biggest impact is the fog all around. >> that's what's happening "today in the bay." we're back at 7:25 with a live local news update. >> join us at 11:00. have a great morning. millions of americans waking up to their first taste of winter this morning. unseasonably cold temperatures blanketing much of the nation. al's got the latest on the big chill. manhunt. mexico says the u.s. can join the desperate search for the killers behind that massacre of nine americans. the first victim set to be laid to rest today while some of the youngest survivors making miraculous recovery. what family members are now saying about the attack. out in the open. house democrats announce plans for the very first public hearings in the impeachment investigation. the president and republicans pushing back. >> i want to read these

transcripts. the whole process is a joke. we're live with what to expect in the high stakes showdown on capitol hill. those stories, plus where there's five, two former employees charged with spying for saudi arabia. breaking her silence, whitney houston's best friend opens up to craig for the very first time about their love affair. >> it was very deep and we were very connected. and stars align. ellen degeneres and sandra bullock fight against fake ads on the internet. they've finally had enough and they team up today thursday, november 7th, 2019. thursday, november 7th, 2019.1a in rockefeller plaza. hey, everybody, welcome to "today," thank you for joining us on this thursday morning. the weather is the reason we know the holiday season is upon

us. but there's another reason too. >> yes, take a look at this. this is a live shot. this is in florida, florida, new york. and that's the rockefeller center christmas tree, about to be chopped down. this is the tree that got the nod this year. it's coming to this plaza on saturday, actually. it will be right there. and then next month we'll light it up so that means the holidays are upon us and the weather certainly is indicating that. >> it certainly is. we're going to get to that arctic air, sweeping across a lot of the country, bringing an early dose of winter to millions of americans as they wake up this morning. we're going to get to al's forecast in a couple moments. but let's start with nbc's ron mott in buffalo, new york. >> reporter: some of the first flurries starting to fall. this storm system is expected to blanket parts of the great lakes region and new england. by the time it passes all the way through a lot of places should see their first measurable snow of the season. snow, ice and frigid cold on the

menu for millions of americans who are getting their first taste of wintery weather this weekend. >> cold weather gear will be needed over the next week, at least. >> reporter: in the midwest lake-effect snow packing a polar punch as an arctic blast prepares to pummel the region -- before taking aim he at the northeast. >> if you like temperatures that feel like 18 degrees you'll be in heaven. >> reporter: heavy snowfall covering much of minnesota wednesday as below freezing temp and icy conditions caused delays on the roads. police in wisconsin said snowy conditions played a factor in this fatal highway collision. a 38-year-old motorist killed after his car crashed into a pulled over semi-truck. in green bay the home of the nfl packers, it's already looking like a wintery wonder land. >> we have to embrace that cold. >> reporter: lambeau field blanketed. >> you've got to practice in it and get acclimated to it.

>> reporter: the governor is warning drivers to take it easier today. some road conditions could be dicey in higher elevations up to four inches of snow. the snow plows are at the ready. more than 300 around the state. >> here we go. let's turn over to mr. roker and get a check of the weather. what we're looking at for today this arctic air mass coming in, friday tomorrow morning's low is going to feel like 12 in chicago, 21 in cleveland, 27 in knoxville, minneapolis, feels like 9. then we move into friday's highs. temperatures will be 10 to 25 degrees below average. windchills 15 to 30 degrees below average and then saturday morning that's when the coldest air gets from sfaufls -- sioux falls, chicago, charlton. windchills of 32. 29 in washington, d.c. here's the rain starting to get started up. south of the front, a lot of rain to the north of the front, colder air bringing that snow in and we look for the snow to move in late this afternoon for the interior northeast in new

england, a chilly raw rain from boston to d.c. and then tomorrow the system moves out quickly. bringing in those winds across the warm waters of the great lakes. that's going to set up lake-effect snow, especially from marquette. cadillac, cleveland, buffalo, seeing about three to six inches of snow. generally rest one to three inches. savannah and hoda, this is kind of the appetizer. we've got a main course of major winter weather coming early next week. back to you guys. >> al, thank you. there are new questions this morning in that horrific shooting in mexico that left three american women and six of their children dead. police are now trying to determine if the victims were targeted or if this was the case of mistaken identity. nbc national correspondent miguel almaguer has the latest from tucson, arizona where some of the youngest victims are still in the hospital this morning. miguel, good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. the five children who were shot and survived and recovering out of surgery here in tucson, this

as mexican authorities face more pressure to arrest the gunmen. returning to the crime scene of the roadside ambush this morning top military officials in mexico say they believe the three american mothers and their six children, some of them babies, were killed in a case of mistaken identity between rival cartels. that explanation disputed by some family members who say the cartels know everyone in the area, telling nbc news they want the government to tell the truth. out of the incredible carnage a miracle baby. the man narrating this video says we found the baby alive. her mother is dead. 7-month-old faith discovered unharmed. investigators have released few details as families on both sides of the border grieve. >> it's been a nightmare. a tragic nightmare. i keep thinking i'm going to wake up.

>> reporter: with five children hospitalized, seen getting treatment before arriving in tucson, 8-month-old brixon lanford was shot in the chest and grazed in the wrist, four of his siblings suffered gunshot wounds but somehow managed to survive. >> it's all been a horror story from start to finish, the hours and hours of not knowing which of the children were dead or alive or wounded. >> reporter: as the government faces pressure to make arrests mexico's president says u.s. authorities can aid in the investigation if they choose to. at the remote compound were descendants of the mormon community settled decades ago there is shock, sadness and fear. >> these evil people get away with what they're doing and then no wonder they get away with it. they know they can. >> reporter: with funerals planned for the victims today and this weekend in mexico, some of the youngest survivors remain hospitalized after losing their mothers. unimaginable grief after

escaping an unthinkable attack. with those five children out of surgery it's unclear when they'll be cleared to return back to mexico. meantime officials in mexico now say that after making an arrest in this case yesterday that suspect is no longer connected to this massacre. savannah? >> miguel almaguer, thank you. in our next half hour we'll have a closer look at those dangerous mexican drug cartels, their rise to power and the impact on tourism and those along the border and also the u.s. drug appetite that fuels it. turning to politics now. at a louisiana rally overnight president trump pushed back against democrats as the investigation moves full steam ahead back in washington. and this morning we now know public hearings will take place starting next week. six days from now nbc's peter alexander is at the white house with more on that. peter, good morning. >> reporter: hey, craig, good morning to you. house democrats planning to make

their case in televised hearings in front of the american people beginning next wednesday and on this issue of impeachment the president as you know has repeatedly praised his attorney general william barr but this morning a new report that barr declined the president's request passed on from white house officials to the justice department that barr publicly declare that president trump did nothing wrong in that controversial call with ukraine's president. new this morning news that president trump wanted his attorney general william barr to defend him amid the ongoing impeachment battle "the washington post" reporting the president wanted barr to hold a news conference declaring that president trump broke no laws during his july phone call with ukraine's leader. when he urged an investigation into the bidens and the 2016 election the post citing sources familiar with the matter reports barr ultimately declined the request. nbc news has not confirmed the post report. it comes as house democrats prepare to take their case against the president to the american people. announcing their first open

hearings on impeachment beginning next week. the new phase of their inquiry marking the first time the country will hear directly from the officials at the center of the investigation. >> i think you will see, throughout the course of the testimony, not only their testimony, but many others, the most important facts are largely not contested. >> reporter: the lineup starts with top diplomat bill taylor, one of their strongest witnesses. on wednesday democrats released the transcript of his closed door deposition. taylor testified it was his clear understanding security assistance money would not come until the president of ukraine committed to pursue the investigation into the bidens and alleged ukrainian interference in the 2016 election, also testifying next week, former ambassador to the ukraine, marie yovanovitch, who told lawmakers she was abruptly forced out of her job due in part to a smear campaign led by the president's lawyer rudy giuliani

