good morning, winter blast. 26 million people in the path of a storm barreling across the country today, stretching from new mexico to north carolina. heavy rain, flooding, and the possibility of 2 feet of snow in the mountains. the storm potentially snarling air traffic nationwide. dylan is tracking it all. individual number one. in a new legal filing, prosecutors say president trump directed his longtime personal attorney michael cohen to pay hush money to two women, a violation of campaign finance laws. the president saying he's totally clear. but is he? white house shake-up. president trump hinting at a big change coming today within his

joint chiefs of staff. this after naming his next attorney general and next u.s. ambassador to the united nations, a former anchor from fox news. the president also slamming his former secretary of state, calling him dumb as a rock. all of it amid swirling rumors that chief of staff john kelly is next to go. we're live at the white house. all that plus paris under siege. tear gas in the air. world famous tourist site shut down with more violent protests expected this week. the show must go on. kevin hart back on his standup tour right after he stepped down as host of the oscars. what he's saying today. a big chill. a holiday classic coming under fire this christmas season. why some radio stations are banning "baby it's cold outside" from their airways. "today," saturday, december 8, 2018.

good morning to you. welcome to "today." thanks for joining us on this saturday morning. >> it is cold outside this morning. we still have folks on the plaza. they have their christmas hats on. that helps a little bit. a chill in the air for sure. >> the tree brings them out, no matter how cold it is. >> as long as the weather is good enough to get to your loved ones, enjoy some time outside, that's what we're hoping for. in some places harder than others. that's the top story, the wild weather slamming tens of millions of people. houston hammered with rain, north carolina bracing for heavy snow. we are going to get to dylan's forecast in a moment. first nbc's joe fryer. he's in houston this morning with the very latest. joe, good morning. >> reporter: peter, good morning. right now all eyes on bayous and creeks like this one, rising waters flooded a park. heavy rain wreaked havoc on the roads causing flooding on

several streets as this powerful storm rolls across the country. it's a texas sized storm stopping across the lone star state with heavy downpours swamping streets and paralyzing traffic. in flood prone houston rising worries over rising waters. the city released water from a major lake, lowering it by 2 feet ahead of the storm as the mayor urged caution. >> you never know what mother nature is going to do. >> already this winter washout unleashed record rainfall in parts of california. the cleanup is under way after the storm flooded neighborhoods and propelled mud and debris into fire scarred communities. >> sounds like a train in the backyard. rocks banging. sounded like a big earthquake without the house shaking. >> reporter: now heading east with a swath of heavy snow and freezing rain. >> take steps now to get your family ready. >> reporter: north carolina has already declared a state of emergency with several inches of snow possible in spots.

some grocery shelves are bare. at one hardware store customers staked out a truck delivering shovels and kerosene heaters. >> they were waiting on the truck when it got here. didn't get off the truck before it was sold. >> a winter weather headache that's stretching from coast-to-coast. here in texas some roads are still under water this morning. in some spots they did receive record rainfall. considering houston's history with flooding, many here this morning are relieved knowing it could have been worse. peter and chanel. >> on the ground in houston, thanks. >> dylan tracking this closely. dylan, what's happening today and what's happening next? >> it's headed east. for the most part it's the heavy rain down south we're focused on. flood watches in effect, 3 to 4" of rainfall. on the northern side we have winter weather advisories, warning because of snow and ice. here is the latest across

nashville. we have that wintry mix trying to change over to snow. north of little rock across northern arkansas, that's where we have snow and ice. you can see heavy rain approaching new orleans. as we go through the day, we are going to see heavy rain across alabama, mississippi, especially atlanta. expect several airport delays in atlanta today. charleston expecting rain. watch what happens on sunday. really heavy snow starts to take hold of north carolina and moves up into virginia. there is that little bit of icing that could cause very dangerous conditions. basically if you are driving tomorrow, keep a close eye on the thermometer in your car. when it says 32 and it looks like rain and the temperature is 32, chances are it's freezing rain. where it's snowing, you know where the snow is. that part of the country not used to this much snow early in the season. in atlanta, 3 to 4" like we saw across parts of texas. as for snow, highest elevations back towards the mountains, that's where we could see a foot

to a foot and a half of snow. we're looking for a widespread 4 to 8" and higher elevations north of greensboro, boone, that's where we see about 8 to 12". that icing could be as much as a tenth to a quarter of an inch. >> thank you. >> new developments involving president trump's former personal lawyer and former chairman of his presidential campaign. prosecutors releasing new documents that point the finger at michael cohen, paul manafort and even at the president himself. nbc's chief justice correspondent pete williams has been following it for us. good morning. >> michael cohen and paul manafort will soon be sentenced. this morning we have a flurry of new court filings from the prosecutors on whether they have been so helpful they should be treated leniently. robert mueller praises cohen as useful but says manafort is still lying. robert mueller's prosecutors say michael cohen met seven times about questions central to their investigation of russian

investigation meddling, including information about attempts by russians to reach the trump campaign as early as november 2015, including one unidentified person who offered, quote, synergy on a government level and proposed a meeting between donald trump and vladimir putin. >> cohen has been useful to mueller. the special counsel's office makes that clear. it looks like cohen gave special council information helpful to the investigation. >> new york prosecutors tougher on cohen saying he should get a prison sentence of three years. they said he held too in their separate case. he pleaded guilty to violating campaign laws with hush money payments to two women who claimed they had sexual encounters with trump. court documents say cohen told them he acted in coordination and at the direction of individual one. that's donald trump, but the documents do not call mr. trump an unindicted co-conspirator. but no praise from mueller for paul manafort, the former trump campaign chairman. mueller says he kept on lying

