chains for the seer ias. >> do be careful out there. and there are some delays he at the airports, so check for your flights before you head to the airport. have a great weekend. good m. breaking overnight, chaos in washington. shock waves after the abrupt resignation of defense secretary jim mattis, publicly scolding president trump on his way out with an extraordinary rebuke of the commander in chief and his policies. this, as the government hurtles towards a shutdown today. critics say it's up to the president and his party to break

the -- >> you're in charge of the senate and congress and the white house. get a grip and learn how to govern. a messy christmas. dangerous storms are causing major problems at the start of the holiday travel rush. heavy rains and high winds lashing the entire east coast, from florida up to maine. accidents and delays are quickly adding up this morning. this morning, a firsthand look at what you'll face at the airports and on the road. al will have his updated forecast. ready, set, shop. with christmas just four days away, stores brace for last-minute shoppers. more than 130 million americans ready to search for gifts on panic saturday. what you need to know before heading into the weekend. all that, plus standing up to evil. the parents of otto warmbier fighting back, demanding north korea pay for their son's death. juul-tide greetings. a bonus awaiting employees at the nation's largest e-cigarettemaker. and what fun. >> hi, guys. >> we look back at the lighter moments we shared this year. today, friday, december 21st, 2018. >> from nbc news, this is

"today," with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. hey, everybody. welcome to "today" on this friday morning. we're happy you're here. we're happy that willie is here. you're filling in for savannah. you picked a yucky day. >> i had to wear a wet suit. we have a big crowd out in the rain. we're so grateful to them. travel will be tough for a lot of people today. >> and a lot of people trying to get the last-minute christmas gifts. we're going to get to all of that in a second. we want to start with that upheaval in washington. secretary mattis quitting, while the clock is racing toward midnight and the next government shutdown. we have it from capitol hill to the white house. that's where we start, with peter alexander. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the magnitude of this moment reverberating this morning. james mattis' departure is the first time ever a defense secretary has resigned in protest.

that's according to presidential histo history. the trump administration and his allies fear going further into crisis. leon panetta warning the constant state of chaos may satisfy the president's need for attention but it's raising hell with the country. new concerns after james mattis' abrupt resignation, after policy disagreements with president trump. >> this decision to resign is our worth nightmare. >> there is chaos, now, in this administration. >> reporter: republican ben sass calling it a sad day for america because secretary mattis was giving advice the president needs to hear. less than 24 hours after president trump disregarded mattis' advice, the president announced that general jim mattis will be retiring. he resigned on thursday, hand-delivering this letter to the commander in chief. no praise for the president, but a rebuke of his world view, including president trump's

dismissal of partners around the globe. mattis writing in part i believe we must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach with those countries, whose interests are intentioned with ours. it's clear that china and russia want to shape a world with their authoritarian mantle. being clear-eyed with maligned actors and strategic competitors are strongly held. writing in conclusion, that he deserves a defense secretary whose views are in line with yours. mitch mcconnell saying i'm distressed. a key flashpoint -- afghanistan, with the white house ordering the pentagon to draw up plans for troop withdrawal from there, according to defense officials and a person briefed on the matter. no decisions made, but president trump wants to see options. initially touted as one of my generals by the president -- >> general "maddog" mattis --

>> reporter: their relationship soured in recent months. >> i think he's a democrat, if you want to know the truth. >> reporter: he was slow to embrace trump proposals. a ban on transgender troops, his departure is certain to alarm allies and national security officials, who have long viewed mattis has a stabilizing force for an unpredictable president. former defense secretary william cohen -- >> the president has taken a wrecking ball to every pillar of stability and security we've erected over 60, 70 years. he's demolishing them. >> reporter: these comments last year from republicans last year from bob corker, this morning, taking on new meaning. >> secretary tillerson, secretary mattis, and chief of staff kelly, are those people that help separate our country from chaos.

>> reporter: corker's words that much more striking when you consider all three men he mentioned will be gone from the administration by february. mattis setting his last day as february 28th. president trump tweeting that a new defense secretary will be announced shortly. there may be more moves coming. the president is reportedly already complaining about his acting chief of staff, mick mulvaney. during the campaign, mulvaney once called him a, quote, terrible human being. back to you. >> he's just getting started. peter, thank you. the other major story in washington, the countdown to a potential government shutdown. this morning with the deadline looming, both sides are digging in. hallie jackson has more on that. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. here's your shutdown status right now, kind of a mess, to put it bluntly. basically, something has to give

in order to avoid a partial government shutdown at midnight. but at this point, there's no deal and not much time to figure it out. the congress gave the president what he wanted, $5 billion on his border wall. >> the motion is adopted without objection. a motion to reconsider is laid on the table. >> reporter: but it's not enough. it's on to the senate but democrats don't support it. >> everyone knows it cannot pass the senate. it's a cynical attempt. >> reporter: this is not how people thought this week would end. just two days ago, the president seemed open to a short-term solution that did not include border wall money. then -- >> now is the time to fight. >> reporter: the pressure intensified, from conservatives livid the president seemed to be selling out his base and backing off his wall promises. >> i think the president should dig in his heels. >> this is a hill we should be willing to die on. >> help our president build the

wall like we said. >> reporter: now, the scramble. senators who thought they were clear to head home for the holidays, are heading back. like hawaii's brian schotts. he got to honolulu and had to turn around after 17 minutes with his families. >> if democrats don't want the government to shut down, support border security. how many more innocent people have to die for this agenda? >> we don't have to yell. >> reporter: last week, the president said he would proudly own a shutdown. >> i will take the mantle. i will be the one to shut it down. >> any effort to blame the democrats will be such [ bleep ]. >> reporter: what are the options now? something has to change, the president's stance or lawmakers'. and right now, there's no compromise in the cards. >> the republicans are in charge. and so, the shutdown is on us, if we can't figure this out.

