillan to back away while mcmillan says "shoot me" over and over. nbc news has paused the video so it does not show the video. this is the audio. >> hey, back away, back away. >> shoot me. shoot me. shoot me! >> back away from me now! >> shoot me! >> the officer then radios the station. i've got a white male down with

a hatchet in his hand. >> the 27-year-old officer has been on the u.n.t.'s police force for four years. he's been placed on routine leave as investigation into the incident get under way. ryan mcmillan was a prehospitality major. he turned 21 last saturday. some students say they don't believe lethal force was necessary. >> if you're given a gun, you should be trained to know how to use that gun in a way that you're not just going to kill people without absolute necessity. >> the medical examiner is still conducting the autopsy. among the question is whether ryan mcmillan was under influence of alcohol or drugs when the hoshooting took place. >> thank you very much. >> we have news tied to the pharmaceutical ceo who was making headlines not long ago.

>> several reports say that m t martin shkreli was taken into custody on securities charges. the fact that he was under investigation had been reported earlier. this apparently stems from his time as a manager at msnb capital management and chief executive of bio company retrofin incorporated, this was not related to him jacking up by 5,000% the price of a life-a saving aids drug. >> and take a look and watch the middle of your screen. you can see a 17-year-old boy

hit prime minister of spain. the blow left a big red mark on his face. his attacker was quickly detained. >> it's scary that they got so close to him. >> christmas eight days away. the holiday travel rush is about to take off and new numbers show u.s. airlines are headed for their best year ever with big profits. but what does that mean for you the next time you fly? nbc's tom costello's at washington's reagan national airport with more on this. hi, tom, good morning. >> good morning. all those low prices we're paying at the gas pump, they're helping to pump up the prices and the profits for the airlines. best year on record. even if you're a procrastinator, you can still find a good deal if you're flying home for the holidays. profits are taking off for airlines that once flew for peanuts, up 75% in just one year totaling more than $20 billion. per passenger profit soaring

almost 60%. airlines now make more than $20 for each person on the plane, that's up from $13 last year. add in $56 million more in bag and change fees this summer over summer 2014 and for profits it seems the sky is the limit. >> it seem excessive, hundreds and hundreds of dollars to move from a 4:00 flight to a 1:00 flight. >> we're going really light so we didn't have baggage fees. >> it turns out airlines are passing the buck back to consumers. >> last-minute deals for christmas, chicago to new orleans for only $187 round trip, $257 from d.c. to dallas, miami to vegas just $241. but you don't have to wing it. want a deal? book now. airfares for the last three weeks of january and most of february are at five-year lows. just avoid warm weather destinations and those three-day weekends.

>> fly on the cheapest days, tuesday, wednesday, saturday and you'll always find a decent deal. >> giving airlines a lift, all those extra fees and falling fuel prices. this year they paid $45 billion less to gas up those planes. and the airlines argue they're reinventing their profits just like other big companies, apple or starbucks. >> airlines are doing the same thing with no planes, new seats, new apps for for your phone. >> on an inflation adjusted basis airfares are lower than they were in 2000. that's what the airline industry says. that doesn't include all the extra fees we pay today. >> i'm one of these people who want airlines to make a profit so they can reinvest in better planes and better service, if they do that. >> for years they couldn't make a profit. so in terms of an economic story, i think it's good they are making money finally.

>> you may remember this story, a child who was described as too rich to have to pay for his actions. two years ago he killed four people in a drunk driving crash. instead of time behind bars, he received ten years probation after his attorneys coined the infamous term "affluenza." now it seems he has disappeared. >> an arrest warrant was issued for ethan couch after he failed to appear for a probation hearing that would have tested him with drugs and alcohol. it also coincided with a controversial video that appeared online. >> the hunt is on for ethan couch. his case gained world wide attention when after killing four people while driving drunk near fort worth, his attorney claimed the teen didn't understand the consequences of

his actions because of his family's affluence and amid widespread anger, he was given probation. but recently ethan missed a required meeting with his probation officer. authorities now believe he's on the run, possibly with his mother. sheriff anderson said he isn't surprised. >> hate to say i told you so but di. >> the crash was horrific, he was 16, driving with an alcohol limit three times the legal limit. eric boyle lost his wife and daughter. >> there are just some things that even today are just too difficult to talk about. >> two weeks ago ethan may have surfaced again. a video was on twitter showing

someone who loed like ethan playing beer pong. investigators say they are unable to make contact with ethan or his mother and they are investigating whether he has violated any of the terms of his probation. but outrage is growing. >> if he's somewhere in this part of the world, we'll find him. but i've got a bad feeling that he's gone and i don't think he's gone a short distance. >> if authorities find ethan and determine he violated the terms of his probation, he could find himself in jail for up to ten years, guys. >> natalie, thank you very much. >> we'll get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> we're talking about a christmas coming up that could be the warmest in living memory. i mean, it is going to be brutally warm for a lot of the country. in fact, this is the temperature departure. christmas day anywhere from 15 to 25, even 30 degrees above average. overnight christmas lows, record

lows washington, raleigh, charlotte, indianapolis and atlanta. you can see we've come very close to those. moving into the northeast, record warm lows look like we could see this. for christmas day we'll probably see record highs in portland, boston, philadelphia, and chicago, washington, raleigh, atlanta and memphis, all most likely seeing record highs for christmas. that's what's going on. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. so there won't be te♪ ♪ eleventh hour shopper...that's you. ♪ ♪ it's ok because they know you. ♪ ♪ they're loaded up with gear. ♪ an xbox for the children. ♪ and a mixer for your dear. ♪ no need to shop around for present you've missed ♪ ♪ it's all here. you're off the naughty list! ♪ ♪ eleventh hour shopper... that's you! ♪ see you next year, buddy! get low prices on all your last-minute gifts. walmart.

good morning. i'm kari hall. a lot of sunshine starting out the day, but clouds will start to move in. we're in the upper 30s. expect a high of 58 degrees in san francisco, the east bay and the peninsula. 59 in the south bay. north bay, expect a slight chance of a light shower. the rest of the bay area will see rain tomorrow afternoon into the evening and overnight hours. >> >> that's your latest weather. savannah? >> al, thank you so much. coming up, yahoo! ceo marissa mayer under fire again. should she have thrown a multi-million dollar party for employees as her company struggles? plus, even as al talks about record-high temperatures, what do if you're stranded in a winter storm? jeff rossen on what you can buy for $30 that could be the difference between life and death. first, this is "today" on nbc.

coming coming up, tonight's the night. carson gets us ready for the new "star wars." plus, the good times we've shared in 2015, right here on "today." first, your local news. just head around the corner to walgreens when you're searching for that perfect little something. walgreens has great gifts like toys, beauty gift sets, and photo gifts, and it's all just a hop, skip, and a bark away. this week, save 30% on photo gifts. spoiler alert: we live happily ever after.gether... at jared, we only sell one piece of jewelry... ...the pandora bracelet you had created just for her. and it's waiting for you... ...at jared.

now... ==topvo== the star wars frenzy hits a very good morning to you. i'm laura garcia. happening now, the "star wars" frenzy is hitting light speed. lots of bay area fans already in line for tonight's showings of "the force awakens." other fans have already been hunkered down for hours now. they're in the process of watching all six previous "star wars" films before viewing the new film tonight. most of the screenings have been sold out for days now. so far, fans have purchased at least $100 million worth of advanced tickets over the course of the opening weekend. let's see what the weather is holding for today. >> still cold. bundle up. then we're in for warmer

temperatures this afternoon. 56 degrees. in fairfield, 57. and san ramon looking at 58 degrees. how's the commute, mike? >> that pallet we talked about has been pushed to the shoulder. now southbound at 680 recovers. all of the activity is off to the side of the road. we're looking at southbound through the tri valley, a nice drive for you. just a slight build out of hayward. you do have slow spots typical places like the south bay northbound routes and the bay bridge toll plaza. >> we're going to send it back off to the "today" show. another update in just half an hour. hope you enjoy your thursday morning.

7:30 now on a thursday morning. 17th day of december, 2015. big crowd on the plaza. probably some "star wars" fans out there. eagerly awaiting the chance to see "the force awakens." we're going to get some rain in the northeast today but hopefully it won't dampen the spirits out there. we're going to go out and say hi in a little while. let's take a look at stories making news now. dozens of protesters took to the streets in baltimore following the mistrial in the case against the first of six officers charged in the death of freddie gray. lawyers were expected to meet with the judge today to discuss dates for a possible retrial. there is a new e-mail controversy in washington.