even after he pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate, partly about the bank and tax fraud that got him in hot water in the first place, and mueller says in a court filing that manafort had contacts with administration officials earlier this year even though he denied it. the documents do not say what that contact was about. the white house spokeswoman sarah sanders says in a statement that mueller's latest court filing says absolutely nothing about the president and even less about collusion. >> pete, michael cohen is expected to be sentenced next week. what's next for him, and what's the likelihood he'll wind up behind bars? >> i think the likelihood is quite high. his lawyers say that he wants to turn his life around, but it's pretty certain he's going to start that process in prison. paul manafort will have to wait until at least march, that's the tentative sentencing date for him. >> all right, pete, thank you. >> let's bring in danny is a vall cevallos, he is an nbc news legal analyst. good morning to you. >> the president quickly

responded on kwtwitter. to be clear in these documents, individual one is donald trump. we know that to be true. the document from these prosecutors and the southern district of new york endorses michael cohen's claim that donald trump directed cohen to commit felonies. campaign finance violations. so don't these documents say as much about donald trump as they do about anybody else? >> let me take you back to the summer when a will tlot of us wd whether campaign finance violations were a crime that the special counsel or government attorneys would be interested in. the answer is yes, in august when michael cohen stood in federal court here in new york and pleaded guilty to just that crime. at the time he implicated the president in open court, but the question still remained did the government believe him, and the answer to that question came yesterday. yes, it does. yes, it does believe that not only did the president, individual one, know about these payments which constituted

crimes, but that he directed them. and under the basic principles of criminal law if you order or direct someone to commit a crime, it's just as if you committed the crime yourself. >> so then on that note, you think about it, you just kind of touched on this. this whole investigation began really as an effort to determine if there was coordination between the president's team and the russians during the campaign. we're learning new details, though, and within the filing it stated that cohen revealed, quote, certain discreet russia-related matters core to its investigation. what can we take away from that? >> that there is some there there with the russia investigation, and particularly when you look at michael cohen's guilty plea for lying to congress, that implicates the russian deal, the trump deal in russia, and the fact that they needed the help of russian officials. the inference you can draw from that is potentially that if they needed this help and if russians knew that trump deceived the american public when he said i have no business in russia, then

did the russians have something to hold over president trump? did they have what we call compramat. >> a will the of peoplot of peo this from a distance. jerome corsi said he believes he is going to be indicted. a man by the name of roger stone is concerned he's in the cross hairs as well. what should we anticipate? what comes next here? >> the investigation continues for those who think that mueller might be wrapping up, i point to some evidence that he might not be, and those two pieces of evidence are redactions and sealed documents. if you look at the michael flyn replete with redactions. that tells us that the special counsel's office and the government, the prosecutors are concerned about compromising the future current investigation or a matter. for that reason they make this stuff secret. that tells me that there's still work to be done and the

government having handled a lot of these cases, they move at their own pace. they will be finished when they feel like being finished. >> we got a ways to go, perhaps. as the president deals with the fallout from the russia investigation, he's shaking up the top ranks of his administration. nbc's white house krocorrespond kelly o'donnell has more. >> reporter: the help wanted sign here at the white house just might have an asterisk directing applicants to the president's twitter feed where he tried to humiliate a former top official who held one of the bigge biggest jobs in the world. a couple of key vacancies are being filled as the administration approaches the halfway point of mr. trump's term. >> it's a great group around this table. >> new today, change to the trump team coming at the famed army navy football team. >> i can give you a little hint. it will have to do with the joint chiefs of staff and succession. >> defense officials say the president wants general mark

milley to become chairman next year, but the more urgent pressure surrounds general john kelly. the president ignored questions about his chief of staff friday, but four sources tell nbc news that kelly could be gone in days. trade adviser peter navarro called the speculation unfair. >> i don't believe that until i see it. we've seen this reporting every day since he gt theot through. >> but president trump's search for new blood comes as he stirred up bad blood after former secretary of state rex tillerson talked about their clashes. >> mr. president, i understand what you want to do, but you can't do it that way. >> mr. trump tweeted insults friday, rex tillerson was dumb as a rock. he was lazy as hell. the president making an unconventional pick for a high profile diplomatic post, u.n. ambassador. >> heather nauert, somebody that we know very well who's done a great job at the -- as working

with mike pompeo. >> the spokeswoman for the state department came from fox news last year with no prior government experience. and following a week-long televised farewell to george bush, president trump chose to nominate a bush attorney general to be his own man at the justice department. >> william barr to take the helm as our new attorney general. he's an outstanding man. >> reporter: and as senate democrats will soon get their say, they will be challenging both of these nominees in the confirmation process. nauert on her qualifications and barr expect democrats to press him about his views on expansive presidential power and the mueller investigation. >> kelly o'donnell at the white house, thank you. paris is shutting down this weekend in anticipation of what is expected to be another violent weekend in france's capitol city. tear gas in the air already,

hundreds arrested as protesters take to the streets furious about rising taxes and fuel prices. nbc's chief global correspondent is bill neely. he's in paris for us this morning. bill, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, peter. good morning everyone from the center of paris. the ark detriumph war memorial behind me, thousands of protesters in those detectivive yellow jackets. tear gas has been fired at them this morning. in fact, just a few moments ago there was the first stun grenades fired by riot police who have detained around 500 protesters. there is the whiff of tear gas still in the air. these are protests that have shaken france. >> protesters ready to march, paris braced for trouble. tear gas already in the air, police out in force. 8,000 on the streets to confront the yellow vest movement, the

