more live local news at 7:25. >> join us for nbc bay area news at 11:00. it's wednesday, have a great one. good morning. here comes the snow. after more than a week of brutally cold temperatures the entire east coast now bracing for a massive winter storm. tens of millions from florida to new england in its path. from the dangerous ice in the south, to blizzard conditions in the north, we've got the very latest. taunting north korea. president trump escalates his war of words with kim jong-un tweeting his nuclear button is bigger and more powerful than the north korean leader's. will this latest provocation push the two nations closer to the brink? shocking twist. a former taliban hostage held for years, along with his wifeew

of disturbing charges. his wife is speaking out overnight, what she's saying about the accusations against him. all that plus, a new apology from youtube star logan paul. >> there's a lot of things i should have done differently but i didn't. >> should he now be banned for that controversial video he posted? jaw-dropping jackpots. no mega millions winners overnight. that prize is soaring to $418 million. while another $440 million is up for grabs in tonight's powerball drawing. and fixing to have a baby. the adorable way that hgtv stars chip and joanna gaines just revealed their newest project, today, wednesday, january 3rd, 2018. >> from nbc news, this is "today," with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza.

hey, everybody. welcome to "today." and thanks for joining us on this wednesday morning. leave it to chip and joanna gaines to do it just right. >> i know. a little renovation project, a bun in the oven. we're going to get to our top story, that monster storm set to bring snow, ice and frigid winds from florida to the northeast. if you think it's been cold, just wait. there's a new, even colder arctic blast on the way. we're going to get to al's all-important forecast straight ahead. first, miss dylan is out at niagara falls, where it's so cold, the falls have partially frozen over. good morning, dylan. >> good morning, hoda. i miss finding ways to show you how cold it is here. here in niagara falls, new york, the windchill is two. and the temperatures have been so cold that it has been enough to freeze over parts of niagara falls. the air is so cold, it caused

lik lake-effect snow in buffalo and cancelling flights from toronto. snow and ice is falling across parts of the gulf coast. this is just the beginning of a powerful hurricane-like storm that's expected to affect the entire east coast. after days of unrelenting cold, the entire east coast is preparing for what's being called the first nor'easter of 2018. a monster storm, also known as a bomb cyclone, set to hammer places from florida to coastal new england, with ice and snow. the effects could resemble a winter hurricane. here in niagara falls it's a frozen spectacle, the surging water freezing everything it touches. in nearby buffalo, wintry conditions caused a 70-car pileup, leaving 1 person dead. other cars caught on camera,

sliding uncontrollably on roads slick with ice. in new york city, an electrical malfunction causing an apartment building fire. firefighters forced to battle the flames and freezing cold conditions. water quickly turning to ice, covering helmets, ladders, electrical lines and nearby cars. >> this is a major fire. >> reporter: another building in the city has been without heat for five days. one resident using her stove. >> i got that stove on. >> which is dangerous. >> of course it is. the alarm has gone off two or three times. you understand? but you got to keep warm some kind of way or they find you up in here dead, frozen to death. >> reporter: others are stranded at home, their cars are frozen under ice in missouri. and iowa, cars won't start, despite precautions by their owners. >> i did my little winter thing. i thought i did everything. but it still just didn't start.

>> reporter: those that are able to venture out of their homes are doing so in treacherous conditions. >> it's so frigid. it's biting in the face. >> reporter: in all, 230 million americans are dealing with below freezing temperatures with no end in sight. that bomb cyclone or bombo genesis is the rapid intensification of a storm. that's supposed to happen thursday before this storm slams into new england. after the storm, it's possible we could see the coldest temperatures so far this season. hoda? >> wow. all right, dylan. thank you. >> dilly dilly, chilly chilly. >> very good. it's going to drop 24 millibars before thursday. this is a powerful system. stretching from florida to new england, 41 million people at risk for winter weather. heavy snow likely in new england. you can see all the way up here, we have blizzard warnings from

southeastern massachusetts into maine. look at this area of purple. that's where we have freezen rain. it's 31 and tallahassee. daytona beach, it's 54 degrees. we watch this storm making its way up the coast. look for snow from savannah, charleston, into wilmington by this afternoon into this evening. then, it continues really intensifying, dangerous travel, possibly impossible travel. wind gusts of 70 miles per hour into new england. ice, down from georgia into florida, we're looking anywhere from a quarter of an inch to an inch of ice. this could bring down power lines and trees, anywhere from savannah to charleston, looking at 6 to 8 inches of snow through friday. lesser amounts as we get on the coast. if this system moves further to the west, that could increase. then, we get into the northeast and new england. new york, 3 to 6 inches of snow. providence, rhode island, 8 to 12 inches. in boston, bangor, we're looking

at 10 inches up to a foot of snow possible, guys. again, as the storm intensifies, we could be looking at a hurricane-force winds with snow throughout much of new england. we're going to really watch this closely. >> if it moves just a little -- >> a little further to the west, it could be worse inland. but it could move to the east and we would get less. we would love that. >> al, thank you so much. we have a lot to get to, including the north korean crisis. this morning, a provocative tweet from president trump, aimed directly at kim jong-un, is escalating tensions between the u.s. and the regime. nbc national correspondent, peter alexander, has the latest on this. >> reporter: good morn . >> reporter: good morning to you.g any thought that president trump might be less provocative or even scale back his twitter habit in 2018, you can safely throw that out the window. the president unloading in his first day at the white house, 16 tweets, mainly a mixture of taunts and threats, including raising the prospect at nuclear

war, a shot at north korea's unpredictable leader in many language that many people noted seemed better suited for the playground than the presidency. president trump escalating his feud with leader kim jong-un. taunting the erratic dictator, saying, will someone from his regime inform him that i too have a nuclear button. it is a bigger and more powerful one than his. and my button works. that tweet responding to kim's speech, when he claimed the entire u.s. is within north korea's firing range. and the nuclear button is always on his desk. the president's apparent threat, igniting alarm online, from george w. bush's lawyer, richard painter, two unfit men crowing about their nukes. this is not the way to start the new year. congress needs to deal with one of them. the u.n. security council needs to deal with the other. the war of words ramming up a

dangerous showdown. rocket man wants to talk to south korea for the first time. perhaps that is good news. perhaps not. we will see. despite kim's surprising call for talks with south korea, u.s. military officials tell nbc news, north korea might be about to test another ballistic missile. the president's boast about his nuclear button, punctuating an all-day tweet storm, ratcheting up an attack on his own justice department, arguing it's part of a shadow government conspiracy against him, what he calls the deep state. unleashing on a former political opponent. suggesting hillary clinton's top aide, huma abedin, should go to jail, for sharing classified information in personal e-mails. something investigators dismissed as careless, but not criminal. the president's press secretary left to explain. >> the president finds some of the actions very disturbing. and he thinks we need to make sure if there is an issue that it's looked at.