the pentagon is now acknowledging defense secretary ash carter used a personal account to conduct official business. it happened during secretary carter's first month on the job, even as hillary clinton was under fire for doing the same thing. a pentagon spokesperson said the practice has been stopped and it was a mistake. parts of the midwest are starting to wind down. the snow and ice leading to several deadly accidents. nearly two-day closure of a 350 mile stretch of a highway in wyoming and hundreds of cancelled flights. yahoo! yeo is in the hot seat once again this time for an elaborate anniversary bash reportedly costing millions even as her company struggles. erica hill has the story. erica, good morning to you. >> good morning. during the dot-com boom, lavish parties were the norm. today those events not only

trakt scrutiny, they bring up lots of questions. >> reporter: it's a scene that looks a lot like tech parties in the high-flying '90s, but this is 2015. ♪ a toast to yahoo!'s 20th anniversary. the roaring '20s theme with a speakeasy and costumes out of the "great gatsby." that's ceo marissa mayer posing for photos with employees on a lavish set. >> it's a company trying to write itself versus having this lavish party, where it looks like you don't have a care in the world and you're spending a lot. >> reporter: employees thanked her for the party on social media others criticized the spending. in a 99-page letter to the

shareholders, eric jackson raises concerns about the future of the company saying, quote, a change in ceo must be made now, accusing mayer of misallocating $10 billion in capital, and pointing to costly perks for employees like $450 million in free food. ♪ a source familiar with the party tells nbc news the cost was closer to $2 million. still, industry watchers say the optics and very public pressure from shareholders are a serious threat to mayer's job security. >> yahoo! >> reporter: yahoo! launched in 1996 as a web portal and search engine, growing to become one of the world's most visited websites before struggling in recent years, its stock plummeting 34% in the past year alone. >> yahoo! acquired -- >> reporter: yahoo! hired mayer in 2012 to right the ship. she was six months' pregnant

with her first child at the time. her decision to take two weeks of maternity leave, sparking a national conversation. shortly after the party pictures were taken, mayer gave birth to twin girls. she's now on maternity leave. >> this is the time she has to prove to shareholders and employees she has what it takes to keep the company going. >> yahoo! declined to comment on the holiday party or the shareholders' calls for mayer's removal. mayer did not respond. she isn't expected to be away for long. when announcing her pregnancy earlier this year, mayer indicated she'd take a limited maternity leave and work throughout the leave. it's important to note during her tenure, yahoo! has upped paid leave for 16 weeks for moms and 8 weeks for dad. >> you have to put all the costs in perspective. but the optics of that -- >> and that's a big part of it. even if it ended up costing $70,000, it certainly didn't look that way. >> no.

>> erica, thank you very much. let's get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> announcer: today's weather is brought to you by walmart. stop by a store or visit us at walmart.com to share wonder every day. >> we're looking at a frontal system that's going to be pushing in showers to the northeast. heavier thunderstorms as you get down to the south. warm, moist air ahead. colder air behind it. as this makes its way toward us tonight, we're going to be looking at a heavier thunderstorm down through atlanta. in fact, airport delays today from atlanta all the way north to boston as the afternoon wears on. rainfall amounts, thoroughly light, though we could see an inch around new york city all the way back to charlotte. lighter amounts to the east. then look what happens. we're also going to see colder air filtering in. lake-effect snow setting up. through sunday, 18 inches of snow between oswego and utica. 18 good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall.

it is cold all across the bay area. at least we start out with sunshine and high clouds moving in. the cloud cover will continue to increase and a chance of a spot shower in the north bay. the rest of the bay area will be dry. tri valley 6 degrees. feeling a little bit warmer today and the warmest temperatures come tomorrow, but we'll have some rain heading into the afternoon to evening hours. latest weather. savannah? >> al, thanks. and you have a great story coming up. paying it forward to someone. >> yeah. first, a special rossen reports. >> good morning. i'm jeff rossen. it happens every winter. a storm hits and drivers get stranded in their cars. how do you survive? are you supposed to get out of the car and go for help? do you keep the car on or off? we have all the tips you need to stay alive for 24 to 48 hours in here. plus, the emergency kit you can buy right now for less than $30.

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so don't trust your smile to any regular toothpaste. improved crest 3d white brilliance removes 5 times more stains than the red box. try the whole collection for a smile that gets you noticed. 7:41. time for our jeff rossen series, save a life. >> jeff rossen shows you what to do if you become stranded on a winter road trip. jeff, good morning. >> good morning to you. this happens all time. we see it on the news. a snowstorm hits, the cars litter the side of the road, people trapped inside. i think to myself, come on, it'd never happen to me.

it turns out, it's happening to people just like you and me, from small town s to the bigges cities. what are you supposed to do? this morning, the simple tips to save your life. >> reporter: the big storm hits and, suddenly, you're stranded. it happened just days ago to this family. their car got stuck in deep snow in the oregon mountains on their way to go sledding. >> i was, like, trying to stay calm. my anxiety kicked in, and i was thinking the worst. >> reporter: after nearly 24 hours, a group of snowmobilers found them. it's not just the middle of the mi wilderness. it's happened outside of atlanta. >> i had one bottle of water, half a tank of gas left. >> reporter: on i-65 in kentucky. >> i was melting ice and snow to drink. >> reporter: even in the middle of lake shore drive in chicago. >> if they don't get me in enough time, my car could be covered completely in snow and i could be barricaded under here. >> reporter: drivers trapped for days, unprepared, desperate to

stay alive. what do you do if you're stranded? >> to show you how to save your life, we've come to frigid utah. it is cold here. this is cray tracy christiansen. my instinct is i would stay in the car and get out to get help. >> that's one of the biggest mistakes, leaving your car. stay in the car. >> why? >> it's cold out there. you can die from hypothermia. >> you say rescuers have a better chance of finding the car than a random person on the road. >> we will find you in you're in the vehicle. >> reporter: should you run the engine or save gas? >> run your car ten minutes an hour to stay warm. make sure you're conserving fuel. you could be here for the long haul. it is okay to run your car. >> ten minutes every hour. >> another tip, always make sure the exhaust pipe is clear and free from snow so you don't suffer from carbon monoxide

poisoning. >> never sleep alone in a running car? >> exactly. it's a recipe for disaster. >> reporter: the life and death decisions begin before you leave your house. you can buy the bare essentials for less than $30. >> you can pick this up anywhere. >> what do we have? >> couple things are really important. at least a liter of water, snacks and fruit, batteries, hand warmers. >> those are cheap in the store. >> they're great. >> you have a blanket, which is super important. >> one of the most important things to have. a little bit of warmth. wrap this around yourself, keep your core temperature warm like this. are wi >> with these tips and minimal equipment, you can stay alive for 24 to 48 hours. >> yes. and we will find you. >> just to give you an idea how dangerous it is to leave your car, in temperatures below freezing. >> holly:

hypothermia can set in within 30 minutes. tell someone where you're going and how to get there. >> years ago, i got stuck on the highway between boston and providence, rhode island, for four hours. it was a long four hours. >> did you have a blan ket? >> no, but you think about your fuel everything. >> before cell phones? >> back in your day. we know how long ago that was. >> thank you. just ahead, the wedding proposal so grand, it shut down a major interstate. the hot waters that landed the groom to be in. next, carson's ready. are you? are new "star wars" in theaters tonight. how far some fans are going to keep their friends from spoiling it for them. savannah has seen it. tell carson about it. right when neil lane creates a ring for today's biggest stars... ...it looks fabulous from every angle.

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in case you haven't heard, the new "star wars" film opens in a few hours. >> so excited. fans are ready. carson is in his costume. it's like the "star wars" bar over there. >> it's so much fun. hold on. there we go. got stuck there. let's just talk about what people are doing right now all across the country. this is a really genius idea. they're having these marathon screenings, where people are flooding the theaters and they'll watch all seven movies back to back. they've got the guy doing the "star wars" theme on the organ in the theater to create the mood. this is hitting social media, as it's rolled out internationally. the opening credits there done in different languages. i would fit into the movie theater. people are going pressed up.

my theory is that's brad pitt in los angeles, the only way he could possibly see this movie. joining me now, the great chewbacca. chewy is a little smaller in the orange room than in real life. does everybody know who you are, chewy? want to do a reveal? >> i have stilettos. >> it's natalie, everybody. >> that's impressive. >> we're excited. we know everybody else is excited. >> hot. >> "star wars" fever. >> are you gargling? >> can i reveal a secret talent of our audio guy in joe, one more. >> you have to hear natalie's. now you do it. >> joe? >> natalie sounds like she's gargling red wine. >> like last night. >> i heard. >> thank you. >> wonderful.

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this is humira helping me reach for more. doctors have been prescribing humira for more than 10 years. humira works for many adults. it targets and helps to block a specific source of inflammation that contrubutes to ra symptoms. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. talk to your doctor and visit humira.com this is humira at work.

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say it may take days or even weeks a very good morning to you. investigators say it may take days or even weeks to identify human remains discovered in san francisco's alamo square. last month, someone discovered bones in a garden planter between two apartment buildings. cadaver dogs were brought in to help search for more remains. authorities have not determined if it's the remains of an adult or a child. an early morning house fire knocked out power for people in one vallejo neighborhood. the fire eventually caused a nearby transformer to blow. the cause is still under investigation. people are doing what they can to keep warm this morning. >> yes, you have to bundle up going out the door. heading into the 5s.

so we'll be much more comfortable. near 60 degrees like in the financial district. up to 58 degrees in santa rosa. the rest of the bay area sees rain tomorrow. we'll keep you up to date on that. >> we have slowing in oakland, northbound. this is where the heat of the commute's hitting right now. it's not that bad this morning. you do have gradual slowing and the build for the coliseum. your typical spots. over here, there's a lot of slowing here, both directions between the san mateo and the dunbar bridges. the rest of your bay, a little bit lighter. recovery for the tri valley. northbound 101, a crash has just cleared at 880. 101 itself is picking up speed again. thank you very much and thank you for joining us as well. another local news update is coming up in half an hour.

hope you have a chance to enjoy this thursday morning.

