good morning. breaking overnight. . good morning, breaking overnight. obamacare struck down. a federal judge in texas ruling the affordable care act is unconstitutional. president trump hailing the decision. democrats horrified, saying it will be a disaster for tens of millions of americans as the window to sign up for obamacare closes today. is this fight going back to the supreme court, and what should you do in the meantime? we're live with the latest. third time's the charm. president trump announcing his third chief of staff in two years, the new man, his current budget director. two contenders said thajs, but no thanks. we're live at the white house.

searching for kelsey, more than three weeks after a young mother went missing authorities in colorado are expected to be back at her fiance's home today after searching his home and vehicle on friday. the fiance believed to be the last person to have seen her. all that, plus pennies from heaven? the pastor at a meg church in south carolina firing back as critics blast him for buying his wife a $200,000 suv. fashion faux pas, major backlash this morning for prada after a social media outcry over items for sale featuring racist images. and fly me toot moon, steph curry, trolled by an opposing team days after he said he didn't believe astronauts ever walked on the moon. his good natured reaction, today, saturday, december 15th, 2018. >> announcer: from nbc news,

this is "today" with sheinelle jones, peter alexander and di-- good morning and welcome to "today." thank you for joining us on this beautiful saturday morning. >> whatever you can do to get into steph curry's head. the guy still scored 35 points last night which they had some fun at his expense. >> i stand by the fact he was joking. >> yeah, joking. >> i think so. >> i almost know so. busy morning. right to the breaking news overnight. a federal judge in texas striking down the affordable care act late last night. it's a case that will now likely head back to the supreme court. so what does it mean for you? nbc's white house correspondent jeff bennett has been following all of it. >> reporter: the first thing people should know is that the white house says current enrollment won't be affected by

this ruling. this decision is a political victory for republicans who have opposed the affordable care act from the very beginning. as you mentioned it sets in motion yet another legal battle over boobamacare while throwing into limbo health coverage for millions. after the federal judge in texas ruled the affordable care act unconstitutional late afraid, president trump hald it as great news for america. it threatens health care covering for some 20 million americans and sets up a new legal showdown over former president barack obama's signature achievement. >> health care in america is a privilege, not for the few, but a right for everybody. >> reporter: in the ruling u.s. district judge reid o'connor agreed with a group of 20 republican-led states that it's unconstitutional to mandate people buy health insurance, and tax those who don't comply. >> we have to -- >> reporter: the democratic response was swift.

house democratic leader nancy pelosi saying the ruling exposes the monstrous end game of republicans' all out assault on people with preexisting conditions and americans' access to affordable health care. chuck schumer says the ruling seems to be based on faulty legal reasoning and hopefully it will be overturned. the judge says last year's republican tax cut bill knocked the constitutional foundation from under obamacare by eliminating a penalty for not having coverage. if the ruling is upheld, it could roll back protections for people with preexisting medical conditions. president trump called on congress to pass new health care legislation, something not likely to happen as democrats take control of the house next month. the white house says the affordable care act will remain in place for now. while the knnew ruling is appealed. >> jeff, what are the chances this will be overturned on

appeal? >> reporter: democrats are already vowing to appeal it. you have legal experts on the left and the right who say the legal logic that supports this new ruling is fairly weak, and unlikely to succeed in overturning obamacare. but here's the thing. if this suit, which is backed by the trump administration, if this suit wins out then insurers could once again be able to flat out deny americans' insurance based on health status. as we wait to see it play out, today is the deadline to sign up for health insurance for 2019 under the affordable care act in most parts of the country. >> jeff, thank you. another big headline coming out of the white house, president trump announced his next chief of staff nick mulvaney, after days of speculation as to who would replace general john kelly. nbc's white house correspondent kelly o'donnell has more. >> the washington guessing game is over. the president has named his new and third chief of staff in just

under two years. and he will succeed john kelly who will leave at the end of the year. this comes as the process was more public and more messy than the white house wanted. raising questions about whether the coveted job had lost isz luster despite the problems coming in for the sus succecces will inherit the messes. the president set off the countdown clock himself. pressure mounted and nearly a week passed before he ended the suspense, tweeting mick mulvaney will be named acting white house chief of staff, but the choice did not clear up the controversy. late friday, defensive tweet from president trump, writing for the record there were many people who wanted to be white house chief of staff. mick m. will do a great job. two contenders backed away. chris christy and nick ayers

publicly dropped out of the running. >> i know the answer, not telling you. >> reporter: the president didn't have to look far. mulvaney is budget director currently. >> mick mulvaney has done a fantastic job in taking that over. >> reporter: a former south carolina congressman, mulvaney requested the temporary sounding title of acting chief of staff. he enters an ongoing storm, like former trump lawyer michael cohen who claims the president knowingly violated the law with hush money payments to two women. >> he directed me to make payments. he directed me to become involved in these matters. he was very concerned about how this would affect the election. >> reporter: the white house responded by blaming the media for airing cohen's allegations that the president denies. >> he's a self-admitted liar. for him to say i'm going to stop lying now, starting now is somewhat silly. >> reporter: and interestingly