>> reporter: meanwhile, the president's hitting turbulence for claiming credit for safe skies. since taking office, i've been very strict on commercial aviation. good news. it was just reported there were zero deaths in 2017, the best and safest year on record. in fact, there hasn't been a fatal crash by an american carrier since 2009. back this morning, more new information from the korean peninsula. south korea's unification ministry confirms to nbc news that north korea has reopened the cross-border communication channel and has made contact. look at some of these pictures. they show south korea testing the phone lines for talks at the most volatile border in the world. the demilitarized zone, talks that south korea posed for early next week. savannah and hoda? >> peter, thank you. let's turn to jeremy bash. good morning. >> good morning, savannah. >> let's set aside for a moment just how remarkable and unprecedented and unusual it is for the united states president

to be saying, essentially, my nuclear button is bigger than yours. what does kim jong-un hear? that's what matters the most. does it make it more likely that we'll get into some kind of conflict? >> if kim jong-un thinks he's about to be annihilated, and make no mistake, these juvenile and immature tweets suggest that, kim jong-un is far more likely likely to lash out, to maybe use chemical weapons at our military base in guam. this is very destabilizing. this is a tweet that could lead to confrontation and maybe even war. >> let's say this is all part of a strategy by the president. last year he talked about unleashing fire and fury, the likes of which the world has never seen, now this about the nuclear button. if this is strategy to deter kim jong-un, is it working? >> i don't think so. in the last six months, savannah, you've seen kim jong-un engage in five highly

provocative actions. he's flight tested twice a intercontinental ballistic missile that could hit the united states with its range. he's done an underground test with a two-stage thermo nuclear hydrogen bomb. he's twice overflown our ally japan. if this is a strategy, i think it's backfired. >> it is unusual for an american president to talk about the nuclear arsenal at all. >> yeah. it's kind of an unhealthy, strange obsession with nuclears, savannah. he directed the pentagon to develop a 30,000 nuclear weapon arsenal. we have only about 2,000 nuclear weapons today. the generals had to push back and say that's unproductive, it's expensive, destabilizing and could lead to war. they pushed back and finally he backed down. >> jeremy, thank you very much. meantime, u.n. ambassador nikki haley is weighing in on another pressing issue facing the trump administration, deadly anti-government protests in iran. nbc's chief global correspondent bill neely has more on that. good morning.

>> reporter: good morning, hoda. yes, growing unrest, president trump encouraging it, iran's supreme leader blaming the country's enemies. the demonstrations have spread to just about every town in iran. they started as an economic protest, but they're becoming more political. it's not a revolution. not yet, anyway. for a week, iran has been shaken by protests and riots. the death toll rising. fresh demonstrations overnight. iran's supreme leader claiming them on foreign enemies, using money and spies to spoke trouble. rubbish says america's u.n. ambassador. >> we know that's complete nonsense. the demonstrations are completely spontaneous. >> reporter: and she put america's weight behind the protesters. >> the people of iran are crying

out for freedom. all freedom-loving people must stand with their cause. the international community made a mistake of failing to do that in 2009. we must not make that mistake again. >> reporter: change also an end game for the white house. >> the ultimate end game is that the citizens and the people of iran are actually given basic human rights. he would like to see them stop being a state sponsor of terror. >> reporter: the president tweeting, the iranian regime is brutal and corrupt. the u.s. is watching. adding later that iranians are hungry for food and for freedom. and explicitly saying, it's time for change. the iranian regime is trying to change the narrative. these pro-government demonstrations were covered extensively by iranian television. and while the anti-government protests have been shown on state media, the chants of "death to the dictator" have not.

these unverified videos on social media are the world's only window of a wave of unrest that's now claimed more than 20 lives. and it's not clear how this will end. the state is beginning to crack down and that's how it ended the near-revolution nine years ago. hundreds of arrests this time, but the protests aren't stopping. hoda? savannah? >> bill neely, thank you so much. we move to a troubling story, one we've been following for years. a former taliban hostage, freed along with his family after five years in captivity is now behind bars in canada this morning and facing multiple allegations of assault. nbc national correspondent kate snow has the latest on this. >> reporter: good morning, savannah, hoda. a court proceeding scheduled this morning for 34-year-old joshua boyle. he is charged with more than a dozen crimes. by court order, no one is allowed to name any alleged victim. but overnight, we received an

e-mail from his wife, caitlan, saying she and her children are safe. stunning new criminal charges against joshua boyle, the canadian held five years by the taliban. boyle, along with his american wife, caitlan, and their three children born in captivity, were freed in a dramatic raid by pakistani forces in october. when they returned to canada, boyle said they planned to start a new life. >> obviously, it will be of incredible importance to my family that we're able to build a secure sanctuary for our three surviving children. >> reporter: now, boyle is being charged with 15 crimes. canadian police saying the incidents began the day after the family returned home. according to ctv and "the toronto star," the charges include eight counts of assault, two counts of sexual assault, two counts of unlawful

confinement, one count of uttering death threats and one of someone taking an antidepressant and one count of misleading police. in a statement to "the toronto star," caitlan said she can't speak about charges. but it was the strain and trauma he was forced to endure for so many years and the effects that had on his mental state, is most culpable for this. obviously he is responsible for his own actions, but it is with compassion and forgiveness that i say i hope help and healing can be found for him. in an e-mail to nbc, joshua boyle's lawyer writes, mr. boyle is presumed innocent. he's never been in trouble before. no evidence has been provided yet, which is typical at this early stage. we look forward to receiving the evidence and defending him against these charges. days after their release, joshua spoke about being free. >> part of what got me through prison was the vain hope and belief that the day i am

released everything will be sunshine and flowers. but it's an ordeal of its own that i'm not sure we were expecting. >> those words were in october. this morning, less than three months later, after being out of captivity, joshua boyle, once again, has lost his freedom. hopefully we'll learn more later today. >> incredibly perplexing. kate, thank you very much. brutally cold temperatures may be sweeping the nation, but not to worry. lottery fever is heating up. the jackpot is soaring to $418 million. the next drawing is friday night. you don't have to wait that long. the powerball drawing is tonight. and that jackpot is even higher, a whopping $440 million. so, that makes nearly $1 billion if you are counting, up for grabs in the two lotteries combined. >> and we're counting. >> join the company pool, everybody. >> girard has been making the rounds. >> our crew has put in 5 bucks. we're all in.

let's show you what we have going on across the country today. above average temperatures out west. that's good for you folks. rain moving into parts of northern california. arctic air coming into the plains. we're going to look at that coming up in the next half hour. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. from us. because maybe you're already buying a car somewhere else. or maybe you want to shop around. or, maybe you don't want to drive a car at all anymore... like, maybe you want to ride a camel into the dessert and take a deep hard look within. just figure some stuff out for awhile. that's cool. whatever your plans for buying a car, carmax is the place to sell your car. okay, let's do this, tina, tchick-tchick. here we go, tchick-tchick. i believe in ya tina. c'mon now. ah, we can just hang out here. good morning, i'm meteorologist, kari hall. we are tracking around the rain moving to the bay area. here is the storm system to the south and west of us that will

be moving in as we go into this afternoon. looking closer, shows nothing inland as of yet. the time line for the rest of the day starts to show showers moving into the santa cruz mountains around noon and covering the bay area with possibly heavy downpours as we go to 3:00 today. >> that's your latest weather. guys? >> all right, thanks. coming up, should youtube ban one of its biggest stars? the growing controversy over a disturbing video that has logan paul apologizing again. and california's now booming business of weed. the unusual start-ups now springing up across the state. but first, this is "today" on nbc. okay mcdonald's. i see your one, two and three dollar deals. tell you what, i'll raise you five. introducing value jack's way. five great ways to save. like i tell jack jr., it's all about big values, jr. prices. that's value jack's way.

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brand vo: the world's largest workforce works for themselves. we work for them. quickbooks. backing you. authorities in the south bay are hoping someone helps them good morning. it's 7:25, i'm kris sanchez. people look at this video. authorities in the south bay are hoping somebody can identify that man. they believe he attacked a teacher in her classroom early yesterday morning. this happened at san jose parker middle school. a teacher was sexually assaulted and robbed. he is described as hispanic wearing a beanie. they are planning on beefing up security at the school and the surrounding neighborhood. they plan to keep it that way until he is brought into custody. we are tracking the possibility of rain. don't get cocky, if you are headed outside an don't see it yet. >> it won't be until this afternoon. the afternoon to evening drive will be slower. we are looking at the rain

offshore. all dry and we start to see the waves of rain move in shortly, getting heavier around 3:00 and 4:00. a lot of reds and yellows. we have a chance of thunderstorms as well, something we haven't seen in quite some time. as this continues to the 5:00 to 6:00 hour, waves of coverage on the radar. download the nbc bay area app so you can track the rain everywhere you go. let's check in with vianey for a look at the commute. >> we had a good commute so far, but we are still tracking delays on southbound 101 in palo alto right at the embarcadero road. there was a lane blocked earlier. now there is another crash. we are expecting to see heavy delays at that area. we can expect to see delays in the south bay. there's a crash along 101 there. bridge drive times, westbound 80 at the bay bridge. a live look outside right now, palo alto. kris?

