we'll be back with a local update in a half hour. >> don't forget to join us at 11:00 for the news. if you have outside work to do, get it done today. the rain moves in. ♪ ♪ good . good morning. breaking overnight. way too fast. officials confirm the amtrak train that derailed off an overpass south of seattle was going 80 miles an hour. nearly three times the speed limit. three people killed, dozens injured, and sharing their harrowing stories. >> squealing, rattling in the train. >> investigators now trying to determine why that train was going at such a high rate of speed. we're on the scene live. the eyes have it. all eyes on the hill as the house is expected to pass the republicans' controversial tax plan today. president trump on the brink of a major milestone. who wins?

who loses? meryl's message after she's slammed over the harvey weinstein scandal. what she's staying about mcgowan's claims. she knew about weinstein's behavior and did nothing. plus, was a rat responsible for the massive blackout at the atlanta airport? jesus was ler. rare access to some of jerusalem's holiest sites as the world gets ready to celebrate his birth. and -- >> the little boy who called 911 because he thought the grinch was stealing his christmas. a story that will make your heart grow three sizes today, tuesday, december 19th, 2017. from nbc news, this is "today" live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning, everybody. that's a pretty shot of tuesday morning. we're getting close to christmas. boy, what a scene outside seattle.

that train that derailed. it's just horrific. could have been even worse. >> yeah. it's hard to believe that was the first time it had been on the tracks there, and that happened on day one. >> it's our top story. of course, this new information we have this morning on the train derailment in washington state. we know it was going 80 miles an hour in a 30-mile-an-hour zone. nbc's dotty schwartz has the latest from the scene. good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. incredible to think that the 85 people that were on board this train when it flew off the track -- not just flew off the tracks, but flew off this bridge. part of the train hitting i-5 below. three people were killed. we understand that dozens were injured. many more taken to the hospital, and several of them are in serious condition. all of this as ntsb investigators have found that black box that has told them that this train was traveling at 80 miles an hour when it should have been going 30.

>> that train has derailed over the freeway. >> this morning new questions as to what caused the catastrophic crash of amtrak train 501. >> oh, my god. >> overnight ntsb investigators found one of the data recorders from the rear of the train. the black box shows the train was traveling at 80 miles an hour in a 30-mile-an-hour zone as it approached the curve before it flew off the rails. >> our mission is to not just understand what happened, but why it happened and to recommend changes so that we can prevent another tragedy from happening again. >> amtrak 501. emergency. emergency. emergency. we are on the ground. >> amtrak 501 which runs from seattle to portland left its first stop at 6:00 a.m. it was nearly halfway through its trip passing through populated areas when it derailed at an overpass just south of dupont at 7:33 a.m. >> everything was fine, and suddenly, you know, just out of the clear blue there was no

warning of any kind. the next thing i know, part of my body was underneath the car on the gravel. >> some cars crashing down on to busy interstate 5 at rush hour hitting a semi and other vehicles. >> this was an extraordinary event, and i have never seen this many injured people all at once. >> the priority now for investigators? question the crew about the track's condition and any possible obstructions and take a closer look at the black boxes that can reveal if the engineer ever hit the brakes. the train was riding on newly upgraded tracks. part of a $180 million amtrak project designed to provide faster service for commuters. this stretch of track had not been equipped with positive train control. a congressionally mandated high-tech safety system to keep trains from crashing. in 2013 local mayor don anderson sued to halt the project over safety concerns, issuing this warning just two weeks ago. >> come back when there is an accident and try to justify not

putting in those safety enhancements. >> reporter: now the worst fears realized as the train's maiden run turned into tragedy. savannah, hoda, back to you. >> it's incredible. thank you very much. for more on the information, let's turn now to nbc's tom costello. tom, you have covered so many of these train crashes. give us the priorities for investigators right now.>> well going to be interviewing the engineer. that will normally happen within a few days, and investigators will want to know whether he was fully in control of that train. why did the train fail to slow from 80 down to 30 miles an hour in the curve. did he see the posted signs? were the brakes working, or was he distracted in some way? they'll be looking at his phone to see whether he was using it just before the crash. amtrak prohibits engineers from looking at their phones while they're actually running the train. they'll also be taking blood and urine samples to check for any indications of drugs or alcohol use. that is standard in any investigation. and they'll be asking him about

the condition of the train and the track. did he notice anything unusual about the track on this inaugural run? now, they've already got the train's black boxes, as you heard, so that will give them a full read-out on the speed, on the braking, how the train was performing, any mechanical issues of all. they're also moving fast to preserve what they call perishable evidence. anything on the scene that could be damaged by the weather or others out there as well. they need to document every inch of the crash scene -- the cars, the track, the signals, all of that. they'll be interviewing other crew members, passengers, and witnesses and looking at the train's on board cameras both outward facing and inward facing. you may recall after the philadelphia crash that killed eight and injured more than 200, amtrak moved fast to put these inward facing cameras in the locomotives so they have a good view of what's actually happening at the time of the incident. lastly, you mentioned positive train control. ntsb has been very, very adamant on this.

positive train control saves lives. the look at the reasons why it was not yet active on this stretch of track, which is, by the way, run by sound transit. why was it delayed? of course, it may be yet another example of where ptc could have made the difference. >> wow. all right. tom, a lot to unpack there. we move to politics and what could be a monumental day for the president after months of talks, changes, and debate. lawmakers on capitol hill are set to vote on the republicans' tax bill. this is the most dramatic overhaul of the tax code in decades. nbc's casey hunt has the latest. casey, good morning. >> savannah, good morning to you. president trump at his republican party are expecting a tree u triumphant day here on capitol hill. the president said he wanted a tax bill before christmas, and this morning it looks like he is going to be getting what he asked for. >> reporter: this morning republicans are on the brink of their first major legislative victory under president trump with the house expected to pass

a sweeping rewrite of the tax code later today. the senate soon to follow. >> we will get it on the president's desk for him to sign into law before christmas as we pledged. >> reporter: republicans have the votes they need. even without senator john mccain, who is recovering in it arizona from complications from cancer treatment. what does the $1.5 trillion plan mean for your taxes? most americans will receive a tax cut with lower individual rates for each income level and a doubled standard deduction. for families, a bigger child tax credit. the corporate rate slashed from 35% to 21%. the republican bill also has major political risks. it repeals the obama care plan date requiring people to buy health insurance, which the congressional budget office projects could cause premiums to spike and the bill caps the amount of state, local, and property taxes you can deduct at $10,000. that could hit residents of high

tax states hard joor the bill, in short, is a one-two gut punch. >> congress faces another critical deadline. lawmakers must pass a spending bibi friday or risk a government shutdown. lawmaker on both sides say that won't happen, but with house republicans demanding a full year of higher defense spending and snats democrats insisting on higher domestic spending to match, it's risky bringsmanship with less than a week until christmas. >> there are some on capitol hill who are increasingly nervous about just how they're going to avoid a shutdown right before christmas. savannah, hoda. >> all right. casey, thank you very much.