within hours of the appointment naming mulvaney to be the acting chief of staff sarah sanders, the press secretary put out a statement saying he would not be resigning from his senate confirmed position as director of office and management and budget. his deputy would be taking over the day-to-day and he would be working on the duties of chief of staff. but not giving up that job. which adds to the speculation about the how much does he want it and how will this new position be shaped as the white house turns into the second half of its term? peter? >> kelly o'donnell, thank you. phillip rucker is a political analyst for nbc news. good morning. >> good morning. >> thanks for waking up with us. the bottom line, both donald trump and michael cohen have a complicated relationship with the truth. but federal prosecutors and a federal judge believe cohen, believe that donald trump was coordinating and directed him to

arrange and make these payments to two women who claim they had affairs with the president. allegations he denies. name the level of concern after what we witnessed this week. >> it's quite high and growing within trump's orbit. and that's because this isn't just michael cohen's testimony but there is other evidence that prosecutors gathered, that the judge reviewed in this case suggesting that donald trump, then candidate trump, was aware of these payments, directed these payments and is now implicated in this felony. you talk to republicans on capitol hill and elsewhere in the president's orbit and there is growing anxiety the president could be in real peril. >> there are a lot of tough jobs in washington, take us behind the scenes of this decision to pick mulvaney. should we expect changes? >> i think donald trump is going to be the same donald trump. one thing that sticks out from our reporting yesterday, mick

mulvaney had a private meeting with president trump several months back as the president started to think about a change for chief of staff. mulvaney gave him his loyalty to the family, he would protect jared kushner and ivanka trump, but also told president trump he would not try to manage the president, he would just try to manage the staff. trump's going to be able to do what he wants to do, a continuation. >> in washington, phil, as you and i witnessed, sometimes weeks feel like years. it's hard to believe that we had that remarkable scene in the oval office just days ago where donald trump was sort of called out by the congressional democratic leaders, nancy pelosi and chuck schumer, first look at what divided government under president trump will likely look like. does the president and his aides recognize how different life will be a couple weeks from now when democrats take over the house? >> they're starting to realize that. they're staffing up in the white house counsel's office to prepare for this onslaught of investigations from house democrats. but that moment in the oval

office on tuesday was extraordinary. and you saw in nancy pelosi, who was poised to be the house speaker, that she's going to go toe to toe with trump. she's going to challenge him and call out his falsehoods to his face and she's going to be a counterforce that president trump has not had in washington for these first two years. >> good conversation. phil rucker, thank you. >> phil, thank you very much. let's headverseas from protesters are taking to the streets of paris again today to express anger with the french government. these protests come with france still reeling from that terror attack in the eastern part of the country earlier this week. nbc's lucy kavanof is there this morning. >> reporter: thousands of yellow vest demonstrators are braving the freezing temperatures. they say the concessions made by the french president this week are too little, too late. this morning the french capital is on lockdown, by now a

familiar saturday routine. yellow vest protesters swarming the heart of paris, more than 8,000 police out in force. for nearly a month now angry protesters have transformed paris's wealthiest neighborhoods into what looked like war zones. their fury stoked by economic inequality and a president demonstrators say is out of touch. this week he responded. offering to boost the minimum wage and agreeing on tax concessions. but these protesters say that's too little, too late. with shops boarding up and famed landmarks shut, the french economy is starting to feel the pinch. at least $1.1 billion in lost revenue. hotel reservations down this december with more than 35,000 nights cancelled so far. in the midst of all this, another terror attack, this time

at the christmas market, four dead, 13 injured. a two-day manhunt for the 29-year-old suspected attacker ended in a shootout with police. on friday the christmas market reopened under heavy security. some tourists scared away by the violence, but not all. >> we kept checking the website to see if the market was open and we changed our tickets and we came today. and want to be out here supporting them. >> reporter: the french president visited last night to pay his respect to the victims. his government urging the yellow vests to halt their rallies as security forces remain on high alert. the demonstrators are not heeding the calls this morning. things have been relatively calm, only a hundred arrests so far. the protesters' numbers might be smaller this morning, but not b fury. back to you. >> lucy, thank you.

now to a new twist in the search for the mom in colorado who vanished three weeks ago. police are looking at her fiance. we have kathy park with more from los angeles. >> reporter: shensz good mornin. investigators will stay through the weekend if not longer. this morning, a new search warrant in the disappearance of the colorado mom kelsey berreth. going back to the last person who saw her. patrick frazee, her fiance. >> there have been questions if patrick is a suspect or person of interest. at this point, we are considering every possibility. >> reporter: 23 days after kels kelsey's disappearance, search dogs went to the ranch. police does not say what

brought -- did not say what brought them here. >> do i think kelsey is still alive? i hope. >> reporter: in a statement, patrick's attorney said his client would continue to cooperate with the investigation. we encore and law enforcement to take whatever steps it deems necessary to find kelsey and exclude patrick. cameras in the local supermarket spotted the 29-year-old entering with the baby in the cart. kelsey was seen later in the day when she left her daughter with her fiance. >> she still needs prayers. it is not over yet. >> reporter: three days later, her cell phone pinged in idaho. her mom reported her daughter missing a week after that. >> we will not quit searching for her. we know she is out there. we don't feel she planned to be gone. we will find her.