>> we have more local news in just a half hour. hope your wednesday is off to a good start. ♪ it's time for sleep number's 'lowest prices of the season' on the only bed that adjusts on both sides to your ideal comfort, your sleep number setting.

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welcome back, everybody. 7:30. it's wednesday morning, the 3rd of january, 2018. nice to have you with us. >> good morning. there's a lot going on today. we're going to get to a check of the headlines, starting with a monster winter storm. >> nor'easter approaching. >> it's biting in the face. it's cold. >> 40 million under winter storm watches and warnings as the first storm of the year is set to hit the entire east coast, already coping with a record breaking deep freeze. >> this is primarily a storm from i-95 to the coast, tall way up through new england. hot button issue. president trump pushes back, telling kim jong-un the nuclear button on his desk is bigger and more powerful, as north korea and south korea, prepare for

diplomatic talks. and nbc news learns the rogue nation may be about to test another ballistic missile. mitt's next move? utah senator orrin hatch, the longest serving senate republican, announces his retirement, paving the way for mitt romney, the former massachusetts governor and trump critic, to run for the senate seat. out of tune. music streaming giant spotify sued for $1.6 billion for allegedly using thousands of recordings, including songs by tom petty, neil young and the doors, without a license. why did these chickens cross the road? wayward chickens block a freeway, forcing people to help them to safety. today, wednesday, january 3rd, 2018. i mean, there's so many puns. where is roker when you need him? >> exactly. want to move to the new apology from the wildly popular youtube star, logan paul.

we mentioned on tuesday, he's facing a massive backlash over a controversial video that was watched by millions. nbc's joe fryer catches us up on the story. good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. youtube star logan paul is facing a fallout after posting the video showing an apparent suicide victim. youtube says it violated their policies. and suicide prevention groups say it could have done more harm than good. >> i'm here to apologize. >> reporter: in a departure of his typical videos to make people laugh, logan paul's latest video offers a somber apology. >> for my fans who are defending my actions, please don't. they do not deserve to be defended. >> reporter: he is facing a flood of criticism after shooting footage at a japanese

forest that's become known for suicides. he and his friends found a body hanging from a tree. he posted video of the video online with the face blurred, sparking instant backlash. some say paul should be banned from youtube. aaron paul, no relation, tweeted, how dare you. you disgust me. i can't believe so many young people look up to you. >> i should have never posted the video. i should have put the cameras down. >> reporter: logan paul took down the video after it was seen by millions. he said it was meant to raise awareness by suicide. >> just turned to scary real. >> reporter: but mental health advocates say images can be harmful. >> somebody watching the video, experiencing distress, this could escalate their stress. they should reach out for help. >> reporter: paul has more than 15 million youtube followers. and forbes ranked him as fourth

on the list of youtube stars, saying he made $12.5 million a year. but this can encourage bad behavior, seen by kids. >> teens are interested in the edginess of the comedy. but they don't realize when it crosses the line. >> reporter: youtube says paul's video did violate its policies. in a statement, the company says, youtube prohibits violent or gory content posted in a shocking, sensational or disrespectful manner. for now, paul's youtube channel remains open for business. >> i'm disappointed in myself. i promise to be better. >> reporter: youtube says it partners with safety groups, like the national suicide prevention lifeline. and if someone makes searches that are related to suicide, the top of the results page displays suicide prevention resources. savannah and hoda, in the wake of all this, people want to know there's a push for people to understand that help is available. >> absolutely, joe.

thank you very much. let's switch gears and head over to al roker for a check of the weather. >> whatever falls in the northeast, it's not going anywhere for a while. we have brutally cold air to talk about. we talk about today. the windchill, 22 below. in indianapolis, it feels like 3 below. in charleston, it feels like 17. that's not the coldest yet. check it out. minneapolis, by sunday, you're at 10 degrees below zero. that's not a windchill, that's actual air temperature. in cincinnati, it will be zero. st. louis, 5. it mover moves into the northea buffalo, 5 degrees below zero. look at boston, minus 4 on saturday. minus 8 on sunday. we're looking for record lows. in the midwest, some of the windchills could approach anywhere from 15 to 30 degrees

below zero. that's what's going sounds like it hurts. we are going to have temperatures reaching into the mid-60s for the south bay. upper 50s for oakland and san francisco. we are going to be tracking the rain as it moves in. some of the downpours, they start at 1:00 to 2:00 and quickly become more widespread as we go into the 3:00 and 4:00 hour. isolated thunderstorms and we will test rounds of rain as we go into tonight. we'll have the latest and more updates here. get that weather anytime you need it. >> don't forget. get that weather anytime you need it. check out or pur pals on the weather channel. coming up, superstar support for carrie underwood, after being seen for the first time after a fall. and the judges on "jeopardy!" know you never mess with coolio and one of his

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>> with billions of dollars on the line, all sorts of businesses are already springing up. jacob soboroff made his way to our studio. >> i took off the hair net for you. good morning, savannah. with all of the regulations put into place on california's legal pot, growing it and selling it will not be an affordable business model for some people. that led some entrepreneurs from tech to beauty to food, to come up with tech start-ups that don't rely on growing or selling the plants itself. with cannabis elegalized in california, lines like this is springing up all over the state. it looks like you probably have at least 100 drivers in the field right now? >> usually on a day like this, there's 100 to 200 drivers. >> reporter: to operate a marijuana start-up in california's weed economy, you don't need pot. >> user s download the app. and you're able to shop.

>> reporter: this is a weed delivery app. and someone will show up within 20 minutes? >> correct. this is our man center here. we do a delivery about every ten seconds. >> reporter: eaze is one of hundreds businesses that hopes the move to recreational pot will pay off. they are hired from blue chip companies. what did you do before working with eaze? >> an operations supervisor for uh u.p.s. >> reporter: what are the parallels? >> number one is the customer. >> reporter: when you left your job at u.p.s. and you told your friends and family i'm getting in the marijuana business, what did they say? >> they thought i was crazy. after this, they don't think that. >> reporter: i noticed, there is a u.p.s. delivery truck. there's two of them right there. do you see a day when there's going to be eaze delivery trucks

driving around california? >> definitely. >> reporter: in san francisco, a cannabis catering business is run from her house. and they post recipes online. >> this is the crushed cannabis i have in here. it's been simmering about four hours already. >> reporter: the amount you use depends on how high you want to get? >> yep. >> reporter: they hope to capitalize on legal pot and the growing ranks of foodies. >> there's so much a focus on food, i think we'll see tons of cannabis-related cuisine. >> it was cookies and brownies. but how many of those can you eat? if you want to incorporate it into your daily life, it should extend some more healthy options. >> reporter: are we going to see jamba juice with cannabis one day? >> i would love that. >> reporter: in los angeles, you can get a legal manicu manicure/pedicure that doesn't get you high, but combines cbs