>> the question is who are the winners and who are the losers in all this? nbc's stephanie is here to make sense of all of this. steph, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> everyone says the big winner in this whole thing, you put corporations up on top. >> without a doubt. i mean, this is a bet on trickle down economics so the republicans are betting if you give corporates a break, they will then hire more people, give them higher wages, build factories, but that's a big bet. by lowering corporates tax rates, they're currently in the high 30s and now down to 21%. that's a huge break. wall street is getting a break because all along we heard carried interest, which is another kind of hook-up. president trump said all along the trail he is going to get rid of that loophole that pads the pockets of hedge fund managers. >> exactly. where they don't have to pay the same capital gains tax that you do. that still going to be in there. tax preparers, third. this thing was supposed to simplify everything. well, those tax preparers, those tax accountants are still going to be working overtime because

this isn't tax reform. it's a tax cut. if it was tax reform, you would be closing those loopholes and simplifying it. without simplifying it, those loopholes still exist, and when they do, that will always benefit the rich because the rich guy in the company can afford to have someone scratch this, change that, and hook them up to pay less. if you have to do your own tacks, it's harder. then the third, i would just say, really gets hooked up, and he doesn't like to say it, is president trump and his family and that's because they're in the real estate business. if you are in the commercial real estate business, you get to consider that pass through business a partnership. you pay only 29% in accident thats. it is somewhat disingenuous for the president to say this is a luge taxes cut for the middle class. not going to help me. the business that he and his son-in-law and 13 republican senators are all in, which is real estate, it's a big win for them.

>> let's talk about the losers. >> individual cuts expire in 2025. come 2026, we hope that gets renewed, but it might not. >> a lot matters what state you live in. you could be making a certain income and live in one state in a certain income and live in another, and one gets hammered. >> you two ladies are getting hammered. as is my mom in new jersey. high tax states, high earners like new york, new jersey, california, you are out of luck because your property tax, you cannot deduct it. your state and local income tax is capped. that's a negative, but that's meant to subsidyize some of the lower earning states. >> stephanie, it's complicated. glad to have you break it down. >> it's a hope trickle down works. it's a hope. >> lots to get to this morning, including lingering problems for thousands of holiday travellers. the atlanta airport is slowly returning to normal after that big power outage that paralyzed

the world's busiest airport on sunday. nbc's kerry sanders is there. hi again. good morning. >> good morning. this morning the lines here are still slightly longer than normal because of that residual backup. >> reporter: thousands of passengers were left in a dark holiday mood. >> i just feel like we're in the third world. >> i knew that the meltdowns were coming. >> i don't want any more delta cookies or pretzels. >> i was starving. i didn't eat for six hours. the world's busiest airport back in business, but it's not quite business as usual. monday 559 delays and 408 cancellations. >> are the problems over with? >> yeah. we feel very comfortable. we know that they are.

we're taking measures to be sure this doesn't happen again. >> the air traffic system was sparked by an electrical spark, deep underground causing a fire that burned through primary and backup power lines in atlanta. >> network services probably are more reliable services. we have very rarely does it actually have a fault like this. >> but some have annoying feeling they know what caused it. >> was this a rat just chewing through some cables? >> you know, i mean, i don't even want to rule that out, but that's the next step for us. to get into the root of what actually caused it. >> what they have not found, at least not yet, that dirty rat. savannah. >> i was just saying to hoda, maybe getting some of the delta cookies and leave the wires alone. kerry, thank you very much. in the meantime, the winter olympics are less than two months away, and this morning south korea's president is opening up to nbc news about what he is willing to do to ease tensions with north korea. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is

in seoul this morning. richard, good morning. morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. they will be here before they know it. the winter olympics. this time, in south korea. this morning, i spoke with the south korean president. he said, the venues are all ready. and he hopes, perhaps the games could ease tension with north korea. for months, north korean missile tests and threats of nuclear war have spread fear across the korean peninsula and beyond. but this morning, while inaugurating a new bullet train that will take visitors to olympic venues this february, south korea's president said he wants the upcoming olympic games to reflect their ancient spirit. what message are you sending through these the pyongyang olympics the people will be able to send a message of peace to the world, he said. >> even as the u.s. government

on monday accused north korea of launching the korean virus infecting 300,000 computers in 150 countries, president moon extended an open hand to the but no answer yet. given the track record, north korea is likely to make the decision to participate in the olympics at the very last minute, he said.ast minute, he said. north koreans are generally banned from traveling to the south when a soldier tried to defect running over the border last month. he was shot. president moon said he's willing to reduce dramatic steps to reduce tensions ahead of the olympics, even curtailing frequent military exercises with the united states which infuriate the north korean regime. it is possible for south korea, i have made such a suggestion to the u.s. and the u.s. is currently reviewing it. however, all of this depends on how north korea behaves, he

said. >> reporter: the south korean president said foreign visitors should not have security concerns and that he does not believe north korea will try to disrupt the games. back to you. >> all right, richard. thank you very much. >> al is here with a first check of the weather including some storms that could affect holiday travel. say it ain't so. >> i'd like to, but unfortunately, not going to. we're looking at more rain in the pacific northwest. this is the storm system that will travers the country and causing big problems and looking at rain and mountain snow. so as we move on into today the pacific northwest has the storms going and heavy rain, mountain snow and seattle and portland airports affected and we move into thursday and the storm emerges on the east side of the rockies and snow for denver on thursday and minneapolis will probably be affected and i-94 and i-80, as well and now we make our way into friday and it's a mess for the midwest along i-70 and i-40, memphis, cincinnati, chicago's airport,

detroit all hubs going to have some problems and we'll be watching it all of the way down to dallas and then as we move into saturday the east gets into the act from boston, jfk, laguardia, charlotte on into atlanta, heavy rains and strong winds all along this front and we are probably going to see big, big delays on saturday as we move into sunday, as well. we will get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. good morning. i'm meteorologist, kari hall. it's going to be a cool start,

but a nice, warm afternoon. in san jose, a high of 64 degrees. we'll see clouds moving in. 59 in santa rosa and we will see the clouds ahead of rain that is set to move in late tonight into tomorrow morning. starts out in the north bay around midnight and moving into san francisco and the east bay around 2:00 in the morning and starting to clear the south bay in time for tomorrow morning sunrise. >> and that's your latest weather. guys? >> al, thanks so much. coming up, meryl streep responds to criticism she's facing from rose mcgowan in the wake of the harvey weinstein scandal. we'll hear from her. and then, as millions of christians prepare for christmas, we will take you inside some of the bible's holiest sites. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

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apply simply. understand fully. mortgage confidently. rocket mortgage by quicken loans. we )re following breaking news.. good morning to you. it is 7:26. i'm laura garcia. we are following breaking news this morning. a house fire on concord. bob redell arrived on the scene along with sky ranger overhead. what do you know so far, bob? >> reporter: well, good morning to you, laura. sadly, the contra costa county fire department said they found the body of an older woman who lived on her own here. you can see the view from sky ranger. the fire that started at 6:30, consumed the home, took out the roof and destroyed the entire structure. they found this woman inside. there's cell phone video of a man on his way to work that took as he arrived on the scene. he drove by.

he tried to go in, fbut the hea was too intense and the windows were exploding from all the heat. you can see behind me, the fire is basically knocked down. you are seeing white smoke, which is an indication it has run its course. we spoke to a woman down the street who has been here 30 years and never once met that woman who lived there. bob redell, nbc bay area news. >> a sad start to the morning. thank you, bob. it is 7:27. let's check in with kari. >> we are tracking the next round of rain to the north of ut. it's a quick moving system starting out late tonight for the north bay and early tomorrow morning for the east bay and the south bay. then, after that, cooler temperatures. we are looking at the possibility of a tenth inch of rain here in the bay area. i'll have more updates on that, laura. >> thank you very much. another local news update is

coming up. have a good morning.

