and wet roadways, slick conditions and soupy conditions still out there. >> be careful out there. we'll be here for our midday show. have a great day. >> all right. thanksgiving eve. get the tummies ready. >> turkey pants. good morning, of passengers stranded at the airport. >> it's just a mess. i don't know, i've never seen it this bad. >> and it's just the beginning. al has everything you need to know as you head out the door this morning. breaking overnight, a mass

explosion at a chemical plant in texas lights up the night sky. the fiery blast felt for miles blowing out windows and forcing evacuations. we have the very latest on what went wrong. fighting back at a rally in florida overnight, president trump hammers away at his critics and the impeachment inquiry into his dealings with ukraine. >> i want no quid pro quo. i want nothing. >> while democrats push ahead announcing a new round of hearings, next week. those stories, plus, romaine recall, a widespread e. coli outbreak across 19 states linked to bad lettuce, what to look out for as you get ready for thanksgiving. an elite climber speaks out about her death defying fall down el capitan, and the surprising hero who stepped in to help save her. and lumberjack special. >> they got time out, they don't use it. yes. the lumberjack has done it.

>> the underdogs from stephen f. austin pulling off one of the biggest upsets in decades knocking off the number one ranked duke blue devils in dramatic fashion. today, wednesday, november 27th, 2019. from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> and welcome to "today," and thank you for joining us on this wednesday morning. thanksgiving eve, it is. >> you were panting watching that clip. >> i was. >> that clip was amazing right, stephen f. austin. >> watching the game, duke, stephen f. austin, i turned away. >> now, what a game. if you're wondering where savannah guthrie today. she's not sick with the cold and flu. she's recovering from an eye injury.

we're going to talk to her about this in our next hour. we hope she's feeling better this morning, and we'll figure out what's going on. something else we're going to do this morning, something we have never done before on "today," united plates of thanksgiving. check out this table. we have brought in 52 chefs from all over these united states and the district of columbia and puerto rico, they are going to join us to share thanksgiving hacks and tricks. >> the great thing is our floor director has like a map. we had to have a road map to figure out how to get everybody at the table. >> we're looking forward to that. let's start with our top story, a thanksgiving travel nightmare, several significant storm systems moving across the country as tens of millions of americans hits roads and skies for the holiday. >> we have coverage of the weather threat, travel delays and all of it starting with the forecast from mr. roker. hey, al. >> good morning, and let's get started. we've got a lot going on, both ends of the country seeing the lot of weather. it's going to be marching across over the next 72 hours. heavy snow in the upper

peninsula. rain moving in, pushes out thanksgiving day. gusty winds along the i-95 corridor. out west, blizzard conditions for the sierra, dangerous travel and then the system continues to push bringing heavy rain into southern california. flash flood watches are up. we're looking at thanks or no thanks for your thanksgiving day. great weather for charlotte, new orleans, tampa, jacksonville and charleston but not really thankful for the weather stretching across cleveland, boston, oklahoma, las vegas and salt lake city, and for everybody coming home or getting to where they need to on sunday, again, two powerful systems across the country. airport delays from minneapolis down to atlanta, over to boston and out west. the pain continues there. we're going to be looking at delays from portland, san

francisco, los angeles, and probably salt lake city as well. guys, going and coming, it is going to be a travel nightmare. back to you. >> all right, al. thank you. we're going to head to nbc's molly hunter. she's in minneapolis this morning where the storm is already having a really big impact. hey, molly, good morning. >> reporter: hey, hoda, good morning. that's right, winds are swirling, the snow is coming down hard. it will continue this way for another couple of hours, but overnight in minneapolis, it was all hands on deck. 800 plows out on the road. you can see this pedestrian bridge already plowed before sunrise. overnight, a nasty snowstorm sweeping into the upper midwest. the early winter blast putting a freeze on thanksgiving travel. in nebraska, icy roads making for a treacherous commute on the busiest travel day of the year. cars spinning out and a semi flipped on its side. roads in colorado buried in snow. >> the snow was higher than the door when i tried to get in, and now my tires are spinning out when i'm trying to get to work. >> reporter: one denver resident making his way without four wheels. a rock slide shutting down a major interstate and these guys hopping out of their live truck to help stranded motorists. the storm now moving east. in new york, strong winds

threatening to ground the beloved balloons in tomorrow's macy's thanksgiving day parade. officials still waiting to make the call. >> it's going to be a game-day decision. but at the end of the day, we would like to do the best we can to make sure the event goes smoothly and safely. >> reporter: it's chilly out here, 31 degrees. not bone chilling, 150 schools have been cancelled and we're going to see a messy day. a lot of reports of crashes. >> molly, thank you in minneapolis. >> al mentioned the timing couldn't be worse with heavy wind, high rain moving across the country. tom costello is at reagan international airport, and i get the impression we're looking at the potential of serious delays over the next few days, huh. >> reporter: i think even right now, we have already got 400 cancellations, they're mounting