♪ all i do is win, no matter what ♪ ♪ got money on my mind it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, the donald and the doctor. >> called "winners aren't losers." >> donald trump joins jimmy kimmel for his take on dr. seuss. >> here are frogs i do not like at all. we must kick these frogs out and then build a wall. paying it forward. al goes to great lengths to honor the remarkable woman who had a huge impact on his family. >> three, two, one, go! yes! ♪ honey, i'm good, but i probably shouldn't ♪ ♪ i got a honey at home, and if i stay, i might not leave alone ♪ from singing to dancing to lots of laughing, we'll reminisce about all the good times we had together in 2015.

today, thursday, december 17th, 2015. ♪ i will stay true ♪ strangers waiting, up and down the boulevard ♪ >> celebrating 20 years of marriage here at the "today" show. >> my christmas present is standing next to me. >> celebrating our 46th anniversary. >> merry christmas from indian river, michigan. >> merry christmas from oregon. >> we're from omaha, nebraska, trying not to be too corny. >> happy holidays. >> thank you so much. >> good morning, everybody. it's 8:00 on "today." it's thursday, december 17th, 2015. what a beautiful day on our plaza. i'm loving this warm weather. it feels so good, and everybody is in a great mood, getting ready for the holidays.

we have matt lauer's biggest fan here. >> so nice of you. how are you? happy holidays. sorry. i didn't mean to ignore you. i was swept away by the music we're hearing in the background. this is savannah's throwback thursday song. i believe this is "don't stop believing" by the cast of glee. >> it's a cover. >> it's a version of that. >> the cast of glee? >> you don't like it? >> i'll withhold comment. it's great. >> wow. >> everyone else is silent. >> anyway, i'm glad you like the song. >> a lot, yeah. >> was your outfit chafing? >> in more ways than one. >> the cast of glee. >> interesting call. >> you don't get it every day. >> let's go inside with natalie for the top stories. she'll support my choice. >> savannah, i like your choice. even though you haven't supported me in the past. in the news this morning, the pentagon admitting defense secretary ash carter used his

personal e-mail for government business. according to a "new york times" report, carter started the practice just after he became defense chief in february, and he continued even after the scandal that erupted over hillary clinton using her personal e-mail while she was secretary of state. the pentagon says carter's occasional use of personal e-mail for work-related business was a mistake, and he did not use it for classified information. disney is installing metal detecters at the front of all four theme parks. it's also discontinuing the sale of toy guns and will no longer allow kids over the age of 14 to wear costumes. the detecters are going up ahead of tonight's "star wars" premiere at disney springs, universal orlando, all using metal detecters. controversial drug company ceo martin shkreli was arrested.

the 32-year-old entrepreneur made headlines in september when he boosted the price of a life saving pill from $13.50 to $750 for one pill. however, his arrest on security fraud charges is not connected to the matter. the federal case accuses him of illegally taking stock sfrom a firm he started in 2011 to pay off debts from unrelated business dealings. the good news, she said yes. the bad news? a man who shut down a highway to propose to his girlfriend was arrested. he stopped his car on monday in houston, got down on one knee and popped the question. several drivers recorded the risky, romantic stunt. he posted $500 bail and defended his actions. he said, sometimes, love makes you do stupid things.

i wanted to do something that she will always remember. yeah, they're not going to forget that one any time soon. a soccer era came to an end wednesday in new orleans, when the greatest goal scorer in u.s. history, abbywombach played her final game. she helped the u.s. team win the world cup title this year. she has a pair of olympic golds and inspired a generation of yun women to take up the game she loved. we are going to miss her. an incredible athlete and inspiration to many. >> good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. it's starting to get a little bit milder, at least, or getting out of the 30s now. and mostly sunny skies and some high clouds streaming in. cloud cover will continue to increase as we go through the day, and a slight chance of a

light shower in the north bay, with a high of 57 degrees. san francisco to 58 degrees, and in the east bay, 58. 60 in the tri-valley, you can see the skies are clear and blue now, but we'll have a mixture of sun and clouds as we go through the day and showers tomorrow. >> and that's your latest weather. just ahead, i'm going to pay it forward in a personal way. i'm going to celebrate a woman who means a great deal to our family. >> terrific story. plus, we are taking care of your last-minute holiday shopping this morning with our biggest gifts guide ever. but first, singing, dancing and a whole lot of laughter. all the fun we've had over the all the fun we've had over the past 12 months ♪ i said i really can't stay ♪ baby it's cold outside ♪ i have to go away ♪ baby it's cold outside ♪ i really can't stay ♪ baby it's cold outside!

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i quickly rinse off. and i'm ready to go. nivea in-shower body lotion -- in the body lotion aisle. dads don't take sick days, dads take nyquil severe dave, i'm sorry to interrupt. i gotta take a sick day tomorrow. the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep with a cold, medicine. ♪ ♪ with ingredients like roasted hazelnuts and cocoa, there's a whole lot of happy in every jar of nutella. spread the happy.

stuff your stockings with big savings at lowe's. hurry in to your neighborhood store today for great winter deals on all of your holiday gifts. oooh. now get this dewalt® 20-volt drill for only $99. ♪ (vo) some call it giving back. we call it share the love. during our share the love event, get a new subaru, and we'll donate $250 to those in need. bringing our total donations to over sixty-five million dollars.

and bringing love where it's needed most. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. feel a cold coming on? new zicam cold remedy nasal swabs shorten colds with a snap, and reduce symptom severity by 45%. shorten your cold with a snap, with zicam. thank you. pat yourself upon your back.. your shopping is done. you ain't no slack. rest at ease it's all ok. you ordered online and got them in the same day. navigate the app at will with incredible digital ninja skills. the holidays could not be better. maybe you have time to knit him a sweater.

i don't know maybe a snowman. i could do that. let's get out of here. i'm just thinking. order gifts online and pick them up the same day. walmart. >> announcer: year in review on "today" is brought to you by mercedes benz. the best or nothing. >> oh, my gosh, we have a quorum. we're all year. time for something we look forward to every year. >> the cast of glee, really? >> come on! >> to look at all the fun we've had in 2015. ♪ hey, that's what i like, i like about you ♪ ♪ the way you do what you do, how you do, i like about you ♪ ♪ come on now, hey, that's what i like, i like about you ♪

♪ the way you do what you do, how you do, i like about you ♪ >> the gang is all back. >> i love what the script says. it says, we're all back, even carson. >> hey. >> raise your hand if you were in sharknado 3 last night. >> carson, were you glued? >> no, i was not. ♪ honey, i'm good, but i probably should ♪ ♪ i got a honey at home, and if i stay, i might not leave alone ♪ >> where do you keep your emmy? >> one with me right here. never leaves me. good morning, coaches. pharrell, blake, christina -- hey! where am i? >> let's trend, guys. there's someone in this studio right now who does not remember anything that happened yesterday. any guesses? >> usually, all of us. >> i will go to a movie alone. i'm happy sitting in a dark

theater with popcorn by myself. >> not really what we were talking about but -- >> here's how it works. the question you pull out, you must answer. >> what is your porn star name. >> what is it? >> i check in to hotels under the name, dj warm cookies. >> whoa! >> we are in the white house kitchen, where among other thinthin gs, you brew beer. >> it's not good. >> serious? >> it's not. don't eat any of this stuff. you can learn more -- >> just say no. >> even the germ freak would -- just to show you. there you go. >> i'm just saying. that's a waste. ♪ on my own, once again now >> this is the chisel. >> apparently, i'm burning the

counter. >> sorry. >> oh, dear. wow. >> having my way with it. leave me alone. let me have a moment. >> come back here with those. ♪ >> yeah! >> that is unbelievable. ♪ >> go! go left. your left. left! your left! >> what we should have talked about first was our right from our left. >> what are we doing in here? >> i don't know. i just do what i'm told. >> this is called hoda or yoda. these are all real quotes.

rejoice for those around you who transform into the force. >> yoda. >> correct. next up, i wake up at 4:15, get coffee, turn on the news, clickty clock to see what i missed. then i go to work and i'm really awake. >> yoda. >> it's hoda! >> i used to have great legs, then great knees and now great ankles. >> we're busy reading the wall street journal. we start our day with a little research. >> i'm here. whoo hoo! >> thank savannah guthrie for helping me out. do you know who is co-hosting tomorrow? >> you wanted to today. >> matt lauer is going to co-host the fourth hour. >> i have not prepared, but with hoda, she doesn't anyway. what's the big deal? >> i was told matthew mcconaughey was here, not matt lauer. >> you have nothing to do? >> very little to do. >> we are going to build a

fantastic playground right in this field here. >> it's really beautiful. i hope everyone takes care of the park. >> all month long, the men of today, along with guys all across america, have grown out their facial hair to raise awareness for men's health. >> i changed my mind in the middle. >> called the twizzler challenge. all the money goes toward programs to help with autism. >> riding 230 miles from boston to the big apple, to raise money for red-nose day charities. >> i have a lot of people i'd put on spandex for at this hour of the morning. ♪ donstop to party ♪ >> please make it stop. >> i'm going all the way up there. >> they know how to welcome

somebody in sydney, australia. >> guys, it's so hot out here, my iphone just shut off. that's hot. >> brace yourselves. >> can you handle rockerthon2? >> one weatherman. >> paradise. >> we are in kentucky. >> 50 states. one week. to bring you the weather from every state in our great nation. >> rokerthon rolls on! see you in boston! >> rokerthon makes it to new york. >> here he is! >> does carson ever mention us when he's at the "voice"? blake said, i didn't know carson worked here. >> it's so good to be up this early. >> boogie woogie.

i ain't going to play more because i charge. >> nice golf swing. >> girl got moves. >> you're a grandpa? >> matt, you're a grandpa? that was hard. >> i want you to relax, savannah. relax. >> i'm trying. >> what line will be remembered for this movie you've just finished? >> man, that's a good question. nothing i can say on this show. ♪ >> get out of my way. ♪ i got news ♪ i'm gonna work, work, work

every day ♪ ♪ this is where my story's going, i just want to share this moment ♪ ♪ whoa ♪ the earth moves under my feet, i feel the sky tumbling down ♪ ♪ you never count your money when you're sitting at the table ♪ ♪ there will be time enough for counting when the deal is done ♪ ♪ with your love, nobody can drag me down ♪ ♪ nobody, nobody >> i was on vacation. how did you get out of this? >> wow, i don't know, but thank the good lord. ♪ down in your pocket, you've got something to give, it goes ♪ ♪ jingle, jingle ♪ today, today, today, today, today is christmas ♪ ♪ living like, living like,

living like every day of the year ♪ >> baby, let's go. ♪ we want to know, what do you need ♪ ♪ oh, what do you need now ♪ all i need is the rhythm, be in the rhythm ♪ ♪ yeah, the rhythm, be in the rhythm ♪ ♪ backseat freedom, rocking and roll ♪

♪ never grow old ♪ it's going down, hey, hey, hey ♪ ♪ [ applause ]

>> the naked show! >> tah-dah. >> next one, fudge brownies. >> i knew it! >> and matt lauer, just take a look. >> exposed, he's naked. >> lauer! >> overnight, matt lauer put up four billboards. >> two second of yos >> two second of y of your time >> go somewhere else. >> get out of here. >> oh, my goodness. what happened? oh, you son of a gun. you son of a gun! i knew you were going to do that. >> cue the alarm. >> savannah? >> don't panic. we'll be right there. >> what is that?