>> reporter: the fbi and colorado bureau of investigation is part of the search for kelsey. investigators want to want to sh her fiance, but at the moment he's communicating through his attorney. >> kathy park, thank you. a high end fashion brand under fire this morning after displaying a racist imagery in a new york city store, prada has now removed its display after a huge uproar. nbc's matt bradley is outside the prada store in new york city with more. matt, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, peter. earlier this week a lawyer, who was just walking by this prada retail display behind me snapped a few photos of this store front, and the social media post that she made calling for the store's boycott went viral. known for being fashion forward, today prada faces accusations of being racially backward. >> racism has no place in new york city. >> reporter: after a social media backlash the more than

100-year-old italian label pulled products that included wallets, earrings and key chains depicting a monkey with bright red lips. >> they might as well have been selling nooses and swastikas. >> it's so off the mark for a brand or a company that is around the world and should be at the forefront of social equalities. >> reporter: the backlash began with a facebook post showing pictures of the figurines in one of its new york boutiques. history cannot continue to repeat itself she wrote. black america deserves better and we demand better. she called for a boycott, blaming a widespread lack of diversity in corporations. >> this all could have been prevented with more diverse voices and diverse people at the table. >> reporter: the company says prada abhors racist imagery. they explained the figures are part of their new line of playful items not intended to

have any reference to the real world and certainly not black face. but the company fell short of saying sorry. >> i don't know if you've seen their apology that's not an apology at all. >> reporter: a fashion faux pas for which some demand an explanation. the activists we spoke to said they're still waiting for a stronger apology from the store so it's unclear whether prada will have escaped from this unscathed or whether we'll hear more about this. >> thank you, matt. it's time for first check of the weather. >> we have a wet one for the eastern -- i'd say eastern half of the country, really. we've got rain extending through missouri and arkansas, but also affecting the carolinas. heavy at times. thunderstorms down through florida. this is a warmer storm, so rain is really the biggest issue. because of that we have flash flood watches. because of recent snow melting, clogging the drains and then heavy rain on top of that. going through the day, there

will be rounds of heavy rain through virginia, west virginia and ohio. break in the northeast. and low pressure pushing in the north into sunday, more heavy rain across eastern pennsylvania and through new jersey. on the northern side, we will see a wintery mix with the possibility of freezing rain and snow. how much rain? well, looks like a half inch to an inch and a half. enough to cause some flash flooding. as for snow, most of it will be across central and northern new englan and this is what it looks like now in san francisco. we continue to track the chances to see scattered showers north of the golden gate bridge. mainly through the santa rosa and napa area. napa is 53 as you wake up this morning. a little chillier in the south bay. 47 in san jose. as we head toward the afternoon, we'll get an increase in cloud cover along with an increase in winds heading into sunday.

and that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thank you. still to come, a mega church pastor defending himself after buying his wife a $200,000 suv. and a terrifying issue for

we're back on saturday morning with the weekly download. the look back at the week that was. >> the headlines was dominated by the sentencing for the president's personal lawyer and the missing colorado mom. there were other stories we covered as well starting with the oval office showdown like none we have seen before. political pot shots. an extraordinary moment played out on national tv. president trump and democratic

congressional leaders bickering in the oval office with cameras rolling. >> it is not easy for her to talk right now. >> please don't characterize the strength i bring to the table. >> i'm critical when it is warranted. >> nikki haley sat down for an interview on "today." haley saying she used the president's unique style to her advantage. >> i was trying to get the job done. i got the job done by being truthful, but also by letting him be unpredictable and not showing our cards. >> a wave of bomb threats spread fear nationwide. >> schools and businesses and hospitals evacuated. >> some e-mailed and others phoned in. they all appeared to be hoaxes. >> and emotional moment when three people trapped for days deep inside the abandoned west virginia mine were safely rescued and reunited with love

ones. >> did you ever give up hope? >> no. >> a major milestone for richard branson. his virgin galactic aircraft shuttling two pilots to the edge of space. >> million dollar view. >> the mission to send wealthy tourists to space one day. >> a controversial comment from steph curry. >> we ever been to the moon? >> nope. they are going to come get us. >> curry later saying it was a joke and lesson for young kids not to believe everything they hear. >> some of the week's most astonishing moments caught on camera. >> you are hurting my son. >> a chaotic scene in the brooklyn social services office when the police ripped the baby from his mother's orarms. the mother later released after a public outcry. >> the strip mall fire engulfed

a group of firefighters. thankfully no one was killed. and a military jet crashed off the coast of hawaii. the pilot survived. >> and after countless early morning toasts, kathie lee dropped a bomb shell. >> i have been here 11 years. i thought i would stay here. something happened along the way. i fell in love with a beautiful egyptian goddess. now i will be leaving the "today" show. >> and here at nbc, we celebrated 40 fantastic years of our friend al roker. >> it was quite a week. al is not going anywhere for the record. we work would two trailblazers. working with kathie lee is like working in a master class and with al. >> big congratulations to both

of them. still to come on "today." can you tell the difference between cheap and expensive wine? we will give it a try. and kim kar up to anda extra 30% f across the store is really going to make for some great gifting. oh yeah... you're going to look sweet in those threads. plus, you get an extra 30% off all of it. ho, ho, ho - yeah! good morning, thanks for joining us. i )m kira klapper with vianey arana with a look at your microclimate forecast.