by the hour, and right now about 233 delays. take a look at the flight aware misery map. no surprise, the worst affected airport at this moment is exactly where molly is. it's in minneapolis already. as you move furthe as you move further south, chicago already being affected as well. o'hare has mounting delays and cancellations. if you're going to fly further north, toronto experiencing delays and cancellations as these high winds move east, we could see significant delays and cancellations up and down the east coast today it's a major holiday headache for this thanksgiving 2019 overnight, oakland international airport going dark a brief power outage delaying thousands of frustrated flier, leaving long security lines and causing a major back up at baggage claims. >> there's hundreds of people

everywhere, it's pouring outside. i'm still drenched it's just a mess i have never seen it this bad. >> reporter: in denver, hundreds of flights cancelled tuesday with no one going nowhere fast. >> i told my mom, if i can't get out today i'm going to drive. >> reporter: as for the roads in minnesota, crews are yet again clearing heavy snow this morning. >> we're going to put our boots back on, get our plows ready to go and go out and hit the road. >> reporter: from new york's holland tunnel to the slow crawl to lax airport out west to the loop in chicago. >> you hear the horror stories of sitting in bumper to bumper traffic. by leaving a day before we're able to bypass that. >> reporter: to snow packed denver. >> that's not going anywhere. >> reporter: this is the day most americans hate to drive, yet so many of us can't avoid. >> what i draed the most is in the traffic jams. >> reporter: aaa forecast,

49.3 million americans will be driving 50 miles or more this thanksgiving gas prices have only raised a penny since a year ago unleaded averaging $2.56 a gallon the bad news, if you were hoping to beat the traffic, you have already missed your best opportunity, depending on where you live, the best time to start your journey was between 3 and 5:00 a.m., the worst time in almost every city, that's between 3 and 7:00 p.m. >> it's just usually bumper to bumper by like 3:30 regardless if it's thanksgiving or not. >> reporter: on average, 2.6 million passengers are day are expected to make this thanksgiving a record breaker with the sunday after thanksgiving the busiest if you're flying today, some tips from the tsa, you can carry a casserole and a pie on board, but you'll need to check liquids and gels. >> if you can spill it, spread it, spray it, pump it or pour it, and it should go in your checked bad. >> reporter: okay. listen, if you are flying, some advice, get to the airport even earlier than normal to get through security if you're going to fly out on sunday, you're going to have

company. the busiest, heaviest record travel day ever in the airports, 3.1 million fliers get here really early use the airline app to find out if your plane is leaving on time and as they say, pack your patience but watch the schedules because this wind we're expecting could really mess things up. back to you. >> a lot to take there breaking news out of texas, where a chemical plant exploded overnight. the force so powerful it blew out the windows on homes several miles away nbc national correspondent miguel almaguer has more on this hey, miguel, good morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning, that explosion happened near a plant along the texas/louisiana border it shook many local residents out of bed in the middle of the night, and it injured three employees. >> my whole house shook. >> reporter: overnight, smoke and fire filling the sky after a chemical explosion at a plant in port neches, texas uniting the fire at the facility

which produces chemical and petroleum based products. >> my first immediate response was having living around refineries all these years was there had to have been explosion. >> reporter: the explosion so large and so loud, the intensity captured on home security cameras. many who live in the area say the damage could be seen and felt for miles social media posts showing blown out windows and garage doors residents within half a mile of the plant were evacuated as search and rescue crews were going door to door in surrounding areas. this is just the latest explosion to rock the region in 2017, flooding from hurricane harvey caused explosion at a plant in crosby, texas and in 2013, this blast caught on camera in the small town of west, texas, where 15 people were killed and hundreds of

others were injured. the area of port neches, texas, is home to multiple chemical plants this morning, many are relieved that one was killed but say at times like this, they still live in fear. >> with refineries being right here, that's the fear on a lot of people's minds that live here, something like that could happen >> reporter: the good news this morning, officials say everyone at the plant has been accounted for, and there have been no fatalities hoda >> miguel almaguer, thank you. now to the latest on the battle over impeachment. this morning, we are learning more about precisely when president trump first learned about that whistleblower complaint, and why that matters. meanwhile, last night at a campaign rally in the key state of florida, the president took the chance to defend himself nbc white house correspondent kelly o'donnell is traveling with the president she's in west palm beach this morning, kelly, good morning. >> reporter: good morning,