biggest challenge to french authorities in decades. at any time in any city this would be extraordinary, this is the main straet eet of paris, at is sealed off by hundreds of police officers, behind them row upon row of police advance and just in the distance, an armored vehicle. >> they're here to prevent a repeat of this violence last saturday that stunned france, running battles between protesters and a police force overwhelmed firing tier gas and stun grenades. national monuments attacked, dozens injured. it shocked france's president macron. he gave in to protesters scrapping hated gas tax, but today they want him to resign. students taunting him as arrogant. >> emmanuel macron is the president of the rich. >> he's the president of the rich? >> he's the president of the

rich. >> some areas of central paris look like a ghost town with streets deserted, but not this one because behind these barricades is the presidential palace. most french people say they support the cause of the protesters, lower taxes and better services but not the violence, and many here do want a peaceful, powerful protest. masked violence so far a fear, not a reality. >> reporter: and it is a very bad day for american tourists in paris because everything is closed from the eiffel tower here away to my right, museums, shops and so on. it's not just here, nearly 90,000 riot police have been deployed across france protests in many towns and cities. so there is real anger here. the riot police down below me may be able to contain it today, but they won't be able to stop

it today. >> bill neely there, thank you very much. let's get a check of the rest of the country's forecast. >> well, the rest of the kscouny dealing with very cold temperatures. we've got highs only in the 20s and 30s, well below average by 10 to 20 degrees. the west coast dealing with a little bit of a system bringing snow and rain through the pacific northwest. it really is all about this storm system down here, the snow and ice and clear skies, but a little chilly in parts. a live look at san francisco. we've got 30s and some very low 40s. 43 degrees in oakland. 42 nor napa. 3 degrees for santa rosa through san jose, 44. today expecting a mostly dry day. into the afternoon, clearing skies but tracking an incoming system that could mean rain for your sunday forecast.

. >> and that's your latest forecast. >> still to come, kevin hart back doing standup days after he stepped down from the oscars. will the controversy hurt his standup and movie career? we'll talk about it. a popular holiday song now under fire. why some radio stations have

it has been quite the week. we're back only saturday morning with the weekly download and a look back at the week that was. >> the final fairwell of former george h.w. bush. the nation honored the late george h.w. bush this week. >> george bush thanking his guests, every living president together to remember 41, the

most powerful tribute from the 43 about 41. a son celebrating his father. >> so through our tears, let us know the blessings of knowing and loving you, a great and noble man. the best father a son or daughter could have. and in our grief by this smile knowing that dad is hugging robin and holding mom's hand again. more shocking claims against les moonves. in a draft report leaked to the "new york times," investigators claim moonves tried to obstruct their investigation, also indicating moon investigates engaged in serious nonconsensual sexual misconduct involving 17 women, including at least four cbs employees. >> moonves's lawyer telling "new york times" his clients denies having any nonconsensual sexual

relation and has cooperated extensively and fully with investigators. comedian pete davidson who made headlines with his whirlwind engagement and breakup with ariana grande now speaking out about online bullying. >> he writes no matter how hard the internet or anyone tries to make me kill myself, i won't. i'm upset i even have to say this to all those holding me down and seeing this for what it is. i see you, and i love you. the golden globe nominations are in. >> music driven films like "bohemian rhapsody" and "a star is born." joining "blackkklansman," "if beale street could talk", "black panther," all nominated for motion picture drama. >> the film bringing home the most nominations, "vice" about vice president cheney. >> i believe we can make this work. >> some of the week's most memorable moments caught on camera. a homeless man pushed this passerby in front of a truck.

the victim was pinned but survived but is in critical condition. a deadly plane crash in florida, killing two, and a brazen thief stole this puppy. fortunately the puppy has been returned unharmed. and the "aquaman" star jason momoa is hosting "snl" tonight. he got ready by filling in as the ultimate page. >> i do not know that answer right now, but i will do everything in my power to get that information for you. please hold. >> jason, i've got a sketch idea for you. >> there's no time. >> no. still there? yes. the show is live. good. you're welcome. >> what a week. so we've been talking all week long on our reflections on all of the services for george h.w. bush. you were in the thick of it. >> i was honored to be there to witness this moment in history. it was certainly about george

h.w. bush but it was about all of us in a way. a chance to reflect on ourselves. i remember george w. bush's eulogy for his father i called my dad. i wanted to call you, check in chlgt our lives get busy and we don't have those conversations as much as we'd like. a good week for america in a way and a pause for the partisanship. >> you said that this week, dylan. that's exactly what you said. >> just embrace love. that's really what you got out of it. even though he was so known as a president, it was the family love that surrounded them that really stood out to me. >> i think that's true. it was a remarkable week. still to come, the danger lurking inside your home this holiday season. why you need to be extra careful with your christmas tree. >> plus, who runs the world? this year the grammy says women. we'll tell you who snagged nominations. >> back and forth, a wanted criminal and police department that sounds more like an online datitake a live look outside --

san jose xmas in the park good saturday morning. it is 5:56 a.m. just looking at the wrong clock here. this is a live look outside san