♪ we got christmas. we've got the rockefeller christmas tree at 7:30. it's tuesday morning, it's the 19th of december, 2017. as office views go, hoda, we don't have it too bad. >> we've got this on one side and behind us, adorable, smiling faces. this is a pretty cool way to wake up every morning. >> it really is. good morning, and we are so glad you're with us. >> we do have a lot going on this morning. we will start with the headlines and the train tragedy in washington state. >> oh, my god. >> catastrophic crash. >> amtrak 501. emergency. three killed and dozens injured when an amtrak train derailed at an overpass monday near seattle. >> all of a sudden just ended up

outside and everything went dark. >> overnight officials confirming the train was traveling nearly three times the speed limit at the time of the crash. >> the 85 people aboard the train, only ten escaped unhurt. key tax vote. all eyes on capitol hill as lawmakers are set to vote on the final version of that controversial republican tax bill, the largest overhaul in decades. >> we will get it on the president's desk for him to sign into law before christmas. >> the bill, in short, is a sin one-two gut punch to the middle class. >> we are engaged in a new era of competition. >> forging a new path. president trump unveils his america first national security plan while blasting previous presidents. >> to many of our leaders who forgot whose voices they were to respect and whose interests they were supposed to defend. >> honoring a legend. >> no one will ever wear 8 or 24

again. >> the los angeles lakers immortalize kobe bryant, making him the first player to ever have two jerseys retired at the same time. >> and welcome, mr. president. >> i, donald john trump, do solemnly swear. >> disney world's hall of president reopens with a brand-new animatronic president trump today, tuesday, december 19, 2017. i don't know. it was lloyd bridges, our president. it kind of looks like lloyd bridges. >> a little jon voit, too, going on. don't you think? >> all right. >> but that is disney's rendition. >> yes, exactly. >> we turn now to an important story, the latest on the harassment scandals shaking hollywood. oscar winner meryl streep is speaking out about criticism she's facing from rose mcgowan over the nbc. stephanie gosk is here. >> good morning to you guys. since the harvey weinstein story broke unleashing a cascade of

sexual misconduct claims, hollywood has been on edge. the tension spilling over this week between the most high profile women in the me too movement and the most critically acclaimed actress the industry has ever known. meryl streep is the artificial matriarch of hollywood, nominated for 20 academy awards and winning three. >> i just want to thank my agent, kevin uvain and god, harvey weinstein. rose mcgowan is the de facto leader of the me too movement, one of the first who publicly accused harvey weinstein of sexual assault. >> it cannot stand and it will not stand. >> weinstein has repeatedly denied allegations of sexual assault. >> now these two hollywood influencers are squaring off against each other. it started when streep said she would wear black to the golden globes along with a number of other actresses to protest sexual harassment in the industry. on twitter, an outraged mcgowan accusing streep of hypocrisy,

suggesting she knew weinstein was abusing women and remained silent telling the actresses, maybe you should all wear marchesa to the golden globes, a reference to the fashion line of harvey weinstein's wife who left him in october. in a statement streep responded to mcgowan writing in part. i want to let her know i did not know about weinstein's crimes. i wasn't deliberately silent. i didn't know. i don't tacitly approve of rape. i didn't know. streep goes on to say she was never personally propositioned or assaulted by weinstein, and that she had friends pass her phone number along to mcgowan so they could talk, but no call came. the oscar winner concluded i am truly sorry she sees me as an adversary because we are both together with all of the women in our business standing in defiance of the same implacable foe. a status quo that wants so badly to return to the bad old days, the old ways where women were used, abused and refused entry

into the decision making, top levels of the industry. mcgowan did not directly respond, but in a tweet she wrote, the marchesa line was beneath me, and i'm sorry for that. adding there is no map for this road i'm on. otheris voes in the me too movement are also speaking out. >> he just said wow, you look great. >> ady says she came forward to talk about her relationship with former anchor matt lauer. in 2000, zhanone was a 21-year-old production assistant when she said the two had a sexual relationship. >> i'm coming forward and saying yes, it was consensual and it was an abuse of power and i want to put a face and a story to these women's accusations because i'm seeing that they're being doubted. >> reporter: matt lauer's representatives are not commenting on zhan zanone's

story. >> thank you. by the way, coming up in our next half hour we have an interview with women leveling disturbing allegations with dustin hoffman. >> we'll switch gears and head over to mr. roker with a check of the weather. we're looking at a lot of fog today, second day in a row, this time almost double the number of people and 62 million people impacted from texas and all of the way to florida a quarter mile visibility for tampa and eight miles in atlanta. that's better, but houston, dallas, down to a quarter mile visibility and they have to extend out those takeoffs and landings. for today, a big storm system coming in and into the carolinas on wednesday and stays dry thursday with more rain by the end of the week and actually parts of arkansas in a severe drought and we're looking for a wide swath of two to three inches of rain from texas all of the way into good morning, i'm meteorologist, kari hall.

mostly clear start this morning. we are going to see clouds moving in ahead of this storm system that is moving across the pacific northwest and the high temperatures reach into the upper 50s and low 60s. overall, a nice day. we talk about the timing of the rain, seeing spotty, light showers in the north bay late tonight. most of the rain moves in during the overnight hours. should be clear by most of the bay area in time for sunrise and cooling and clearing conditions for tomorrow. forget, you can get that weather any time you need to check out our pals at the weather channel on cable. guys? >> you got it, al. thank you. >> coming up, rare access inside of jerusalem's holiest sites as christians prepare to celebrate christmas. >> a terrifying moment a stage collapses at a popular music festival. >> a new rossum reports warning. how hackers can take advantage of amazon's new inhome delivery service. and we'll spread holiday cheer to families devastated by california's historic wildfires

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we're back. 7:42. we have a new series we're calling holidays in the holy land. >> with christians prepared to celebrate ye jesus' birth, we go with kieir simmons to jerusalem where he was given access to some of the holiest sites. >> we're jealous. >> merry christmas. every christmas, thousands of pilgrims travel here to the holy land to be closer to jesus' story. if you're sitting at home thinking you would like to come here at christmastime, thinking you never will, come with us, as we take you to some of the holiest sites in this city. come with us, as we walk in jesus' footsteps. pilgrims from all over the world, walking in the places where jesus walked 2000 years

ago. ♪ i once was lost >> reporter: getting baptized in the river jordan. >> the same river as jesus. it's overwhelming. >> reporter: in jerusalem, i meet father david grainier, at the house where jesus is thought to have held the last supper. >> take this. and divide it among yourselves. >> when the romans came, they destroyed the temple and destroyed this place, also. but they rebuilt it on the same place. >> reporter: the proof, said father david, is in the ancient stones outside. >> this size of rock could have come from the temple of jerusalem. this became the most important place spiritually for the first christians. >> reporter: here, the very stones on which jesus would have walked down to the gordon of gueethsemane on his last night. normally, only the pope is allowed in here. first thing that strikes me when

i'm here, is how peaceful it is and the torture that jesus was going through when he was said to be here. >> he knew what was coming. the whip. and the crown of thorns and the nails. he knew everything. but he stayed here. >> reporter: this, is place where judas kissed and betrayed him, according to the bible. and this church, built on what's thought to be the palace of the high priest, where they say jesus was interrogated. this is where he would have spent his last night, the night before his crucifixion, in the dungeon. he takes me to the old city, where jesus was crucified by pontius pilate. >> the roman fortress antonio. that's where pilate would have been. >> reporter: the first station of the cross.