>> i'm neil patrick harris. >> oh, my god! >> we're back. carson -- >> on the air. >> making my -- >> tv program, savannah. >> sorry. >> leonardo dicaprio. >> you got the offer to do this by text mail? >> text message? >> the kids are calling it text mail. >> text message. >> it's going potty. >> it's popping. ♪ let it go, let it go >> start your engines!

>> good job. >> i just touched street gum with my hand. i don't know what got into me. time to get some purell. >> the bush ladies know how to raise beautiful little girls, and you're one of them. >> wait a minute. >> what's up? >> what's up? >> couple years ago in washington, the correspondents dinner, at the men's room, standing next to me at the urinal. >> did you high-five him? >> no, you don't do that at the urinal. might want to learn that lesson. >> you two are really obnoxious. >> wow. that was quite a show. >> i won't do it.

i won't. ♪ for the rest of my life, i will do what's right ♪ ♪ i will do what's right ♪ stars in the sky, rest of my life ♪ ♪ yeah, yeah, yeah, the rest of our lives ♪ ♪ edge of the earth, search in the sky at night, out on the verge on the rest of our lives ♪ >> yeah. [ applause ] >> nice. >> that was fun. really fun. >> we have to thank an editor somewhere. >> many of them. >> really well done. >> erica levins is the producer.

molly, drew, and paul is the graphic artist. >> thank you, what a year in review there for the "today" show. happening right now at 8:26, i'm sam brock. reviewing "star wars" and its history as the "star wars" frenzy is now hitting light speed. lots of bay area fans already in line, eagerly awaiting tonight's first local showing of "the force awakens." other fans have been hunkered down in the bay area theaters for hours now. they are in the process of watching all six previous "star wars" films before the viewing of the new film later tonight. we'll find that most of those screenings have been sold out for days now, so fans have purchased at least $100 million worth of advanced tickets over the course of the open weekend, and that movie is expected to gross in the billions. if you're on your way to the movie theater right now, let's

check in with mike inouye. >> it looks like a line longer than this line. this is not bad for the nimitz freeway. look at your map, the entire stretch of san leandro. streets are right around 30 miles per hour. but you still move throughout that entire stretch. the bay bridge metering lights are on. we have a better flow of traffic between san mateo and the dumbarton bridge off the nimitz freeway and 280 moves better as well. sam, back to you. >> that's going to do it for us right now. we'll be back in 25 minutes with more updates. we send you back to the "today" show.

♪ today, today, today, today is christmas ♪ we are back now. it's 8:30 on a thursday morning. it's the 17th day of december, 2015. kind of a dark morning here on the plaza. rain expected. but we're brightening things up with a couple of broadway stars. we have matthew broderick and annaleigh ashford from the play "sylvia," collecting toys for us this morning. they're the elves of the day. we're going to chat with them in

a couple of minutes. >> looking forward to that. plus, we have a rare christmas miracle. that's right, i'll be baking. don't worry. siri pinter is here and she knows what she's doing. we're making cookies, and we have the cutest helpers. our babies. >> that's cute. also ahead, if you didn't do your shopping for christmas back in july, we have our ultimate gift guide, the biggest ever to finish off everyone on your list. and i'm going to get a chance to pay it forward by doing something for an amazing woman who has really changed my son nick's life. >> carson, we'll have your buddy from the "voice" who was crowned the winner in a second. first, we have matthew broderick and annaleigh ashford, stars of "sylvia." >> pleasure. >> matthew, you have to choose between the love of your life and man's best friend.

>> all right. it's a tough one. >> how does that go? that's the play, you have to see the play to find out. >> annaleigh, you play the best friend. >> i do. i play a dog. i know, it's crazy, but i do. i'm looking at the sweet dog. maybe i'll get inspiration for tonight. what a cutie. >> you don't have a liver treat, he won't look at you. we can get you something. >> oh, he's so cute. hi. hello. you want to -- he's like, no. >> this is your 12th broadway production, matt, right? we're keeping count here. >> really? >> what brings you back to the stage all the time? >> something to do. >> just a little something. >> no, i really love doing it. you know, i've been lucky enough to get 12 jobs, i guess, now that you've told me that. >> this is your 12th broadway show? >> that's what they say. >>our wife, sarah jessica parker, originated the role.

>> that's right. that's correct. >> she's looking for liver treats. >> somebody lhas a treat. >> the facts are correct. >> i'm surprised it's that many. i thought it was maybe nine. >> this is your life. >> yeah. >> i know, that's magical. it's good if you lost count. it means you're fabulous. >> or senile. >> guys, have fun. we want to say for people to go check them out on broadway in "sylvia." thanks for connecting toys this morning. we appreciate it. >> hey. good thursday morning to you. meteorologist anthony slaughter here. tracking our next storm system out across the pacific. clouds will increase as we head throughout the day today. by the end of the day today, we'll be mostly cloudy. outside, you can see temperatures warming into the 40s after a very chilly start to the day. into 60s for the south bay. even the tri-valley will manage 60 degrees.

cool in san francisco, turning cloudy this afternoon, and a few showers this morning, even this afternoon across parts of the north bay. >> and that is your latest weather. >> al, thank you so much. now to the "voice" on "today." this morning, we have the champion in the house. take a look. >> the winner of the voice is -- jordan smith! >> jordan smith is here. good morning and congratulations. >> congratulations. >> i have to tell you, i have a friend who is a super fan of the "voice" and told me nine weeks ago, i predict it, jordan smith goes all the way. >> that's so kind. >> did you feel good or were you sweating it? >> this show has been fun and i had a great time working with adam and the other contestants. it's a creative atmosphere. it didn't hit me until i was on

the stage at the finale. i'm in the finale. we were taking it week by week. >> gwen stefani said you don't look like your voice. is that a good thing? >> i think so. i think this whole time, i've been proving that. those things aren't really what happens. last tuesday night, whenever i won the show, it was kind of a big moment for me. i proved to myself, what's on the outside doesn't matter. it's what's in your heart and what you love to do and doing those things. >> we've had front runners on the show before who, you know, were strong all the way down. they've grown fatigued. it was interesting to watch you in the final weeks, you never got nervous. you were stronger. how did you thrive when the pressure was really on? >> i think that it's kind of the type of person i am. i love that pressure. that's what makes me stronger and better. i think just keeping a level head through the whole process is super important. i think that those are four really strong contestants, myself and the other three. i was proud to be among them.

we were a support for each other to the end. >> your parents were the only ones that looked shocked you won. what was it like in your close circle? >> they're so proud and happy. they made so many sacrifices for me to get to this point. for them, it's a huge payoff and they're proud. they saw this in me before i saw it in myself. >> you owe them big time. >> congratulations. >> jordan smith, congratulations. >> he'll be with kathie lee and hoda in a little bit. also ahead, cookies and cuteness. siri and i do a little baking with our babies. checking people off your holiday shopping list. you can't miss our biggest gift guide ever. first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪ (vo) some call it giving back. we call it share the love.

during our share the love event, get a new subaru, and we'll donate $250 to those in need. bringing our total donations to over sixty-five million dollars. and bringing love where it's needed most. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru.