overnight president trump lashing out in louisiana. >> the american people are fed up with democrat lies, hoaxes, smears, slanders and scams >> reporter: trump ally senator lindsey graham refuses to read recently released transcripts of closed door depositions from several key witnesses. >> the whole process is a joke you all hate this guy. you want to get him impeached. i'm not buying into schiff running a legitimate operation over there. >> reporter: on the president attacked the news media and that new report from "the washington post" calling it the totally wynn from you. the white house says the president has nothing but respect for william barr dismissing the idea that there is any tension between the two men, craig. >> meanwhile, peter, the president's former attorney general jeff sessions is back in the news this morning. what more can you tell us about that >> reporter: two sources telling nbc news he's expected to announce candidacy for his old u.s. senate seat in alabama

ahead of the filing deadline that's tomorrow. it's been made clear to sessions that president trump intends to campaign against him this summer the president told "meet the press" that hiring sessions was the biggest mistake of his presidency after he recused himself from the mueller investigation. >> thank you, peter. this morning disturbing news from the justice department, three twitter employees have been charged with acting as spies. federal prosecutors alleging these men were paid by saudi arabia to dig up private information on people critical of that country's government senior national correspondent keir simmons is in london with details on this, hey, keir, good morning. >> reporter: prosecutors allege the men snooped on thousands of twitter users, deemed by the saudi royal family to be critical of the saudi government in exchange the royals funneled tens of thousands of dollars

into secret bank accounts. set up for the men two former twitter employees have been charged with spying for saudi arabia, a multi-year fbi investigation found they allegedly used their positions inside the social media giant to covertly identify saudi critics who used the platform. according to a 27-page criminal complaint unsealed in san francisco three men have been charged with fraudulently accessing private information and acting as illegal agents of a foreign government one, is accused of conspiring with a fellow twitter employee, a saudi citizen to provide information on an individual, who passed the information along to saudi officials the two employees mined internal systems for personal information about known saudi critics and thousands of other twitter users. the complaint also alleging that twitter employees provided

private information like email addresses, ip addresses, and dates of birth for individuals who have published posts deemed by the kingdom's royal family to be critical of the government there. the case raising new concerns in light of the assassination of jamal khashoggi. before his death khashoggi reportedly stated the saudi government banned him from twitter, cia later concluding, mohammad bin salman likely ordered the sas mays, the something that the crown prince has purportedly denied overnight twitter responded saying they have tools in place to protect user privacy. we recognize the lengths bad actors will go to undermine our service. our company limits access to sensitive account information to a limited group of trained and vetted employees and law enforcement sources tell us that the u.s. citizen has been arrested in seattle and has made his initial appearance in

court. they tell us that the two others are still being sought and did not provide, hoda, any information about their whereabouts. >> keir, thank you. a major security scare at one of the busiest airports in the world, flights delayed, planes left stranded in amsterdam. dutch police got a hijacking alert from the cockpit of a jet that hadn't taken off. police flocked to the scene. nearly two hours later it was over and the airline explained on twitter the alert was activated accidentally "nothing has happened. all passengers are safe and sound". al mentioned the cold temperatures a few moments ago here's another sound of the season, the rockefeller center christmas tree being cut down this morning this is a live picture, actually this is happening in the village of florida, new york that's about 60 miles north of where we sit here. that's a norway spruce it will be the 88th tree to grace the plaza this holiday

season it is set to arrive on saturday. it will be decorated with more than 50,000 lights and crowned with a star. the tree will be illuminated in a live broadcast december 4th. looking forward to it. mr. roker, a check of the weather. >> let's show you what's going on warm and dry out west. again, our folks, our friends out west are really suffering. the rainy season has not kicked in yet and it should be right now. we're looking at heavy rain from texas all the way into the mid-mississippi river valley back behind it we're going to get this cold blast. that's going to bring in snow. south eastern atlantic looking awfully nice today we are going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. google home mini. it can tell you the forecast. it can call your friends. it can play your music and now it can also entertain the whole family with brand new exclusive stories from disney's frozen ii told by the characters themselves.

elsa: oh, i definitely want to hear this. which is why it was designed to look just like a snowball. director: cut! it's not a snowball. wait, what's that? it's not a snowball. oh, it's not? they accidentally made it look like a snowball? it's not even... nevermind. wow. well, that worked out. good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. a live look outside in san jose. it is a foggy start. we are seeing some low visibility across much of the bay area for the inland valleys. as we go into the rest of the day we're going to see it clearing out and warming up. mid to upper 70s for much of the bay and inland areas. the next several days still some nice weather in the forecast. mostly sunny skies. going to late next week we may have rain chances ahead. and that's your latest weather. we're going to take a and that's your latest weather. we're going to take a look at this next big winter blast

coming after this one. just ahead, craig's exclusive interview with whitney houston's best friend, breaking her silence about their love affair for the first time. sparking a national controversy at our national park, starbucks, food trucks to wifi, do modern conveniences really belong there? it's being considered. but first, this is "today" on nbc

is your business still settling for slow internet? well time is money. switch to comcast business now and get a great deal when you get fast, reliable internet. with a 30-day money-back guarantee, installation when it works for you, and 24/7 customer support. so what are you waiting for? get this great deal when you sign up for fast, reliable internet.

call 1-800-501-6000 today. comcast business. beyond fast. these ladies, sandra bullock and ellen degeneres taking on internet scammers, profiting from using stars' names and images without permission. would you ever consider a sleep divorce? dr. oz is here with what it is and how it can actually help save your relationship after your local news. when you rent from national...

it's kind of like playing your own version of best ball. because here, you can choose any car in the aisle, even if it's a better car class than the one you reserved. so no matter what, you're guaranteed to have a perfect drive. [laughter] (vo) go national. go like a pro. see what i did there?

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ in a vast desert completely wdevoid of basset hounds. [ back in baby's arms by patsy cline ] then, it appeared a beacon of hope. ♪ i'm back in baby's arms more glorious than a billion sunsets. we were found. ♪ i'm back where i belong found by the hounds. ♪ back in baby's arms

wait a minute. wait a minute. wait a minute. a heart in my honey nut cheerios. i like that. and it can help lower cholesterol. well now, now i'm in love.

ocean spray farmers harvest we save every drop of rain. study every bite of frost. because the good things we do today can help harvest a better tomorrow. ocean spray. harvest goodness. seems like some are going at the speed of yesteryear. but not here. this is capital one. where banking moves at the speed of right now. you can open a new savings account in about 5 minutes and earn five times the national average. from here or here in our cafés. plus, there are no fees or minimums on savings or checking accounts. welcome to banking's new frontier. this is banking reimagined. what's in your wallet?

this winter, you have the power to heal. because your purchase of vaseline intensive care lotion supports the vaseline healing project. join us to help millions in crisis heal their skin. is just like our originalhn sandwiches...only millions in crisis littler...so we bought a little ad...on lil jon. little johns, yeah! $3, what?!

what's the time? device: a dime is ten cents. severe cold or flu? take control with theraflu. powerful, soothing relief to defeat your worst cold and flu symptoms fast. device: (sneezes) theraflu. the power is in your hands. good morning. 7:26. i'm marcus washington. tonight the raiders play what may be the last game ever at oakland coliseum, a special thursday night game, and they'll honor the b.a.r.t. supervisor who saved a man this week. you probably saw the video drama that played out after last sunday's game when o'connor snatched up the man who fell just as the train passed. the man who actually fell lives near sacramento and he now calls o'connor his hero. let's get a look at the forecast today. kari? we'll have great weather for the game tonight. we're starting out with fog this

morning. low visibility and we've seen visibility cut down to less than a quarter of a mile. very low visibility in the south county. we have sunshine and warm weather ahead for the afternoon. over the next several days we'll see the weather pat earp on repeat. that will lead into a sunny day and above average temperatures and then looking at san francisco we have highs in the mid-60s. to mike for an update on the commute. >> the fog and low clouds in every one of our shots. where the visibility will be tougher, the south bay and along the east bay. here in the tri-valley we have a problem, a deadly crash happened about 5:30. a deadly crash keeping it closed while the coroner is on scene.

and that's moving smoothly. fog, fog, fog. back to you. we'll have another local update in 30 minutes.