>> that's the first station. >> reporter: we're walking in the footsteps of jesus. following along the 14 stations of the cross. we've reached the fourth station. >> yes. that's a place where jesus met his mother. >> this is the fifth station. >> that's where simon of siren helped jesus carry his cross. important footsteps over here. >> reporter: the church of the holy sepulcher. >> underneath the altar, we can touch the rock in the place where the cross of jesus was. >> reporter: and the iviculae, thought to house jesus' tomb, the holiest christian shrine of all. the expert on the tomb takes me inside. to come here for the first time and to imagine this is where jesus was resurrected, is awe-inspiring. a journey to the heart of

christian faith. amazing. and tomorrow, we will dive right into the christmas story. we go to bethlehem, guys. and we'll have new twists. savannah and hoda, we have young children around the same age. this is one of the assignments, i know you'll know what i mean, when you're thinking, i can't wait to bring my children here at christmastime. >> so important to root this season in the history there. >> that's right. >> thank you, keir. we're going to switch gears. we have sheinelle jones in the orange room. >> good morning. we're going to introduce you to the adorable boy who went to great lengths to make sure the grinch didn't steal his christmas. christmas. ohn's disease. you're more than just a bathroom disease. you're a life of unpredictable symptoms. crohn's, you've tried to own us. but now it's our turn to take control with stelara® stelara® works differently for adults with moderately to severely active crohn's disease. studies showed relief and remission,

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online when he learned of the grinch's plan to steal christmas. he took matters into his own hands and called 911. listen. >> this is the byran police department, we have a 911 hang-up on this number. >> i just want to tell you something. the grinch is going to steal christmas. my dad is going to talk to you. this is 911. >> i'm sorry. this is my son playing on the phone. >> it's fine. it's been the most interesting thing that's happened as far as 911 hang-ups for me. >> oh, my goodness. clearly, the 911 operator was amused. so was the officer, who heard about the call and decided to stop by the boy's house. the officer reassured him that the grinch wasn't going to steal christmas. look at this. didn't stop there. he was invited down to the byran police department, where he was put in charge of officially locking the grinch up. he and the grinch shared some words and ended up on good

terms. his brother posted the story on facebook writing, i can not make this up. thank you so much. you made his night. >> one day, he wants to be a police officer. by saving christmas, he's off to a pretty good start. >> that's awesome. >> that was great. thank you, you can now reserve a car online

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happening now: we )re following breaking news.. a deadly hou good morning. it is 7:56. i'm laura garcia. happening now, we are following breaking news. a deadly house fire in concord. "today in the bay's" ebob redell just spoke to neighbors. he is live on the scene. bob? >> reporter: good morning to you, laura. we got an update from the fire department that did confirm they found a person inside the home. neighbors confirm it is an elderly woman that lives here. what is heart breaking is the fire department says she tried to escape the house when it started burning after 6:30 this morning. they found the body in the hallway, which is indication she was trying to get out. unfortunately, she did not. as you saw from sky ranger, the house was destroyed, the roof caved in. this was taken by a man on the way to work. it gives you a sensz of how intense the fire was once it took off.

he tried and said other people tried to get in to save the woman. it was just too hot. windows were exploding at the time. back here live, you can see white smoke, indication the fire has been knocked down. it's a matter of the investigation to figure out what caused it to start. live in concord, bob redell, nbc bay area news. >> tragic that she was fighting to get out. thank you, bob. we go to meteorologist, kari hall. >> a cold start warming to the upper 50s and low 60s today. we start to see clouds moving in as well. this is in advance of the rain that will be moving into the north bay late tonight and early in the morning. we should see the rain around midnight for santa rosa and napa. the rest of the area moves through before sunrise tomorrow morning and brings a tenth inch of rain. we'll continue to watch this and have more updates throughout the day. laura. >> thank you very much. another update coming up in a half hour. hope to see you then. have a good morning. kari tracks the timing overnight

... and we )ll cover the impact on morning rush hour. plus: when going (fake ... spells (real profits. the peninsula business - thriving from a christmas tree shortage. only on )today in the bay ) - 4:30 to 7.

it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, breaking overnight, ntsb investigators now saying the train that flew off the tracks near seattle was traveling nearly three-times the speed limit. >> i grabbed the seat in front of me and held on for dear life. >> with three people killed and dozens more injured, officials and passengers are looking for answers. we're live on the scene. ♪ plus, holiday hacked. >> you're saying right now, she can't see a thing? >> right. she's totally blind to this whole thing. >> jeff rossen puts amazon's new delivery service to the test. it promises convenience. but a potential flaw have some people thinking twice. >> we can walk into the house and she can't see us?

>> exactly. and make the season bright. from jewelry to clothes and makeup, all of the hot trends for these cold months and all under $100, "today," tuesday, december 19th, 2017. ♪ who do we have here today? >> this is pierce johnson. >> what are we celebrating? >> his third birthday. >> happy birthday. graduated from high school. survived semester at texas a&m. what's the last one? >> be on the "today" show. >> her students think she's grading their midterms. >> in the plaza instead. >> bonjour all the way from -- >> montreal, canada. >> i hear you're prepping for a pageant. >> the miss kentucky pageant. >> what are you doing today? >> celebrating my 21st birthday. >> only six days until christmas. >> i love it. that was a public service announcement. six more days till christmas.

nice to have you with us. >> what a festive bunch out there. we're coming out. >> we are. let's get right to the news at 8:00. busy tuesday morning. federal investigators on the scene of the deadly train derailment in washington state. and overnight, they confirmed that the train was traveling 50 miles per hour over the speed limit at the time of the crash. nbc's gadi schwartz is in dupont, washington, with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. this train didn't just jump its tracks. it flew off a bridge. let me show you what i'm talking about. that, behind us, where the crane is working. they're working to remove the train cars from on top of the bridge. they just removed the last one. now, they're trying to clear it from i-5, the main artery between portland and seattle. three were killed and dozens were injured and many more in serious condition. >> amtrak 501. emergency, emergency, emergency. >> reporter: a high-speed train

was making its inaugural trip on a brand-new route monday morning, when it flew around the tracks coming around a curve. data collected from the rear black box confirming the train may have been going too fast. it was going 80 miles per hour in a 30-mile-per-hour stretch of track. >> our mission is to not just understand what happened but why it happened. >> reporter: a train car crashing down on the i-5 highway blow, hitting a semi truck and other vehicles. other cars dangling from above, nearly the entire train jumping the tracks. the amtrak 501 left its first stop at 6:00 a.m. the train derailing halfway through its trip at 7:33 in the morning. >> initially, i thought it was an explosion. it was so dramatic. and loud. and totally disorienting. >> it felt like another car had hit us. people were screaming. at that point, i just grabbed the seat in front of me and held on for dear life. >> reporter: another woman,