>> reporter: so, even given that reality, president trump, this morning, is tweeting about this, trying to paint this as, in his words a democratic shutdown if it does happen. if the government shuts down, president trump will not travel to mar-a-lago over the holidays like he normally does. this is not a full shutdown. things like tsa and mail delivery happens. you're going to have about 750,000 federal workers who won't be getting a paycheck they thought they would get over the holidays. it will certainly have an impact on them. let's turn to chuck todd. good morning. >> good morning. only in trump's washington is the shutdown not the lead story. it just sort of -- i had to think about that for a minute. sorry, guys. >> we're going to get to that in a second. you see the people departing, secretary mattis, john kelly, secretary tillerson. help put this in perspective. on the crazy scale, how crazy is

this? >> hoda, it's a shame that there's been a sense -- and i'm sure some people who watch the "today" show think, you know, you say it's a crisis. you say it's a crisis. it's a shame that people might be so numb to this and people like us are so numb, i can't underscore how serious things are right now. i can't underscore the break licans and this president. just think about this fact, about secretary mattis and the president's decision to pull out of syria. vladimir putin cheered him and the secretary of defense resigned. that's the stark reality. you can just see, the republicans in washington in particular, feel as if they've been smacked in the face, whatever metaphor you want to pick, that's the feeling they have right now.

>> chuck, secretary mattis is number one on the list of people around the president who could be, perhaps, buffers of his impulses. now, just about all of these people are gone. what does that mean for the future of this white house as we turn the corner into 2019? >> i think the president believes he knows what he is doing now. he doesn't need the approval of other folks. that he knows better. if anything, he is better off fighting. i think what it means is, there aren't going to be other people. and i think those that are left in this west wing, those that are left in this administration, if you've made the decision to stay, you've made the decision to fall in line. i think that means that there's this idea of people that, quote, are the guardrails, that idea is no longer operational. >> meanwhile, the clock is ticking to a potential shutdown at midnight. do you think the government will be open at midnight tonight?

and if so, does president trump get the wall or some version of the wall? >> right now, it doesn't look like it is. on december 21st, everybody feels as if they can dig in their heels. let's see what happens on monday morning when it's december 24th and these folks realize they're not going to be where they promised they would be. the president is tired of this crummy weather. he may be fine not going to mar-a-lago tonight. i'll be curious where he is in 48 hours. >> all right, check. you will have more on "meet the press" on sunday. thanks for coming on. now to the messy weather facing tens of millions of holiday travelers today. the massive storm blanketing the east coast, causing travel delays from coast-to-coast. our team is spread out to bring you the latest from the roads and the airports to the shopping and shipping scramble. al is up first with the forecast. >> thank you for getting your first weather. if you're a president or plain folks like us, you're not going anywhere if you're flying along the east coast. it's a mess. you see how bad the rain has been in florida.

besides tornadoes, they had their second-wettest day in orlando. wettest day in tampa. the most rain since hurricane irma. look at the heavy rain making its way up into the northeast. and there's another band that will get in here later this afternoon. that's going to cause problems at the airports. then\, this secondary low pushes up. we're looking for flooding rain into the northeast. gusty winds throughout the day. so the winds and the rain combined, making for a real mess. and then on the backside of this system, we have strong winds and lake-effect snow. here are the impacts of these storms. looking for heavy rain and flooding. rainfall rates, half an inch to an inch per hour. we're talking 1 to 3 inches in the northeast and new england. damaging winds, power outages

from the southeast all the way into the northeast. look for wind gusts of 50 miles per hour to 60 miles per hour, especially as you get into new england. if that's not enough, back behind it, we're talking snow along the spine of appalachians. there could be upwards of 6 inches, guys. a lot of impact through saturday. back to you. >> all right, al. now, we're going to turn to the storm's impact on your travel plans. gabe gutierrez is in atlanta, in one of the busiest airports. good morning. >> reporter: things are hopping in atlanta. but the lines are running smoothly. the biggest disruptions, in northeast. la guardia, newark, facing delays so far. yesterday, we saw 7,000 delays and 250 cancellations. today, we've seen several hundred delays so far. tsa is expecting to screen 2.7 million travelers through tomorrow.

if you look at the big board here in atlanta, we can see no major delays so far. everything seems to be on time. the major airlines are not offering to waive change fees this time around, except for jetblue and some of the airports that were impacted in florida yesterday. as al mentioned, this bad weather, most of it moving out through tonight. through the weekend, air ravel travel is expected to get better. >> gabe, thank you. now to the situation on the roads. dylan is braving the i-95. add in the rain and the holiday rush, it's slow going out there, isn't it? >> reporter: hey, willie. it's hard to top being stuck in traffic on the george washington bridge in the pouring rain on a friday morning commute. we're doing it. aaa says 102 million people are expected to take to the roads this holiday. that's up 4% from last year. but combine that with a typical

morning commute on this friday before christmas. and we are expecting tons of gridlock. in fact, it is a gridlock alert day here in the new york city area. the heavy rain is going to continue all day long. that's going to lead to ponding on the roads and the potential for flooding. on top of that, winds will gust up to 45 miles per hour, which means high-profile vehicles will need to keep their speeds down. that will make it slow going on the roads today. your best bet is to leave after this morning's commute or before this evening's commute, which gives you a small window to travel, if you do need to travel today. make sure you download the traffic apps like waze. but everyone else will be using that, as well. there's a possibility there's no avoiding the traffic today. if i'm being honest, your best bet is to wait until tomorrow. the weather really clears out across a good portion of the country. that could be just what you need to stay in the holiday spirit. willie? >> good advice if you can wait until tomorrow. dylan on the george washington bridge.

thanks so much. christmas came early for the employees of juul, the popular e-cigarettemaker. they have a $2 billion bonus, to split between the employees. that breaks down to $1.3 million each. >> oh, my gosh. >> that bonus comes thanks to tobacco giant altria, who spent billions in juul. that's a bonus. >> incredible. let's turn back to al for more weather. >> we have heavy rain in the eastern third of the country. we have mild weather in the rockies. we're talking about some snow back through the northern rockies and wet weather in northern california. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds.

good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. here's a look at stormranger tracking some rain, now also into the east bay. we're seeing heavy waves of rain from richmond over toward concord. the rain will get started in the next few minutes in concord. we'll see the scattered showers continuing for parts of the bay area. not all of us will see it. as we go into late morning into the afternoon, activity will be winding down. for the afternoon we're looking a the sunshine on the first day of winter. >> and that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you. coming up, the family of

otto warmbier seeking justice against the government of korea. why they say they had to stand up to evil. and the last-minute holiday shopping rush. if you can deal with the crowds, why you might find the biggest savings this weekend. first, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, how great is this? one of hollywood's funniest duos, will ferrell and john c. reilly. they decided to turn the story of sherlock holmes into a comedy. and can you tell what we and can you tell what we love to do? so what did you get page ♪ for christmas? ♪

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getting assistance with trying to find a place to stay warm. kari has the forecast. we have some rain off and on, over towards parts of the east bay. continuing to make its way through. this would move through fairly quickly. by noon we'll see a lot of the activity clearing out, and some fairly mild temperatures. saturday is looking dry, but then on sunday, we will have another round of showers moving in late sunday night into christmas eve, could make it quite wet for your christmas eve activities. let's get an update on the commute. we obviously will have a light volume of traffic, and that what we see all around the bay, and also the east shore freeway. that's where the rain has traveled through once again. you will have issues out there. there's the radar in the area on the peninsula. that's why we see slowing in towards south san francisco. got to show you san rafael as

well. slick freeways, low visibility at times. so there's the bay bridge. you do have the metering lights as well. back to you. >> just call them holiday lights. more local news is coming up.