you by now, which thousand dollar clue are you going to go for first? >> something's calling me to all in for a thousand. >> "jeopardy" humor, back in action, professional gambler made history, won nearly $2.5 million, he returned to the stage last night for the 2019 tournament of champions. guess what he cleaned up. going to play again next week as that tournament rolls on. >> let's talk about how good alex trebek looks. >> he looks amazing. we're going to get to our top stories this morning millions of americans are waking up to their first taste of winter

an arctic air mass sliding south and east bringing unseasonably cold temperatures from the rockies to the northeast over the next couple of days. heavy snowfall covering a lot of minnesota. police in wisconsin say icy conditions played a factor in a fatal highway collision while up in green bay, historic lambeau field blanketed in snow. al will be back in a just a little bit with his latest forecast the first funerals are being held for some of the nine american women and children killed when drug cartel opened fired on their convoy on monday. meanwhile, the desperate search for the gunman is underway as the government faces pressure to make arrests there mexico's president says u.s. authorities could help in the investigation if they choose to. >> and following that horrific ambush the growing influence and violence of those drug cartels back in the spotlight. this morning we're taking a closer look how they began, how americans' drug appetite has been fueling their rise and what it means for the millions of people impacted on both sides of the border gabe gutierrez is here with

that gabe, you've been following this a long time. >> hey, guys, good morning, while cartel violence has been a problem for a very long time in mexico a few years ago it seemed to be improving. but recently there's been a dramatic uptick in grizzly murders as new drug traffickers fight for position look to fill a void left behind by el chapo in rural mexico the cartel carnage has been a way of life for decades. now it's escalating. through september, already more than 16,000 homicides in mexico this year alone. that's already more than all of last year. part of the reason for the uptick, the u.s. appetite for drugs. border patrol agents have seen a huge comeback of meth coming from mexico and the cartels are all fighting for a piece of that action the country's widespread violence dramatized in the netflix series narcos. the state department has long

warned u.s. tourists of the danger, issuing do not travel warnings to several mexican states, though the main resort towns have been deemed safe. mexico's war on drugs started in 2006 when the country's president sent in its military to fight the powerful cartels. they stepped up from simply smuggling cocaine to bloodier more full fledge trafficking operations across the u.s. border since then gang fueled violence has killed more than 200,000 people, more than 40,000 are missing. >> look, you get glimpses of it every day, just like the killing of the three mothers and the children here recently it's unbelievable how ruthless these cartels are. >> reporter: drew hogan is a former dea agent who once infiltrated the cartel, which now controls a large swath of the country, hogan as part of a narcotics task force led the

investigation and recapture of el chapo guzman in 2014, who escaped again before his dramatic arrest two years later. the shootout captured on body camera video. >> this is another sophisticated tunnel underneath the safe house of el chapo where he and a top lieutenant managed to make it a half mile in that direction. >> reporter: but guzman was extradited to the u.s. where he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison since guzman's imprisonment there's been even more violence and more competition for what's known as the new generation cartel, a ruthless turf war with no end in sight. >> i think we knew the drug cartel violence had gotten bad, don't think we realized it had gotten that bad. what is it about these cartels that makes it so difficult -- >> previous crackdowns have actually splintered these groups into smaller, more ruthless factions the current president in mexico has a controversial policy known

as hugs, not bullets, trying to focus on the root causes of this drug problem, such as extreme poverty. but many critics say that's just not enough to deal with these ruthless groups. >> gabe, thank you coming up, could getting a sleep divorce from your partner be the solution for a good night's rest and a better relationship dr. oz is here with the pros and cons. up next, she was whitney houston's closest confidant, and now revealing the true nature of their relationship our exclusive interview with robin crawford right after this. this this one grows fuel. ♪ exxonmobil is growing algae for biofuels. that could one day power planes, propel ships, and fuel trucks... and cut their greenhouse gas emissions in half.

algae. its potential just keeps growing. ♪ its potential just keeps growing. ♪♪ i gave you my heart ♪ this year ♪ to save me from tears ♪ i'll give it to someone special ♪ and take an extra 15% off!s' day weekend... introducing our newest brand - elizabeth & james... save on boots... and kitchen electrics plus - save even more on your home sale purchase!... plus - get kohl's cash! plus - shop our daily deal reveal everyday! kohl's. the way you triumph over adversity. and live your lives. that's why we redesigned humira. we wanted to make the experience better for you. now there's less pain immediately following injection. we've reduced the size of the needle and removed the citrate buffers. and it has the same effectiveness you

know and trust. humira citrate-free is here. a little change can make a big difference. humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections, including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. ask your doctor about humira citrate-free. here's to you. this winter, you have the power to heal. because your purchase of vaseline intensive care lotion supports the vaseline healing project. join us to help millions in crisis heal their skin. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance, join us to help mihmm. exactly.sis so you only pay for what you need. nice. but, uh... what's up with your... partner? not again. limu that's your reflection.

only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ ♪life is better with you whoa whoa♪ ♪life is better with you whoa whoa♪ ♪life is better with you ♪i know just one thing is true...♪

♪life is better with you♪ new personal revelations about whitney houston, the legendary singer just 48 years old when she tragically died in 2012. for the first time her long time confidant robin crawford and opening up about their relationship craig spoke to her exclusively. >> she was by whitney's side from the beginning, a trusted companion during her epic rise and heartbreaking fall they were best friends, roommates as well and rumors swirled for decades whether they were also secretly lovers. now robin crawford is finally answering everything in a new memoir her voice was heavenly and with an angelic smile to

match it propelled whitney houston into super stardom topping charts and melting hearts throughout the '80s and '90s. >> i watched her rise to the top of her game and i felt compelled to share who that woman was behind all the fame. >> reporter: robin crawford was by whitney's side every step of the way as rumors about them swirled. everyone knows that the tragic story of whitney houston, the superstar, but this is the story that no one else knows except you. why share that story now >> i never envisioned speaking publicly about my life, and then i asked myself the question, what would whitney want? would she understand, you know, the time is now. >> reporter: for the very first time crawford is opening up publicly about their relationship in her new book "a song for you". >> we were intimate on many

levels and all i can say is that it was very deep, and we were very connected. >> reporter: they first met when whitney was just shy of 17, crawford says, soon they were inseparable. when did this friendship, this partnership, when did it turn into something more? >> our friendship was a deep friendship in the early part of that friendship it was physical. >> reporter: who knew about the romantic aspect of your relationship with her? >> i would say no one. it was ours. >> reporter: crawford says their physical intimacy stopped before houston became a star. >> she said i don't believe we should be physical anymore

the music business was a world that we were learning, and we didn't want anything to interfere with where she was going. >> reporter: were you sad? were you angry were you disappointed? >> i just felt that i wouldn't be losing much i still loved her the same, and she loved me, and that was good enough. >> reporter: they remained best friends and house mates for years, crawford says, and she became houston's closest confidant and point person. >> >> reporter: a lot of folks will see this and probably ask, how do i know she's not making all this up? >> i can't even. i can't even get into that i mean, some people may feel that way hopefully they won't. >> what did the family say >> reporter: not much.

the family has not responded to our request for comment but it was a fascinating conversation i spent a couple of hours with robin crawford. >> did they remain close as whitney's life was coming to an end? >> no, in fact, when whitney died they had been estranged for a number of years. she was whitney's creative director that was her last official position when bobby brown came into the picture robin was forced out she talks about that in the book as well, what led to that. she spent a fair amount of time talking about the addiction as well, the drug addiction, how that started whitney houston was using cocaine at 14, robin was using with her at some points on the road as well and when bobby brown came along she says that didn't help matters but it's a fascinating read there's also some interesting nuggets in there about eddie murphy whitney houston and eddy murphy dated for a while. on her wedding day, he calls. she talks a little bit about

that conversation. >> robin was there >> she was in the room getting her wedding dress on we'll have much more on my conversation robin crawford will join us live right here on "today" this coming monday. >> thanks, craig. >> thank you. let us turn back to al and get a check of our weather the triple play, what does that mean >> well, we've got another winter event after this one. early next week. we're tracking this next wintery blast. sometime -- sometime around monday morning this system pushes east and by tuesday morning this arctic front races eastward, bringing a mixed bag of precip, new york may see its first snow of the season, also snow back to the west through the great lakes and the ohio river valley, plus bitterly cold temperatures, impact number two, monday to wednesday, coldest air mass of the season, 230 million of us will see temperatures below freezing this is more like mid to late december temperatures. and then lake-effect snow sunday through tuesday, gusts of 40 to