writing about her husband's story of survival on facebook. he was pinned under train car parts. the people in the seat behind him did not make it. it feels like a horror movie. state transportation officials had plans to activate positive train control on the line next year, a safety measure that could have prevented this accident. >> positive train control can prevent collisions with other trains or overspeed events, where the train is going too fast. >> reporter: lakewood mayor, don anderson, has been voicing safety concerns about the train line from the start, again as recently as two weeks ago. >> when somebody's killed and somebody from wash d.o.t. rail telling me why they didn't put in the enhancements. >> reporter: the fastest train from portland to seattle is at the center of an investigation into a deadly derailment. as for the critical safety measure we just told you about, the positive train control, we're told by state transportation officials it was

supposed to be installed and activated starting next year. savannah, hoda, back to you. >> gadi, thank you. officials are trying to determine if weather was a factor in a deadly stage collapse that was caught on camera. a metal structure over the stage came crashing down, killing a deejay and hurting several other people. it happened during an electronic music festival in brazil. the winds were kicking up. the storm clouds were looming at the time. investigators say the show was held despite severe weather warnings of hail and heavy rain there. >> that's a scary shot. 8:05. and time for "hoda's morning boost." >> you know how dads like to embarrass their children. this dad went prehistoric. he wanted to embarrass his daughter. that's tad as an inflatable t-rex. he's just waiting at the end of the driveway dancing. waiting for his little girl. there she is on the bus. got a little extra bounce in his step. hey, honey. his daughter steps off the bus and goes, oh, no, dad. no, no. he tried to give her a hug with the t-rex arms.

anyway, this video has gone viral. more than 4 million times on facebook. tad's wife says, we love our dino dad. happy to spread joy and happiness. i don't think that's the first time dad dressed up. >> no, dad. >> not again. >> love it. much more to get to on a tuesday morning, including a little drama that "pitch perfect 3" star anna kendrick ran into after leaving our studio on monday. and helping the families impacted by the devastating california wildfires. first, a look at what's coming up on "megyn kelly today." >> the first woman to accuse russell simmons of sexual misconduct was on our show about a month ago. he called her a liar. now, the number is up to 12 and two of them join us today in a megyn kelly exclusive. we'll see you top of the hour. >> megyn, thanks. all that and a new "rossen reports" warning. >> good morning. i'm jeff rossen. the new amazon service where delivery people can bring

packages into your home. but hackers have discovered a major security flaw. when someone is inside, you're seeing this on your amazon camera. could you be robbed blind? next. nick is a logistical mastermind. when it comes to moving packages on a global scale, nobody does it better.

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the inspiration for this ring goes back almost 100 years. it's based on an art deco design. over 50 diamonds all hand-set. that's my philosophy - design it to be beautiful... then make it perfect. neil lane bridal. at kay... the number-one jewelry store for... yes. ♪ every kiss begins with kay. we're back with the new rossen reports series. hacking your holidays. >> potentially dangerous flaw in amazon's new delivery technology that may leave your home vulnerable to thieves. jeff rossen is here. we wondered about this when it came out. >> we talked about this right here on "today." this is a peek time for amazon as well, the busy holiday season. hackers have figured out a loophole in the new amazon key

system that could allow the delivery person full access to your home and you would have no idea. amazon knows about it and says they've issued a software update. cyber security experts say the vulnerability is still there and this morning you're about to see it in action. did you know that now we deliver here? >> it's the new service for amazon prime members that has everyone talking. >> free in home delivery from amazon key. amazon will authorize the delivery and unlock your doors. >> an amazon delivery person able to drop off your package inside your home. when you get the service amazon gives you this special lock and this camera. when the delivery person comes, you can watch it live on your phone to make sure everything is okay. or you can watch a recording of it later. but almost immediately after the launch, a cyber security company hacked the system exposing a flaw. the delivery person could have full access inside your home

undetected. >> okay. we're going to show you this hack in action. we've taken over this house today with the permission of the homeowner. in fact, the homeowner, roichelle, is at a nearby cafe watching everything on her amazon key app, watching the delivery in real time as you normally would. helping us out today is ben from rhino security labs. you'll be playing the delivery guy. >> correct. >> you installed the amazon key lock this morning? >> and the cloud cam as well. >> door is locked. >> so we come up to the house. we have our package. we are unlocking the door itself with the app. >> that's the way it's supposed to happen. >> yeah. >> open the door. wow. deliver the package. and -- >> we close the door and that's it. >> they were in and out. all good. >> but now the hack. he's able to disable the wi-fi and freeze the camera feed so it looks like nothing is going on at that front door. >> you have the hack set up on this computer. i don't know how you did it.

we are not showing you at home how you did it. >> yeah. >> you have it set up, you hit the button. >> exactly. >> almost instantly the camera's disabled inside so we can actually walk into the house and she won't see us? >> exactly. >> that's incredible. right now let me just show you. the amazon camera, that's our nbc camera right there, that's the amazon camera. it should be seeing us but you're saying she can't see a thing? >> right. she's totally blind to the whole thing. >> in fact, look at the side by side. that's the nbc camera on the left and the amazon camera on the right. on our camera you can clearly see us inside but on the amazon camera it looks like the house is secure and no one's there. roichelle has no idea what's really going on. >> everything looks as i left it. >> amazon was made aware of this vulnerability weeks ago and has issued a software update saying customers would be notified more quickly if the camera goes offline. for roichelle, it took less than

a minute that she got a notification the camera was unavailable. still, no clear indication someone hacked it or was inside her home. while the software update may help, experts say it doesn't fix the problem itself. the camera can still be hacked. >> the attack still works and the camera is still frozen. >> amazon telling nbc news safety and security are built into every aspect of the service and this poses little risk to customers and that the issue is with most wi-fi systems themselves, not with amazon's software. the company saying it receives an alert if the door's unlocked for more than several minutes. also adding, each driver must pass a comprehensive background check before they can make in home deliveries. >> what needs to happen here? >> amazon needs to fix this. this is a pretty major security design flaw for the whole system and puts users at risk. >> what if you have an alarm system? the amazon key won't work if

your home security system is activated so the company tells its customers to shut off their alarms. >> oh. >> during the four-hour delivery window. that could be dangerous leaving your house completely vulnerable. >> wow, that's a great system. >> all right. jeff, i know you have to plan for tomorrow. what do you have for us? >> moore of our special rossen report series. this time we're talking about gift cards. so many buying them but now a security expert says he's found a major flaw with that card system at a popular retailer potentially allowing hackers to drain the money on your card down to zero before you even use it. >> oh, no. >> we're going to tell you which store it's happening at and how do you protect yourself. that is tomorrow right here on "today." merry christmas. >> wait. >> merry christmas. >> aren't you giving away toys? when is that happening? >> on friday. it's like a nightmare in the beginning part of the week. >> stop looking for the grinch, he's right over there. >> where's your dog max?

>> thank you, jeff. let's turn to what's trending today. i love this every year. this is the annual marist college poll of the most annoying words and phrases. it's out. we all are going to agree. coming in at number three is the phrase, no offense, but. >> right? >> always offensive coming. second place, a new one. fake noise. >> that's annoying. >> the second most annoying phrase of the year. coming in at number one for the ninth year in a row, a contender, whatever. >> all right. >> it is the worst. 33% of americans agree. worst word of 2017, we all know it just means -- you know what it means. >> yeah. yeah. so we thought we could -- if you could nominate a word you hated and loved. >> okay. >> first do your hate. >> the words that should be banned. >> i'm supposed to go first. >> you go. >> sorry. >> adulting. >> i don't like it when millennials turn nouns into verbs and verbs into nouns. what does that mean?