♪ ♪ the rising of the sun and the biding of the day ♪ ♪ the dream of the mighty singing in the choir ♪ 7:30 on this beautiful friday morning the 21st day of december, 2018. not beautiful because of the weather, but the people that are in our studio.

that's the st. thomas choir. >> they come from new york city. they will be providing us with holiday music all morning long. >> like angels in the studio. we're going to start this half hour with a check of today's headlines. defense secretary jim mattis is stepping down after clashing with president trump over the abrupt withdrawal of u.s. troops from syria. mattis hand-delivered his resignation letter to the president at the white house on thursday, writing, in part, my views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both maligned actors and strategic competitors are strongly held. adding, the president deserves a secretary whose, quote, views are better aligned with yours. the clock is ticking. a partial government shutdown could be on the way. the house gave the president what he wanted, a $5 billion award for his border wall. the bill is expected to be rejected in the senate.

without resolution, 800,000 federal workers will be facing furloughs or forced to work without pay. steve gleason will be the first nfl player to receive the congressional gold medal. that's the highest civilian honor bestowed by congress. he was diagnosed with a.l.s. in 2011. he spearheaded efforts through team gleason foundation to develop technology to help a.l.s. patients live longer. new developments in the death of north korean detainee otto warmbier. >> his parents are suing north korea, hoping to make the regime pay for his death. keir simmons is here this morning. >> reporter: the family of otto warmbier says they're suing north korea to stand up to evil.

they stood up this week for an emotional hearing. they want closure and justice. video of american student, otto warmbier, paraded in front of a courtroom in 2016. replayed this week in federal court, in the nation's capital. back then, warmbier broke down after learning he would serve hard labor for stealing a poster. in a legal declaration, his father said otto's forced confession was like a nazi show trial. we don't fear north korea anymore, he told the court. a year and a half later, otto warmbier was returned to america in a coma. his father telling the u.n. -- >> they used him as a political pawn. when he was of no value to them, they essentially sent him home to our family in a body bag. >> reporter: his father's moving testimony describes meeting the plane carrying him.

there was a horrible howling. it sounded inhuman. when we went into the plane, otto was jerking violently. i knelt down and hugged otto. i saw terror on his face. the family releasing this disturbing image of their comatose son. he had, they say, unexplained injuries, including a scar on his foot. describing a north korean claim that otto warmbier had been in good condition as ridiculous. north korea denied he was mistreated and tortured while in their custody and has not responded to the billion-dollar lawsuit, money the family may never see. >> the warmbiers' lawsuit may be just to make a point. >> reporter: their aim, to highlight the regime's cruelty. fred warmbier told lester holt -- >> this is the true character of the kim regime, their treatment of otto. >> reporter: otto would call me, he says. we never hung out without saying

we loved each other. how bittersweet it will be to see our other children grow up and become adults, while otto will be frozen in time. >> it's sad to see that. is the family trying to keep the story out there? people paying attention to it? is that why the lawsuit has been filed? >> reporter: that's one of the purposes of this court case. remember, the north korean pay close attention to this stuff. it's likely, for example, they will watch this broadcast. remember, they have called these allegations basis slander. this is the family's opportunity to reply to that and to keep their son's name in the public eye. >> thank you, keir. let's head over to al for the all-important and all-rainy holiday forecast. >> you know that song, "i'm dreaming of a white christmas"? we're dreaming of a warmer temperatures. the average temperature has risen.

minneapolis, 5 1/2 degrees above average, from 1970. a degree and a half for chicago. almost three degrees, new york. and atlanta, 3.3 degrees warmer than in 1970. this christmas day it will be cooler in burlington, new york and pittsburgh. but warmer for raleigh, chicago, st. louis, and minneapolis. 1922, at 51. new york city, not that long ago, 2015, 66 degrees. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall, tracking some rain on stormranger this morning. as you get ready to head out the door, some of the heaviest showers have been over toward concord. we'll see another wave of rain moving through, also for the peninsula we have seen the

showers passing bay by. and the south bay may not see much of this rain, but it will be clear out for the rest of the noon. the >> and that's your latest weather. >> thank you, al. we have a lot more ahead, including a fun look back at our favorite moments of 2018. and harry smith's hilarious conversation with will ferrell and john c. reilly. and jennifer lopez opens up to willie about what she says saved her when her fame first exploded 20 years ago. but first, we'll hear from the wife of the utah mayor and major in the national guard who was killed recently while serving in afghanistan. how she is carrying on his legacy. that's right after this. ♪ (volunteer) hey. (old man) come on in. (volunteer) you taught me the rules. (vo) you do more than feed seniors when you share the love.

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we're back with "in-depth today," and a story that captured the nation's attention. >> brett taylor, the mayor of

north ogden, utah, was killed in action in afghanistan last month. now, his wife is speaking out. kristen dahlgren sat down with her. >> reporter: good morning, guys. i'm in awe of jenny taylor's strength. she is choosing to spread her husband's message, showing their seven children and the rest of us what it truly means to live a life of service. >> he proposed to me on a saturday. and the following tuesday, we went into the national guard recruiting office. >> reporter: from the beginning, major brett taylor was about service. and what his wife, jenny, saw back then, is why so many have been touched by his story now. >> it keeps coming back to service of god, family and country. they're one to him. >> he was a major and a mayor, serving the town of north ogden, utah. on his fourth deployment when he was killed in afghanistan last month. ♪ leaving behind jenny and seven