it is now time for today's hassle free holiday and our

biggest gift guide ever. we have so many items we can't fit it in one segment. we're streaming it live at today.com so you can find what we don't get to on the air on our website. lori is the style director at good housekeeping. this gift segment goes from here all the way around the studio. >> we better get started. eight days left to shop. >> great gift ideas. >> this is the best of the best. the amazon echo. it's a voice-activated information teller. you can get news, information, traffic. it will tell you knock-knock jokes. it is the gift of the future. $179. >> this looks like something out of my childhood, the view master. >> $30 at target. what you do is put your smartphone in there and they partnered with google cardboard for virtual reality. it's like you're in the wildlife, in space. it's so cool. >> vinyls are back. >> throwback thursday gift with a modern flair. this is available at

bloomingdales. it plays vinyl and mp3. real cool. >> how much is that? >> $79. >> great. >> i'm obsessed with this, as are many women in the world. the urban decay smoky naked palette. one is sold every 6 seconds. >> are they expensive? >> $54 and they'll last a long time. universally flattering shades. >> why are these shoes so hot? >> don't you love them? they're a little sporty, a little cozy. $50 at jc penney. you can wear them with anything. they appeal to all ages. they're comfortable. love that for the winter. >> these are going to catch a lot of attention because of what they're made of. >> fashion flex. this is the great bag co. everyone is saying these will be the new it bags. they're $120, very affordable. heat resistant, crash resistant, you can clean them easy and they

look amazing. >> talk to me about the glassware. >> matt, everybody loves a gift that feels personalized. these have initials on them. they're from skyros. these are flown from portugal. beautiful something to bring to a house, hostess gift. >> taught about something special. >> "star wars" opening, have you heard about that? >> i haven't heard. >> "star wars" fans. >> indy film. this toaster is available at kohl's. it has a light side and dark side for toast. we love that. also for the little fans with big imaginations, the force really awakens with leg golegos. you can do anything with the millennial falcon. fun for the little ones. how cute are these guys? jackson and juliet. jackson is on the brilliant buy

sick -- bicycle. everybo >> everybody said this is the best way to learn to ride the bike. >> no more training wheels. >> i'll pause for a second and tell you we're going to end this on the air right now. we have more gifts to get to so we'll stream live at today.com. coming up next, holiday cookies with the kids. savannah and siri get adorable help in the kitchen. plus, siri will share one of her go-to cookie recipes. first, this is "today" on nbc, as we continue to stream.

the gets to work by 8:00...ids, and always manages to give them a healthy lunch. the newlyweds seeking out wholesome meals and exciting flavors for their new cookware. the guy who finally decided to kick 35 years of bad snacking habits. you inspire us to do everything we do... ...for goodness' sake. ♪ >> we're back now. it's 8:44 with more of today food holiday cookie swap. so i decided to do a little baking and i called my lifeline, siri pin thor and we had a little pint-sized pastry chefs. >> peek a boo! >> we're going to make fudge

candy cane cookies. >> for me the holidays are all about family and home. ♪ ♪ >> oh! [ laughter ] >> yummy! >> oh, boy. >> a chip off the old block. >> oh, my gosh, she's putting the whole thing in her mouth. we lost a lot of it. ♪ ♪ >> my favorite childhood christmas memory is probably baking with my mom. we would make the same things every year. we would give them to the same people and the same little plastic tins we buy at the drugstore. i'm going to take the butter and put it in here with the sugar. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> christmas is about the only time i really remember us being into baking. we did these stained glass cookies one year and you bake it and it's a candy glass. >> i think it makes me feel like

i can give something of myself to people. >> yeah. yeah. >> this looks amazing. >> why were we holding babies? because they wouldn't let us put them down. >> we didn't color coordinate very well today. >> let's make this recipe. >> we don't have babies so we can make this. this is a vanilla bean sugar cookie. it's very yummy and easy. flour, baking soda, salt, sour cream, vanilla bean paste. >> that's the secret recipe. it gives the vanilla bean flex. eggs and sanding sugar. >> we have butter and sugar. i'm going to give it a little bit more of a stir and we'll put in an egg. >> okay. >> and some vanilla. >> did you say sour cream? >> yes. >> that's coming in in a second and that's the vanilla bean paste. you can find it at most markets. >> it does give it a little something extra, i think. >> so now over here we have our dry ingredients.

flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. it's important to whisk them together first so everything gets incorporated. you want to add half of that to the mixer. >> yes. >> this is a mixer, savannah, which we couldn't find in her home. >> you're not as much of a mess as i am. >> you were looking in your closet for your mixer. >> i know. oh, lord. >> we'll add the sour cream and the rest of the dry ingredients. >> okay. >> why in baking do you have to do things in certain order? why is that? >> it's scientific and it's important you follow the directions properly. >> you can't wing it apparently. >> the next thing i do is i chill it and that solidifies the butter so they don't spread. >> how long? at least 30 minutes overnight, if you can so it steepens the flavor of the cookies. use a scoop and two inches apart because they will spread a little. this is the part we thought the

babies would do so well. >> that didn't go so well. >> so we'll roll them in sugar and we'll bake them 10 to 15 minutes in a 350-degree oven. >> we have 30 seconds. >> these are fudge brownie candy cane cookies made with brownie mix. really delicious. >> did you invent brownie mix as cooky? >> in my mind you did. let's just say i did, i think someone else, but it is nice to make a fudgy cookie. >> by the way, you can get all of our recipes all of them at today.com. i just put myself in it like they were our recipes. >> coming up next, al pays it forward to someone who means a great deal to his family. this is "today." nbc. >>.

this morning on make your today, it is al's turn to pay it forward. >> thanks so much. when i was asked to pick someone to honor, i didn't have to think twice. it's a woman who means a lot to me and my wife deborah, because she inspires and helps other extremely special person in my life. my amazing boy, nick. >> numbers start on this corner. >> reporter: anyone who knows lori will tell you, she defies description. >> what do you think? >> fancy. >> very fancy.

>> you have to experience lori. lori is an experience. >> super strong legs. those are super strong. >> reporter: she's an occupational therapist for kids with special needs. >> can you get this undone? >> reporter: like my son. she's so much more. >> sometimes as a parent when as many as is wrong with your child, you can freeze because it's overwhelming. to have someone that's not only amazing for your child and to your child, but is an advocate for your child, is a god send. >> use the strong arms. >> reporter: lori started working with nick when he was 3 years old. he's 13 now. >> he didn't talk, couldn't walk. he had very low body core pl musculatu musculature. a lot of people were not positive about his, you know, his outlook. you know, there was never any of that with lori. >> look at me because i'm the focus point, okay?

>> some kids are a 50-piece puzzle. some are 100-piece. some are 150. i think nick was about 150, if i was to look at nick. my heart is so big for him. he's my son. he's a little bigger than me these days, but he is my son. >> beautiful, nick. beautiful. >> reporter: this is her calling. lori knew she wanted to be an occupational therapist since she was in seventh grade. >> their goal was to work in the presence of others with minimal sharing of supplies. >> reporter: this is a student in the '70s, working with students with autism before there was a diagnosis. she was devoted then and is now, helping children reach their developmental milestones. >> at 2 years old, my son wasn't meeting the benchmarks a 2-year-old should be. this past june, he got his black belt in tie quando.

>> reporter: lori doesn't want recognition. >> three, two, one, go. yes! nicely done. >> well, good ending, right? >> i do this because i believe in the kids. i don't do it for recognition. >> i can honestly say that nick is where he is today because of her help. and for that, i can't thank her enough. >> reporter: but on this day, i wanted to try. i know lori pretty well, and i know she loves two things. running and tennis. specifically, serena williams. current sports illustrated sports person of the year, byfln to miami to run in the serena williams foundation 5k to support children coming up in a couple of weeks. >> fabulous. >> for you. >> nick has come so far. >> i know. >> more to go.

more to go. >> hi, serena, how are you? >> how are you? >> nice to see you. this is lori. >> how are you? >> nice to meet you. >> reporter: on the day of the run, serena williams did not disappoint. >> little windy, but we are on the water. hopefully the wind will be behind us. >> reporter: the serena williams live ultimate run in miami raises money for the serena williams fund. >> serena williams fund, we help send kids to college. we also build schools in africa and help families affected by violence in communities, like my sister was. it's really exciting for me. >> reporter: and exciting for us to be part of such a special day. >> serena williams run, we're about to get started. >> right now! >> reporter: the race was exhilarating. at least for my wife, deborah. and for lori. >> we did it! >> couple of days later. >> reporter: for me, might have another word for it. >> wasn't it fun? >> oh, what a barrel -- we have

a different idea of fun. >> reporter: but what's a few aches and pains for a woman who worked nonstop for my child and countless other kids? >> everybody has a lori in their life, they just may not realize it. they could probably make more money doing something else, but they're doing it because they love your child. >> like i say, everybody has a lori in their life. it's easy to assume they know how much they mean to owe, byou this is a great time of year so make sure they do. >> reacted to the same moment, she knew she wanted to do it since the seventh grade. amazing. >> it's a calling for her, and she answers the call every day for so many kids in this area. >> what a saint. >> she is. she's a gift. >> incredible. >> nick is a really cool kid, too. >> now that he's a black belt -- >> yeah. >> he asked for an allowance. oh, okay.

we're back with much more of "today" on a thursday morning after your local news. i'm ... ==topvo== investigators have not ruled out the possibility that a good thursday morning. it's 8:56. siam sam brock. investigators have not ruled out the possibility that two siblings found dead inside of a redding storage locker were actually killed in salinas. that's where police searched a home on monday. so far, police are only saying that the 6-year-old, sean terra, and his 3-year-old sister, d delil delilah, died outside of shasta

county. police found another sibling, a 9-year-old sister, suffering from severe abuse. until recently, those children lived with their aunt in salinas. she and her 17-year-old companion right now in police custody. we're expecting another update from investigators some time this afternoon. you'll get it on nbc bay area news at 11:00. we'll see you in 25. come on in pop pop. happy birthday. i just had a heart attack... and now i have a choice. for her. for them. and him. a choice to take brilinta. a prescription for people who've been hospitalized for a heart attack. i take brilinta with a baby aspirin ...no more than 100 mg. as it affects how well it works. it's such an important thing to do to help protect against another heart attack. brilinta worked better than plavix. and even reduced the chances of dying from another one.

don't stop taking brilinta without talking to doctor. since stopping it too soon increases your risk of clots in your stent, heart attack, stroke, and even death. brilinta may cause bruising or bleeding more easily or serious, sometimes fatal bleeding. don't take brilinta if you have bleeding, like stomach ulcers. a history of bleeding in the brain, or severe liver problems. tell your doctor about bleeding, new or unexpected shortness of breath, any planned surgery and all medicines you take. i will take brilinta today. tomorrow. and every day for as long as my doctor tells me. don't miss a day of brilinta.