oil. i had to try one. what do most say about getting a cannicure? >> it's p ee's relaxing. >> reporter: that's pretty good. some of the salon's regular customers were curious about the treatment i got. do you smoke pot? >> no. >> reporter: would you do this even though you don't smoke pot? >> yeah. i like the tingling feeling. >> reporter: in california's booming economy, there's something for anyone who is interested, at least for now. that was more embarrassing than i remember it being. the state has received hundreds of applications for cannabis-related businesses. the one challenge, if these companies make money, where are you going to keep it all? less than 5% will do business with them because marijuana is still federally illegaled. >> your hands have never looked better. >> thank you, jacob. carson, what have you got over there? >> we're celebrating the huge news, hoda official co-anchor of

today. we have new congratulations we we have new congratulations we found online. the great emperor penguin migration. we have new congratulations we found online. trekking a hundred miles inland to their breeding grounds. except for these two fellows. this time next year, we're gonna be sitting on an egg. i think we're getting close! make a u-turn... u-turn? recalculating... man, we are never gonna breed. just give it a second. you will arrive in 92 days. nah, nuh-uh. nope, nope, nope. you know who i'm gonna follow? my instincts. as long as gps can still get you lost, you can count on geico saving folks money. i'm breeding, man. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. come on, you old el paso taco boats! use those flat bottoms! onions! tomatoes! don't forget the cheese! test test we started designing pop-up cards in our basement. what's cool is, today, we have 400 people working across the globe. with office 365, we can all stay connected, from vietnam, to boston, to new york.

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is energy that lasts. ♪ cheerios can help lower cholesterol. ♪good goes around and around. multi grain cheerios® five whole grains a hint of sweetness and a lot of good. ♪good goes around and around. ♪ oh, hoda, this orange room is for you. carson, what have you got? >> we have a lot. a big day for us around here. hoda was named co-anchor of "today." it was a huge day online. a couple of them. #savanahhodatoday was a top hash

tag in the u.s. here's reese witherspoon, congrats to the best in the business. you deserve it all. ellen said, hoda phone. so happy for you. sending lots of love. mindy kaling adding in, looking forward to you lighting up my morning in a new way. sir rod stewart, congratulations nbc, congratulating the entire network. make the perfect duo, guaranteed to bring smarts, care and compassion to our early morning. >> that was rod stewart? for real? >> honestly, we are as well. you can keep the well wishes coming in. was that his verified account? >> it was. sir rod stewart. i investigated. >> carson, thank you so much. thanks, guys. carrie underwood, spotted for the first time since that injury that damaged her face. and by the way, she's looking

good. >> she really is. then, cue the nursery makeover. big news from chip and joanna gaines. first, a check of local news and weather. baby number therbottle of tropicana pure oranges squepremium.o each and absolutely no space for added sugar, water, or preservatives. tropicana. we put the good in morning. [city street noise]

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good wednesday morning, right now at 7:56, we wake up to cool temperatures. a high of 65 in san jose. upper 50s and low 60s elsewhere across the area. we are getting ready for rain. don't forget the umbrellas at home. you will see the rain move in by early afternoon starting at the coast and working inland. by 1:00 tor 2:00, more coverage on the radar. by 3:30, it is working into the east bay. the yellows and reds indicate the heaviest rain and to pen shl of thunderstorms by this afternoon. this is sweeping across the area with scattered activity into this evening. this afternoon to evening, we will have slow going roads as that rain continues to fall. as we go to tonight, looking at pockets of rain, but it tapers off as we go to early tomorrow morning.

we'll have more updates on this. we have seen the palo alto area and the south bay recover nicely, following two crashes. we are seeing a nice recovery for the bridges. bridge times to the bay bridge, eight minutes. westbound 92 to san mateo, 13 minutes. a live look right now at the bay bridge. you can see the metering lights have been turned off at 7:43. back to you. security is tight around a san jose middle school while a teacher was robbed and sexually assaulted in her classroom. police release surveillance to hope to bring the person to justice. you can find the video on www.nbcbayarea.com. also, san jose is the center of the u.s. figure skating universe. today, the championships get under way the u.s. olympic selections on the line. the first events get under way today and there are tickets available. in the forecast. and our )today

in the bay ) team is tracking it all! i )ll work overnight to bring you the newest rainfall totals. plus - the latest timing of the next storm already heading this way. join us tomorrow - 4:30 to 7 a-m.

it is 8:00 on "today." coming up, bracing for the storm. >> oh, it's just frigid. >> after days of bone-chilling weather, a monster storm is set to hit the east coast. more than 40 million americans from florida to new england bracing for the first winter wallop of the new year. al has the forecast ♪ baby plus, start today. day two of our series is all about savings. from calories to cardio machines, we've got the diet tips and a special steals and deals to start your resolutions off right. ♪ and time to fix up the nursery. chip and joanna gaines

announcing a new addition to their family. how the "fixer upper" stars reveal the big news today, wednesday, january 3rd, 2018. >> all the way from south carolina! >> good morning to my 85 sisters! >> congratulations, hoda! >> we love you! >> they're a hardy crowd. we appreciate that. it's cold out there. >> it is. we'll bundle up and enjoy in a minute. let's get to our news. our deep freeze marathon leading to a major winter storm that's

going to blanket the east coast all the way down to florida. dylan is in niagara falls, new york, with a sight that drives home just how bitterly cold it's been. hey, dylan, good morning. >> good morning, hoda. it certainly is bitter out here. wind chill is down around 3, and it's been so cold here lately that there's an icy glaze coating everything here at niagara falls. we're on the new york side, and the air has been so cold, it's caused significant lake-effect snow. whiteout conditions in buffalo and a serious accident. a 70-car pileup on i-90 just outside of buffalo, where one person was killed in that huge crash. and this cold is very expansive. it extends down to missouri. it extends down to florida. we've had cars covered in ice, because of the bitter cold. and even though we're seeing the snow and ice all the way down through the gulf coast this morning, this is just the beginning of a very large storm that's going to strengthen rapidly off the coast, and possibly tomorrow turn into

almost like a hurricane type storm before it slams into new england, where we could see up to a foot of snow. of course, al will have more on that forecast. and, you know, hoda, i know you're now savannah's co host, but thanks to twitter, i found out that i have a co host of my own. twitter brought to my attention that i've had the ice man looming over my shoulder. people dressing it up on twitter. so -- they have fun. >> look at the duo. >> you ever get the feeling someone is looking at you, dylan? >> i know. it's creeping me out. >> thanks, honey. let's go back to al, with a closer look at the storm's path. the snow totals. >> almost like elmo got iced over. if you take a look, we've got snow in northern florida. ice, as well. making its way into southern georgia. the temperatures, the difference, 54 in daytona beach, but gainesville, 32. that's where that icing has happened. so we are talking about anywhere from a quarter inch to three quarters of an inch of ice in northern florida and southern georgia. power lines down, travel is

going to be treacherous. then we make our way up the coast, and the snowfall amounts through friday, especially through tomorrow from savannah to charleston, could be about 6 inches of snow. we look for about 2 to 4 inches stretching from atlantic city, chink ateague to norfolk. if this system makes its way to the west just a little bit, washington, you'll be involved, as well. look at the snowfall amounts. 3 to 6 inches for new york, and i think that might be on the low side. providence, 8 to 12 inches. we have blizzard warnings south and north of boston. 10 inches or more, and could be upwards of a foot to foot and a half as we get into maine, guys. so this thing is not -- i mean, it's going to be a big, big snow-maker, the way it's tracking right now. >> all right, al. thank you so much. president trump is escalating his feud with north korean dictator, kim jong-un. he tweeted overnight, "please inform him that i too have a nuclear button, but it is a much bigger and more powerful one than his.

and my button works." trump was responding to a threat from kim who said on monday that the entire u.s. is within range of his nuclear weapons, and that a nuclear button is always on his desk. even as that dispute heats up, there are signs of a possible diplomatic thaw between the two koreas. the north said this morning it has reactivated a hotline to the south, so they can discuss sending a north korean delegation to the winter olympics. an he would elderly florida man recovered from a frightening ordeal. that's his car sinking off panama beach, florida, and the gentleman is inside. police believe the 89-year-old may have had a medical episode when his car rolled from a pier, right into the water. fortunately, a u.s. coast guard cutter was nearby, and launched a rescue boat. crew members pulled the driver to safety. you can see there, his legs heading over the side of the boat as they headed for shore. >> wow. >> incredibly brave and good work by the coast guard.