children. >> ellie, who is 5, i told her, i said, sometimes dad's in iraq. sometimes dad's in afghanistan. sometimes dad's just at a me meeting and he's not home but she's still your dad. she thought for a moment and said, and heaven is way better than afghanistan. >> christmas morning. >> reporter: so, this christmas, they are choosing to focus on brent's greatest gift -- >> i love you, honey. stay strong. >> if i think too far ahead, the heartache is overwhelming. not for a minute will i call this anything other than a sacred honor for us to now be a part of this great price that is paid to preserve the freedoms. >> reporter: taylor was proud of what he was doing. >> there are ways all around us to brighten someone's day, to lift another's burdens. >> reporter: his children, like 13-year-old megan, now carrying the mantle. what are you going to carry on from your dad? >> i'm going to want to look out for people, like, if i see

someone sitting alone at lunch or anything, i want to help everyone. sometimes i'm sad that he's gone. but i'm proud that he was able to serve. >> he mu >> reporter: you must be really proud of him. they also remember the fun times. stories they'll have to tell 1-year-old caroline about her dad. what will you tell her? >> everything. he has touched so many lives. we're hoping to turn this grief and build it into something bigger than us. we are in this together to help each other. and to accomplish what others might say is unaccomplishable. just go and find a way and do it. >> reporter: and in this season of giving, is there a greatest gift than that? >> christmas is about sharing, remember? it sure is if you want santa to come. it is all about family. >> reporter: the community has embraced this family. jenny says that's been a

blessing for them. she knows christmas will be hard but they won't be going through it alone. she cries every day but she also laughs. and, guys, she calls that a victory. >> that's one of the most beautiful interviews we've ever seen. >> she's an amazing lady. >> four tours going back again and again out of the national guard. when he's not there, serving as mayor of north ogden, utah. >> and how about the child where she said, heaven is much better than afghanistan. that was beautiful. thank you, kristen. >> we'll be right back. ♪ t-mobile believes, it's better to give than to receive. some may disagree. others won't believe it. and some just won't have the words. join t-mobile and get the samsung galaxy s9 free.

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welcome back. good crowd outside in the plaza, despite the rainy weather. we'll check in with them in a bit. we're looking at the final weekend of shopping before christmas. >> the stores will be packed. while you have to pay extra to

mail some of the gifts, there is good news. you could be scoring some of the season's best deals. nbc's kerry sanders has more from a mall in miami. hey, kerry. >> reporter: good morning. we're hitting the final stretch. if this were a sporting event, you could say we're in the fourth quarter, on the 50 yard line and time is running out. this morning, it's holiday shopping crunch time. thanks to this year's slandcale christmas falls on a tuesday, giving you extra time to shop. >> we're just starting. >> reporter: the national retail federation says 134 million people will be out on panic saturday, almost as many shoppers as all of black friday weekend. >> we're running around. >> reporter: some hoping that waiting this long, they'll score better deals. >> right now, we went into one of the store fronts and they had 50% off of all of the store. >> reporter: now is a great time

to get a deal on some of the hottest toys or clothing. like the cute twin holiday hats for my niece and nephew. but if i want to ship them from south florida to the christmas tree in san francisco, it will cost me. $34.90 with the u.s. postal service. $76 with u.p.s. and $80 with fedex. but they're worth it, even though that's seven-times the cost of the hats. on this late date, relying on santa or showing up in person, may be your best bet. here at the mall in miami and at malls across the country, it will be packed this weekend. it's estimated 134 million americans will head out to the malls to continue shopping to try to beat that deadline. guys? >> show up with kerry. >> get your shopping done now, kerry. >> kerry, thank you. from epic concerts to

unforgettable guests, lots of laughs. we're going to talk about the fun moments we had in 2018. first, more music from the st. thomas choir from here in new york city and a check of your local news. ♪ ♪give joy, get joy...

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. good friday morning. we're tracking some showers. the rain has cleared from the north bay for the most part. that extends down to the peninsula, where we've seen a round of some showers moving thrill, making your commute quite wet. we are still going to be a chance of showers through the afternoon, for tomorrow, we are going to see a mix of sun and clouds, and then the rain returns late on sunday into christmas eve, as we will see some scattered showers moving through. at this point not expecting any significant storm sims to move there. it will clear out in time for christmas, but it will be cool and breezy. we will see the temperatures near 60 degrees, showers against from late sunday into monday, and then sunshine from christmas through thursday.

let's get an outdate on the commute. the berkeley curve, that is the beautiful part. it moves very smoothly. not so smooth through oakland. the headlights jamming up around the coliseum. all that activities, i have kari's radar combined with the map. walnut creek through oakland, also on the peninsula, and across that san mateo bid, soupy conditions, and then to the south, into downtown. happening now, a san francisco police officer is facing charges of his own. federal prosecutors say he robbed a bank in san francisco last month, got away with about $9,000. he's also tied to an infamous department texting scandal. the clock is ticking down

for lawmakers to approve a budget plan. we are keeping a close eye on this for you. lot of money. our consumer team tells you the one thing to check for with every gift you open this christmas. and we )ll get you ready to head out the door with weather and traffic. today in the bay. monday morning from 4:30 to 7.

it's 8:00 on "today." coming up chaos in washington. overnight defense secretary jim mattis resigns handing in a bombshell resignation letter serving as a striking rebuke against the president. >> there is chaos now in this administration. >> this as the senate works to avoid a government shutdown today. we're live at the white house with the latest. plus, wintry mix wonderland. dangerous storms slamming across the east coast bringing heavy rains, winds, flooding, even snow. cancellations and delays piling up. what does this mean for your christmas commute. al has the answers. and let the good times roll.

>> hi guys. >> from the food to the friends. >> hi. >> i don't know what to say. >> to the fun here and abroad. we take a look back at the lighter side of the year. today, friday, december 21st, 2018. ♪ jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock ♪ from missouri. >> celebrating your birthdays. >> from south carolina. >> welcome home from booed camp alex. >> we love you. >> ♪ >> from pennsylvania. happy birthday colleen. >> celebrating my 20th birthday on "today." >> the rain won't stop us from being on "today." ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ >> how is that for a way to start the day. we're back here on a friday morning, 8:00. that's the st. thomas choir. they're brightening up a dreary day here in new york city. a lot of people outside, willie, who braved this weather. they're here to hang. >> our holiday friday. always happy to be here especially when a get a free concert from these guys. thanks so much. >> let's get to your news at 8:00, the abrupt resignation of defense secretary james mattis is sending shockwaves throughout washington this morning. it comes as the government hurls towards a shutdown later today. let's turn to peter alexander at the white house for more.