jose. christmas in the park. beautiful and clear and chilly out there. 44 degrees. thanks for joining us. i'm kira klapper. we have a look at the weather, too. >> i should look at the other two clocks. not this one. >> tweet it out. so you get what we're seeing. we have frosty conditions now. i woke up as well and there was frost on my windshield and car. had to let the car run to clear it out. and see while driving. wind speeds, about miles per hour. look at 30s on the map. it's very chilly outside. 43 degrees now in san jose. 45 in hayward. the colder temperatures in the 30s up in the north bay. 39 degrees for now but a very cold 36 degrees in santa rosa. into the afternoon tracking a lovely, sunny saturday, but also tracking another system that's going to bring back a chance of

seeing more showers headed into tomorrow. i break down that timeline tumming up. >> see you later on, vianey, thanks. and more priests of the jesuit order of the catholic church accused of sexual abuse dating back to the 1940s and reach across california and other western states. 80 priests assigned in the bay area at one point but not necessarily accused while here. that includes 15 priests who worked at the college prep in san jose. and 14 worked in san francisco. yesterday a message sent to the community making them waware of the names. more than half the priests spend time in the seminary that moved to berkeley in 1969. seven of the priests now live at the sacred heart center in los gatos. an apology was issued to victims

saying in part, "it is inconceivable that someone in the care of a child could be capable of something so harmful. tragically, this is a part of our jesuit history, a legacy we cannot ignore." the order notes it's a very small percentage of its priests and it will release more names if more cases are identified. it is 5:59. coming up on "today in the bay," a touching moment between a 92-year-old man and a bay area police officer all caught on video and we find out this is one of many good deeds this officer is doing. good news there. that plus all your news and weather coming up at 7:00. right now, back to the "today" show. morning december 8, 2018.

look at this crowd, a beautiful shot of the rockefeller center christmas tree. only 17 more days to go. >> brave folks on a cold morning. >> they are out there. let's begin this half hour with a check of your headlines. first a major winter storm is slamming 26 million people from new mexico to north carolina. the system bringing flash flooding to texas and bitter conditions across parts of the south with some mountain areas seeing up to 2 feet of snow. president trump is shaking up the core of advisers surrounding him at the white house. sources tell nbc news it's only a matter of days before his chief of staff john kelly is out

the door. on friday president trump named his new attorney general and u.s. ambassador to the u.n. she has no diplomatic experience and previously worked as a fox news anchor. today the president is expected to announce a chance at the joint chiefs of staff. a wild high-speed chase caught on camera. this was in oklahoma city. suspects reaching speeds up to 100 miles an hour. they tried to pull them over. then this, the troopers rammed the car forcing an end to the chase. it flipped several times. all inside survived and they were taken into custody. a happy ending to a story we covered on nbc. nine-year-old riley morris wrote steph curry a letter because she was disappointed to see his speakers did not come in sizes for girls. the nba champ jumped on that issue together with under armour making the kids available to all kids. the nine-year-old girl is now rocking the first pair of female

curry 5 kicks. steph invited her to an international women's day event next year. that's nice. >> it appears kevin hart is trying to move on from the oscars controversy that surrounded him this week. he performed two standup shows in sidney and tweet add quote after martin luther king, jr. after stepping down from the awards show. this after homophobic tweets. what's next for him and the academy? kathy with more. good morning. >> sheinelle, good morning. it's a scandal magnified by social media but resolved within hours. since we're already in december in hollywood, some believe the show will go on even without a host. this morning comedian kevin hart is moving on, taking the stage for his wildly popular tour in australia titled "irresponsible." >> give me one example of me being irresponsible. >> his second showdown und down

days after homophobic tweets resurfaced. in one now deleted post from 2009 he told basketball star dwyane wade how many gay men sweat when they wear dress shirts because real men don't. hart responded to the outcry in an instagram post stopping short on saying sorry. >> i pass on the apology. the rope why i passed, i've addressed this several times. >> what happened to his career, standup career, movie career moving forward? >> this is now going to follow him for who knows how long. he's going to have to apologize a million times over. >> according to hollywood insider, the fallout is felt by the academy. >> i think they were feeling pressure to name someone. they jumped the gun on kevin hart figuring his beloved, a box office draw. this was a big bungle on the academy's part. >> the funny man tweeted, i sincerely apologize to lgtbq for events from the my past.

i'm sorry i hurt people. i'm evolving and want to continue to do so. with the damage already done oscar producers are looking to save the show, even if it means going with no host. >> maybe you have three, four, five, six hosts, which is essentially like not having a host, and not put the pressure all on one person. >> kevin hart said his heart was what he called the opportunity of a lifetime. instead his longtime goal gone in a matter of days. and these days celebrities are more cautious about accepting a gig hosting the oscars because they run a higher risk of hurting their career if things go bad on one of the biggest nights in entertainment. sheinelle, peter. >> kathy park, thank you. >> dylan is back with a check of the weather. tacloban, good morning. >> good morning. again, we're focusing on the big storm down south. north of that, we've got cold temperatures. the windchill in hartford is 13. 3 below in bangor maine, pittsburgh feels like 12, back in indianapolis feels like 18 degrees. this afternoon it's going to

stay 10 to 20 degrees below average. indianapolis not above freezing, charlotte, 41. the cold air setting the stage for tomorrow. we are going to see temperatures on the cold side. windchills in the single digit, up across new england. columbus, ohio, a windchill of 8 degrees. during the afternoon we are going to see temperatures staying below average, 36 for a high. that's it in st. louis. raleigh, 34 degrees. going into next week, temperatures try to rebound but not by much. monday new york city 41 degrees. we're right back into the 30s. peoria stays chilly.x. and we've also got our own chilly temps here. seeing 30s in the north bay. santa rosa waking up to 36 degrees. 39 degrees for napa, and down through the interior valleys, talking low 40s. heading in towards the afternoon, we will warm up but only into the 50s and low 60s

for inland areas. 48 degrees by 9:00. upwards of 50 by the lunch hour heading into the afternoon. mostly sunshine. >> and that's your latest forecast. >> thank you, dylan. just ahead cardi b in court the same day she's nominated for five grammys. what happened inside the courtroom. >> how you can predict how long you're going to live just by climbing stairs. that's right after this. i can't believe it.