>> it means i paid my mortgage. boring stuff. >> doeg grown up stuff. >> mine is i think i hate it but i kind of want to use it. she's so extra. the class is so extra. >> like wesley in our control room. he's an extra. >> when he says it i like it. >> it's cool when he says it. >> i hate super. super excited. super terrific. super everything. unless you have an s on your chest and cape, stop with the super. >> i think i might say super like that. mine was whatever so i have to pick another one. compliments of brittney in the orange room. for real? for real? like, no. >> no. >> for real? >> what about -- >> much better. >> that's enough. >> we wanted to end on a high note. favorite word for 2017. this is one of them. i like abbrev. i like to abbreviate my words. obvi. >> no. >> i like that. >> mine is simple.

ready? >> yes. >> what? >> that's my favorite, too. >> yeah, you have to go all in. what? >> al. >> seriously? i feel like seriously. number two would be dilly dilly. >> coming on strong. >> mine doesn't really count. more of a phrase that makes me happy. arm party. oh, love your little arm party. it makes them happy. you don't have to worry about what you're wearing. >> yeah. >> arm party is just -- this. >> half the bracelets is your arm party. >> arm party. >> take us to pop stars. >> let's do pop stars. >> first up, we have exciting catchy news this morning "jesus kleist sup-- kleischrist supers" >> john legend. >> wow! >> tony winning grammy winning artist.

>> who's he playing? >> jesus christ. >> did i not say that? >> he's thrilled to be joining this production. back in 1971 hit broadway. andrew lloyd webber and tim rice and they will executive broadcast produce this. it will air easter sunday right here on nbc. >> that's great. >> exciting. >> going to be hard to top. up next, anna kendrick, the actress was here yesterday talking about her new movie "pitch perfect 3." she went back to her hotel for a pit stop before heading to the "tonight show" with jimmy fallon. she had one little snag. >> what? >> her hotel caught fire. >> yikes! >> take a look. >> super. super. >> thank you for saving us! >> thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. so real. yeah. we are walking to fallon because the roads are blocked so we're

walking to fallon. we managed to catch a cab and we're not on fire. the cab missed its turn so we're back to walking. walking to fallon. >> need to start following her. >> yeah, that's pretty good. >> it was super on fire, by the way. you're welcome, al. did make it to the "tonight show" just in time to sing tunes with jimmy fallon. >> darlene love. >> and finally john stamos. we shared this sentimental photo with his dad. sharing this photo to instagram, my er cast came to my house for a visit. i keep everything. stamos starred as tony gates from 2005 to 2009. that's your pop start, ladies and gentlemen. >> lots in there, chanelle. thank you. >> pause, get a check of the forecast.

today's weather is brought to you by kay jewelers. every kiss begins with kay. all right. we are tracking christmas and the chance of a white christmas, which means an inch or more of snow on the ground from spokane to ben, boise, casper, pierre, minneapolis, chicago on the line of possible and likely. pittsburgh, the same for you. boston, you're probably going to see rain but we will be looking at rain all along the eastern seaboard. we're waiting for the rain/snow line to start set that's what's going on around the country. >> good tuesday morning. it's still pretty cool out there, but it will be warming up and in the south bay, expect a high of 64 degrees in san jose, 57 in oakland, 62 in napa. the clouds will start to move in and the rain later on tonight. we'll see rain in the north bay first. by 1:00 in the morning, it's in san francisco, moving into the east bay. may get a little bit heavier in

parts of the bay area and clearing the south bay around sunrise. that's your latest weather. if you're heading out, check us out on sirius xm channel 108 home of tomorrow's hoda show. >> we have new developments in the growing sexual harassment scandal surrounding oscar winner dustin hoffman. >> cynthia mcfadden is here. good morning. >> good morning. two-time academy award winner dustin hoffman is considered one of the greatest actors of his generation. now five women have come forward accusing hoffman of sexual harassment. this morning three are sharing their stories exclusively with nbc news. >> look, mrs. robinson, i drove you home. i was glad to -- >> reporter: known for iconic roles in "the graduate," "tootsie," and "rain man," dustin hoffman is an icon. now five women are accusing him of sexual misconduct.

how is it to work with dustin hoffman? i tell the half truth. as an actor working with him, i owe him everything. i learned so much. and then i would stop. and there would always be a knot in my stomach about what the real truth is, which is he was abusive and he was a bully. >> katheryn co-starred with him in "death of a salesman." she says backstage he repeatedly groped her. >> one day i felt his hand go up my thigh and he started to continue. he would get more and more aggressive and try and go higher and higher and higher. i was like -- he was the most famous actor in the world, he was the top of his career. i was a nobody. nobody was going to believe me. >> i think there's a -- >> reporter: then in 1985 she also appeared with him in the tv version of "salesman." that is when anna hunter's 17-year-old intern at the time

claims he harassed her, at one point giving her a crude and sexually suggestive breakfast order. >> he just stared at me and everyone burst out laughing and i backed out. i went to the bathroom and cried. >> reporter: she also claims the actor humiliated her on set. demanding foot rubs and grabbing her bottom. >> he was very suggestive in all the conversations. every time we were hanging out in his dressing room, when he was talking about sex, you know, to other people asking me if i had had sex. >> reporter: but hoffman's alleged behavior apparently extended beyond those he worked with. >> he came out of the bathroom and literally dropped the towel. >> reporter: cory thomas was just 16 years old and a friend of one of hoffman's daughters when she says the actor came on to her after the three spent a day together in new york. >> i had never seen a man naked in my life at this point. i was kind of an awkward young girl. i had never kissed anyone.

he got on the bed and he said, i want you to give me a foot massage. >> reporter: she says she was left alone with him while waiting for her parents to pick her up choosing to speak out now. >> as hard as it is, i think that i wanted to choose truth over shame. >> reporter: no comment from mr. hoffman's representatives, but hoffman himself apologized after anna hunter came forward saying he feels, quote, anything i might have put her through in an uncomfortable situation, it is not reflecttive of who i am. hoffman's attorney previously called cory thomas's allegations defamatory also. >> wow. interesting to hear these stories all these years later. >> painful. all of them worshipped him one way or another. >> you could tell that. >> thank you. coming up, we brought in an expert to show you easy ways to wrap all those oddly shaped holiday gifts. >> we need that. plus our style squad is here. we really need them to look fashionable all season long.

first, check of your local news and weather. i )m ... one person is confirmed dead .. good morning. it's 8:26. i'm marcus washington. one person is confirmed dead after a house fire this morning in the east bay. it started shortly before sunrise at a home on cove entry road. south of clayton road in concord. cell phone video taken by a neighbor shows how intense those flames were at the peak of the fire. right now, firefighters aren't giving details on the victim, only confirming that someone died. bob rodell spoke with neighbors who say an elderly woman lived in the home alone. firefighters are not saying if they know how that fire started. worried because we got word of that, a tracked this, it doesn't sound like anything is going on, but chp still has it active in their incident report. there's the flat section moving

well. the map shows you the traffic is moving well and i'll continue to let you know on twitter if we have any updates, any closures in the next few minutes. meanwhile, southbound 880, at oak street, a crash in the center divide. that's causing a distraction for both directions. right up there where the traffic can see it on both sides. no lanes in either direction is blocked, just showing there. we see the compression on the palto alto side of the dunn barton bridge. getting towards the bay bridge, things continue to ease up. east shore freeway, only 26 minutes now, back to you. >> i'll have another local news update in half an hour. my wish was a clubhouse,