>> announcer: >> this morning on "today's" take, "star wars" mania, the reviews are in, the merchandise is out. the countdown begins until tonight's opening. then a look at the fun we had this year with some of hollywood's biggest stars. plus, newest stocking stuffers from best selling author james patterson coming up ne. >> 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. >> it's december 17th, 2015, we are smack dab in the middle of the new york holiday season. i am we're with willie, tamron

and natalie. >> come here. here is my sound effects. go ahead. ggggggg. >> there you go. >> not bad. >> that's live, may the force be with you. >> the force is strong with you. >> wow. >> wow. >> i have hair in my face now. >> all right. >> i love it so much. >> "star wars" fortunately opens in theaters tomorrow, really tonight. they had some earlier screenings in select cities. people won contest, stuff like that. we're finally here, guys. we have been hearing about this movie for years. j.j. would tweet out a picture, the cast, the table read. >> universally, it's pretty darn

good. >> yes, a lot of things going back to this one. this one brings back all the characters. we all went to see it, loved it. you know what was interesting. if you are looking for a last minute gift, a lot of people will get into the whole swargs star wars cra "star wars" craze, all the craziest things you can buy from "star wars." first, a "star wars," is that r 2 d 12 shower head. >> that's the real deal, r2d2 shower head. >> you end up in the shower. >> on the first date? >> and that was there. >> the guy's shower. >> my mother watches this show.

>> sorry. >> sorry. >> if i was married and i went to the guy's house after we got married, the shower cam. >> it's for 13-year-olds. i don't know if it's 25-year-olds. >> is that a deal breaker for you? >> is he in the movie "star wars"? if he's in the movie, we're cool. after we're married i would expect something different. >> this is on the countertop, the toast pops up, it pops up with the "star wars" emblem. >> that's a problem. you only have toast on one side. it's not really toast. >> the whole thing is not toasted. >> different layers of brown. >> it's toast. >> so are my family. >> that was the most genius thing you ever said inure liech i got this e-mail from geor-- i

life. i got this e-mail, they answer it, it's basically asking georgetown university professor anything related to whether the actual science and the things we say, get ready to nerd out, geek out. it is absolutely brilliant. >> it's on youtube. georgetown university professor. >> they're like seminar -- i don't want you to see what's on there, it might be the date that natalie was there. >> where were you last night? >> georgetown on "star wars." you ask the professor anything. they answer. the decoding and they are like nerding out. it's amazing. >> they are getting the nerd on, that's for sure. whether you like "star wars" or not. i think everybody at this point will be a groupie.

>> if you google dearth vader, donald trump, they've done a mashup, taken darth vader's voice and put in donald trumps from all of his speechs. it is brilliant. i think donald trump would love this and speaking of donald trump, he was on jimmy kimmel last night and admitted to maybe causing just a rip him or two within the gop. >> i would like to see the republican party come towing. i have been a little divisive in the sense that i have been hitting people pretty hard. >> a little bit? >> yeah. >> a little bit divisive. but i love jimmy kimmel then went ahead and read mr. trump a dr. seuss inspired children's book. >> it's very funny. >> here are some frogs, i do not like at all. we must kick these frogs out and

then build a wall. oh, the places you'll go on your yacht on your plane, with your suits from milan and your wife from ukraine. oh the buildings you'll build or the wealth you'll amarks all the people around you all kissing your [ bleep ]. there are two kind of people, which one will you be? a loser like them? would you like to finish? or a winner -- >> like me. >> that's good ratings. >> very incredible. >> good stuff. >> that is good. what else is good, oh my gosh, this kid, 9-year-old grace, she won a school fundraiser we aired these stories before. they're epic. this might be the best of all time. it took place in bloomington, minnesota, bethany academy. she was nervous, she gave the ball to mom. her mom angela, her first try fell short. then her daughter gave it a

shot. okay. here's what angela has, here we go. >> i don't mind thbeyond that, t all. >> that's the explanation. >> underhand, pretty good. >> last try. >> get there. get there! boom. oh. >> yes, it was a bounce shot into. >> that counts. >> that counts. >> we're taking a trip to minnesota to rally for her. it was a great slam. it was phenomenal. it counted. but that's what the tuition got. every parent, please come together. very good. there you go. falls short. boom, right online, though. impressive. >> she is stunned, or not, stunned. >> another great moment on the hard court, this time during the

cavs. eric miller went over to meet aaron. there you go. here he's wouk walking over. he was born with spastic hemophilia. doctors feared he would never walk or talk. now he plays basketball at his high school. apparently, he sinks 3-pointers. look at that face, it's like surreal. >> he said they were at a timeout in the ga imhe went and surprised the kid. the kid happened to be wearing lebron james' shoe, designed for kids that can't tie their shoes, they have one strap and after the game, lebron took off his own shoes from the game and gave them to the kid. >> he has been great, he has a great heart. >> he goes over, has fun, no

matter what. >> food news. >> he's a decent actor in "train wreck." he was great. >> a big career off the court, too. >> all right. what itself the weather? >> he's a media mogul. >> there you shap-- 50 shades o brown the roker family. >> a storm coming in, another day, another storm, moving into the pacific northwest. we will watch this as the day progresses this afternoon, snows back to the intermountain cascades, coast cal gail. wind gusts up to 60 miles an hour. some areas pick up along the coast up to 7 inches of rain and snowfall wise again great news for skiers. it will be good news, into the sierras, they will be seeing snow. that's great news for the snow pack and helping with the drought as we move along

we're looking at generally koudy skies this afternoon, sunshine, warming up near the 40s and end up 60s across the south bay and the tri valley. we're looking at generally koudy skies this afternoon, sunshine. next, the glitz, the glamour, the madness. all the great stars that graced our studio in 2015. our studio in 2015. we'll have the and all the decorationsl... are just right. the presents have all been opened...

and our loved ones are gathered all around. so share that extra joy in your heart... and make this christmas even more special than the last. walmart has everything you'll need for a christmas meal they'll never forget. share wonder every day. walmart. ♪ glad forceflex. now even stronger to avoid rips and tears. be happy, it's glad. olive garden's all-new flavorfilled pastas, with raviolis so nice we filled them twice. bursting with indulgent flavors like chicken marsala ravioli, auto provide healthier,

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and it needs a big solution: an antiviral. so when the flu hits, call your doctor right away and up the ante with antiviral tamiflu. prescription tamiflu is an antiviral that attacks the flu virus at its source and helps stop it from spreading in the body. tamiflu is fda approved to treat the flu in people two weeks of age and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu, tell your doctor if you're pregnant, nursing, have serious health conditions, or take other medicines. if you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion, or abnormal behavior. the most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. anti-flu? go antiviral with tamiflu. yesterday, we took a personal trip down the memory lane of 2015 and were reminded

what happens in studio 1a definitely does not stay in studio 1a. >> today, we want to shine the spotlight on our famous guests and big celebrities who made for a very lively 2015. >> there are days where i look through my phone and all of the celebrity stuff, moments on the phone that we've snapped. it's like, that happened? >> thanks for having me on this. this is the cool hour, right? >> i watch you every morning. >> why is there never anyone in my nightclub? >> not long ago, tamron was doing her pop fix, and a figure comes out of the shadows. >> he's 21 years old, so that makes this legal. >> i took it for every 16-year-old girl out there. took the kiss. >> i'm down. >> people that show up, pop up during our weather segments. >> that's what's going on around the country.

here's what's happening in which i say -- chrissy teigen's world. >> in your neck of the woods. >> put the weather up there. >> tsunami. swell here, coming up. it's going to clear up and -- al, i need help, please. take it from here. >> most fun set visit ever was playing a zombie on "the walking dead." >> this will be great if it doesn't come off tomorrow. >> i have nightmares looking at that picture of me. >> patty labelle surprise was incredible. >> oh, no! ♪ on my own once again now >> mystery guest? >> come on out. >> yes! >> we had to pity them fools, al. >> this is all worthwhile.

>> the al mind and tamron body. >> don't laugh. >> sit right over there. >> i'm an actress, and i'm full of crap. it's early and i'm like -- >> little known fact about gina rodriguez, she also raps. >> likely gi ll lly -- like my natalie. >> we expanded our family to include great folks. >> you have a slow pan up your legs. >> oh, yeah. >> i let everybody know the real champ is here. >> john cena is a big guy with a big heart. >> this is the most important part of the year so far. >> who would have thought we'd have a wwe wrestling champ? ♪ mr. roboto >> co-hosting our program. >> ellie kemper. >> not only did i co-host with ellie kemper, jane krakowski,

but tina fey showed up. natalie, willie, tamron were not there. >> we dare take a couple days off to be with our beloved family. >> we had to hear about it every single day. >> you want to replace us with them? come on. >> it hurt. >> it was the best show ever. ha, ha! bam! >> good for you, al. one day, i invited jane to come back. it was just the two of us. jane krakowski roller skated out on to the set. >> this is the jane loves willie hour. >> i think i win that one. >> hello, ms. tamron. >> ladies and gentlemen, prince -- >> prince, good morning. >> good morning, all. >> all i need is a horse. >> there we go. >> good to see you. >> thank you. great to be seen. >> fantastic. >> don't i look hot? >> hard to do this while i'm delivering the library book. >> a lot of families are probably cool with this.