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>> good morning. >> dr. torres, nice to see you here. there's a new poll and 40% of adults are not planning to get the flu shot this year. first of all, most americans should do this, it helps all of us, is it a bad flu season. >> it's disheartening that 40% said they are not going to get the flu shot this season. there's the herd immunity. once it spreads through a community, even those with the vaccination are vulnerable to it. we want to protect as many as possible, especially the young, very young, under six-month-old and elderly, immunocompromised. >> is this a bad year? >> the year starts slowly. when they start slowly, they kick in hard january, february timeframe. the season goes through may. people six months and older need the flu shot. it's especially important if you're interacting with children under six months because they can't get it, elderly,

immunocompromised. some soreness, low grade fever. the flu season through may and takes two weeks to kick in. >> i didn't realize it went through may. nationwide recall. this was scary, walmart, family services, the medicine might be too concentrated? what's the risk? >> that's a concern thing. one is too concentrated. most of us don't think twice about giving ibuprofen, it's over the counter. we give it to our children all the time. if you have it, get rid of it. if they have taken it, they have gotten a little overdose. minor side effects, usually what happens, stomach things, nausea, belly pain, maybe some vomiting. if it's heavy overdose, severe effects, tinnitus, ringing in the ears. it's dangerous, get rid of it. >> this stair test researchers are your talking about. after you do flights of stairs and give you an indication of

your risk for heart disease later in life. some people are skeptical of this. what's the deal? >> what they did, they looked at 12,000 plus people. okay. let's have you exercise on a a treadmill and follow you for the next five years. those that can do the most exercise on the treadmill were three times less likely to have a heart attack or stroke or die from a heart attack or stroke. people aren't going to have treadmill tests so let's do a stair test. if you can do four flights of stairs in under 60 seconds you're at that level you need to be to die of a heart attack or stroke. if you can't do it under 60 second, that means you're at high risk, ramp up your exercise program. >> you can do it but you would faint. >> what should you do if you realistically can't go up four flights of steps. >> as a physician, make sure you talk to your doctor before you do any of these kind of things. if you can't go up there, up your exercise program a little bit. whether or not a lot of experts say you want to exercise to that breathless point where you're not out of breath but breathing

harder than usual. that's the point that gives you the cardiovascular benefit. >> try it on the show. >> i'll put it on instagram. >> i joke i need a water break tucking my girls in bed. how you can keep your families safe from one of the biggest dangers this time of biggest dangers this time of year, christmas ♪

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nbc "today" show national correspondent jeff rossen shows us why. >> reporter: good morning. you've probably put up your christmas tree with lights and ornaments, i'm sure it looks great. i want to keep your house from burning down. that would be a good thing. there are things you need to know and things you can do to keep your self safe and your tree safe. new numbers out from an insurance group finds 26 million americans have experienced a holiday-related house fire. more than 3 million of those fires starting with their christmas trees in their homes. this morning i have the tips to keep your family safe. watch a christmas tree catching fire in missouri erupting in flames setting whole house on fire. the family barely made it out alive. in california, this house up in flames, too. again all starting with their christmas tree. >> everything happened right away, so quickly. so i was just trying to hurry everybody up and get everybody out. >> reporter: turns out it's common.

if you're caught inside, deadly. >> christmas time, these happen all over the country. they're tragedies. not only one or two kids but can be entire families. >> reporter: because when these trees burn, they explode in fl they explode in flames in seconds. why? your tree is too dry, not getting enough water. we are testing it out with the sacramento fire department. >> this the kind of christmas tree you probably have in your home right now. as you can see, it is decorated, full of ornaments and it has not been watered in days. the way these fires start, a small spark in your house. what we're going to do is set a spark here and set this tree on fire, see how fast it burns. we're going to get out. let's do it. >> fire in the hole. >> within seconds it's an inferno, the tree fully engulfed. >> that smoke. within seconds, look how that overpowers you. >> definitely. this is what happens in your home if you don't water your tree. literally every minute it will double in size. it's like having a piece of

kindergarten ling in your living rom. >> it's already spreading to the table and chair. the entire room on fire. >> if i'm in my house, am i supposed to get a fire extinguisher and put it out. >> that's the biggest mistake people make. get out of the house immediately and call 911. >> we have a new christmas tree. this one has been watered. let's see what happens. let's strike that flair and spark it. >> the firefighter can't even get it to light up, and he's trying. it finally gets going. >> it is burning a lot slower than the dry tree. >> with the wet tree it takes longer to ignite. >> side by side, dry tree on the left, wet tree on the right. huge difference. what are the tips here. >> make sure you water your tree every day, at least every other day, away from heat elements, space heater, radiator. check the lights. frayed or damaged lights, keep it off your tree because it's an

ignition source. >> every year you use the same lights, put them in the attic. check it before you put them up. >> absolutely. >> simple advice to keep your family safe. if you're reusing your christmas lights from last year, that's totally fine, just make sure the lights are not frayed. check the ends, check the fires. there are other holiday hazards as well. do not leave candles or any flame unattended and make sure you have an escape plan with your family in case of a fire so you are prepared for anything. happy holidays, back to you. >> good advice. >> for sure. >> still to come, is it us? the incredible online exchange between a police department and wanted man when he didn't turn himself in right away. we're back after this.