we have clear skies in some parts. we're not seeing a lot of fog but as we head into the afternoon, you'll notice an increase in cloud cover because we're still tracking the chances of seeing scattered showers north of the golden gate bridge. mainly the north bay for today. the golden gate bridge will remain fairly dry throughout the day as we get ready to welcome the second storm system heading into tomorrow. right now current temperatures in the 40s and 50s as you head out the door. here is is a quick look at the satellite radar. our second storm system coming in tomorrow is expected to be the wettest. we'll go over that at 10:00 a.m.

>> see you then. hundreds of people are getting an early wake up call as part of an emergency drill. between 6:00 and 8:00 a.m. other emergency service agencies are evacuating more than 500 people. it started with an automated phone call from the area's emergency alert system. first responders and volunteers will help guide hundreds of evacuees down the only road out of that neighborhood and north of more roek coe way to a safety zone. the drill is to prepare for a real emergency and avoid the chaos that can lead to tragedy like what happened to the town of paradise last month. there was an effort to prepare for an emergency, also, in san mateo county last night. cal train closed highway 1 in order for the state fire marshall to conduct a comprehensive and detailed fire

drill. >> and they call it a fire drill. it's actually several exercises. they run a whole battery of tests you have to pass in order remain open. >> they test emergency response times. the tests happen twice a year. the tunnel was reopened by 4:00 this morning. coming up this morning on today in the bay, michelle obama makes a stop in the south bay on her book tour. the top stories and weather coming up at 7:00. we hope you join us!

we're back on saturday morning. december 15th, 2018. nice shot of the rockefeller christmas tree. just ten days to go. before christmas. we have work to do. >> yes, we do. >> let's begin this half hour with the check of the headlines. federal judge in texas overnight has ruled that obamacare is unconstitutional. the judge finds the affordable care act cannot stand on its own now there is no penalty for people who do not buy health insurance. president trump hailing that ruling and pushing congress to pass a new health care law. democrats slammed the decision saying it will endanger health care for tens of millions.

the affordable care act will remain in place while the opinion is being appealed. today is the final day to register for obamacare coverage for 2018. the questions swirling over the death of the 7-year-old girl who died after crossing the border. she appeared to be healthy aftd. she was put on a bus and began vomiting. she was revived twice and died at the hospital. asbestoses ha has been foun some johnson & johnson products. this is after the company was aware of the asbestos since the '70s. the news sent the company stock in a tail spin on friday.

johnson & johnson is deanying te story. saying the baby powder is safe and free of asbestos. and steph curry expressing comments that man did not walk on the moon. he said it was a joke. the sacramento kings trolling the mvp with the video. curry taking it all in stride with the warriors having the last laugh. they won the game 130-125. >> lighting them up for 35 points. also this morning, real news. the pastor at the popular mega church in south carolina is coming under fire not for something he preached to the congregation, but for the pricey lamborghini he recently purchased for his wife. this morning, he is fighting back. morgan radford is here with more on this. morgan, thank you. >> that is right. peter, pastor john gray leads the church in south carolina.

evangelical mega church. many members were not happy when they learned of his very generous gift to his wife. this morning, outrage at the pulpit. john gray, a mega church pastor in greenville, south carolina, speaking out after facing fierce criticism for buying his wife a $200,000 lamborghini. >> first of all, it wasn't a pastor that bought the car. it was a husband that bought the car. i won't ask permission from anybody to do it. >> reporter: video surfaced this week of the pastor presenting the car to his wife in celebration of their eight-year wedding anniversary. the image was soon taken down after the response to the pastor went viral. people will forego rent, bills, food, et cetera to line these grfter's pockets. they turn around and buy planes

and cars. but his wife wrote, i hope don't see anyone screaming about how basketball players drive what they do. while you pay money to see them play. plus, gray says it was a private gift paid for with private funds. so what's the big deal? >> what should concern people is did this man use any money from the church to do this? the answer is no. >> reporter: gray says the money comes from his book deals. and from his reality tv show the book of john gray on the oprah winfrey network. he is a former pastor at joel osteen church. osteen lives in a $10 million mansion. gray echoing that message saying he deserves everything he's got. >> my best life is seeing my wife happy. >> this grabbed my attention. he has 22,000 members. he has 887,000 followers on

instagram. a lot of people who love him are jumping to his defense. he deserves to live his best life. it is his money. >> that is what he said. he got emotional in that video that he posted on facebook. he said i have never seen men in my family provide in this way. if this is how i want to bless my wife. i want to have her back. this is my business to do what i want. i'm honored to be able to do it. >> interesting discussion. there are others who say the money should go back in the church. >> morgan, thank you. dylan is back with another check of the weather. dylan. >> good morning. i know we have the rain across the eastern third of the country. it also comes with warmer temperatures. we have seen unsees briasonablyr temperatures. pittsburgh is 50 degrees for the high. wilmington is close to 70. chicago is 46. that is nine degrees above