45 miles per hour. sharply reduced visibilities in snowfall these are going to be the moderate to heavy areas up around the up of michigan, but generally a decent amount of snow back through into the northeast. that's what's going on around the countr good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we have low visibility due to fog. we've seen it drifting around the bay area and this is a look at the view in fremont this morning. once this clears out within the next couple of hours we have a really nice day ahead. highs reaching into the upper 70s and a few low 80s with some upper 60s along the coast and for the inland going into the weekend slightly warmer. more sun. we'll see that weather continuing into at least early next week. hoda? >> al, look who's here. mr. daly, good morning. >> coming up, an interesting story, the good news is our national parks are busier than ever but the question is do we need to have things like wifi and food trucks to attract people to still come to the

parks? live from yosemite with that controversy right after this. performance comes in lots of flavors. there's the amped-up, over-tuned, feeding-frenzy-of sheet-metal-kind. and then there's performance that just leaves you feeling better as a result. that's the kind lincoln's about. ♪

a construction crane. rebuilt by martin.

no. rebuild the world. lego. too many after-parties. new neutrogena® bright boost with dullness-fighting neoglucosamine. boosts cell turnover by 10 times for instantly brighter skin. bright boost neutrogena®. skip to the good part with alka-seltzer plus. now with 25% more concentrated power. nothing works faster for powerful cold relief. oh, what a relief it is! so fast!

hey, babe... hmm? ooh, yes. so that just leaves mother rose. hardest for last. ♪ you're kidding?! for mother rose?! it's perfect. perfect. ♪ oh yeah. ♪ perfect. [door bell] another one for mother rose? yep, it's perfect. ♪ it's perfect.

sí, absolutamente, savannah, sam, i bet this caused a stir. >> reporter: that's exactly right. we're in beautiful yosemite park. some of the most iconic natural wonders, half dome elevat capit and food trucks, the late jeft proposals have some people questioning what they crave more, comforts or continued preservation. for those seeing yosemite national park for the very first time first impressions can be breathtaking. when you were driving this what were you experiencing? >> it's nothing short of spectacular, every place is a picture. >> reporter: now something of a shadow cast over that beauty >> we want future generations to see what we're seeing. >> after a recreation advisory board made up of business leaders recommended updating historic national parks with better wifi, food trucks, maybe even amazon deliveries at camp sites. >> not sure why you would

need amazon packages to get delivers here to you in a national park. >> reporter: it comes two years after yosemite added a starbucks, katherine combs admits it's nice. >> i don't like the idea of a starbucks, i guess, in nature, but i just love that it's here. >> reporter: the delicate balance between climbing into nature and keeping up with the times is something yosemite tour guide scott german knows well. >> we don't want too much commercialization but the idea of looking at local businesses to come in and support the large demand within yosemite, that's the creative solution. >> reporter: the national parks system says it's keeping its options open, reviewing the recommendations and will only take action if they improve the visitor experience, protect national park resources, and are prudent investments. many long time visitors telling nbc news they're satisfied with waterfalls, trails and, of course, iconic views of yosemite valley that will take you to another universe, imagine if

areas where people stop to admire this are filled with food trucks. >> we don't need food trucks, we don't need wifi. we don't need more garbage. and people dropping hot dog wrappers. >> reporter: in addition to clutter, privatization could lead to exclusion with senior discounts going away. >> concessions are very important but we worry that they're going to price families and individuals out of our parks. >> reporter: and those families now coming in droves, making it harder to maintain the parks as the government plans to slash nearly a half billion dollars from next year's budget. and park attendance so relevant. and 4 million people visited last year alone, double what it was decades ago. and i talked to people at different ages, backgrounds, different states, almost all of them telling me they are perfectly happy with what

yosemite looks like right now. that decision right now is open ended. >> all right, sam, thank you. or as al has been calling you -- >> yosemite sam! >> welcome to the peacock, sam, welcome to nbc news. >> great horny toad! the biscuits are burning! still ahead, ellen degeneres, sandra bullock teaming up to take on fake ads on the internet, while they're finally fighting back. gadi schwartz takes us inside a special program where sea otter pups are nurtured and returned to the wild coming up p i'm your 70lb st. bernard puppy,

and my lack of impulse control, is about to become your problem. ahh no, come on. i saw you eating poop earlier. hey! my focus is on the road, and that's saving me cash with drivewise. who's the dummy now? whoof! whoof! so get allstate where good drivers save 40% for avoiding mayhem, like me. sorry! he's a baby!

and take an extra 15% off!s' day weekend... save on scott living... disney frozen 2 bedding - $42.49... and a new cookware set. plus - save even more on your home sale purchase!... plus - get kohl's cash! plus - shop our daily deal reveal everyday! this weekend - at kohl's. it can tell you the forecast. it can call your friends. it can play your music and now it can also entertain the whole family with brand new exclusive stories from disney's frozen ii told by the characters themselves. elsa: oh, i definitely want to hear this. which is why it was designed to look just like a snowball. director: cut! it's not a snowball. wait, what's that? it's not a snowball. oh, it's not? they accidentally made it look like a snowball? it's not even... nevermind. wow. well, that worked out.

good thursday morning. right now it's 7:56 and still foggy across much of the bay area. looking live right now in san francisco, inspect some low visibility as you head out. we're seeing that in the south bay. allow extra time to get to work this morning. we have a couple more hours before this clears out, but then we'll get sunshine and warming temperatures mid to upper 70s for the bay and inland areas. expect our weather on repeat to at this point. we may see a few more mornings with patchy fog and cool temperatures leading into sunshine for the afternoon. and even for veterans day we're still looking pretty good with a high near 80 degrees and very warm temperatures. we'll cool off by the middle of next week and may have some rain chances ahead for the end of next week while san francisco will see highs in the mid to

upper 60s. how are the roads, mike? here is some of the south bay fog. we don't typically see that much there. we do know the san mateo bridge is likely to get fog and it is having that now. can't even see the highway. the highlighted yellow kari's weather data shows you how tough it is to see in many spots all around the bay. the commute except for here in the tri-valley still closed. an early morning deadly crash. use 680. back to you. thanks, mike. happening now the man who was rescued from b.a.r.t. tracks at a coliseum b.a.r.t. station a split second ahead of an oncoming train is talking about the man he now calls his hero. bart supervisor john o'connor will be honored at tonight's raiders game for helping that man to safety. on our home page what the rescued man is saying about o'connor and his new lease on life. funeral services starting this morning for some of the nine americans killed in a drug

cartel ambush in mexico. from our twitter feed link to the details on today's high security presence and an update on the shooting investigation.

it's 8:00 on "today," >> 8:00 on "today" arctic blast, millions across the country bracing for their first taste of wintery weather. how cold will it be? al's got the latest forecast. today in the wild, we'll take you behind the scenes at the monterey bay aquarium, how researchers are working to give sea otters a second chance at life. >> one, two, three -- and making it sweet, old dominion stopping by for a live performance on the plaza you don't want to miss today, thursday, november 7th, 2019 santa cruz.