peter, good morning. >> willie, good morning to you. quite a way to head into the holidays. james mattis becoming the first defense secretary ever to resign in protest over policy differences with his commander in chief. it came as president trump doubled down on his decision to withdraw from syria and considered a pullout from afghanistan as well. mattis hand delivering his resignation letter to the president thursday. a firm rebuke of the president's america first world view, writing in part, my views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about strategic competitors are strongly held. mattis concluding that the president deserves a defense secretary who shares his views. also today, importantly, the likelihood of a partial government shutdown, that appears to be growing ahead of tonight's midnight deadline. republicans and the house passed a bill overnight that gave the president the $5 billion for his border wall that he demanded. democrats in the senate don't support this bill. if the government does shut

down, hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be furloughed or forced to work without pay right through the holidays. willie and hoda. >> peter alexander, buckling up for a long day at the white house. a dangerous storm facing travelers. this is a doozy, al. >> it's warm, wet and dangerous. we're looking at florida, they saw tornadoes yesterday. the worse is over there. here in the northeast, we've got the heavy rain starting to filter in. we've got this atmospheric river of moisture coming in. we have flood watches up for 60 million people today. moderate river flooding, rainfall rates. half an inch to an inch per hour. the heaviest rain will be from the delmarva peninsula to new england. moderate river flooding is possible. also, very strong winds. downed power lines and trees where isolated power outages are possible. the wind gusts will be the worst in the northeast. as you get into new england, as you get up there, wind gusts of

60 miles per hour. jersey shore, 30 mile per hour gusts as well. and the backside of this system, colder air being drawn in and so we're looking at snow stretching from the mountains of the carolinas through the appalachians back into western new york. good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall tracking showers in parts of the bay area. we have rain 34506moving throug mateo. showers through late morning and by early afternoon rain clearing out for a fairly nice afternoon. for saturday, our sky stay partly to mostly cloudy but dry. another system moving in late sunday night into monday that will linger through your christmas eve. and that's your latest weather. >> al, thanks a lot. we've got a good one, willie. big surprise overnight.

watch what happens live on the show's final broadcast for the year. andy cohen drops one beautiful bombshell. take a look. >> tonight, i want you to be the first to know that after many years of careful deliberation, a fair amount of prayers and the benefit of science, if all goes according to plan, in about six weeks' time, i'm going to become a father. thanks to a wonderful surrogate who is carrying my future. family means everything to me and having one of my own is something that i have wanted in my heart for my entire life. though it's taken me longer than most to get there, i cannot wait for what i envision will be the most rewarding chapter yet. >> andy. way to go, buddy. >> that is awesome. >> mazel tov. >> that is great. wanted to thank the audience and he was hanging with the real housewives. we're so happy for him. it sounds like the perfect time for andy.

>> he's going to be a terrific dad. >> he's so full of love and energy and life. again to give all that to a baby. >> can you picture him. >> baby in one hand, drink in the other. >> never lose that, whatever he drinks. fooder fo food friends and celebration, everything we shared in 2018 after this. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ kids [laughing] mm! full of possibilities! [ ding ] now that your tree is decwhoa! wow! and your presents are wrapped. there's only one thing left to do. steal christmas. actually i was going to say, go see the grinch. fine, but i'm going to despise every second of it. ♪

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for $459 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer. mercedes-benz. the best or nothing. "best of today," is sponsored by mercedes-benz, the best or nothing. >> yesterday, we looked back at the biggest stories of the year. this morning, we're going to hit rewind again. but we're going to celebrate all of the fun we shared together around studio 1a and around the world in 2018. ♪ ♪ >> hi, guys. >> we are kicking off the year right because hoda is officially the co-anchor of "today." let's give her a round of applause. >> we made it through our first

week, you guys. >> we did. let's keep it going. ♪ >> three, two, one. oh, my gosh. >> back to you. >> welcome to benihana. i'm your chef. >> yes. >> yeah. >> oh. >> i made my own perfume. >> we wanted to learn to dance from you. >> can you teach two dorks how to cut a road? ♪ >> we know savannah is a huge roger federer fan, a centimeter south of stalking, really. savannah has been invited to play in an exhibition tennis match. >> hey, roger. see you on the court.

♪ ♪ >> this is how you make an entrance. ♪ >> it's the team usa figure skaters. >> you have lit up the olympics in so many ways. >> oh, my god. >> gold looks so good on you. >> we did it for the u.s. >> i feel like you both need to try this on. >> this is pretty insane. >> pretty cool. >> history was ready. >> you know what is better than a gold medal? 23 gold medals. >> is season holding me up? >> no. >> no, that's you. >> wow.

>> catch her. catch her. >> yes. that was awesome. >> i've never been quiet for that long in my whole life. ♪ >> sorry. ♪ ♪ >> dakar, senegal. this is unbelievable. i am actually here, where i'm from. that's good. ♪ >> put down your tea and crumpets, hoda. >> i am ready. we are all heading to england to bring you the excitement of the royal wedding. >> yay. >> i cannot stop eating this cake. well, i don't have to fit in a wedding dress tomorrow.

why not? >> it's almost the super bowl. when you care to send the very best, you send al and craig to minneapolis. >> the staten island ferry, baby. >> the arch. >> we have so much going on here in boston. fire. let's get out of hear. >> maine, here we come, baby. >> stop. we are going to fall. we may be drifting out to sea. this may be the last time you ever see us. this could be a great day for dylan dreyer. ♪ >> before we get started, you don't know this, but my friend, savannah, is a huge fan of regular bacon. >> you're my friend. >> is there anymore bacon? >> what's in here? >> that's butter cream. you can do that. go for it. >> this is delicious. you didn't cut any corners. >> a cucumber is like a pickle. >> yeah. >> got it. >> yes. >> he just drank the whole

thing. >> finish my drink. >> there you go. >> got to put -- an apple down. >> i will be wearing a different shirt on "nightly news" tonight. ♪ ♪ >> huge crowd today. >> anyone want to trade for this "today" show umbrella? >> that's a good trade. why was it important for you to be here with this one right here? >> because i have a crush on him. >> you want to meet more of your inspirations? who are they? >> savannah and hoda. >> hi. >> such a great moment. >> oh, my god. >> cutie. >> i don't know what to say. >> i'm a great hugger. you are? are you sure? >> are you ready? we like to hug. >> one, two, three. we're going in. >> you have made my world.