average. tomorrow, we keep warmer temperatures going across the midwest and northern plains. minneapolis, it looks warmer. 37 is above average by ten degrees. t indianapolis at 46. the cooler weather settles back in tomorrow. we stay in the lower 40s through indianapolis monday and tuesday. charlotte drops in the 50s. kansas city will stay in the lower 50s. it is a welcome break from the unseason current temperatures as you head out the door in the 50s and upper 40s right now. 50 for san jose. and we're tracking another incoming system, but we could still see a chance of a couple of pop up showers after yesterday's storm kind of trickled through the north bay. it's nice and clear over san francisco. we have a couple of areas of

cloud cover through the coastline and portions of san jose. our temperatures remain in the 50s throughout the afternoon. and that's your latest forecast. >> thank you, dylan. coming up, the call to action from the parents of a young man who took his own life after his obitua to most, he's phil mickelson, pro golfer. to me, he's, well, dad. so when his joint pain from psoriatic arthritis got really bad, it scared me. and what could that pain mean? joint pain could mean joint damage. enbrel helps relieve joint pain, helps stop irreversible joint damage and helps skin get clearer. enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders and allergic reactions have occurred. tell your doctor if you've been some place where fungal infections are common, or if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness.

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today" the gun deaths in america. the cdc reports that they reached the highest level in decades. >> this morning, an owe bbituarr a young man. his parents calling for stricter gun control so other families could avoid the same heartbreak. more from nbc's tammy leitner. >> we had no warning. >> reporter: this morning, elisa and rob black are struggling to make sense of their son andrew a 's suicide. >> they ran a background check on him. the credit card receipt was 11:26. somewhere between 3:00 and 4:00 that afternoon, he shot himself. >> reporter: in the son's obituary, they described the 23-year-old as a gifted athlete with an adventure spirit. the obit included a request.

that friends and family lobby lawmakers to change the law and require a wait period to guard against impulsive acts of violence. >> if nothing but 24 hours to cool down and realize that it wasn't the answer. >> reporter: suicide by gun is at the highest rate in nearly two decades. more than 23,000 people died last year. only nine states and the district of columbia require a mandatory waiting period for firearms. vermont is not one of them. >> we are responsible gun owners, but we also think what's the big deal? what is 24 hours? >> reporter: 24 hours that might have given their son a fighting chance. for "today," tammy leitner, nbc news. >> i didn't realize the rate was so high. >> i think as much as anything during the holidays and celebrating with friends and family. you think of those fighting

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this weekend at kohl's! give joy, get joy - at kohl's. sometimes this is a uniquely tough gig like this morning. we have an update on rossen reports. everybody enjoys a nice glass of wine, but do you need to empty your wallet to pay for the expensive stuff? >> or do you count on the box of wine? >> we will put ourselves through the test in a minute to see if we can tell the difference. but first here is "today's" correspondent jeff rossen. >> good morning. we are in the full swing of holiday party season. whether you are hosting a dinner or a full-on party, we are buying wine. a lot of us think we have a sophisticated palate. can you tell the difference with

expensive bottle wine or wine in a box? before you go shopping and popping bottles, we have a taste test you need to see. >> reporter: we are throwing a party. inviting the group of viewers to a rossen reports wine tasting. >> i'm a wine-o. >> reporter: on the menu is the fancy pino. here is what the wine lovers don't know. it is inexpensive. hours before the party, my team got a bunch of empty wine bottles and poured boxed wine in them. we made up an expensive sounding name in french. in english that's box of wine. will these party goers really believe it is high end wine just because it looks fancy? right away the wine is flowing.

>> smooth. >> it tastes like a french. >> reporter: there is something else they don't know. one of the guests is not a guest. it is a branding and marketing expert. >> i'll speak in a hushed tone. >> the power of persuasion. you put wine in a fine bottle so they believe drinking a fine bottle of wine. >> when i ask them what they think, what will they say? >> they will say how good it is and why. >> what do you think? >> i like it. refreshing. >> refreshing? that sounds good. >> it is smooth. >> reporter: the praise keeps coming. >> what do you think? >> i like it. it has spice to it. >> you like that? >> like a spanish version. >> i like it. it is full bodied. >> reporter: the box wine works out to $5 a bottle. how much would they pay for it? >> $25. >> probably $50.

>> reporter: we're going to ramp things up and do a taste test. we did the same wine and poured it in boxes. we will ask which wine you like better. it is the same boxed wine. we tested the reds and the white wine glasses. which wine do you like better? i'm dying to know. >> the second one. >> why? >> this one has some character. >> character? oh. >> this one's a little better. this tastes acidic. >> every person we asked. >> this one. >> this one. >> this is less sweet. >> picking one wine over the other. >> i like that one better. >> why? >> it tasted fuller. >> remember, it is the exact same boxed wine in both glasses. they all seem confident. >> that was tart compared to this one. >> okay. time to fess up.