>> chandler, indiana. tigers on "today." >> scott sellers and -- >> celebrating our 20th anniversary. >> hello from the -- family! good morning, good morning, thank you for joining us today it's a beautiful thursday morning outside. folks out there are preparing for an outdoor concert in november this does not happen every day old dominion will be out there in a bit. >> that will get their blood pumping, they'll be dancing in a few. a little chilly. we're loving the shoutouts from all over the country we continue to get. use the hashtag at the bottom of your screen. my today plaza, send us your video. you can be on the plaza as well. >> hashtag. >> got to have the hashtag speaking of the plaza 24 hours from now we're hosting a really special event, part of our all new november, introducing you to an inspiring four star air force general and she's leading a

swearing in ceremony for new enlistees on our plaza for veteran's day. news at 8:00, there's a lot going on, the season's first wave of bitter cold is rolling across much of the country and bringing snow too. al's got it mapped out for us. what can you tell us, al the arctic air mass is sliding in, windchills single digits in minneapolis, low to mid-teens most of the rest of the country. into the northeast then for high temperatures tomorrow we are going to be looking at temperatures with windchills 15 to 30 degrees and anywhere from 10 to 20 degrees below average and then we bottom out on saturday morning with windchills again, low to mid-teens into the 20s add to that along this front heavy rain from dallas all the way making its way into the ohio river valley but north of that cold air and that's pushing in this system will race across the eastern half of the country. snow for the interior northeast. today into tonight a chilly rain from boston to d.c. moves out

and then cold air coming across the warmer waters of the great lakes. that's going to make for lake-effect snow, heavy amounts probably toward the western lakes. getting into eastern pennsylvania or western pennsylvania into northern new england lighter amounts but an even heavier snowfall event coming in the early part of the week with even colder air. hoda >> we're bracing ourselves, al, thank you. official public hearings in the house impeachment inquiry will begin in less than a week and there's a report this morning that the president wanted the attorney general to speak up in his defense. nbc's white house correspondent peter alexander has the story on that three things to watch, in fact, peter, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you that is where we start with the house democrats announcing those first public hearings in the impeachment inquiry will begin next wednesday, first up the top diplomat in ukraine, a man by the name of william taylor, later the former u.s. ambassador to ukraine, marine yovanovitch taylor testified it was his "clear understanding that military aid to ukraine would

not be delivered unless ukraine committed to investigating the bidens and alleged ukrainian interference in the 2016 election," your second thing today "the washington post" reporting that the president wanted his attorney general william barr to hold a news conference declaring president trump broke no laws during his july phone call with ukraine's leader the post reports that barr ultimately declined that request. the president this morning saying it's not true, tweeting bill barr did not deny my request to talk about ukraine. and finally the former attorney general jeff sessions is expected to announce his candidacy for his old u.s. senate seat in alabama ahead of the filing deadline tomorrow it's been made clear to sessions that president trump intends to campaign against him savannah, back to you. >> peter alexander with what to watch from the white house, thank you. two murder suspects who escaped from a california jail on sunday were recaptured wednesday at the u.s./mexico border officials say the pair had

traveled hundreds of miles to mexico since their jailbreak they were caught by customs and border protection agents when they tried to reenter the united states officials say the men broke out of of the jail by cutting a hole in the bathroom ceiling you just saw there. from now on they will be housed separately while awaiting their trials. a huge airline strike overseas is affecting travel to the u.s. cabin crews in germany's lufthansa airline launched a two-day walkout overnight in dispute over pay and working conditions had to cancel a total of 1,300 flights today, including cities like boston, chicago, dallas and san francisco. we've got our news covered i'll give you a little boost a second grade teacher in california wants her students to be great she did this she rewrote lizzo's hit song "truth hurts" with lyrics about learning and team work they sing it together each morning.

♪ >> the teacher comes up with a new song every year but she says this is the first time she's actually gone viral, and somebody noticed her name is lizzo. she agreed with the glowing comments online tweeting you are right, this is the best thing i've watched today. >> and those are the best features too, bringing lessons to life like that. >> also, her lyrics are awesome, really clever. we're not fighting, better get to our writing i love it. coming up, endorsing beauty products they say they've never even heard of them well now sandra bullock and ellen degeneres are fighting back against fake celebrity ads online. losing sleep, do you have to choose between getting a good night's rest and your relationship well dr. oz is going to help us answer that question with his take on the growing trend of sleep divorces

right after this liberty mutual customizes your car insurance,

so you only pay for what you need. i wish i could shake your hand. granted. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ woman: i'm here, and suddenly my migraine takes me somewhere else, where there's pain and nausea. but excedrin pulls me back in a way others don't. and it relieves my symptoms fast for real migraine relief. and it relieves my symptoms fast ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ in a vast desert completely wdevoid of basset hounds.

[ back in baby's arms by patsy cline ] then, it appeared a beacon of hope. ♪ i'm back in baby's arms more glorious than a billion sunsets. we were found. ♪ i'm back where i belong found by the hounds. ♪ back in baby's arms i get it all the time. "have you lost weight?" of course i have- ever since i started renting from national. because national lets me lose the wait at the counter... ...and choose any car in the aisle. and i don't wait when i return, thanks to drop & go. at national, i can lose the wait...and keep it off. looking good, patrick. i know. (vo) go national. go like a pro. ♪(music playing)

♪(music playing) ♪this is the first day of my life♪ ♪i swear i was born right in the doorway♪ ♪i don't know where i am, i don't know where i've been♪ ♪but i know where i wanna go look like we got a mystery here. cheerios? cereal...are you trying to tell me you can help lower cholesterol? aha...mystery solved. this morning, two of hollywood's top stars are taking on internet scammers, ellen degeneres and sandra bullock filing a lawsuit against anyone who uses their name and image to sell products they do not endorse. >> it's a big problem. we had to deal with it here at

"today." gadi schwartz is following the story, good morning, gadi. >> reporter: these are extremely frustrating. it is so easy to fall for them so difficult to find the scammers behind them so now sandra bullock and ellen degeneres are taking their fight to court. >> hello, my friend. >> hello, my friend. >> reporter: their faces are instantly recognizable this morning ellen degeneres and sandra bullock are battling to keep their images and names from being used in advertisements without them knowing some of them show them praising certain beauty products but the problem is their lawyers say neither star has ever heard of those products the lawsuit saying the actress and talk show hosts are being targeted for age, having worked hard at maintaining a healthy and youthful look which con artists believe will attract and dupe alleged customers it's affiliate marketing here's how it works.

the companies that sell these products hire affiliates to design ads and create websites when you click on the ad the affiliate gets a commission. when the links stop working the affiliates just create new ones. the lawsuit says the ads offer risk free trials where you only pay for shipping but then they hit you with a total cost unless you cancel the order in a certain amount of a time this kind of fraud has cost victims more than $1.3 billion over the last ten years according to the better business bureau we reported on this problem earlier this year after our very own savannah guthrie was featured in a fake ad. savannah took to twitter saying for the record i don't have a skin care line, adding hashtag fake internet ads. >> some people were sending money and getting scammed and that really, really made me upset because i would never want people to think they're getting a product or something that i said was good and it ends up to be a ripoff. >> reporter: we tried tracking down the people behind the product. >> we're trying to reach the owner of a company that makes the product livaderma. >> it was impossible to find

them in a joint statement to "today" the lawyers say for each fake site exposed another one pops up and that the lawsuit exposes the scam and how it works so people can avoid getting trapped in it. >> reporter: we tried reaching out to the people behind those new fake ads but it's extremely difficult to get anybody on the phone. last night while we were doing research we checked in on those old fake savannah ads. unfortunately a couple of them are still floating around out there, despite us confronting them, despite -- >> wow. >> reporter: yeah, asking us to take them down and despite the story. it goes to show you how hard it is to get these off the internet guys >> gadi, thanks so much. you have another story we're super excited about. i have to say they're convincing too. i got a lot of emails from people like congrats on your skin care line, you're leaving the "today" show, no, what

>> dr. oz just said he's suing as well. and oprah too. >> my dad said to me when i was going to "the voice," and he said tell blake i'm trying out his weight loss pills. i told blake he had no idea what i was talking about. cynthia oriva, getting rave reviews for her acting and historical drama, but playing double duty, co-writing and performing the end credit song to the movie, called "stand up" and we have an exclusive view of the video sh. ♪ stand up take my people with me ♪ ♪ together we are going to a brand new home ♪ ♪ far across the river ♪ i hear freedom calling ♪ calling me to heaven ♪ keep on keeping on

♪ i can feel >> my morning boost right there. powerful. >> the oscar goes to -- >> she gets the oscar for that or for the performance, cynthia is one step closer to becoming the youngest woman to achieve egot status. she's won an emmy -- >> she said music was really important to harriet fit right in with the role. >> you can feel it harriet from our sister company focus features is in theaters now. next up, charlie's angels, the rebooted movie is in theaters this month. the main angels played aren't the only angels. olympia and aly raisman, actress haley steinfeld, and other fun cameos we can expect, danica patrick and others

>> let's go. let's >> go, chloe go. >> doing a little skydiving there. >> cool. >> let's hope they had enough crash services for chloe kim like we had to provide at the olympics in pyeongchang. hungry we had to bring out a little extra food for her she had an appetite. >> next up, kristen bell the actress known for honest parenting had a new digital series called mom-splaining, all the highs and lows of being a mom. talking to teens about their relationships with parents which of course led kristen to talk about her first time secretly having a beer. >> one of the first times i ever drank my mom was out of town and i think i was 16 and i had like six friends over but we were sneaking beers and at the end of the school day on monday i got a page from my mom and i was like, oh

[ bleep ]. and i called my mom and she was like get home right now. and i was like -- >> oh, no. >> oh, no. and i came home and i walked through the door and she had her arms folded and she goes i was out of town for two days and you did not do one single load of laundry. and i was like -- >> remember that whole thing you're 100% sure you're getting busted for one thing and the parent does a switcheroo. >> i actually remember my mom saying savannah did you and your friends drink my cooking sherry. i was like, no, but would that work >> i remember that very well. >> vanilla extract is gone, good idea. in pop start, chris evans, the latest celebrity to join billy eichner, the pair is ambushing unsuspecting new yorkers. >> he's captain america. >> yes, he is. >> have you seen those movies? >> no, but -- >> okay.