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♪ 8:30 now. it is tuesday morning, the 19th of december, 2017. isn't that a beautiful tree? that's the famous rockefeller center christmas tree. and now, we have to show you something a little different. and that is the tree at rhode island statehouse. >> oh, my. >> something happened. charlie brown would be proud. the poor rhode island statehouse tree got so dried up, it had to be removed yesterday.

look at it. >> like christmas vacation. >> it's so sweet. the tree expert thinks it was cut down during a cold snap and went into shock. they will get another one. >> they should go fake. >> come on. you wouldn't make it five more days? >> all right, you guys. we have an awesome crowd on our plaza today. are we missing charlie? we're missing charlie. we're missing charlie so much. and look who showed up. who puppies. we have bosley and bogart. are you jimmy? >> i'm jimmy, yes. >> are you friends of theirs? >> we're from north carolina. >> okay. do you travel with these big dogs everywhere? >> we take these guys with us everywhere we go, yes. >> how did they get here? >> we came by car from north carolina. >> thank you for blessing us with these dogs today. >> i thought you would train them. you did a good job with charlie.

>> he wants them trained. >> thank you. merry christmas. >> i love the santa suits. >> so cute, right? coming up, our style squad is busy collecting gifts for our annual toy drive. they will show you how to pull off the most popular fashion. we're going to keep that holiday theme going with help. how on earth am i getting the presents all wrapped nicely. >> especially the oblong shape. >> exactly. >> that's what the bag is for. we're going to talk about etiquette in the holidays, what not to do. and healthy choices when you sit down for your holiday meal. and speaking of health, i've taken one sudafed and one ben drill. >> this will be a fun one to watch. >> instead of megyn's month of merry, it's megyn's fa

pharmacological adventure. what's coming up with the weather? >> let's see what's going on. as far as today is concerned, wet weather, wintry mix in the southeast. showers in the gulf coast. heavy snow in the mountains of the pacific northwest. for tomorrow, that snow moves into the plains. windy conditions through the rockies. heavy rain in the southeast and the lower mississippi and ohio that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. we'll start to see some clouds as we go through the day. it's going to be fairly cool in san francisco with a high of 58 degrees. rain moves in late tonight, early tomorrow morning. and some breezy and much cooler temperatures behind the front. as we look at the inland area, some of those 60s today, but mostly some 50s in the rest of the forecast for those highs. overnight, temperatures dropping back into the mid-30s. you may also have some freezing temperatures in the valleys by friday.

>> all righty. it's time to go around the horn. you know, we got a lot of weather coming up. a big week of travel. you want to get that weather? you have to check out our friends at the weather channel on cable. just a few more people to get to. hold on. we're coming around. back to all you guys. ♪ >> getting to the heart of christmas is created with our sponsor, walmart. rock this christmas with walm t walmart. now, to our series "getting to the heart of christmas." we're heading to california where it's been historic and devastating wild fires. >> those are killed 40 and left thousands homeless. through the efforts of a nurse and walmart, some of the families are getting a reason to smile this holiday. the wildfires that ripped through northern california this october, were historically

devastating. santa rosa was one of the hardest hit communities. haley's husband, fletcher, is a sheriff's deputy. he was helping to evacuate endangered neighborhoods, when he realized he had to rush home to get haley and two sons out, just minutes before the fires reached it. >> the frame of his dirt bike. >> reporter: something you lost that was the hardest thing, you think? >> just the space of our home that we're comfortable in. we were proud of. >> reporter: adriana lived in a house with her parents, husband and four children. now, all eight are in a two-bedroom apartment. >> i looked outside the window. and you wouldn't see across the street. >> reporter: it was that much smoke? >> really thick smoke. >> reporter: her stepfather became a home owner in january, just nine months later, the firfire s took everything. >> you work hard. you do everything you can. and then, everything disappears from the fire. >> reporter: both families were

helped by the ert efforts of ar nurse, payton walton. she was working in the only santa rosa hospital that wasn't evacuated. payton decided she wanted to do more for those who lost everything. she posted for help on the social app next door. and within the first five minutes, we had 50 responses. >> reporter: her post went viral throughout other counties in northern california. with payton's work, eventually linking nearly 1,000 people in need with about 7,000 people willing to help. inspired by payton's efforts, walmart stepped in to help. they gathered the wish lists for ten santa rosa families who lost everything and went to work. shopping. wrapping. and delivering everything to throw a huge holiday surprise. a tree with plenty of presents underneath. here they come.

carts filled with goodies. we teamed up with walmart. we want to make sure you and your families have a wonderful holiday season. just in case we missed anything, walmart is giving you and your family $500 each, a gift card, to get whatever you like. and one more very special person we want to honor. that's payton walton. as you all know, payton facilitated a lot of this. we wanted to make sure you have a wonderful holiday with your family. so, walmart is giving you a $5,000 gift card. and they are also going to work with you to give you a $10,000 check for the charity of your choice. >> thank you. >> all right, kids. the worst part is seeing the gifts and not being able to open

them. so, kids, you can have at it. >> amazing. >> legos. >> you made my girls' christmas. >> i saw the presents and was like, that's not for us. >> you didn't think it was for you? >> i thought, it's for us. >> for the families and so many of the neighbors, presents for the holidays and a message to last throughout the year. >> lets everyone know, that everybody loves you. strangers love you. families love you. and you have a bigger family now. >> so sweet. lots of hugs. and payton is just getting started. she's turning that post into a full fledged charity, family matching. people around the world can assist families in future disasters. you can learn about that on today.com. >> how about the power of one person. >> she made that happen. >> that's incredible. >> and the power of an app. now, neighbors get together.

they help neighbors around the way and around the world. >> how fun to be playing santa there. >> a lot of sweet hugs. when the little hands wrap around your neck and hold on, it's priceless. >> thank you. coming up next, you have presents. now, the hard part, wrapping some of them. some clever tricks to save you time and hassle. there she is. there she is. thiss "today" on nbc. i for mild-to-moderate eczema? it can be used almost everywhere on almost everybody. the face of a fisherman? the hand of a ranch hand? the knee of a needle pointer? prescription eucrisa is a nose to toes eczema ointment. it blocks overactive pde4 enzymes within your skin. and it's steroid-free. do not use if you are allergic to eucrisa or its ingredients.

allergic reactions may occur at or near the application site. the most common side effect is application site pain. ask your doctor about eucrisa.

we're back with "today's hassle-free holiday." at this point, hopefully you're done shopping and you need to get the presents wrapped. lori bergamotto is the editor at "good housekeeping" magazine. >> now you have your presents. the wrapping can be stressful. we wanted to think about common pitfalls of wrapping, right? and one of them is buying the wrong wrapping paper. >> too thin? >> yes. it happens to you. and you can see through it.