>> if you want to know what we have been up to tonight? >> yes. >> you enjoyed the wine. i talked to a lot of you. here's what you were really drinking. boxed wine. >> oh, my gosh. >> surprised? >> whoa. yes. i mean that tasted amazing. >> there's another surprise. the taste test we did -- that was the same wine in both. go cheap. >> exactly. >> trick your guests. >> exactly. they won't know the difference. >> cheers. >> here is another reason to choose boxed wine. it actually lasts longer than wine in a bottle. boxed wine is fresh from six-to-eight weeks after opening. back to you. >> really? >> dylan has been drinking. >> i thought i knew the answer. now i don't know.

>> this is glass "a." >> and we with will reveal on the screen -- we will reveal on the screen. >> i feel this is a sweet. >> i think "a" is the cheaper one. "b" is the expensive one. i actually like "a" better. >> i like "b." i hope that means that is the expensive one. >> i'll say "b" is the most expensive. pet peter? >> "b" is more expensive. >> the answer? >> "b." $200 a bottle. >> i knew it was a good bottle. >> i feel like kathie lee right now. >> this worked out well for you. >> i like cheap wine. >> i couldn't tell that much of a difference. >> i went back and forth several times and started to get confused. i'm actually okay with either one. >> the cheaper one is usually sweeter. >> you take care of it. >> all right.

still to come, the moment "downton abbey" fans have been waiting for. we have a sneak peek at

still to come here on "today," an incredible story of survival for friends lost in the middle of the ocean. how one friend's phone save them. and we'll have more of the stories and more after these messages. as he rides) i'm watching that. eew. every christmas is memorable... but a gift from kay jewelers makes it unforgettable.

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good saturday morning to you. here is is a live look outside over san francisco. it's a beautiful morning out there. thank you for joining us.

i'm keira clapper. we have a look at the microclimate forecast. >> we have some lingering moisture but it's going to be light. mainly in the north bay, too. if you don't live in the north bay, you're probably going to enjoy a nice afternoon outside considering the weather will be fantastic. 45 now in the mountain view area along the peninsula we're dealing with mid 40s. this is what current satellite radar looks like. you can see some areas of high clouds and other areas including san francisco and in through portions of the east bay now seeing some cloud cover and then some areas seeing clear skies. so as the sun begins to come up, we'll notice an increase of cloud cover into the afternoon. we're tracking an incoming storm system and that is expected to make its arrival into the overnight hours and it's going to bring a lot of rain, a lot of wind, and high surf, also. sierra snow. it's going to be a good storm system. >> a little bit will have everything. we'll get your full forecast at

7:00. thank you. this morning hundreds of people in the east bay are getting an early wake up call. it's part of an emergency drill in case of a major fire or earthquake. between 6:00 and 8:00 this morning the fire district and other areas emergency service agencies are evacuating more than 500 people in the morocco country club neighborhood. it started with an automated phone call and then first responders and volunteers are helping guide those evacuees down the only road out of the neighborhood and then north to a safety zone. the drill is to prepare for a real emergency and to avoid the chaos that could lead to tragedies like what happened in the town of paradise last month when hundreds of evacuees got stuck in traffic. some forced to leave their cars and run. in san mateo county, there's an effort to prepare for an emergency. cal tran closed highway 1 in

order for the state fire marshall to conduct a fire drill. >> and they call it a fire drill. it's several drills. several exercises. they rather than whole battery of tests you have to pass in order to remain open. >> they filled the tunnel with smoke and test emergency response times. the tunnel reopened this morning by 4:00 this morning. at 6:29, coming up this morning on today in the bay, michelle obama makes a stop in the south bay on her book tour. we'll have that plus other top stories and weather coming up at 7:00. hope you can join us!

good morning. breaking good morning, breaking overnight, obama care struck down. a federal judge ruling the affordable care act is unconstitutional. president trump hailing the decision, democrats up in arms saying this has the potential to be a disaster for tens of millions as the window to sign up for obama care closes today. so what happens next. death at the border, questions swirling this morning about how a 7-year-old girl died in federal custody after being transported to a border patrol facility. this morning, the latest on the investigation and the public outcry. and story of survival, a group of friends on vacation in japan gets ship wrecked, lost in the middle of the ocean.

how one woman's quick thinking and her iphone helped save all of their lives. today, saturday, december 15th, 2018. ♪ it's a brand new day >> we love you. >> we wish you a white christmas from north dakota. >> first time in new york city. >> love being back on the plaza. >> we're your biggest fans. ♪ >> hello, iowa. >> hello, virginia. >> merry christmas from mars. >> i'm turning 16. >> and we're celebrating on "today." good morning, welcome back to "today" on a saturday morning. can you believe we are ten days out to christmas. there is already the holiday cheer on the plaza. can we take a look around. are you guys having a good