>> i'm sorry >> when i get home i'll watch it, not going to go out of the house. >> watching every avengers movie tonight? >> why not. >> well, martin scorsese would say something, but i won't. >> she's still here, no, good-bye, your moment's over no, gina gershon over here trying to extend her moment. chris and i are joined by a bunch of lesbians that don't care that he's hot let's go, let's go. >> i did not recognize -- those are always great that's your pop start today. >> check the weather, mr. roker. >> let's show you what we've got going on watching a cold blast coming in from the plains, heavy showers and thunderstorms through the mid-mississippi and ohio river valleys, warm and dry out west unfortunately, light snow moving into the northeast and new england. that's what's going on good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. it's still foggy in the east bay

as we take a look outside in fremont, so you do need extra time. we're going to see our temperatures start to warm up once the skies clear. san jose will reach 74. oakland, 69. 66 in san francisco. and here, 67. we'll warm up going into the weekend. we'll also see more sunshine as we continue into early next week. if you're heading out the door don't forget take us with you, sirius xm channel 108, we're dreamy. >> time for sleep better today the bedroom can be a sacred place until your partner comes in and ruins it, stealing all the covers or snoring. good night. >> that's what we've heard anyway we've heard some couples are now sleeping separately in hopes of keeping the love alive we're going to speak with dr. oz in a moment but more on this growing trend. they call it a sleep divorce >> look at all that room on her side

hug and roll time. >> for some sleeping together can be a dream but for others not so much. >> and one, two, three. >> too many rude awakenings prompting a growing number of couples to consider a sleep divorce, as in sleeping separately to save their relationships. >> good night, darling. >> good night. >> a modern solution for couples worried about the stigma of separate beds. and the challenges of living with a partner who maybe snores, steals the covers or prefers a different temperature in the room a recent survey of 3,000 americans found more than 30% of them would like to sleep separately from their partners the national sleep foundation reporting 23% of married couples have already made that dream a reality. like our very own carson daly who said he and his wife sleep in different rooms because of her pregnancy and his sleep apnea. >> we don't want to sleep apart but we have now and secretly we're both like this is kind of cool.

>> not the only one. in 2017 architectural digest called dual master bedrooms the hottest new amenity in luxury rooms. proof of the wakeup call signaling the importance of a restful night's sleep. >> what is a sleep deprived couple to do >> dr. oz is here with tips for all of us considering a sleep divorce. i got sleep divorced in september, dr. oz. i have sleep apnea, my wife is pregnant we downgraded to a queen size bed and we thought we're better off. >> they've a sleep apnea mask. >> that's actually darth vader real attractive, right, most women would. >> there's a good health reason for this. >> what are people's troubles with sleeping. >> noise is a big one, temperature's huge, people fight about that sometimes folks move around too

much the biggest cause, timing issue. owls, larks, you want to get up early and they want to go to bed late female brains are much more attuned with issues for the family, listening for the baby to cry they don't get back to sleep and it bothers them more and the lack of -- the sleep separation issue you're talking about. >> yes, i can definitely vouch for all of these things but then i think it's a tricky thing to say to your partner, hey, maybe we shouldn't sleep in the same bed. a lot of people feel like that's what a relationship is, you're supposed to sleep together, like -- >> part of it's branding call it unconscious uncoupling it's not about sleep divorce if you're not taking care of your sleep you are hurting your marriage that's clean cut 25% of people are already doing it but it does require some action steps. >> what about doing it >> well, i think you should do it but you should do it -- >> what does it say about intimacy when you're sleep divorced can a relationship still be strong >> it can. 40% of folks don't tell anybody about these issues when they're having them. but doing it usually happens

from 11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. >> not when you work at the "today" show. >> the biggest challenge is people have to plan ahead. you've got to say -- >> that's not exciting. >> no, it's not, but cuddling is vital, the hormone that deals with stress and anxiety. >> what if your wife doesn't like to cuddle. >> i'm a cuddler. >> not going to end well. >> going a whole different direction. >> can i give you some action tips how to talk about it first off, don't talk about you and your problems. talk about me and our issues what things do we need to do together a part is you want to get past the stigma if you have a lot of love and positive emotions in it and honesty, you'll get past the resentment people have but the big issue is take baby steps and build a bigger step. for example, right now hoda's sitting peacefully there but maybe the covers shouldn't be just on her it should be on just

her legs, another one on her chest, different bedding, different beds in the same room could also work. >> not if you've got a snorer. >> i don't snore anymore but the noise of the machine keeps her up. >> if you're in separate rooms, which is fine. if you haven't done it yet do it three times a week, and do it less if it doesn't work but planning issue, you're focused on it. it is the most important part of the program. you have to actually say, listen, our marriage, our relationship is so important, sexless marriages are often a problem. we've got to be intimate around this don't reduce it further. >> we what sex famine >> there's a sexual famine not intimate enough in america. >> now you're sleeping in different zip codes. >> sleep is important, also an important part of this, you're a

better person if you are rested, which could help your relationship. >> yeah, we've got a viewer letter says my husband snores, when he turns over it's like a salmon washing up on a river bed. what should i do >> it's not about being a nice and pleasant person, it's about heart disease and cancer rates and arthritis. but most importantly, invest in your sleep and you'll be investing in your relationship you can't shortcut that. i'll put the five tips on the social sites check it out and share with your friends and don't be embarrassed. >> if there are sleep issues, fix them >> that's the whole goal. >> not suggesting you do this -- >> i actually -- my wife would never let me leave the room. >> where do you sleeve, dr. oz. >> she sleeps on top of me like that friends piece, you can't move and all the hair in your face, all that but to me it's worth it because the intimacy is worth the penalty, small penalty but the biggest investment you can make, when you sleep, figure out everything else. that's a big one. >> thank you

dr. oz. >> we love you, honey. right, dr. oz show weekdays, check your local listings. monterey bay with an orphan sea otter pup returning to the a very good morning to you. it's 8:26. i'm laura garcia. the raiders play the last night ever and they'll honor the b.a.r.t. supervisor who put his life on the line to save a man's life this week. how it played out aft last sunday's game. that's when he snatched up a man who fell on the track just as the train passed the b.a.r.t. coliseum station. he'll be honored tonight. the man who fell lives near sam men t sacra men toe and calls him a

hero. it's looking good over here. we're looking at bay bridge where you have a standard backup. you can't see anything beyond this. that's the big issue. traffic volume is manageable but you can't see from the rooftop cameras. look at the highlights and then down through contra costa county and in through san francisco. it's touching all over the bay. we have the closure. there's still the investigation from the overnight deadly crash. 680 is your alternate. even south bay is getting hit with the fog. be careful, slow down, and use the regular lights. >> back to you. another update in half an hour. see you then. my parents never taught me anything about managing money.

the amount of student loan debt i have,

i'm embarrassed to even say. we just decided we didn't want debt any longer. ♪ i didn't realize how easy investing could be. i'm picking companies that i believe in. ♪ i think sofi money is amazing. ♪ thank you sofi. sofi thank you, we love you. ♪

tonight's the night, jimmy is coming to you from austin, texas with matthew mcconaughey, chip and joanna gaines it's the tonight show at the university of texas. sponsored by samsung tonight on nbc university of texas. sponso ♪ it's thursday morning, 7th of november, 2019 we love this crowd they're so happy they're in a great mood. it's a little chilly, but they're going to get a great show coming up when old dominion takes the stage. >> they're wowing them out here. >> before we get to all that, a happy birthday to my wife. >> happy birthday, lynn. >> you know who else's birthday it is today, dave, our stage manager.