>> oh! >> there we go. >> i love these lookbacks, but it makes me like, oh, my gosh, life flies before you. >> i know. >> the fun. i'm a debbie downer. >> this is our calling card to get more of these celebs on with us. come on and have some fun. we're the fun hour. >> who is your dream guest? >> we've had so many. i'm not going to -- patty labelle. i wasn't here that day. >> everybody who shows up. >> your dream show is what? >> we already saw that. >> bye, al, you don't need us. make your list, check it twice. we have your

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ice in my water, had it would just be so painful and i couldn't even drink it. i would like almost scoot the ice over and try to sip it very slowly so that it wouldn't trigger the pain. that's when i realized i had to do something. my dentist recommended that i use sensodyne. i think that sensodyne has been great in terms of reducing the sensitivity and pain that i was experiencing. now i can put ice in my water. sensodyne absolutely works, there you have it. hey, that's lactaid.milk! right. 100% real milk, just without the lactose. so you can drink all you want... ...with no discomfort? exactly. here, try some... mmm, it is real milk. see? delicious. hoof bump! oh. right here girl, boom lactaid®. 100% real milk. no discomfort and for a creamy and delicious treat, try lactaid® ice cream

recently we've noticed some ads created by these two birds, inviting you to stay away from the streak free shine of windex. well dear windex users these ads are false. sfx: squeaks from window cleaning clean glass is better than dirty glass. don't stand for dirty. use windex. there are eight days until christmas. your stockings have been hung with care. now, it's time to fill them.

>> lilliana is here with great stocking stuffers, all for under $30. good morning. >> good morning, guys. >> you did our shopping for us. >> i did. i think stockings are my favorite part of christmas traditions. you can have so much fun with them and not spend a lot of money. for the kids, start opening this one. >> sure. i like this, right off the bat. these are great. my son luke would love these. >> those are minions headphones. available at kohl's.com. inside, i think, are also peanuts headphones. if your kids -- those are from target.com. super affordable. every kid loves those. >> great idea. to the "star wars" theme somewhere in here. >> there's something in there "star wars" related, and it could be a head lamp. you look adorable. >> wow. >> that turns on at night and your kids with use it as a reading light or to play in the dark. >> it's like a lego. >> it's available at amazon.com. how cute is that? >> really cool. >> color roll. ava is showing us this jumbo

sized color roll. it's taking coloring books to the next level. design life kids.com. >> i love these. >> willie, for your sweetie. >> thank you. >> let's see what's in there. >> am i your -- oh, no. >> yes, you are. >> that took a turn. >> i know. >> i love these. these are makeup bags. they have all these fun things right there. those are from breakup to makeup.com. if you unzip the bag, you'll find something else for the "star wars" fan. cover girl has done an entire limited edition makeup collection. >> mascara. >> so cute. you can find them at any drugsto drugstore. >> amazing. >> might be -- >> the money disney is making. >> i know. >> something else in your stocking. selfie mirror. for the woman who wants to look good in every photo. that's from stoptiques.com. now for the pets, al. >> great. >> these are from

wildlywald.com. the pet matt. these are dog treats. harrybarker.com. this is for maybe the pet that's not active but you need them to be. a dog latreat launcher. >> here we go. >> it went reverse. i shot it at myself. i didn't mean to take it from you. >> we'll figure it out. >> we also have chew toys. >> that was at me. >> all at once. >> you can't forget about the cats. >> one for you, my friend. >> this is for a co-worker. work through there. >> let's see what we found. >> for you. we shopped for you. >> oh, that's so cute, you guys. thank you. adorable. >> lotions and potions, oh, my. >> thank you, guys.

happy holidays. >> happy holidays. thank you. coming up, we have a pop culture pop quiz. some of our producers getting in some of our producers getting in on the ac ♪ it's that night of the year you come here. ♪ some of our producers getting in on the ac looking for gifts so there won't be tears. ♪ ♪ eleventh hour shopper...that's you. ♪ ♪ it's ok because they know you. ♪ ♪ they're loaded up with gear. ♪ an xbox for the children. ♪ and a mixer for your dear. ♪ no need to shop around for present you've missed ♪ ♪ it's all here. you're off the naughty list! ♪ ♪ eleventh hour shopper... that's you! ♪ see you next year, buddy! get low prices on all your last-minute gifts. walmart. you won't find the brand pharmacists recommend most for cold and flu relief at the shelf. advil cold & sinus is only behind the pharmacy counter. ask your pharmacist for fast, powerful advil cold & sinus. relief doesn't get any better than this. clonew clorox scrub singles are, yopre-loaded with cleanerss. to scrub away stuck-on messes and even get into tough corners.

it cleaned all this. good job, mom. great job, mom. real scrubbing. for your real life. say it may take days or even weeks to and a good thursday morning. it's 9:26, i'm sam prok. investigators say it could take days even weeks to identify human remains discovered in san francisco's alamo square. last month, someone discovered bones in a garden planter between two apartment buildings at mcallister and steiner streets. cadaver dogs were brought in to help search for more human remains. authorities have not figured out if it's the remains of an adult or a child. also an early morning house fire knocked out power for people in one vallejo neighborhood. that fire started about 1:00 in the morning at a house on rains court. firefighters arrived to find flames shooting from the roof of the house. the fire eventually caused a nearby transformer to blow. the cause of the fire still under investigation.

and happening today, in case you haven't heard, the "star wars" frenzy officially hit light speed. lots of bay area fans are already in line eagerly awaiting tonight's first local showings of "the force awakens." meantime, other fans have already been hunkered down in bay area movie theaters for hours now, they're in the process of watching all six previous "star wars" films before viewing the new film tonight. so far, fans have purchased at least $100 million worth of advanced tickets over the course of the opening weekend. next is "the force of nature" that we'll be looking at, your weather forecast and mike's traffic report, after this break.

welcome back, 9:28 the time. anthony slaughter here. showers develop across the northern parts of the state, clouds will increase as we head through the day today. temperatures right now mid-40s across the board. we're looking at clouds increasing across san francisco and the north bay as we head through the day, temperatures will top out right near 60 degrees for many of us, upper

50s across most of the bay area. showers arrive in the north bay tonight and will move through the rest of the bay area tomorrow. details in 30 minutes. mike, how are the roads looking? >> as the pattern for december lighter flow through the bay. the slower drive, a tough morning by the coliseum. look at your map starts back at san leandro and ends up in downtown oakland, a crash 24 approaching 580, late slowing before you get to the maze. other than that, no major drama. southbound 680 shows clearing after a later crash at burnall, northbound 880 looking better. >> we like to give positive reports. thank you very much, mike. that will do it for us right now. we'll be back in 25 minutes with more updates.

taking a look at the headlines. disney is installing metal detecters at the front of all four theme parks. it's also discontinuing the sale of toy guns and will no longer allow kids over the age of 14 to wear costumes. the detecters are going up ahead of tonight's "star wars" premiere at disney springs, sea world orlando and universal orlando will also use metal detecters. the cost of borrowing has gone up. on wednesday, the federal reserve raised interest rates 1/4 of one percent. janet yellen said rates would keep rising gradually next year if the economy is strong enough. it's bad for borrowers but good for people saving money. promise toward a screening test for ovarian cancer.

researchers studied more than 200,000 women for more than a decade in britain and used a blood test to check for a chemical that sometimes is linked toen a ea an early stage ovarian cancer. it took into account a woman's age and the degree of change in the chemical over time. they were able to calculate a risk force. the study suggested the screening could cut ovarian cancer deaths by 20%. earlier recall of bean bag chairs is being reissued once again. it involved more than 2 million chairs cold between 1995 and 2013. two children have died, suffocating on the foam beads inside. fewer than 1,000 consumers responded to last yaerear's rec, and officials fear many of the chairs are still being used by children. consumers should contact ace bayou for a free repair kit. triple ginger brew is being

recalled from trader joe's, after reports of the bottles exploding. if you have the bottles in your home, trader joe's say to handle it with extreme care and dispose of it in an outside container. they will provide a refund. a nebraska sheriff's deputy jumped to the rescue when a truck driver had a diabetic attack and slumped behind the wheels. authorities followed the truck for 12 miles. that's when the sergeant dashed across the road, jumped in and brought the truck to a stop. let's get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> nat, we're looking at wet weather for today along the eastern sea board. windy, wet weather along the pacific north coast, with snow in the interiors. high surf advisories along the californian coast. icy conditions and snow in the

pacific northwest. western new york, upstate new york, looking at lake-effect snow. some areas could see 18 inches by sunday of snow. that's what's >> hey good thursday morning to you. meteorologist anthony slaughter here. tracking some clouds moving into san francisco right now, ahead of our next storm system and really that's going to be the story all day lock as temperatures climb out of the 40s into the 50s, increasing clouds through the day, temperatures will be cool, back close to 50 degrees. really across the entire bay. showers move into the picture for tomorrow's forecast, they'll clear out by saturday morning before another storm system moves in by sunday evening. the weekend brings in showers and temperatures staying cool in the mid to upper 50s. >> that's your latest weather. we've got our buzzers. we've got our podiums. natalie is making her way down. she has a frightening competitive look in her eyes. it's game time. >> she's stretching, getting ready for this. everyone working on this show becomes an expert when it comes to pop culture.

no one more so than our amazing producers, gavin and kate. they've decided, for some reason, they want to go head to head in a showdown. dylan is here, the only person that can keep us honest. natalie, we're still waiting for natalie. >> she's coming. >> kate, you're at a slight dischadi disadvantage. >> we don't need it. >> she's here. >> fierce look in her eyes. >> i always wanted to be a game show host, and i forced myself on to the show. we like to pretend we know a lot about pop culture, but it's kate and gavin that know more than us. you're on the buzzer. you guys are window dressingm. t i'll read the question. >> if you don't win this, you're fired. >> about right. >> go for it. >> here we >> it's a music question. we're going to listen to a music clip. what's the song and the film? roll the clip. >> flashlight pitch perfect tune.