>> absolutely. we turn now to the "morning boost." >> we've got a heart warming story of a hockey player in milwaukee sharing really, really good news with his dad. okay, you're looking at coming up, bobby butler in the yellow jersey about to tell his dad he made the u.s. olympic team. check it out. >> yeah! woo! >> come on. butler is a forward for the milwaukee admirals, headed to pyeongchang for the winter olympics, next month. his biggest fan, his dad, will likely be there rooting him on. don't you love when you see that quick moment that just changed everything? >> i love it. he can't stop hugging him. so cute. lots more ahead this morning, including a project for "fixer upper" stars, chip and joanna gaines. and maybe it's time to parent the german way. and hi, megyn, good morning. >> diet is weighing heavy on everyone's mind. i know you're about to do a

segment on it. at the top of our hour, we are going to reveal u.s. news and world reports list of the best diets, and there are some surprising ones you may never have heard. see you then. >> speaking of all of that -- >> the chocolate milk shake diet? >> i like -- a brother and sister who found success losing weight together and how they may inspire all of us, coming up after all of these messages. am i getting my maximum refund? i checked it, ma'am. you're good to go. see, nothing to be afraid of at all... hello? intuit turbotax. whentrust the brand doctors trust for themselves. nexium 24hr is the number one choice of doctors and pharmacists for their own frequent heartburn. and all day all night protection.

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a shift without a disaster. my bargain detergent couldn't keep up. it was mostly water. so, i switched to tide pods. they're super concentrated, so i get a better clean. i mean, i give away water for free. i'm not about to pay for it in my detergent. #1 trusted. #1 awarded it's got to be tide. and for a plant-based clean, try tide purclean welcome back to "today." it's wednesday morning. are you guys ready to trend? >> we are. >> and we have miss jenna bush hager here. always love when she is here. what's trending this morning? can i get some music, please? ♪ >> ooh. >> that is the music of "jeopardy." >> hey, trebek! >> from the game show gone viral, after alex trebek was

forced to teach one contestant a hard lesson about '90s rap. take a look. >> a song by coolio from "dangerous minds" becomes a classic. >> nick. >> what is "gangster's paradise lost." >> yes. our judges have reevaluated one of your responses a moment ago, nick. you said gangsters instead of gangstas on that song by coolio so we take 3200 away from you. so you are now in second place. >> what? >> drop the mic. >> in the oxford english dictionary, if you look up gangster and gangsta, they are different. >> oh, they are? >> therefore, by the rules -- >> do you agree with the judges? >> carson is right. >> i don't agree. i would have given it to him. but i didn't know that they meant different things. >> well, did you know that in response to all this outrage, they did turn to the dictionary and prove that you were right. so there you have it. so we're going to play a rapper's game. are you ready? so we're going to figure out

what our rapper name would be. so here's how it works. you take the word lil -- not little. lil. and you pair it with the first thing you purchased in 2018. >> oh, i thought -- >> lil something. so mine's lil egg sandwich. >> ah. >> what? >> wow. >> al? >> uh, lil nacho. >> lil nacho? >> you had nachos at the game? >> we were at a mexican restaurant. >> cool. all right. >> yo, yo, yo, holla at your boy, lil mega millions. >> wow! >> new track dropping friday. seven funk flex, where you at? >> i love when you get ethnic. >> that actually works, lil mega millions. >> lil and mega. nice. >> now i'm so embarrassed. >> what's yours? >> lil taxi ride. >> oh. >> that's all right. >> lil cab ride. does that sound better? i paid for a cab ride home from

the airport. >> okay. mine isn't much better. lil half gallon of milk. ran out. right before bedtime for charlie. half gallon. >> carson daly, take us to "pop start." >> they should send us theirs. in the orange room, we'll track that. let me start with chip and joanna gaines. the "fixer upper" stars announcing their fifth child and announced after their latest episode of their hit hgtv series. >> "fixer upper" stars, chip and joanna gaines, known for making magic out of bed doors and barn doors, expecting their fifth child. chip posting this image on instagram of their competing baby bumps with the caption, "gaines party of seven, if you're still confused, we are pregnant." >> come on, stay up! >> already the proud parents of 12-year-old drake, 11-year-old

ella, 9-year-old duke, and 7-year-old emmy, who all appear regularly on the home makeover show. the couple shocked fans last september by revealing that the current season of their hgtv series will be their last. the decision leaving fans saddened and confused about why the couple wanted to end such a successful show. but they insisted, they just needed to focus on their family. they recently spoke to savannah here on "today." >> the most important thing in the world is jo and i's relationship followed very quickly by these four beautiful kids and we didn't want to push it. >> the couple was married in 2003 and live on a 40-acre farm outside of waco, texas. ten years later, they launched "fixer upper," turning dilapidated houses into dream homes. chip's goofy charm making the show a huge hit, and spawning a media empire, including books and a lifestyle line at target. now chip and joanne ga gaines are creating another fabulous

makeover. this time to their family. no word on the due date but we are excited for the gaines family, none other than jenna bush hager who is just this much south of stalking them. >> i am a large fan. >> did you watch last night? >> i didn't watch last night because i was too tired. that doesn't sound like a large fan but over the holidays i did do a drive-by their farm. because my parents are neighbors. i was like, mom, there it is. >> lil taxi driver. now to carrie underwood from the fall where she broke her wrist, 40 to 50 stitches to her face. the country superstar said she may look different when she steps back into the spotlight but now we get our first glimpse. a former reality star tweeted this photo of her taken at a gym in tennessee. she looks great. no obvious signs of facial injury. support from fans pouring in. a tweet from a fan says, carrie, you're beautiful inside and out, scars or none.

we're rooting for you. and finally, justin timberlake announced a brand-new album on the way, titled "man of the woods." the first single comes out this friday. justin broke the news with this video teaser. >> this album is really inspired by my son, my wife, my family. more so than any other album i've ever written, where i'm from. and it's personal. ♪ >> we see justin in the studio with pharrell williams, who calls his music earthy and a smash. timberlake's 2-year-old son, as he mentioned, silas and wife jessica biel, both make cameos. "man of the woods" released, this all working out great for him, february 2, two days after he takes over the stage at the super bowl. >> oh, perfect. >> before the super bowl. all right there for you. all planned out nicely. >> i like it. >> that's your "pop start" today, guys.