>> or it cinkles, right? >> and you think you're getting a thick roll and it's that long. >> exactly. we found sugar paper from target. this starts at $2. you said when you came over, it's thick. and i hope you can see. but it has this little graph. >> so you don't have to cut straight. >> you can cut straight. but you can measure out. and one of the tips that we want to show you is when you're doing this fold -- is this what stymies you? you want this part to go up about halfway. >> oh. >> and if you can do that -- i've been doing it wrong. and you want really good tools. you have the scissors. >> why are they so great? >> it gives you an even edge. really easy. fun things. we use double-stick tape because it looks neater. >> you're not making a little

ri ringlet. >> there you go. you wait until the last minute, i'm not saying you do. but you can -- stores are sold out of holiday paper, you can use craft paper. people are like, that looks a little boring. >> we did yarn can pom-poms here. you can go to the container store, michaels, places that are for crafting and get affordable little adornments. and you can use this all year long. >> that's smart. >> it's fun and easy. >> when you have odd-shaped presents. >> we're inspired by a japanese fabric wrapping practice. >> you take a piece of fabric. and you can get this from anywhere. we got this from minted. and you lay it out in a rhombus. and you tuck this fold under here. and you wrap it, hoda, and a

bow. like a little sack. >> and you put a little bell on it. >> you do an adornment. >> somebody did it for my daughter, and she uses the fabric as the blankie for her stuffed animal. if you need a hostess gift. you show up with the bread. flip this way. the bread, the wooden spoon. the little jelly. you tie it up in a bow. >> adorable gift. >> you can use it here with a cookbook. >> and the tea towel becomes your wrapping. >> this one, i had never thought of but you're using wrapping paper and making a bag. >> out of the wrapping paper. we were trying to wrap this. what we did was we took wrapping paper. we folded it on itself.

you fold this up. and you do it in stages. you fold it again. and you wind up with, a little baggy. >> and what do you do -- >> with your scissors, you poke a hole. is that a wow? >> just how awesome she is. she gives everybody a lottery ticket. such a great gift. all right. thanks so much. for more fun holiday ideas, check out facebook.com/todayhome. up next, sequins and glitter. our style squad shows you how to

we're back. 8:47. "the style squad edit."

and the hottest styles of the season, from clothes to jewelry and makeup. all this $100 or less. let's kick it off with bobby thomas. >> it's all about holiday shine this year, amplified. >> and more is more. >> you're going to see sequins everywhere. there's a great cosey sweater with a pencil skirt. and you're going to see sequins on everything, from sweat pants to sweatshirts. >> i took this off of the rack. >> you can wear this as an overcoat, to turn your work dress into a party look. >> great. and the accessories. >> accessories. but sequins socks, ala michael jackson. this is what the kids are doing. and slippers. what a great gift. $29 from macy's, anthropology. and you're going to see all over social media, if you type in glitter mask, glam glow's

gravity mud mask. long gone are the green monster looking days. you have a peel-off glitter mask. and other brands, like disco kitten. >> i love this. >> brand-new when it comes to eyes. this is peel off glitter liner. i don't want to hurt her. but look. it's a no-mess liner. you get that? >> i love that. >> it just fepeels off. a great glass and romney has two in one mascara glitter. when it comes to lips, you see it on me. pucker up for holiday or new year's eve, rihanna's brand is on fire. and pat mcgrath, my idol. she has the great kits that show you how to get three dimensional lips. >> i love it. >> everything online. >> thank you, bobbie.

>> you know what else is hot? jill martin is here with the hottest fabrics. velvet is the thing? >> '60s and '70s, superhot. >> this is adorable. >> i love a pantsuit. this is from h&m, starting at $12.99. you asked a question, is velvet uncomfortable to wear? and everything is lined. it's not like you have the velvet on your skin. >> or that you'll feel hot. this puffy jacket is cute. >> it's a puffy jacket without being too puffy. all of these are a different way to bring out the holiday cheer. these are from zahra, starting with $39. you see the high boots here. and i love it in a sneaker. >> where would you wear these? >> it's so unexpected. >> i love wearing flats all the time. i would wear it with a suit or

jeans and a t-shirt. i think that's a way to wear flats. >> are these velvet bags, jill? >> under $100 for all of them. and velvet bags. if you're not into wearing it or on your feet, this is a great way to use an accessory. >> i'm wearing a choker. >> you are wearing a choker. >> i would never normally do. these are all velvet chokers. >> a beautiful gift because you have the little rocks on it or detail whatever you want to go with your dress. >> do the boys like it? >> this is a thing right now. velvet bow ties. $40, available at men's warehouse. over to sheinelle jones. >> i'll see your velvet and raise you pearls and rhinestones. i love the pearl accent. not too much. >> just a hint of pearl. that's the way pearls are becoming more modern. i love the bell sleeve.

this is available at marel. great top. and you add the pearls and it livens you up. >> can you wash it? >> i would dry clean. we have pearl accessories. i love these for a new year's eve or christmas eve party. these are available at nine west. how cute is this? little pearl headband. >> and we turn up the volume. >> i love rhinestone. how beautiful are these boots? these are $90, available at lieu lieu lulu's.com. >> those are talking. >> these are amazing. this is strands by closet gold. what they are are detachable rhinestone magnets. you can attach them to your boots or your hat. this is from betsey johnson. i love late slipper action.

cozy, comfy. i love a beanie. if you add a little sparkle, a little ann taylor action here, it's a more feminine way to add rhinestones into your beanie. >> head to today.com/style right now to shop the full list. we're back in a moment. first, this is "today" on nbc.

you know, there's a show coming up at 10:00. >> kathie lee gifford is going to be in the house. we sit down with anna kendrick. >> she's so fun. >> and we're going to talk about ways you can make your house -- spruce it up for the holidays. a beautiful centerpiece and beautiful table. you're off to the rockettes. >> i am, yeah. i'm going to take my little ones to see the rockettes. >> you're going to perform with them. >> they have higher standards than that. they're like, you can't touch

your toes. i don't think you'll be a very good rockette. i )m - -... one person is confirmed dead .. good morning. it's 8:56. i'm marcus washington. one person is confirmed dead after a house fire this americaniamerican i morning in the east bay. it started at a home on coventry, south of clayton road in concord. this cell phone video taken by a neighbor shows how intense those flames were at the peak of the fire. firefighters aren't saying any specifics about the victim, only confirming that someone died. but our bob rodell did speak

with neighbors who said an elderly woman lived at that home alone. firefighters are not saying if they know how that fire started. our bob rodell is on the scene and will have a live report in our midday newscast. you can link updates on our twitter feed as they came in. a surprise twist in the death of an off-duty officer yesterday. police are now saying that that he was the subject of an investigation and that's why he was pulled over. authorities are supposed to reveal more details any time now. our pete is following the developments and reaching out to the police department where the officer worked for nine years. pete will have the latest at 11:00. you can link to information right now on our homepage under the local system. i'm marcus washington. more news in an hour. kari tracks the timing overnight

... and we )ll cover the impact on morning rush hour. plus: when going (fake ... spells (real profits. the peninsula business - thriving from a christmas tree shortage. only on )today in the bay ) - 4:30 to 7.

♪ [vo] the season of audi sales event is here. audi will cover your first month's lease payment on select models during the season of audi sales event.

this morning on "megyn kelly today," a music mogul under fire. two women accusing russell simmons of sexual misconduct. they tell their story to us in a live exclusive. then, she has faith. an uncommon friendship of women from two different ligions. how they're bringing communities together under one roof. and our month of merry rolls on with a gift that is right on time. two, three. find out what's onboard. all that and more on "megyn kelly today" right now. [ applause ] good morning. good morning, everybody. good morning. good to see you. thank you.