take a look at this. despite the fact lester looks 10

feet tall, two separate pages in a magazine. a photo with peter and the rest of our white house correspondents. you all featured in the magaz e magazine's break the internet about working in the age of so-called fake news. >> i've got three families, my family at home, my weekend family, you ladies, and this is my weekday family at the white house with kristen and kelly and jeff. it was nice. celebrating journalism in an era when it's often under assault. we're so happen the magazine took time to focus on that. fun to play dressup for a day. >> don't you wear that every day? >> not at home. this isn't what i do at home. that is a good point. still to come on "today," a popular holiday song banned from radio stations. what the daughter of the late writer of "baby, it's cold outside" is now saying about this controversy. the big news meryl streep just shared about her family. we'll get into that in the

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sf good saturday morning. it is 6:26. a live look outside. wow! beautiful. looking over san francisco on this clear morning. it is cold out there. i mean, i can stay cold.

right? we've gone back and forth about this. chilly versus cold. 43 degrees. thanks for joining us. i'm kira klapper, vianey arana has a look at the microclimate forecast. we both had to defrost this morning. >> for california, this is cold. temperatures in the 30s, enough to definitely get the heater rolling. in san francisco, 49 degrees now. wind speeds light at about six miles per hour. starting to see cloud cover roll through, but the most part, pretty clear out there. that's the reason why it's pretty cold. santa rosa, 34. the areas climb into upper 50ers and low 60s. staying seasonable in terms of temperatures and dry, but i am tracking an incoming system that could mean rain for your sunday. more on the timing for that, in case you're worried about tomorrow's plans, coming up at 7:00 a.m. >> see you at 7:00.

vianey, thanks. this morning the list is getting longer. more priests of the jesuit order of the catholic church accused dating back to the 1940s. 80 priests assigned in the bay area at one point but told weren't necessarily accused here. that includes 15 priests who worked at bellarmine college prep in san jose. 14 of the priests worked at saint ignatius college prep in san francisco. yesterday a message sent to the community to make them aware of the name. nearly half of the 80 priests spent time at alma college in the los gatos foothills and of the living, seven now live in the sacred heart center in los gatos. the judges issued an apology to victims saying it is inconceivable someone entrusted with the care of a child could be capable of something so harmful.

tragically, this is a part of our jesuit history, a legacy we cannot ignore. the order notes also that this is a very small percentage of its priests, and that it will release more names if more cases are identified. it is 6:29 now. coming up this morning on "today in the bay," lighter news. a touching moment between a 92-year-old man and a bay area police officer. all caught on video. and we found out this is one of many good deeds this officer has done. that, plus all your top stories and weather coming up at 7:00 and hope you join us. meantime, we send you back to the "today" show.

♪ good morning, winter blast. 26 million people getting ready for a bitter blast of snow and cold from new mexico to north carolina this morning. the storm bringing flash flooding to texas, causing major traffic concerns. and now snow is in the forecast with some areas in the mountains seeing up to two feet. dylan is tracking it all. individual number one. a new legal filing prosecutors say president trump directed his personal attorney michael cohen to pay hush noun two men. a violence of campaign laws. the president says he's totally clear. but is that really the case? the big chill. swift reaction after a classic

song comes under fire. why some radio stations say they won't be playing "baby it's cold outside." today, saturday, december 8th, 2018. look at that crowd. good morning, welcome back to "today" on this saturday morning. this is the time of year dylan said it yerler, people are here to see the trees. it is packed. >> it is so fun this time of year. everybody is frigid. you can see their eyes, nose and mouth but everybody is smiling. right? >> are they in a blanket. what was that? >> a walkable sleeping bag. >> we'll get out and say hi to them in just a bit. we have a lot to get to in our final half hour. let's begin with twod's news. we are keeping a close eye on that winter blast affecting tens of millions in the south. it's brought heavy rain to houston and the snow is expected to start soon in north carolina. nbc joe fryer is in houston. joe, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. all eyes right now are on creeks and bayous like this one where you can see rising waters that

have flooded. some are gone over the banks and several streets are flooded thanks to heavy rains as this powerful storm rolls across the country. it's the texas-size storm stopping across the lone star state with heavy downpours swamping streets and paralyzing traffic. in flood-prone houston, rising worries over rising waters. the city released watter from a major lake, lowering it by two feet just ahead of the storm as the mayor urged caution. >> because you never know what mother nature is going to do. >> reporter: already this winter wash-out unleashed record rainfall in parts of california. the clean up is under way after the storm flooded neighborhoods and propelled mud and debris into fire-scarred communities. >> it sounded like a train going down the backyard. rocks banging. sounded like a big earthquake without the house shaking. >> reporter: now the storm is chugging east with a swath of the south bracing for heavy snow and freezing rain. >> take steps now to get your