and your "daly click." a little puppy for you. hold on. maybe this way. well, doesn't really matter. roll the tape. >> there he is! >> hardest part about sledding is carrying that sled back up the hill. and doesn't seem to be an issue for this dog. a 3-year-old australian shepard. >> oh! >> his name is secret. now, secret is cruising down the mountain there, right, no problem. gets down to the bottom. >> wow. >> not done yet. secret is going to go ahead and just start to grab the sled and march right back up the hill. >> who is a good girl? >> secret's owner, mary, says that sledding is one of secret's favorite activities. >> look at that! >> she runs off! >> up and down the hill 50 times. >> wow! >> would be handy with children. put them right on. >> and he's back down. >> could just watch it all day. love it. carson, thank you. mr. roker, check of the weather? >> all right. quick show you what's going on. and quickly show you, we've got more arctic air coming in here, so another winter blast as we

move into the weekend. but out west, you folks have above-average temperatures. you're in great shape, rain along the central california coast. this ice storm, we're going to be watching through the southeast as it make here's a look at our above average temperatures. we're going to be reaching into the upper 50s to mid-60s for today. 65 in san jose. looking forward to that ron that will be moving in by early afternoon. starting out along the coast and working its way inland. by 2:00 to 3:00, we'll have pretty good coverage so a lot of yellows and reds indicating pockets of heavy rain and potentially some thunderstorms. it's been a long time since we've had storms here in the bay area, but we could still some rain into the evening commutes and tapering off later tonight. latest weather. hoda? weather. hoda? >> all right, al.

pero primero conozcamos su changes to shed a combined 50 pounds. we're going to talk to them in a minute. but first, here's their inspiring story. >> we're going for four and a half. >> four and a half. for me being healthy is probably more like how i feel. it just permeates into the rest of your life. >> for siblings kevin and lindsay, the last year has been a slow and steady race to getting healthy and losing weight. >> by the time i was done with college, i was over 200 pounds. >> at least 330. i don't know the exact number, because at that point in my life, i didn't want to know. >> it was time for something different, the duo say, so together they decided to make a change. lindsey first, then reluctantly, her younger brother. >> i wouldn't have gotten this far without the support of my sister. >> this with my brother has meant a friendly competition exists. >> i'm also going to have the chopped chicken. >> they started small, trading in fried foods for grilled.

>> it's actually pretty good. >> swapping out ice cream for low-fat yogurt, doubling up on fruits and vegetables. counting points through the weight watchers app. >> probably eight points for the potato salad. >> yeah. >> and infusing movement and exercise into everyday life. simple changes for the two that led to big results. combined, they have lost 150 pounds. each year, an estimated 50 million americans go on a diet. yet only about 5% manage to keep the weight off. but studies show that taking the journey with a family member or loved one can make sticking with a plan easier, leading to greater success. >> it's everything to have somebody that you're buddying up with. because you have somebody who knows exactly what you're going through. you're doing something to make yourself better. >> definitely somebody to kick their butt in class to. >> the best part about this is the confidence in, like, myself

that i've gotten because of the weight loss. >> and it all started because i started just something that was just out of the box for me. >> how awesome are these two. we've got kevin and lindsey with us, along with "today" nutritionist, joy bauer. guys, good morning. >> good morning. >> you look so good. >> thank you. >> a lot of people are probably watching saying i wish i could do what they did. what was the toughest thing you had to overcome to get to this stage in your bodies? >> i think that the toughest thing that i had to overcome was changing from eating fried foods all of the time to just limiting that completely. i mean, truffle fries really get me every time. >> who wouldn't love those? you guys have lost a combined 150. you talked about your confidence. >> yeah. >> how has it changed you? >> it's totally changed my life. it's given me a new sense of self, and made me feel so much better and more outgoing and confident in what i can do. >> by the way, i can see it on you guys. and we want to help people at home do what you two did. so i'm going ask joy, i'm going

to say -- i'm going to ask joy to come in, and she's going to help us see if we can replicate. >> i love everything that they did in their successful journey. >> one of the things he said which is really important is go from fried to not fried. >> so what i want to do is walk through a few simple tricks so people can still enjoy the flavors of the fried food. mozzarella sticks. we love them. but, of course, they're calorie bombs. four pieces before, just 420 calories for these four pieces. >> that's it? >> instead, what you can do at home which is so easy is at any point take string cheese, break them up, warm your favorite marinara sauce and just dunk them in. how about this one, the before, 420 calories. the after is only 180 calories. that's a huge savings. >> and it's satiating. i think you want that cheese and that taste. >> and if the marinara sauce is warm, the cheese gets ooey and gooey. >> french fries, an achilles' heel for a lot of people. >> a fast food order beforehand, a large is 500 calories.

hoda, i am obsessing over these hi jicama fries. this recipe i put on my website and my kids are eating them up. you take a jicama, slice it up like little fries and put a little bit of olive oil on there and put garlic powder, paprika. before, 500 calories. this huge portion, 140 calories. >> i'm picky about my fries and i eat these. >> delicious. tacos when you go to your favorite mexican joint, nine times out of ten, the fish tacos may be fried. this may be the easiest request ever. 1,000 calories for two fried fish tacos. if you just request grilled fish, 500 calories. we just slashed it in half. >> and that's it. okay. so, again, if you just did the frying thing only, you could make a lot of headway in your diet. >> because when they fry, you also cover it first in starchy carb, and then they deep fry it. so it's not just higher in fat. it's higher in carbs, as well. >> okay. i'm looking at chinese food,

which is totally in my wheelhou wheelhouse. is that general ts a's? >> the before, 1800 calories and you feel heavy and lethargic after this. how about instead of the egg roll we go to egg drop soup. instead of the fried rice, we go to steamed brown rice with soy sauce. ask inste and instead of the battered fried chicken, we're going to go to chicken and broccoli and brown sauce. this one, 1,800 calories. the after, 800 calories. >> okay. what's the brown sauce? because i'm curious. part of it is the flavor that you miss. >> i mean, this from a chinese restaurant is really going to be some peanut oil. >> pretty good. >> yeah. put all sorts of flavorings in there. and to top it off, this is only 25 calories for a fortune cookie. >> so if you need a sweet at the end. >> i mean, orange slices. all doable. >> kevin and lindsey, thanks,

you guys. you did remarkable work. to check out joy's 30-day plan, head to today.com/starttoday, and sign up for our newsletter by texting today at 66866. speaking of resolutions, just ahead, jill is here to help you stick to them this year with one of the biggest steals and deals ever. but first, your local news. i )m ...

after one of the driest bay area good morning. it's 8:26, i'm marcus washington. after one of the driest bay area decembers on record, lots of people hoping that the storm arriving later today helps add to critical winter rainfall totals. compared to this time last year water levels at most bay area dams are way down. now, that continues and includes anderson dam in morgan hill, which opened its spillway last january. right now it's at about 25% capacity. as for the coming storm, meteorologist kari hall says that it should reach parts of the bay area by early afternoon and leave between a quarter inch and 1 inch of rain. right now we are tracking a crash in the south bay. >> it is starting to cause some delays but we've started to see a couple of fender-benders here and there. chp is reporting the crash along northbound 101 at brokaw road.

apparently one of those vehicles is blocking the number two lane and we can already see it's starting to cause some delays and some slowing in that area. they were on their way as far as the tow truck so that should be cleared out just in time for that 9:00 a.m. rush hour. now, your bay bridge toll plaza right now is looking pretty smooth. westbound 80 towards the bay bridge, about eight minutes. look at that, the metering lights have been on since the 7:00 a.m. hour, which is all good to go. >> we'll have another local news update for you coming up in half an hour.

woman: so, greg, it's a lot to take in. woman 2: and i know that's hard to hear, but the doctors caught it early. hi, blake! my dad has cancer. woman: and i know how hard that is to hear. but you're in the right place. man: and dr. pascal and her team, they know what to do. they know what to do. the doctors know what to do. so here's the plan. first off, we're going to give you all... (voice fading away)

♪ 8:30, now. it's wednesday morning, the 3rd of january, 2017. and it is chilly outside. we have a great crowd out here. they're nice and hearty, good spirits. >> love you. >> it is 17 degrees right now. and by this time tomorrow, we could be standing in snow right here. and actually, megyn and hoda and i were just discussing, maybe we should bring leg warmers back. >> i think that's a good idea. >> we should get coordinated. >> we can flash dance then. >> honestly, it would be easier. we come out here with these bare legs. >> and we're freezing. >> there's something inconsistent. >> tomorrow, leg warmers.