>> oh, my gosh! >> that's not part of the question. >> you got it. >> i'm making things more difficult. what film earned the most at the box office this year? >> gavin again. >> "jurassic park." >> that's not correct. >> it's" jurassic world." >> you got this. up got this. next question. who played furiousa in the golden -- >> charlese theron. >> who stumbled and fell while performing at the britt awards? >> madonna. >> madonna expert here.

>> obvious. >> i would be proud of that. >> what? come on. who played the villain in the latest james bond film -- >> krzysztof wall. >> is it 2-2? who is cookie's ex-husband in empire? >> lion? >> no, his real name. >> jay power. we get it. >> who praised his new wife when he accepted the cecil b. demille award at the golden globes? >> george clooney. >> can you name don draper's daughter in "mad men"? >> sally. >> that's right. >> tied up.

tied up. >> next one. who said he was polite, intention, smart, really intimidating. >> repeat. >> in one of the year's biggest films, who said he was polite, intense, smart, really intimidating? >> that's a line from the movie? >> no, it was the actress. >> oh, i know this. oh, gosh. i know it because it was -- i know it. i know this. >> think about it. >> pass. >> dakota johnson. >> we have time for more? >> zoe dechannel and her husband gave their daughter -- >> otter. >> two names. >> otter -- >> ah -- um --

>> otter control. >> elsie. >> who played reverend gary wayne in -- >> john happ. >> gavin. nice working with you. >> gavin. you and madonna did it. >> holiday parties coming up next. discover card

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♪ ♪ with ingredients like roasted hazelnuts and cocoa, there's a whole lot of happy in every jar of nutella. spread the happy. can you believe it's already week 14 in our 16 to 16 challenge, and our three participants who couldn't make it today have nearly completed their mission to get healthy by

the new year. tasty treats are at every turn. joy bauer is here to help with a holiday food faceoff. good morning. good to see you all. let's begin with the weigh in. how is everybody doing? >> impressive. mary jean lost another pound. she's down for a total of 33 pounds. >> wow! >> rochelle lost another three pounds. she's down a total of 28 pounds. >> oh, my gosh! congrats, ladies. >> ken is not here. he lost another pound. he's down for a total of 29 pounds. collectively, willie, if you can imagine, they're down 90 pounds. the best part of that is we have donated more than 15,000 meals for people in need. >> you guys are incredible. >> 90 pounds. wow! >> thrilled. >> help us through this holiday cocktail party season. >> we're going to go from station to station, and each one, you're going to take a bell. you'll have a bell. i'm going to ask you a question.

the first person who thinks they know the answer, ring the bell and you're going to say what you think the answer is. >> okay. >> for the first question, which one has more calories. is it four buttery crackers topped with cheese, or is it two sliders, or are they even? >> which is more fattening? >> the cheese. >> this is better. >> the sliders are more fattening. 260 calories for the sliders. >> no way! >> about 200 calories for the crackers with the cheese. >> wow. we were wrong. >> i tried to throw you off. that was good. >> we'll go over here. >> pick up your jingles. >> i'll jingle myself here. >> which has more calories. four swedish meatballs or four mini vegetable egg rolls? >> meatballs. >> more calories.

>> the egg roll. >> the meatballs, 350 calories. there's a lot of fatty ground beef with this creamy sauce. >> they look so good until you said that, joy. >> i would have one of each. sometimes they're too good to resist, right? >> i know. >> here we go. ladies, you look amazing. >> now, which has more calories. a quarter cup of regular, traditional spinach art choke dish, or the same amount of cheese fondue, or are they even? >> they're even. >> yes! >> wow. >> even though they sound healthy and, by the way, guys, 300 calories for a quarter cup, not including the chips or the bread. just go easy. pick the one you want. if you can,ip with vegetables. home run. >> yay. >> dip with vegetables, okay. >> you're experts now. >> thank you. coming up next, alex cross

is back, with best-selling author james patterson. he has three books to tell us about after this. he's a machine. olay regenerist renews from within, plumping surface cells for a dramatic transformation without the need for fillers your concert tee might show your age... your skin never will. olay regenerist. olay. ageless.

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that's how you grow the best, tastiest vegetables. and that's how you make it progresso. my psoriatic arthritis i'm caused joint pain.o golfer. just like my moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. and i was worried about joint damage. my doctor said joint pain from ra can be a sign of existing joint damage that could only get worse. he prescribed enbrel to help relieve pain and help stop further damage. enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders and allergic reactions have occurred. tell your doctor if you've been someplace where fungal infections are common, or if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. joint pain and damage... can go side by side.

ask how enbrel can help relieve joint pain and help stop joint damage. enbrel, the number one rheumatologist-prescribed biologic. thank you. pat yourself upon your back.. your shopping is done. you ain't no slack. rest at ease it's all ok. you ordered online and got them in the same day. navigate the app at will with incredible digital ninja skills. the holidays could not be better. maybe you have time to knit him a sweater. i don't know maybe a snowman. i could do that. let's get out of here. i'm just thinking. order gifts online and pick them up the same day. walmart. james patterson is one of the most popular authors in the world. he's sold more than 325 million books globally. he holds the guinness world record for the most number one "new york times" best sellers. his stories have been made into tv and big screen motion

pictures, including 1997's "kiss the girl" starring morgan freeman, and alex cross starring tyler perry. the new book is called "cross justice." new kids out for books, as well. >> you made it, man. i was worried about you. >> i was, too. alex cross, 23rd book in the series. >> yeah. >> and he's maybe going to find his father. maybe. >> wow. >> that's the big question. >> that's one of the things that drives him. it's been a big factor in this series. >> he thought his father was dead, and he gets new information in this book. we'll see where it goes. one of the fun things, people watch the tv show, the 26 episodes, "blindside" or whatever. here, there's only one episode a year. that's it. >> that's a great thing.

if somebody starts from the beginning with alex cross, they have 23 episodes to read through. >> that's right. >> one of the things i love about you is that, you know, you are one of the -- we've done this series, you know, paying it forward, in a sense, and i love the fact you've been going around giving bonuses to folks at the bookstores. >> i'm trying to draw attention to the fact that we need independent bookstores. we need bookstores and book sellers. we need to honor them. wherever you are, if you're watching this, go into a bookstore and get books for your family. get books for your kids, especially. >> okay. now, you're a prolific writer. you've done so much. you actually have a cameo -- >> practically, i do. alfred hitchcock used to do this, but he was smart and walked in the background. i kind of walk right into the middle. >> what movie is this? >> it's "middle year, the worst years of my life."

it's funny. ferris bueller meets pixar. there's a lot i it patterson's acting debut. >> the manager. >> hello. >> can we keep it down a lot, if you don't mind? you know, this is not chuck e. cheese. >> good talk. can i have another root beer? >> absolutely not. you had enough sugar. >> you stole that from lauren graham. >> i did. i stole it. >> you immediately took it. >> most movies, they'll put the good scenes out. this is the worst scene in the movie. it's very, very funny. they don't usually promote that way, but it's cool they did. >> fantastic. you have the other kid series out. >> "i funny tv" is out. well, the book says "i funny," it better be funny. >> with james patterson, you know it is. merry christmas. good to see you.

>> "cross justice"? bo it's in bookstores now. we'll be

we are back now with jeff kinney, author of "the wimpy kid" series. he's here to announce a donation to our toy drive. we're excited. the train jumped the track and won't move. thank you so much for partnering with us. tell us a little bit about the donation this jeyear. >> we're giving away 10,000 books, including the "wimpy kids" books. >> this is something so many people can appreciate. >> kids read it through age 7 and usually stop around age 13. >> thank you for the i'm ... ==vo== an event that

draws thousands of runners to san francisco-- is moving on. city leaders say nike will not 9:56, good morning, everyone. thousands of runners to san francisco is moving on, nike is not going to host next year's women's half marathon. participation in recent years has just been overwhelming. it means nike will run off with

thousands of dollars in fees it usually pays the city to put on that event. it's not clear if there will be a marathon, who would sponsor it or if if the entire thing is moving away. we to know we can talk to anthony slaughter this morning. >> we have rain moving in, showers this morning across parts of the north bay and north of san francisco this evening. we've got clouds in the area, that will start to thicken up especially across parts of san francisco and north across the east bay and the peninsula and south bay a good mix of sun and clouds today, temperatures close to 0 degrees in the tri valley. san francisco today cool, and showers developing in the north bay and we'll see the showers for the rest of the bay tomorrow. here's mike with a look at the commute. >> anthony we are looking at a drive and slowing westbound your commute toward tasahar and dublin interchange. crash south 680 and brunel cleared about a half hour ago. now we have to recover through that area. eastbound across the dublin grade a crash also on the shoulder, a distraction. the rest of your south bay and peninsula look good.

no major problems but we have, scott there's a 24 westbound around 580 a toilet that dropped off the back of a truck, sitting in the middle lane so watch out for the toilet. >> that's john's fault. thanks. we'll have another local news update in a half an hour. see you then.

from nbc news, this is "today" with cattie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. [ cheers and applause ] hey, everybody, it's thirsty thursday, december 17th. >> you know what's happening right now? we're streaming live on facebook. >> yes. >> oh, my god, guys, say hi to brie, hi brie norton. >> anyway you're going to watch our show on facebook. for everybody at home -- >> kyle is going to be streaming, too. >> kyle is young and hot and available, too. by the way. >> it's true. >> say it on facebook. >>