holiday season already? this is a great crowd today. >> i think i have taken a record number of selfies this morning. >> already. >> already. lots of time left. >> we are off to a good start. we wish you a good early holiday. we have a lot of news this morning. we want to begin with today's news. a federal judge in texas striking down the affordable care act today significantly is the last day to sign up for 2019 coverage, so what does it mean for the 20 million or so americans who depend on obamacare for their health care. nbc's white house correspondent geoff bennett joins us from the north line. >> reporter: legal experts say this new ruling won't immediately affect americans health coverage and the white house says the affordable care act remains in place for now, but this ruling is a political victory for republicans who have opposed the law from the very beginning. and it sets in motion yet another drawn out legal battle over obamacare. this morning obamacare back in

the cross hairs, after a federal judge in texas ruled the affordable care act unconstitutional late friday. president trump hailing it as great news for america. the decision threatens health care coverage for some 20 million americans and sets up a new legal show down over former president barack obama's signature achievement. >> health care in america is a privilege, not for the few but a right for everybody. >> in the ruling, u.s. district judge reid o'connor agreed with a group of 20 republican led states that it's unconstitutional to mandate people buy health insurance and tax those who don't comply. the democratic response was swift. house democratic leader nancy pelosi saying the ruling exposes the monstrous end game of republicans all out assault on people with preexisting conditions and americans' access to affordable health care. the top senate democrat chuck

schumer says the rulings seems to be based on faulty legal reasoning and hopefully it will be overturned. the judge said last year's republican tax cut bill knocked the constitutional foundation from under obamacare by e almost -- eliminating a penalty for not having coverage. it can roll back protections for people with preexisting medical conditions. president trump called on congress to pass new health care legislation, something not likely to happen as democrats take control of the house next month. the white house says the affordable care act will remain in place for now while the new ruling is appealed. now, with democrats already vowing to appeal the ruling, it's all but certain the case will become the third time the supreme court decides a constitutional question related to obamacare. now, if this suit which is backed by trump administration prevails, insurers could be anyone to deny americans insurance based on their health status, so as we wait to see how

this all plays out, today is the deadline to sign up for health insurance in 2019 under the affordable care act in most parts of the country. >> all of this certain to be a key issue going into 2020 as well. geoff bennett at the white house, thank you. other news from the white house this morning where the president has announced his third chief of staff in just two years, mick mulvaney, the current budget director will step up to the plate, replacing the outgoing john kelly. the president took to twitter insisting many fepeople were vyg for the role, but several contenders, including chris christie, have bowed out. mulvaney is entering the role cautiously while requesting a temporary sounding title of acting chief of staff. >>. now to a disturbing story that has captured country's attention after a young girl who had just entered the u.s. died while in the custody of u.s. border patrol. nbc's jacob soboroff has the story. >> reporter: jacqueline and her

father were among 163 migrants who crossed the border illegally and were app handed last thursday -- apprehended last thur thursday. not long after, the father notified agents his daughter was vomiting. jacqueline didn't receive medical attention until she arrived at the station 90 minutes laerletter. but by then she had stopped breathing. she was air lifted to a hospital in el paso where she died the next morning. homeland security says their inspector general is investigating the incident. when cvp's commissioner testified before congress on tuesday, he made no mention of her death, only saying their system is flawed. >> our border patrol stations and ports of entry were built to handle male single adults in custody, not families or children. >> critics say the administration's crack down will only lead to more deaths. >> one of the border patrol chiefs told me that the drug smugglers are the ones who create the humanitarian crisis

out here. it's not their enforcement policy. >> if it wasn't for our border enforcement policies, the cartels would not even be involved in the human smuggling business, maybe, to begin with. >> for jacqueline call, a dangerous journey, and deadly consequences, and tonight, questions unanswered. jacob soporoff, nbc los angeles. let's get another check from dylan. >> i think i have taken a selfie with almost everyone. we're working hard on selfies out here. let's take a look at what's going on across the country. we have a lot of rain, especially through the eastern third of the country from st. louis into maryland and delaware. we've got heavy rain moving from the south. we will see pockets of heavy rain throughout the day today. that will lead to a flood threat. we are looking at above average temperatures back behind the storms. that's why this is more of a rain event. although, going into tomorrow on the northern side of the storm,

especially through upstate new york, through central and northern new england, across maine, we could see more of a wintry mix and the possibility of some accumulating snow, 4 to 6 inches of snow possible through east maine. it could be a little messy as we go into sunday. we have some folks from florida here where it's 60s and 70s. no coat? >> we're from pittsburgh, not too bad. feels all right. >> we did pick a good time to be here. what are you doing in new york, celebrating the holidays? >> a bucket list for my wife. she's wanted to do this for 22 years, so we came up this year. >> was it worth? >> it's and right now the weather is pretty calm. we've got some 50s on the map for your temperature as you wake up. a little bit chillier through liver more. our temperatures into the afternoon are expected to climb into the upper 50s. low 60s in most spots, but satellite radar now you can see we have a lot of clearing in terms of cloud cover.

some spots are stilling see clouds. moisture could trickle into the north baby the afternoon. and that's your and that's your latest forecast. >> still to come, kanye versus drake, the bizarre late night twitter rant from kanye, and how his wife kim quickly came to his defense. up next, an unbelievable survival story from a group of friends lost at sea, why they might not be alive if it wasn't for one water proof iphone. >> wow. >> it's right after these messages. ne. that's right after these messages. a lot will happen in your life. wrinkles just won't. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair's derm-proven retinol works so fast, it takes only one week to reveal younger looking skin. making wrinkles look so last week. rapid wrinkle repair® pair with new retinol oil for 2x the wrinkle fighting power.