>> we're in it. >> are we going to lunch later today? >> get a sandwich. come on, a "crowd moment" is about to be had. wait a minute. wait a minute. are you cliff? >> i'm cliff. yes, i am. >> cliff does really cool caricatures. you did them superfast. these are great ones. how long did it take you to do these? >> 20 minutes. >> 20 minutes. wow. we're going to make a challenge for you. we're going to bring carson daly over here. and you're going to have three minutes to do a quick carson. can you do it? >> yes. >> you're up to the challenge? take a good look. >> go easy on me. >> take care of him. >> get my good side. >> we're going to check back in after weather. get to work. >> that's amazing. >> i hope he has a pen. coming up, we have a great "steals & deals" for all your resolutions. jill has bargains galore on

exercise equipment, cook tools and so much more. and we have the touching story of a newborn, a police officer and the special bond they share. you're going to love this story. and move over tiger moms and dads. there's a new cure for coddled kids we should say that some people might start parenting the german way. >> it's very interesting. megyn, what have you got coming up? >> we're going to talk about who has the bigger button, donald trump or jim kim jong-un. >> i thought you said butt. >> we're not talking about that at all. >> at megyn kelly. >> he said it, not me. love you, too. actually going to talk -- >> and mean it. >> we're going to talk about the biggest and the best diets. "u.s. news and world report" they do the best cholleges. the best ones that will take off

the pounds. tomorrow, we have one where you don't have to diet at all. you don't have to diet and you lose weight. >> i'm tuning in for sure. al, let's get a check of the weather. >> i do. >> stop it. get your mind out of the gutter. i don't. it's cold there. let's show what we have going on. out west, we've been talking about everything in the east. let's check out our friends out west. showers come into central california. temperature-wise, you're in great shape out west. anywhere from 10 to 20 degrees above average. san diego, 76. same in phoenix. denver, ten degrees above average at 52 degrees, looking pretty good. looking at an ice storm making its way up the southeastern and atlantic coast. let's check in. how are you doing there? o oh, hey now. >> it looks good. >> you should walk around like that all the time. >> i offered to go nude. but cliff was like -- for the art. >> i

good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. watching the rain move closer to the bay area coast, we're seeing it just offshore. this will be bringing us some wet weather as we go into late morning and early afternoon. looking pretty good as far as the timing with this, moving in by 10:30 with a quick round of some rain and then much heavier rain and widespread downpours as we go into the 2:00 to 3:00 to 4:00 hour. also the potential of isolated thunderstorms later today as this moves in. we'll see it slowly tapering off tonight. >> that's very impressive. >> have you seen this man? if you see him, call your local authorities. >> that looks good. don't forget, any weather you need, especially in the next couple of days, you want to check out our friends at the weather channel on cable. now, let's head back inside. >> all right, al. thanks so much. it's time for our special, our first "steals & deals" of the new year, with a special

"start today" edition. jill martin has filled our studio with all things to keep your resolutions in check. hello, jill. >> hello. >> we're starting out with a workout portion of the program, right? >> these are perfect for you. the retail, $48 to $60. go to today.com, different versions of this. different colors and hoodies and leggings. the real day $48 to $60. up to 45% off. >> tell me about class pass. >> class pass isn't a specific gym. it's a class pass to go to different gyms. this is the deal for the first month only. if you want to opt out after that, you can do that. this is to try it out. you get access to different studios in your city. go to today.com to see what they are. you can try out different classes. you don't get anything on this

table. this is to represent the things you do. you can go to all the different classes. they retail $30 to $75. 95% off. >> $1.50 to work out. we need to hydrate. you have the perfect way. >> these are the groovy water bottles now. it's a two-piece set. it's carried in saks, neiman marcus and nordstrom. the deal, $31, 59% off. >> the products here, they're acti acti activewear. just keep going? >> i guess go to savannah. >> you're not done yet. >> i don't know if we were doing the wrap-up after each one. >> no, at the end. >> right now, before we do that, we have to cook in style. >> right. >> this is the kitchen deal. the veggie spiralizer.

>> we can do that. >> there's four different blades. you can do ribbon linguine, s spaghet spaghetti. >> this is like a joy bauer dream sequence here. this is deal number two, the blender. you can make soups and soothe this. i didn't make that so you can drink it. the deal, $127, 50% off. it comes with a cup. after you blend it and you flip it over. >> okay. what's this? >> the ifit workout bundle. $368. the mat, the ball, and a year to online video workouts. these are things you can do at home. easy to store. the retail, $368. the deal, $99. that's 70% off. this is the gaba goods arm band and wristband.

you get the l.e.d. arm band light-up. you put that around you. people can see if you're coming and going. >> if you're running at night. >> or in the morning. al could put that on. you get the phone with it, as well. the retail is $49.98. >> the phone doesn't come with it. >> no. >> that's what you said. >> yeah. the phone, right. you need your own phone. the retail, $49.98, the deal, $24. >> my blood pressure is 110/70. >> now, we're on the pro form treadmill. how is it going? >> doing pretty good. >> in your shoes. did you speed it up? >> i didn't want to make too much noise. >> retail, 1,$099. there's two built-in fans. $1,099. the deal, $837, 58% off.

>> these things are not cheap. >> retail, >> so many cool gadgets everywhere. >> what else? >> can you swing around here? >> if you get to the high intensity part of your workout, there's a holder that holds your chips. you just put it there. if you're hungry get a little snack in, while you're working out right here. >> joy bauer? >> i'll take three of them. >> and this fitness drink. >> i'll trade you a chip for a coke. >> i'm trying to get you in shape. the retail is $2,643. the deal, $999. that's 62% off. it does not come with the chips. hoda is providing. >> we're not the culprits.

>> al has an egg roll all of a sudden. >> it's down here. there's a great military honor with general tso. >> the veggie spiralizer and the blender from thick kitchen. and the exercise bundle. the gaba good arm and waistbands. jill will be back all month long, every day. >> try the veal. >> to help you. you want one? >> i got some in my chip holder, thanks to the pro form. coming up next, you guys, we have a touching story. a police officer who went above and beyond to save a newborn's life. first this, is "today" on nbc. n life. first this, is "today" on nbc. sfx: squeak

sfx: stair creak sfx: clink sfx: deep breath sfx: grunt sfx: tinny headphone music sfx: feet shuffling sfx: slice sfx: gasp sfx: inhale. exhale. sfx: lights scraping on roof sfx: metallic scrape sfx: grunt covered california. it's more than just health care. it's life care. we're back at 8:42. and jenna has a touching story

for us. >> this is the story about a baby girl fighting for her life and the man who made an incredible sacrifice to help save her. sloan st. james is a beautiful baby girl. she smiles easily, and adores big brother, carter, who never leaves her side. but at 3 months old, her parents, sarah and chris, grew concerned. >> she was jaundice. her jaundice wasn't going away. at the same time, she developed a bigger belly. her belly was getting bigger and nothing else was. we called it her buddha belly. >> reporter: you felt like something was off? >> you have a glimmer of the worst thing. and you say, it's not going to be the worst thing, i think. >> reporter: a trip to boston children's hospital brought a heartbreaking diagnosis. sloan was in stage 4 liver failure, suffering from a rare disease. when you heard the news that your 4-month-old had a failing liver, what went through your mind? >> terror. >> yep. >> absolute gut-wrenching fear and terror.