>> happy birthday, dave. >> and i have to say it, it's my sister-in-law's birthday, colleen. >> she's right here. >> i have something, danny and matt, it's your anniversary, isn't it >> yes, it is. >> how long have you been married? >> two years. >> where are you from? >> grand rapids. >> we have an announcement. >> oh? >> baby on board, and coming when, april -- >> april. >> congratulations. >> do you know if it's a boy or girl >> it's a boy. >> do you know its favorite color? i hope it's orange. >> oh, a onesie. >> happy everything to you. >> congratulations. >> no sleep divorce there. >> no. coming up, gadi schwartz got to ride along, some rescued sea otter pups were released back into the wild. live from monterey bay this

morning. that time of the year for the rest of 2019, our steals and deals are all holiday themed and they smell like pumpkin spice. today's jill martin is helping us get ready to party with gifts for the hostess or host with the most. country time, their new album just hit number one on the pop country albums chart old dominion is here to perform for us live on the plaza. coming up in a few minutes on the third hour sheinelle swaps jobs with venus williams on the tennis court and in the board room. >> looks like serena. >> that's venus. but she's also joining us live this morning in studio 1a to take a swing at hosting our show. >> plus on the fourth hour, we'll have a little serena williams on the fourth hour, andy cohen will be joining us as a co-host and we cannot wait for that say hi to these two little ones. >> sure. >> look at this. >> hi, guys. >> hi, guys, what are your names? >> henry. >> what's your name, honey

>> mckenzie. >> my future co-anchors? >> yes. >> what do you want to do when you grow up? >> i want to be on the news. >> oh. >> i think you're ready. >> i think so, you both are. can you say good morning. >> good morning. >> you're hired. good job, mckenzie let's get a check of the weather with mr. roker. >> today's weather is brought to you by national car rental, go national, go like a pro. let's look at your weekend, showing you what we have going on and we start off with tomorrow with the bitter winter windchills in the northeast, chilly morning in the plains, dry and mild out west and then for saturday it's an east coast chill, warmer weather making its way through the mid-mississippi river valley, plenty of sunshine out west, rain in the northwest, sunday, sunday, mostly sunny through the gulf, a cold blast of air with snow making its way into the plains, sunshine through the southeast into the mid-atlantic states. that's what's going on around

good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we have low fogs and clouds starting out. you have the visibility cut down to near zero in parts of the north bay and south county. we're seeing the fog drift around oakland and delta. we're going to see this gradually clearing out. up to 78 inland. more warm weather in the weekend forecast. and that is your latest weather. >> al, coming up next, rescued sea otter pups being released into the ocean by the people who helped nurse them back to health our own gadi schwartz with their incredible story but first, this is "today" on -- >> nbc

today, wild success story. >> gadi schwartz is back with us from california. at the monterey bay aquarium where he went behind the scenes of a special program for these furry little guys, return to the wild. >> reporter: we got to see something so incredible, these sea otters rescued as little tiny pups, nursed back to health and then released back into the wild all thanks to some tender loving care from some very special foster moms. >> playful, athletic and just as intelligent, sea otters are fascinating little creatures in the wild it's not all fun and games. predators, humans and storms are only some of the threats that can separate helpless pups from their mothers and while biologists at the monterey bay aquarium can give them food and care there are some things humans can't teach. >> years and years ago where we thought we could be the surrogate mothers. what we learned over time is that we're not that good as sea otters.

>> that's where these ladies come in, adult females who have been at the aquarium for years even though they're not related, they will adopt orphaned pups and teach them life skills, how to hunt, open shellfish and get along with others. >> you know, you don't get to swim up to just any otter and do whatever you want. there's rules, there's behavior. and so they have to learn that. >> you guys are some hard working moms all right. there you go. >> and from the moment the pups are rescued the aquarium tries hard to keep them from bonding with humans, even if it means using disguise. >> now we will play dress-up which you are going to love. you're going to put on a disguise we call it the darth vader disguise it's like a welding mask and a black poncho they're not associating anything positive with humans. >> hello sea otter pups, i am your mother. >> this is all pretty routine. but today isn't a normal day

three of these rescued pups are about to be released once researchers can catch them. >> you can tell this is a traumatic experience for these little guys, and so it's okay for them to see our faces. they want them to have a fear of humans but they have no idea what's in store. >> 125 miles south of monterey their final destination, moro bay where researchers hope they'll join this raft of local otters. >> these have to be a little bit tough. >> the releases are tough. they're stressful. this period for the next two weeks roughly is going to be the -- kind of the highest probability that these animals may not survive. >> but it's worth the risk by tracking released otters with tiny transmitters experts can see the program is working, boosting the population of wild otters by more than 50% in some areas. >> so you're going to turn this guy around. >> reporter: once we're out on the water there is no turning back. >> one, two, three -- >> reporter: finally freedom.

>> all right. >> oh, there they are. >> reporter: except one of the otters doesn't seem to want to leave. >> it's funny because she was one of the most difficult ones to try to net out of the tank. >> and now she's -- >> now she's chasing after the boat. >> she'll be okay though, right? >> she will. if she's not, we'll be here to pick her up again potentially. >> reporter: eventually all three start to settle down and explore their new watery playground, an important day for them and for the people who have put so much time and effort into their care. >> seeing them jump in the water what goes through your mind? >> i hope they don't jump back in what are we going to do if they do but it's exciting. i mean, it is very rewarding when they do take off and they manage to survive and start foraging successfully. like we did everything right >> reporter: it was so heartbreaking to be on that boat and see that otter following us

for a little while but it stayed put and the good news is all three of those otters seem to be thriving out there in fact, two of those otters have been exploring outside of moro bay going into deep water, doing some fishing and doing some clamming. and then coming back into moro bay. so everything is going well. fingers crossed, guys. >> adorable. >> thank you, gadi. >> thank you, gadi. coming up next, guys, steals and deals, holiday entertaining. jill martin with the perfect gifts for the party hostess even if that hostess just happens to be you but first, this is "today" on nbc. if that hostess just happens to be you. but first, this is "today" o but first, this is "today" o nbc.n

kerrygold has a taste so rich it can take you to ireland's lush, green pastures. where grass-fed cows produce rich, creamy milk for a truly delicious taste. kerrygold. the taste that takes you there.

edition of steals and deals today, lifestyle contributor jill martin is here to get us ready for our holiday gatherings with discounts on entertaining essentials, standout host or hostess gifts. jill, good morning. >> i can't believe we're talking holiday, but we are, and i'm feeling it with the tree getting --

>> it smells holiday with the candles i see there. >> this is how we roll here at the show at 8:43 we're having a party. >> i think somebody's at the door now there it is, it's carson. >> hey, hey, hey. >> hey, what did you bring >> i brought you this lovely serving dish. >> thank you so much our first guest, thank you for bringing it. >> the retail is $85 to $200 these are really awesome they're sold in -- sold out in minutes last year. if you want this get online right now. it's the teak wood or the classic collection. see the different options. the retail $85 to $200, the deal $25 to $100, up to 71% off, sold out in seconds. >> either the wood or pick one of the silvers. >> it's a choice and clearly sells out on today.com. oh, someone else. >> who could it be >> hope they brought something. >> hi, hoda. >> hi, everyone. i brought you something.

oh, close the door. >> last time hoda brought a gift i was telling you off camera it was a gift i had regifted her. and she regifted it. >> surprise, jill. >> it was a good gift. >> but now, this i love too. the soap and paper factory candles and diffusers. $53 to $56, a choice, you're getting the two candles where is fragrance is really -- >> it's strong, but in a nice way. >> it says holiday, or you get the candle with the diffuser and so this is a choice. again, sells out on today.com, a set of two, retail $53 to $56, the deal $23, up to 59%. >> the pine is very holiday. >> oh, someone else is here. >> my gosh, this is so unexpected. >> hey, guys, thanks for having me, jill. >> i'm so glad you could make it. >> this is a gift -- oh, you brought stationery ahead of time that you planned with my name on it and something you would actually do with this opportunity this

year it's personalized. the retail is $100 24 personalized folded note cards, a shimmer paper, there's your name, everybody gets them to bring home for their cards and they come in a gift box, put a bow right on them. the retail is $100 always popular the deal $39 61% off. >> i love this one of those things you wouldn't necessarily splurge on for yourself but you would love to get. >> looky here. here's al. >> hi, al. >> what did you bring? >> a lovely ornament. >> thank you, al, for the beautiful crystal royal ornament, retail is $55, comes in a box with a satin ribbon the snow star, the bright star, al brought me a beautiful snow star the retail $55, the deal is $22. 60% off. >> very nice and you'd use it for yourself too. >> so beautiful even on a little tree if you're just -- >> or a charlie brown tree or something.