family ready. >> reporter: north carolina has already declared a state of emergency with several inches of snow possible in spots. some grocery shelves are bare and one hard wear store customer staked out a truck delivering shovels and care seen heaters. >> they're waiting on the truck when it got here. we couldn't get it off the truck before it was sold. >> reporter: a winter weather headache that is stretching from coast to coast. here in texas, some spots did see record rainfall and still this morning many streets are still under water, but many here are relieved knowing the flooding could have been worse. >> joe, thank you. dylan is following this closely. give us a sense of the latest of this storm's track. >> the storm is moving east ward. we have flood watches and winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings on the northern side of this storm. looking at the radar, you can see just how intense the rainfall. this has a history of producing

about 3 to 4 inches of rain in cities it passes through. now the heavy rain moving into southern arkansas, jackson, mississippi, approaching new orleans. but look at the northern fringe of this snow. we have snow falling back from lubbock, texas. and snow in nashville. this will turn into a possibly historic storm in north carolina. so expect some flights to be delayed later today. charleston, south carolina, expecting really heavy rain. again, about 3 to 4 inches of rain is still possible. as for snowfall, it really starts to take hold of north carolina and virginia as we go through the day on sunday with a little bit of icing in between that rain/snow line. how much rain are we looking at? again, three to four inches of rain. this could lead to some flash flooding because it really comes down torrentially. so sometimes there's not enough time for it to drain or seep into the water -- or seep into the ground. that's why we end up with some of the flooding. here is a look at our snowfall totals. a widespread 6 to 9 inches of

snow. higher elevations back towards the mountains of north carolina could pick up as much as 12 to 18 inches. we also have the threat of ice, perhaps tenth of an inch to quarter of an inch of ice arkansas northwestern tennessee and northern georgia to lead to power outages and very slippery roads. guys? >> dylan, thank you very much. we're following another big story this morning involving president trump's former personal attorney and the former chairman of his presidential campaign. prosecutors releasing new documents that point the finger at michael cohen, paul manafort and even the president. nbc's justice correspondent pete williams has been following it all. pete, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. robert mueller's prosecutors say that michael cohen, the president's former lawyer provided information about attempts by russians to reach the trump campaign as early as november, 2015. court documents say one russian official unidentified offered, quote, synergy on a government level and proposed a meeting between trump and vladimir putin but that never happened.

cohen pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws with hush money payments to stormy daniels and another woman who claimed they had sexual encounters with trump. court documents say cohen told them that he acted, quote, in coordination and at the direction of individual one. that's donald trump. now, the documents do not call mr. trump an unindicted coconspirator but they do allege co-conspirator but a little he knew about the payments despite public denials. paul manafort, he kept lying even after he agreed to cooperate, the tax fraud that got him in trouble in the first place. manafort had contacts with administration officials earlier this year even though he denied it. the documents don't say what that contact was about. sarah sanders, the white house spokeswoman said mueller's latest court filing says nothing

about the president and even less about collusion. sheinelle, peter. >> thank you. also this morning president trump is following up on that long promised white house shake-up. sources tell nbc news it was only a matter of days before his chief of staff john kelly is out the door. on friday the president named his new attorney general william barr as well as the next u.s. ambassador to the u.n., heather nauert. she's a former fox news anchor. she has no diplomatic experience. later today the president is expected to announce a change to the joint chiefs of staff. some breaking news overnight in italy where six people are dead and dozens of others are wounded after a stampede after a rock concert. authorities believe pepper spray sparked the stampede forcing people to exit and stampede for the exit getting crushed when a barrier gave way. a moment of silence will be held for the victims later in rome. a manhunt under way in mississippi where an inmate stole a prison van and took off friday. he was being transported back to the madison county jail after a

hearing at the time of his escape. he was shackled and handcuffed then. no other inmates were inside that van. police are warning he is considered armed and dangerous. dylan is out on the plaza with the rest of the country's forecast. there's a lot of people outside. >> a lot of people under one blanket. did you guys make these or what? >> yeah. i did. >> so you just sit at home making multi-person -- >> anything to get on the "today" show. >> where are you from? >> buffalo, new york. >> that makes sense. you can use these. how many in there, one, two, three -- >> there was 19. >> under one blanket. >> this morning. >> that's fantastic. let's take a look at the weather across the country. it is cold in the northeast. we've got temperatures 10 to 15 below average. lake-effect snow falling back through upstate new york, back through buffalo, because of the cold air. we've got heavy rain down south. the middle of the country dealing with temperatures in the 20s and 30s. it is really very cold for this time of year with temperatures below average. heavy snow in north carolina and

virginia tomorrow. it dries out down through texas. we are looking for rain and mountain snow to work into the definitely grab a coat making your way outside because temperatures are in the 30s and 40s this morning across the bay area. 39 degrees now in palo alto. 40 degrees for mountain view. 43 slew san jose. mostly clear skies into the afternoon. temperatures expected to warm up into upper 50s, low 60s. plenty of sunshine by about 11:00 a.m. in san jose, expect temperatures in the upper 50s, warming into the 60s by 1:00. >> we've got special guests here. where are you from? >> columbus, ohio. >> is this your first time in new york? >> yes. >> do you love it? a little chilly. it's colder in columbus, though. it's a good day to be here. guys.