>> reporter: doctors warned sloan needed a liver frantransp in two weeks. they put out an online call for help. >> on social media, we posted about sloan's diagnosis. you know, you think about who's going to be the first people to pop up. your closest friends, closest family. no. it was steven. >> reporter: lieutenant steven tenney is a new hampshire police officer and a family acquaintance, who not only lives in another state, but he had never even met sloan. did you know that you were a match for her? >> i knew that our blood type was a match. everything else comes through the workup. every day that went by, we knew we were closer to being a match. >> reporter: after a week after intense tests, steven checked into a hospital in burlington, massachusetts. doctors removed nearly one-third of his liver and raced it 20 miles to boston, where sloan's doctors at the same time were ready for the transplant.

>> senni isending her into that was a surreal experience. you never want to hand her off not knowing the outcome. >> reporter: eight hours later, the transplant was a success. what about the moment you first got to hold her again and see her again. >> it was because you could see her and she had wires everywhere. all the machines on her. it was like, i couldn't believe we made it this far. >> reporter: what made you know you want to do this? >> it's something you have to do. it's a baby if a baby is in need. >> reporter: two weeks after the surgery with both of them still recovering, steven met sloan for the very first time. >> at first, i was nervous but excited. and then, seeing her in person was great. she was very happy. she's a wonderful baby. >> it was incredible. you would never know what he had gone through. i would like to think he's a

little proud of what he had done. he deserves to be. and him holding her, it's a new bond, creating for life. he gave us sloan. we were potentially going to lose her. >> reporter: he won't call himself a hero. but do you think he's a hero? >> absolutely. he's our hero. he's sloan's hero. >> reporter: and now, at almost 9 months old, she is reaching her milestones. happy, smiling and full of life. >> her name means warrior. we didn't know when i named her sloan, that we were going to need it. but she's nothing but a warrior. she's the best. >> so, when a baby as young as sloan has such a serious surgery, there's obviously a long road ahead for her and for her family. they are, of course, in our thoughts and our prayers. one of the reasons they wanted to tell this story is they're such advocates for organ donors. they believe it's so important that this part of him saved her. and that can happen for a lot of

other kids and people around the country. >> what an extraordinary thing for him to do for a stranger, for a little baby. >> he didn't think it was extraordinary. he said, i had a responsibility to help somebody. >> another reason to love him, too, right? >> definitely. >> that was great, jenna. thanks. coming up, we're going to talk about parenting. do you think your kids are too coddled? maybe it's time we parent the german way. we're going to explain. but first this, is "today" on nbc.

i've seen wonders all around the world but what i see here never ceases to amaze me: change. i see it in their eyes. it happens when people connect with nature, with culture, with each other.

day after day i'm the first to see change. to see people go out, and come back new. princess cruises. come back new. sail with the #1 cruise line in alaska. 7-day cruises from $599. visit princess.com welcome back. as parents, of course, we want our kids to grow up to be independent, self-confident and responsible. how do we do that? sarah might have the answer. she raised her kids in germany for six years. and she writes that in a book called "achtung baby." sarah, good morning. i was fascinated with this topic because you said when you moved

to germany, you noticed right away there was a difference between the way german moms and dads treated their kids s and americans do. what did you notice? >> we went to a picnic at a park with another family. and they asked to play at a playground. but the playground had a wall in front of it. and the kids went off and none of the other parents move. >> how old were the kids? >> two 3-year-old girls and one 5-year-old boy. that's fairly normal that germans don't feel they need to hover over their kids on the playground. at first, i found that quite shocking. that's a good way for kids to self-test to learn what they can and can't do and learn to manage risk. >> i have to say, it had to be a shock to do that and to see german kids doing things that we, as parents in america, would be hovering right over them. >> right. i was surprised when my daughter came home from preschool and

said she had made a fruit salad and cut the fruit with knives. later on, in elementary school, she came home and asked to light some candles because she had learned to light matches in school. >> what's their thought there? obviously, american parents are not overprotected always when they say don't play with knives or matches. they're being protective. what's the theory there? >> it's safer to teach children how to use things like knives and matches, rather than prohibit them. if you prohibit something, some children do it in secret. that's when it becomes dangerous. >> you have some tips. one of them is, if you think you can walk somewhere, don't -- or bike somewhere, don't drive your kids there. why is this important? >> because they need to learn how to navigate their world. of course, we prepare the kids first. we'll go with them a couple times so they know the route and how to do traffic. but then, we let them do it on their own. >> and you say, spend time

outside every day, no matter the weather. >> no matter the weather. >> right now, it's hard to bundle them up and put them outside. but you think we should? >> yeah. there's no bad weather, only unsuitable clothing. you get a lot of snow pants and get the hats and the scarves and mittens. a little time outside every day makes kids feel better, i think. >> i like this one. make time for play. even little kids get homework now or they're overscheduled. and you say what? free time for goofing around. >> yeah. kids need a little time every day to decide what they want to do with it. usually that means playing. >> this was a biggie. i have two can is. they're not fighting yet because they're 1 and 3. you're an advocate, of letting them hash it out. solve their own fights and problems. >> absolutely. it if it's too heated, we have them calm off. >> the parents shouldn't be the

referee. >> no. yeah. >> and finally, talk honestly, even about hard subjects. >> absolutely. we try to be open and honest with our kids about things like sex, religion, death. even if it's an uncomfortable topic because kids need this kind of information. they're big parts of life. and they need to know about it. >> if they're not hearing about it from you, who knows where they're going to hear about it? >> exactly. >> thank you so much. the book is called "achtung baby." we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. okay mcdonald's. i see your one, two and three dollar deals. tell you what, i'll raise you five. introducing value jack's way. five great ways to save. like i tell jack jr., it's all about big values, jr. prices. that's value jack's way.

like jack's one-of-a-kind breakfast pockets for $2 each. three of jack's famous tacos and a small drink for $3! or a classic bonus jack combo for $5! it's like i tell jack jr., it's all about big values, jr. prices. we have a lot coming up in the fourth hour. jenna bush hager is going to hang out for that hour. and megan boone from "the blacklist." she's terrific. and we're going to debate if it's okay to get thing that are fresh or frozen things. >> a margarita can be frozen. >> exactly. and i )m - -...

authorities in the south bay good morning, it's 8:56. i'm marcus washington. authorities in the south bay are hoping someone can help identify the man in this video right here. they say he is the person who attacked a teacher in her classroom early yesterday morning. now, this happened at san jose's harker middle school. police say the teacher was sexually assaulted and robbed. the man is hispanic wearing a black shirt and a beanie. police are beefing up security

at the school and surrounding neighborhood. police plan to keep things that way until authorities bring the man into custody. happening now, pete is speaking with parents. he will have a live report in our midday newscast. get more backstory on our home page. state water leaders today will conduct the first sierra snow measurement of the year. december was dry in lake tahoe and throughout the bay area but meteorologist kari hall is tracking the storm due to arrive this afternoon. we're posting updates all day on nbcbayarea.com. san jose is at the center of the u.s. figure skating universe. starting today the championships get under way with u.s. olympic team selections on the line. the first event gets under way before noon leading up to the ladies short program tonight. more on our twitter feed with those updates we will post. in the forecast. and our )today

in the bay ) team is tracking it all! i )ll work overnight to bring you the newest rainfall totals. plus - the latest timing of the next storm already heading this way. join us tomorrow - 4:30 to 7 a-m.

this morning on this morning on "megyn kelly today," two lives, transformed. meet the couple who lost half of their combined body weight and hear what went into their radical reduction. "take it off today." the top diet trends, which really work? plus, pack your bags on the best places to vis this year. all that and more on "megyn kelly today," right now. [ applause ] thank you, everybody. welcome. thank you for being here. i'm megyn kelly. weight loss in 2018. america is starting this year with a heavy burden. maybe some of you are feeling it in your waistlines right now. as recently as this past