>> oh. ♪ >> we just want to say that, we ready. >> yeah. >> we ready. >> we ready. >> help us welcome former first lady, michelle obama. ♪ ♪ >> had you met priscilla until this morning? >> well, we are on tinder together. >> you're going to sing a song for us, aren't you? >> yes. >> what are you doing to do? >> "turning me on." >> you should see hoda's face right now. >> can i have the ken burns effect? ♪

>> i'm as mad as hell and i'm not going to take this anymore. i just pinched something in my back. >> thank you. lit's a lot going on. >> it's really -- >> you're my kind of woman. >> and you're mine. >> cheers to that. >> you're my family. you've brought me luck. ♪ >> stop it. stop it. >> you got it. >> don't turn that channel. ♪ can we have a drumroll please? ♪ apple bottom jeans the boots with the fur ♪ ♪ the whole place was looking at her ♪ ♪ shorty got low, low, low ♪ wake me up before you go-go ♪ take it from an old man time's just sand slipping past ♪

>> i can't believe you're letting us do this. >> i can't believe it, either. ♪ forever young ♪ jolene, jolene, jolene >> yes. >> wow. ♪ and this christmas will be a very special christmas for me ♪ >> oh. ♪ ♪ >> what's up, my fighters? it's liberation day today. what's up? ♪ this is for my girls around the world ♪ ♪ coming from a man who don't respect your word ♪ ♪ what do we do, girl shout out loud ♪ ♪

♪ so, say, all you got to do is ♪ ♪ take your hands in mine the clock is ticking ♪ ♪ so, stay all i have to do is stay ♪ ♪ fight back i'll burn ♪ ♪ stand up to you take your side ♪ ♪ that's what i'm here to do ♪ sometimes i feel like giving up ♪ ♪ but i just can't it isn't in my blood ♪ ♪ it isn't in my blood ♪ oh, oh, like my heart's in line ♪ ♪ make me feel weak for you,

baby ♪ ♪ you know i love you you know i need you ♪ ♪ you know i love you hey, hey ♪ ♪ come on better than that, better than ♪ ♪ you know i love you, better than that ♪ >> can i borrow this? ♪ >> if i could go back and get remarried. >> you look different now. >> why the come hither look? >> i can see so much better. ♪ headband of the day >> you took off the dinner table and the napkins went with you. >> the clothing brand partnered with ziploc, to create plastic bag inspired looks. hoda, you were way ahead of this trend before this happened.

>> what are those? >> orthopedics. got you. ♪ wake me up before you go go don't leave me hanging on like a yo-yo ♪ ♪ wake me up before you go go i don't want to miss it when you hit that high ♪ >> where we go, we don't need roads. >> good morning, my neighbor. ♪ >> what are you doing back there? >> hiding. >> for men and women, this is really -- oh. >> all good. nothing to see here. >> that's the weather. savannah? >> thank you, al. there you are. well, i'm not really known for my sense of direction. >> mr. davis has that. or daly. i'm sorry. i'm still on cold meds. i'm sorry, carson.

>> mr. davis? >> careful. >> i was going to call you sheinelle or shania. >> it's savannah. but whatever. >> i just had a senior moment. i have no idea. >> we have more tips on our facebook page today.com/facebook or something like that. >> a little surprise in store, maybe. >> well, it was a surprise. >> did i ruin it? never mind. no surprise. >> vale keeps a secret better than you, craig. >> i know. >> more midwest snow. northeast. i think it's time for a new monitor, jim gaines, our director. >> today, florida state's softball team, they had won their first-ever ncaa championship. that's all right. just walk on by, hoda. >> i'm going to find her right now. >> thanks. what is going on here? >> don't forget -- >> it's a circus. >> we only have one chair. i will stand up. wow, like a well-oiled machine.

♪ ♪ ♪ >> wow. >> all of that happened. >> that was just last month. >> isn't it incredible to see

all that stuff? >> we're so fun. >> at least we think so. >> right. we entertain ourselves. so many people helped put that together. they do it every year. our hats go off to them. editors, molly paul, drew, researchers sarah twarig. >> you made it for next year. >> and the queen of all, our producer, erica levens, who pores through all of those shows and tries to find things fit. >> what's fun is to watch hoda watch herself, covering her eyes and turning her back to the screen. mr. davis, you were great. you were fantastic. >> thank you so much, mr. melvin. i appreciate that. just ahead, harry smith sharing some laughs with the dynamic duo of will ferrell and john krchc. reilly. >> and ai )m ...

one man is dead after an early morning apartment fire in south san jose. it happened at around four a-m good morning.alled a al: -- 8:26. i'm marcus walk. one man dead after a fire in san jose. happened at driftwood manner on blossom hill road. video from after the fire. when crews arrived one unit was engulfed in flames and a man trapped inside. could not retrieve him. firefighters say everyone else made it out safely. the man who died has not been identified. so far we don't know the cause of that fire. right now mike has a look at the commute for a lot of people this morning. >> it's light. don't have as many folks at the berkeley curve.

the issue is not the roadway. it's the rain. it affects roadways. be careful. slippery conditions. even though you can go faster because of lighter traffic, the slick conditions can be an issue. jammed before on the nimitz. radar, showing you, traffic and radar are tied together. borrow kari's radar. castro valley and tri-valley towards fremont not a big deal as far a impact on traffic flow. moving nicely. south bay encounters a build for 87 into downtown. back to you. >> thanks, mike. another local update.

♪ the citi concert series on "today" is proudly presented to you by citi. ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ and a happy new year ♪ good tidings we bring to you and your kin ♪ ♪ good tidings for christmas and a happy new year ♪

beautiful. >> that was gorgeous. it's 8:30. we're wrapping up our festive holiday music from the remarkable kids chorus, from the st. thomas choir from here in new york city. they're part of the st. thomas school, with the boys ranging from 8 to 13. do they brighten the place up or what? >> they do. >> a big thanks to them. and a big thanks to the world-famous harlem globetrotters. we have some of the members of the team on the plaza, collecting donations on the final day of our toy drive. their world tour is starting december 26th. >> that's one of the greatest things. >> it is. >> it is the best. >> it's the best show ever. >> i am hoda and carson's personal valet this morning. i am following them around with an umbrella. >> carson, you have a "crowd

moment." >> where is kelsey from buffalo? >> i am right here. my father of my babies right here. >> how are you feeling? >> amazing. >> when are you due? >> end of march. i was diagnosed with ovarian disease and i was told i couldn't have kids. this is our miracle baby. >> that's so awesome. tell me about your mom. >> my mom is a fifth grade teacher out of hamburg, new york. she has her class watching. i want to say hi to miss bebak's class. thank you for watching. >> congratulations to you guys. have a great christmas. >> thank you. >> all right, and hello from all of us on the plaza. >> hello from us, miss bebak. >> this is amazing. amazing. just ahead, we have something good for you. you know you're in for a good time when you get together with will ferrell and john c. reilly.