>> you would know. thank you. >> 'tis the season for holiday songs to be played on endless loop with loved ones around, homes, radio stations across the country. >> one song they won't be playing this year, "baby, it's cold outside." matt bradley with more on why and what the writer's daughter is saying about the controversy. good morning. >> sheinelle and peter, it's the latest casualty of that hash #metoo movement. a 40-year-old standard. i into with his daughter herself. she told me her father would have been very surprised by all this controversy. >> i really can't stay mote "baby, it's cold outside." >> holiday standards like "baby, it's cold outside" getting a chillier reception this winter season. ♪ no no no. >> it's 40 years old. in the age of the #metoo movement some say the lyrics haven't aged well calling them predatory. radio stations in cleveland,

canada have already dropped the ditty. others are thinking about following suit. now his daughter is speaking out to nbc blaming actor and sexual assaulter bill cosby who she said ruined it for everybody. i think it would be good if people looked at the form in the context of the time. it was written in 1944. >> i'm not going to stop singing that song. >> it's a great tsonga classic song. >> the song's lyrics used to be more the subject of satire than scorn with "saturday night live" taking aim. >> the tune has long been celebrated. 1949 neptune's daughter winning an oscar for best original song. ♪ talk tomorrow ♪ think of my lifelong sorrow net ♪ >> barnes and nobles thought enough of it to make lady gaga and tony bennett do the song about books. >> it's here, no sense in going out in nasty weather.

>> the man is trying to sleep with the woman in the song, right? >> no. >> that's part of the song? >> no. >> you don't think so you think it's just about the weather? >> reporter: listeners hear what they want to hear. ♪ baby, it's cold outside >> so many more recent songs have lyrics that would make any of us blush and they aren't pulled from the airwaves. i guess it all comes down to perception. >> it feels like now it's unraveling, where do you stop. >> here is the thing, if you start listening to lyrics it's more interesting. we grew up with songs. the melody along brings you back to the era. in this era there's a frame for all of it. >> it's going to sound different every time you hear it. >> interesting story. thank you. >> dylan, what's next? >> guys, it's not you, it's me. that's part of the hilarious back and forth exchange between a police department and a wanted i wanted more from my copd medicine...

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we're back now on saturday morning with a wanted man who turned himself in in a pretty funny way. >> dylan, you're in the orange room to explain. >> this is funny. facebook is used for a lot of things, keeping tabs on friends, sharing pictures, sharing funny stories. now police departments are using it to reach out to alleged criminals. last week the richland, washington police department post add picture of this man, anthony acres as part of their wanted wednesday series. he saw the post and responded saying, calm down, i'm going to turn myself in. that comment got more than 5,000 likes. it doesn't end there. a day later he still hadn't turned himself in.

rpd posted, anthony, we haven't seen you yet and they helpfully included their business hours and a number for him to call should he need a ride. he then replied, thank you, tying up loose ends. should be there in 48 hours. that didn't happen. a few days later akers posted, it's not you, it's me. i have commitment issues. p.s., you're beautiful. eventually he turned himself in with this picture and caption, here for our date sweetheart. he has a sense of humor. the police department is like -- >> hopefully nothing too serious. >> he just didn't follow the rules of his probation. >> something. >> how about "pop start" for us.

>> lots to get to in "pop start." let us start with the grammy nominations. they are in. this year women is the word. five female artists received nods for album of the year. only one was nominated last year. they include cardi b, janelle monae, kacey musgraves. drake, kendrick lamar round out the category for 2019. meantime lady gaga, marin morris each nominated for song of the year. six of the eight nominees for best new artists are also women. shockingly ariana grande, taylor and beyonce and jay z's joint album, "everything is love" all failed to secure any of the big four category nods. >> that's a surprise. >> we'll find out who wins when the winners are announced in february. next up while cardi b is laughing her way to the bank with five of those nominations, the singer was much more serious in court, avoiding an arrest over an alleged strip club fight. after leaving court she learned

of her grammy nods and stuck out her tongue in celebration. she took to twitter and would like a do over in response to the good news. finally meryl streep is about to take on the role of a lifetime as grandma. the actress's daughter, mamie gummer is expecting a baby. this will be streep's first grandchild. meryl will have a little practice before the baby is born. she's playing the grandmother in upcoming season of hbo's "big little lies." that's your "pop start." >> that's pretty good draw on the grandmother

before we go this morning, a couple of questions for folks on the plaza. who is a soccer fan? >> okay. >> we've got some soccer fans out here this morning. good day to you. we want to say thanks to our friends at nbc sports.

we'll share tickets premier league fanfest. it happens "today in new york." >> not only are we going to hand out premier league action, mumford & sons will make an appearance. you're going to be there. >> i've received two texts from my husband. my kids have friends over and dressed in jerseys. >> your family is crazy about soccer. >> apparently you can't get tickets anymore. >> good day for mumford & sons. they are on "snl" as well. a programming note, jenna bush hager has a special tribute to ♪ ♪ the new capital one savor card. earn 4% cash back on dining

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bay .... a new list of priests facing credible accusations good morning. i'm kira klapper. coming up next on "today in the bay" a new list of priests facing incredible accusations against sexual abuse and dozens worked here in the bay area. plus, cars hit by big rocks. windshields shattered while driving on one bay area freeway. what one driver saw that has police on the lookout. and vianey arana is tracking cold, early morning temperatures ahead of a dry day across the bay area, but enjoy it while you can. she's tracking the return of rain. comm hill

good saturday morning. it is 7:00 on the dot. a live look outside. which communications hill overlooking pink skies on a very chilly morning. thanks so much for joining us. i'm kira klapper. vianey arana has a look at our microclimate forecast and hope you're warm inside right now. we had to crank up t