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it's not a roomba. we're back on saturday morning with the truly remarkable story of survival thanks to one woman's iphone. >> dylan is in the orange room to help us out. >> here is what happened. rachel neal was on the trip to japan with her boyfriend and friends. they decided to charter a boat to an island off the coast of okinawa. after a day on the island, they got back on the boat to head back. the boat was quickly overcome with high seas. all eight were forced to jump overboard as the boat capsized in the rough water. rachel, who happens to work for fema, had her quick wits. >> i have a go back. we had the go back. we put our life vests on. i literally turned and grabbed it and just jumped.

rich said the phones are in the bag. grab the phones. we pulled out his. his had water damage. it didn't work. we pulled out mine. but despite the fact it had water, it worked. >> they were rescued by the japanese coast guard 90 minutes later. she was grateful to have the water resistant iphone which still works to this day. >> look at that shot of the person lifted out of the water. i'll shoot a quick video. >> the last thing i would think of, too. rachel wants people to learn from her experience. you need to know the emergency service numbers when you travel and always have that go bag ready to go. we learned about this story from apple after rachel wrote a note to the company thanking them for making a quality product. the fact it still worked. totally submerged in water. >> if you are in japan, you are not going to call 911.

that is what they did which is so smart. >> how many times have you traveled internationally? we have "pop start." >> first up, let's talk about the feud between kanye west and drake. kanye erupted on twitter on thursday night with the lengthy rant escalating the ongoing public fight. he is still going at it. kanye's tweet storm was sparked by a request from drake to sample the beat in kanye's song. kanye responded with nearly 100 tweets denying that request and accusing drake of threatening him and his family. kim kardashian quickly stepped in tweeting never threaten my husband or our family. he paved the way for there to be a drake. she continued, my husband is the most brilliant, the most genius person that i know. this morning, kanye is up early on twitter again going after drake claiming he verbally

attacked them while he was in the hospital. besides a series of emojis, drake has not publicly responded. next up, ariana grande. we have yet to recover from the latest record-breaking single. she is saying thank u next. take a listen. ♪ we go like up to sleep on your chest love how my face fits ♪ ♪ in your neck ♪ imagine >> i like it. >> it's nice. fans were quick to point out the references to her late ex-boyfriend with the imagine tattoo. several lyrics mirror lines from his songs. in true ariana fashion, the ballad hit over 200 million

views. and now crowley family is back. the teaser for the "downton abbey" film is out. take a look. ♪ >> savannah is excited about this. "downton abbey" ran for six seasons on pbs. no cast members appear in the trailer, but it has been confirmed that everyone from the show's final season will return for the film. the movie will be in theaters in september of 2019. >> that will be big. thank you, dylan. still ahead, what is it like to be the mother of nine kids in including successful ♪

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we are back now on saturday morning with the first look at what it looks to raise some of the most famous faces. who better to ask than their mom? >> this is behind the series i'm working on "through mom's eyes." i think to myself, how do their parents do it? that is why we did the series. get the words of wisdom on raising successful kids. alma wahlberg, mother of nine kids. the mother of donnie and mark wahlberg. >> the one thing they asked. it is my saying. people make fun of me. call your mama. i said no big deal. just hi, ma. how are you? i love you. >> do they all still call home?

>> matt calls me from all over the world. >> he calls every day? >> he calls every single day for the past two and a half years. every single day. i don't care if it is 3:00 in the morning. whatever it is. >> amazing. >> no matter where he is. >> i asked what are the two things you did right and things you would change. she talks about growing up on government assistance. she doesn't take anything for granted. go to today.com. it is on the front page. watch it. it is a testimony to help us out. >> i'm curious in the conversatio conversations. was there one lesson they did that worked? >> all of the moms i talked to so far were strict. still loving. >> my kids are watching. >> stop talking. >> that and with nine kids. they each think they're the favorite. i don't know how she made that work. they all swear they're the favorite. that does it for us.

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bay .... a rude awakening... to prepare for the worst. the lengths one east bay community is going ... to avoid the same kind of tragedy that just happened in the camp fires. plus: falsifying records ... and worse. what pg&e is accused of influencing their employees to do... and a mostly enjoyable saturday... but vianey arana is tracking a big storm that )s caused of influencing their employees to do. and a mostly enjoyable saturday as we look at the golden gate bridge. we're tracking a big storm expected to bring gusty conditions this weekend. she'll let us know when and where the rain will hit the bay area. this little home of mine,

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december 15th. here is a live look outside -- sf good saturday morning. it's december 15th! here is a live look outside. the sun is starting to rise over san francisco. what a beautiful way to start our weekend. thank you so much for joining us. i'm keira clapper. we have a look at the microclimate forecast and we