harry smith had that pleasure. they had him cracking up. then, chef eric ripert has the number one restaurant in the world. he's going to share a delicious recipe and we'll chat with him, too. and coming up, two girls that are going above and beyond to spread smiles. >> what a good idea not to have an umbrella, right, carson? in the third hour, we're going to introduce you to two teens that are going above and beyond to spread smiles. mr. roker, do you have a check of the weather? >> this "sunday night football" weather is brought to you by verizon. >> you can see, it's raining out here right now. let's see what's happening for your christmas weekend. stormy in the pacific northwest. gusty winds in the northeast. quiet in the midsection of the country. a weak clipper comes across the northeast. mountain snows out west. rockies, snow on christmas eve. snowshowers, western new york.

sunshine elsewhere. on christmas day, widespread snow through the northwest and the northern rockies. sunny skies along the east coast. wet weather down through texas. good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall tracking spotty rain across parts of the bay area. looking at it with storm ranger. mobile doppler radar tracking rain haywardened fremont and across the peninsula. seeing filters rain. much of that tapers off going into the afternoon. first day of winter is looking good. then we see partly cloudy skies tomorrow. for sunday another storm arrive it's bringing rain late sunday evening. >> all right. that's your latest weather. of course, time to give you the greatest gift of all, sunday night, football night, in america. that's right. we have the chiefs flying in to seattle.

ooh, boy. centurylink field. it's a chance of rain, 46 degrees. it's a good one, coming up, "sunday night football." the coverage starts at 7:00, right here on nbc. of course, don't forget, you can always take the "today" show with you. you just have to go to our friends at "today," sirius/xm channel 108. oh, hoda? >> oh, al. thank you. now, to a new movie that features two incredibly legendary duos. >> that's right. holmes and watson is a humorous take on the mysteries featuring sherlock holmes and his sidekick, dr. watson. it stars the great will ferrell and john c. reilly. harry smith shared some laughs with them. we've been looking forward to this all morning. >> it's not a fair fight, when

you sit down with the two of them. you'll see. >> sherlock holmes. and dr. john watson. >> sherlock holmes. not exactly like no one's ever done it before. >> well, we decided, the most beloved character -- >> i'm not familiar with any other versions, really. this was new territory for me. i was like, let's do something fresh. i knew the kids were going to love it. right? >> reporter: as for the plot -- >> a murder in buckingham palace. >> the stories are so perennial and favorite -- what am i trying to say? it's our first interview together, harry. i don't have any sound bytes together yet. give me a second. >> it's all about brexit. >> yes. it's an allegory. >> we thought, let's do "holmes & watson." >> it's the pulling apart and the coming back together again. holmes was a genius, and a o

one-after-a-kind crime solver. >> it's like when you lose your glasses, at least once a day, right? you're not satisfied until you find those glasses. >> that's right. >> and will has got them. >> you want to see something really cool? >> yes, please. >> that's amazing. >> right? >> middle-aged cool guy. when i walk into a restaurant, people are like, right this way, mr. ferrell. yeah. >> reporter: we laughed for the better part of a half hour. and i wondered -- so, when you're working together, who breaks up more on set? >> we pride ourselves on hanging in there as long as we can. there's a moment in the film where the first selfie is taken. holmes and watson create the

first selfie. >> hey, girl. >> and we don't -- we think we've killed her. and we don't know what to do with the body. and it turns into a very slapstick moment, where we were trying to stuff this dummy into a trunk. and at one point, i start punching the behind. i was very serious. i was not trying to get a laugh. i thought, what would he do in a moment of panic? >> of course. punch her in the butt. that's what you do. >> and so that, i got john on that one. >> reporter: these two have done this before, in "talledega nights." >> shake and bake. get some. you're my best friend. >> reporter: and "stepbrothers." >> i never asked you, do you like guacamole? >> reporter: with dialogue many of us know word-for-word. >> i have people saddle up to me

at airports and go, do you like guacamole? what? yes, i do. >> i had a woman pull up next to me and said, why are you so sweaty? and i had just gone on a bike ride. i was on a bike ride. she was like, no. "stepbrothers." you're supposed to say you were watching "cops." she accosted me. >> the love is deep. >> reporter: and holmes and watson, it's a musical. >> they wish we had a musical number. >> it's ee's a love letter to t characters. a fantastic moment. >> a real left turn in the movie, too. you're going along. it's a period-correct victorian comedy and left turn. big musical number. >> shot at the tower of london. >> the actual tower of london.

where people died and were hung. >> people planned their vacation and it was shut down for those two days because we have to sing our musical. >> thank you, the queen. >> the queen herself. >> did you ask a question? what were you doing? >> there was more of this interview. we're putting about 20 minutes online that's ton edited insanity. >> watching them be that way makes you want to see the movie. >> i've seen it. it's terrific. and it goes in their pantheon. people will argue for years, which is your favorite. and you think about every time it's on cable, "talledega" or "stepbrothers." you sit there and watch it. come to bed. no, the best part is coming up. no. >> for the 100th time that you've seen it. >> at least. >> that was awesome. >> "holmes & watson" is in theaters on christmas day.

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this morning on "today" food, a special holiday treat. eric ripert is here. >> hailed as one of the best restaurants in the united states, it received another big honor. it's declared the best restaurant in the world by la liste, a french company that reviewed 15,000 contenders. we thought you had won every award imaginable. what did that mean to you in your restaurant world? >> it means it's a great motivation. we're so passionate. every day, we create experiences for the guests. of course, the food has to be

delicious. it's much more than the food. to be rewarded by la liste, which is prestigious, it's big for us. >> your incredible restaurant has had the three-star michelin rating, which is the highest rating. how do you maintain that standard of excellence every day? >> what is interesting, if you want to have rewards, you have to forget about that and focus on your daily routine, which is to make sure that you're going to cook delicious food. you're going to have a beautiful dining room. when you have no pressure, you go to work and you have fun. and the team is excited to come. it's the way it works. potentially, you get the rewards. >> you're an incredible chef. and speaking of incredible chefs, anthony bourdain is someone that we felt that we