>> it's sheinelle. >> oh, hello. >> i come bearing gifts. >> you have? >> this is really cool. >> sheinelle is bringing us a tray of many choices of trays. >> look at these. >> this is a good gift for you to gift yourself. >> really? >> sheinelle wears a lot of costume jewelry, it's great as a carry-all to keep your jewelry in, come in and throw your keys in it sold out in minutes last year too, easy to wipe and clean, serve on them as well, 59 to 129, the deal is 20 to 50, up to 66% off. >> and they have a very cute holiday theme. >> look, our party's all here. >> hello. >> it's a rave. >> yeah, this is how we do it. >> you've got your holiday shoes on the products, one more time. the serve wear, the candle set from soap and paper factory, personalized stationary, ornaments and the trays from frog hill. >> and you can find all of these deals and more at today.com/deals.

so you know "today" will make a small share of revenue for your purchases and thank you for coming to my rave. this is how i do it. >> speaking of raving, hoda is out on the plaza >> we are ready for some country, guys, we are actually having an outdoor concert, old dominion is here with us it's a band that's been racking up awards lately their new single climbing the charts, their album -- numero uno. but first this is "today" on nbc. t first this is "todabuy" welcome to the carnival 30 minute tour.

hey, shaq. it's a 30 second tour. no man it's like... now it's 26. welcome aboard. ocean! skyride. mini golf. relax! relax! relax! you take this man to be your husband? i do. married. no time for basketball. pool. carnival. choose fun. band, old dominion hit the music scene five years ago and they've risen right to the top of the country music charts. >> their new album self-titled is making waves. we want to say good morning to them matthew, trevor, jeff, brad and whit how does it feel to have the

number one album on the country charts, feels pretty good? >> best feeling. >> you all are together for five years and i heard the genesis of this group was you and your buddy here on drums met in middle school and you acquired the rest of the band. >> and the guys played in bands together for years we've been a band together for going on 15 years. a lot of people don't know. >> it's been past five years seven number one singles, last couple weeks you got the ama nomination, so many great things happening for the band what's it felt like recently do you feel it going as fast as it seems like? >> sometimes it feels extremely fast and sometimes it feels like it took so long to get here. it's an incredible feeling, to be doing it with your friends. we can look at each other and go, guys, this is happening. >> you're from a tiny town, outside of roanoke, population 1,000. is that town just freaking out that you made it this big? >> pretty cool. >> what do they say? >> it's cool to have the support of your hometown, they definitely support me and us incredible feeling, we get all

kinds of messages from there we go back home and play for them. >> nashville has such a huge music scene. what do you say to a young musician or solo artist on the grind who wants to be here one day? >> cheesy as it sounds, follow your heart, do what you think is cool and not chase. >> what are you going to sing? >> "one man band". >> take it away, old dominion. >> take it away, old dominio ♪ ♪ been flying solo for so long ♪ nobody singing the harmony ♪ in my shadow ♪ no bass no guitar no tambourine ♪

♪ i found you in a melody ♪ you were singing same key as me ♪ ♪ i don't want to be a one man band ♪ ♪ i don't want to be a rolling stone ♪ ♪ putting miles on a run down van ♪ ♪ baby we can take our own show on the road ♪ ♪ i lay down the beat ♪ carry the tune the tune ♪ ♪ baby take ♪ baby take my hand ♪ i don't want to be a one man band ♪ ♪ no ♪ no ♪ i want to run down your wild dreams ♪ ♪ i want to chase every highway dream ♪ ♪ count every rip in these old jeans ♪ ♪ we'll never learn how to sing the blues ♪ ♪ if i'm going to be famous ♪ girl i want to be famous with

you ♪ ♪ we got our own little groove ♪ i don't want to be a one man band ♪ ♪ i don't want to be a rolling stone ♪ ♪ putting miles on a run down van ♪ ♪ baby we can take our own show on the road ♪ ♪ i lay down the beat ♪ carry the tune ♪ we'll get that news and we'll transfer ♪ ♪ baby take my hand ♪ because i don't want to be a one man band ♪ ♪ ♪ fight like i'm cold ♪ the curtains come down ♪ chairs are all stacked and there's no one around ♪ ♪ nobody's paying ♪ we'll still be playing ♪ i don't want to be a one man band ♪ ♪ i don't want to be a rolling stone alone ♪ ♪ putting miles on a run down van ♪

♪ baby we could take our own show on the road ♪ ♪ i lay down the beat ♪ carry the tune ♪ we'll get that news and we'll trash hotel rooms ♪ ♪ baby take my hand ♪ because i don't want to be a one man band ♪ ♪ i don't want to be a one man band ♪ ♪ no ♪ >> oh, yeah. >> great song. >> that is an awesome sound. wasn't that awesome, you guys? old dominion, you guys, thanks, everybody, we're going to have another performance in our fourth hour, plus john cena is going to be here, telling us about his latest role. in a few minutes on the third hour, venus williams, but first, your local news. >> no, amazing not good, amazing. thank you, guys. >> thank you, safe travels on

the road ♪ we'll trash hotel rooms a very good morning to you. it's 8:56. a groundbreaking will connect two areas. the new tunnel pops project will be over 18 acres. it connects to the presidio.

the work will take some time, but it's expected to last two years, and it will come at a cost of more than $100 million. among those attending the groundbreaki groundbreaking, nancy pelosi. we'll be joined with a live report in our midday newscast. plus the man plucked off the tracks of the b.a.r.t. coliseum station a split second before an oncoming train describes him as a hero. what the man rescued by o'connor is saying about his new hero and his new lease on life. in mexico funerals are starting for some of the nine americans killed monday in a drug cartel ambush in mexico. you can head to our website for more on the latest of the shooting investigation. so, as you can see, saving can be quite simple.

case in point, if you get xfinity internet and mobile together, big savings on your wireless bill. write this down, this is important. amy, this is actually a life saving class. what a nice compliment, thank you! save on fast internet and the best wireless network together. what can i say, i love what i do. that's simple, easy, awesome. get xfinity internet and mobile together and save hundreds on your wireless bill. you'll get unlimited talk and text and no activation or line fees. switch today. one year later, rebirth and resflievl how survivors of the camp fire are working to rebuild paradise. >> join us tomorrow morning from 4:30 to 7:00 a.m.

today on california live is my co-host. plus they're getting into the swing things. it's all happening on "california live" this morning on nbc bay area. e grand opening. hardwoods, laminates, tile or stone. holy smokes, this place is huge! i'm on a budget and i was able to go to floor & decor, and save a lot of money. you will be blown away by this experience. the pros come here. i come here. if you love your wallet, and you love your home, you have to go. floor & decor. opening november 14th in milpitas, off the 880 freeway on north mccarthy blvd.

live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza, this is the "3rd hour of today." >> good morning, everyone, welcome to the "3rd hour of today," and i'm venus williams and actually this is not the spanish channel. i'm here with al, craig and dylan, and i'm sitting in sheinelle's seat because i am helping kicking off the third hour of the job swap series. i noticed i wasn't in the photo on the intro. >> that's next, that's next. >> all right, well -- >> i like it. she's already taking over. >> yes, i need to be in the photo. >> sheinelle who? >> what? >> i think we need sin