knew. but you actually knew him. one of your closest friends. i feel like we don't know a lot about him. what are things that we don't know about this man who you loved so much? >> anthony was a very loyal friend. very noble. very generous with his fans. i have never seen someone to generous and spending so much time with signing books, taking pictures. when he was doing a line, until the last one, he would stay there. on television, he was taking us on his trips. his curiosity was contagious. we traveled the world with anthony. >> you cooked a lot of dishes. but you have a dish you're going to cook with us. >> what do you have for us, eric? >> snapper. and i came to do it with coconut

milk, tomatoes and curry. here, we have ginger and shallots. we're doing that because soon, there will be a cayman islands festiv festival. >> i've been to that restaurant. it's fabulous. >> and it's a bit tropical. i have tomatoes. and we have curry. >> you have red snapper. could you use any fish if you wanted? >> you can use white fish. >> oh. >> you have a little kick, right? >> yes. >> we have the snapper. snapper needs to be seasoned. the salt and the pepper on the

fish. >> that's basic. >> you don't want to put too much ingredients. you lose the flavor. it's very delicate. >> what do you tell yourself in the kitchene? >> have respect. and don't put too many things around. very simple. it will go here. when it comes out -- >> did you say five minutes? that's it? >> that's it. >> fish cooks quickly. i'm going to finish this one. a bit of coriander. >> i can't believe we're about to eat eric ripert's food. >> hello.

and some lime. absolutely. and you have the qualities of the snapper. i made a fried rice with mangos, apples, scallions. >> it's no wonder you're number one in the world. >> congratulations, eric. great to see you. happy holidays. to get this delicious recipe and much more, check out today.com/food. coming up next, willie sits down with jennifer lopez, to talk fame, insecurities and the big anniversary for her first album. first, this is "today" on nbc. rush to work, grab a drink, hurry home. - [cell phone beeps] - stop! don't be on your phone. let someone else take the wheel. make a little eye contact. make a plan. it's a busy world out there. we're all in it together. go safely, california. ♪ little girl and boy land

♪ while you dwell within it ♪ you are ever happy there daddy, it's christmas! ♪ childhoods, joyland never let go of your dreams. the mercedes-benz winter event is back. lease the glc 300 for $459 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer. mercedes-benz. the best or nothing.

you hurry to work, so you can take it slow. - [cell phone beeps] - stop! let's stop looking at pedestrians as a nuisance, and carless objects, and start looking out for each other again. it's a busy world out there. we're all in it together. go safely, california. 8:50, now. willie, you get really good interviews on your show. but you had one i love. you sat down with jennifer

lopez. >> jennifer lopez herself. she is on stage and screen and videos. but jennifer talked to us about her rise from fly girl dancer on "in living color" years ago, to international superstar. and how scary that was at first. in 1999 lopez released the album "on the 6," powered by the number one single, "if you had my love." it went platinum in two weeks. worldwide success brought lopez lots of attention and criticism. >> i was kind of, like, known with the "salena" thing. but when i put out that record and that hit, it takes you to another level in music. then, i really -- they really started going for me then. i was like, oh, i'm scared. why are they saying things about me? >> critics, tabloids. >> everything. you're famous. you're fair game. they start breaking you down. and little by little, it became a different thing.

there was many up-and-down moments. but it's hard. it took a long time to fight through those securities. ♪ waiting for tonight >> reporter: i don't know if you thought about this. but june 1st of next year will be the 20th anniversary of "on the 6." >> i hate you for that. >> reporter: i thought you might. i thought you might. >> i love it, actually. >> reporter: and that's really when your life exploded, as you said. >> yeah. >> reporter: but you've also talked about fame being a crazy thing and a scary thing sometimes. maybe losing track of what got you there and being caught up in it all. when you look back on those years, do you say, who was that person? >> oh, yeah. >> reporter: what was i doing? >> oh, yeah. i look back to my 20s as a foreigner. who -- what were you doing? you know? and i always stayed the course. what saved me is i was a hard worker and i was a good person.

>> you've interviewed jennifer a bunch. she is so fun to talk to. and her life blew up in 1999. when she tried music, people were saying, you're not a good singer, you're not a good actor. you do a lot of everything but you don't do it well. she took that personally until she realized she was a good singer. and it wasn't that long ago that she realized that. >> i have sat down with her. and she is revealing in your interview. >> as you could hear, i had no voice in that interview. she sat down and said, i'll do all of the talking. you can see the interview with jennifer lopez, on "sunday today." >> we'll be back in a moment. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

welcome back. and interview with j. lo on "sunday today". >> what's ahead. peter alexander heading from

studio 1a with a preview. >> reporter: partial government shutdown and fallout from jim mattiss resignation and three days until christmas. stores packed this weekend. where you can get the best last-minute deals by christmas. weekend. we'll tell you how to get the deals and how to get packages there by christmas. a lot going on. we'll see you there. the third hour of "today" is up next, with remarkable stories of hope just in time fori )m - there )s about 12 hours to go .. good morning. 8:56. i'm marcus washington. about 12 hours to go for u.s. lawmakers to beat the deadline to agree on a new budget plan and for president trump to sign off on it. if that doesn't a shutdown kicks in and could have a significant affect on bay area. especially alcatraz, national park leaders say more thane

10,000 purchased tickets for this weekend. and affected with potential staffing cutbacks or at least paycheck delays. happening now, nbc bay area, looking deeper into the impact on the potential shutdown and how it may affect people this holiday weekend, and they have plans right here in the bay area. a live report coming up in our midday newscast and go to our home page anytime for the latest updates. a san francisco police officer is scheduled to appear in court charged with a crime of his own. officer ryan dodderdink robbed a bank and got away with $9,000 and tied to the racist texting scandal. more news coming up in an hour. lot of money.

our consumer team tells you the one thing to check for with every gift you open this christmas. and we )ll get you ready to head out the door with weather and traffic. today in the bay. monday morning from 4:30 to 7. heading out the door, "today in the bay," 4:30 to 7:00 monday morning.

live from studio 6a, this is "today." >> well, thank you. good morning, everybody. i'm carson daly here with al, dylan, jenna and keir simmons, who survived eating the world's hottest pepper tomorrow liv on television. milk came out the nose. it was an unbelievable moment. glad to see you're still alive. >> we love you. >> you wouldn't know it. >> i'm on a flight tonight. it may all go wrong tonight. anybody else on the flight -- >> if you survived yesterday, you're okay. >> the good news is christmas is four days away. tomorrow is panic tu