craig. that timing when the president news he would be accused of pressuring ukraine could be critical to understand why he later lifted the block on military aid for ukraine, and this visit to florida is different because it's the first time the president is returning to the state as an official resident a change that was celebrated at his rally. >> the sunshine state, my home >> reporter: branded as a home coming rally, the president appearing eager to get away from washington where impeachment threatens his presidency >> now, the same maniacs are pushing the deranged impeachment. think of this, impeachment >> reporter: this morning, new details on when the president first learned a whistleblower accused him of abusing his power. according to two sources familiar with the matter, "the new york times" reports that white house lawyers briefed the president in august before congress was alerted well before he lifted the hold on military aid for ukraine in september. according to newly released

testimony from a career budget official, two omb staffers resigned after expressing frustration over the hold on aid to ukraine at his rally, the president denied a link between a biden investigation and military aid >> i have never had a direct link between investigations, and security assistance. okay what that means, you know what it means it means we did zero we did nothing wrong. >> reporter: meantime, the president is offering a new defense while talking to bill o'reilly >> no, i didn't direct him, but he is a -- he is a warrior rudy is a warrior. >> reporter: saying he never tasked his personal attorney rudy giuliani to investigate ukraine. >> what was rudy giuliani doing in ukraine on your behalf? >> well, you have to ask that to rudy, but rudy -- i don't know -- i know he was going to go to ukraine, and i think he cancelled the trip, but you know, rudy has other clients other than me. >> so you didn't direct him to go there on your behalf? >> no, but you have to understand, rudy is a great corruption fighter.

>> reporter: it comes just days after giuliani seemed to hint at a defense of his own >> i don't discuss, i do not discuss my conversations with my client you can assume that i talked to him early and often. >> yeah. >> and have a very very good relationship with him. i see things like he's going to throw me under the bus he isn't but i have insurance. he knows what i did was in order to defend him, not to dig up dirt on biden. >> reporter: and rudy giuliani later said that he was being sarcastic when he said he had an insurance policy, and the president saying he never directly, gordon sondland told lawmakers he was working with giuliani on ukraine because he

was directed by the president. craig. >> kelly o in west palm beach, kelly o'donnell, thank you. an e. coli outbreak tied to romaine lettuce, the cdc is telling people to avoid serving it completely tomorrow for thanksgiving a lot of people paying attention to this one. >> it's not the greatest news on thanksgiving eve, is it. we know that one out of every three families in the u.s. serves some kind of salad on thanksgiving that is why the nationwide recall could not come at a worse time right before a holiday that's all about the food with just one day until thanksgiving, a nationwide romaine recall the centers for disease control

advising people to throw away any romaine lettuce and packaged mixes growing in salinas, california the warning coming after 67 people in 19 states were infected with a strain of the potentially deadly bacteria, e. coli, including 39 people who had to be hospitalized investigators say the cause of the contamination is unknown after a similar outbreak, the food and drug administration said contaminated ground water was partially contained. after that outbreak, the produce industry agreed to put labels like these shown where it's grown, making it easier to determine the origin of the outbreaks. the cdc has issued three romaine lettuce recalls because of e. coli the romaine leaf is grown in the open with no skin to protect it from harmful bacteria. while the cdc investigates the latest outbreak, thanksgiving dinners across the country will now be a little less green the cdc says everyone should check that label on their romaine lettuce. if it says grown in salinas, california, you should toss it

out. even if the package doesn't say where it was grown, you should also throw it away just to be safe they also say that you have the lettuce at your house, you should think about sanitizing your refrigerator as a precaution >> wow >> spinach and kale. >> thank you, steph. now to that stunning upset in college basketball. duke, the number one team in the country falling in dramatic fashion to unranked stephen f. austin. >> the lumberjacks had it, they just couldn't secure it. loose. they've got it they have a time out, they don't use it, and yes, the lumberjacks have done it >> indeed, the lumberjacks did it, the lay up at the buzzer, pulling off the shocking upset in overtime.

duke favored by 27 points, making it the biggest upset in 15 years the blue devils had not lost a home game to a nonconference opponent since the year 2000 by the way, the kid that hit that winning shot, his name is nathan bane, he's from the bahamas, his family lost his house in hurricane dorian, he said he was playing for them, and playing to make his home country proud. >> he sure did what a game. >> great story. >> i love that you have your thanksgiving glasses on. >> a little pumpkin spice latté anyway, let's show you what we've got going on as far as your weather is concerned for today. it's going to be a rough one in the upper peninsula of michigan and the northern plains, heavy snow, a flood watch in southern california mild in the east, weather is going to be changing very rapidly. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next

30 seconds on small business saturday, november 30th, and see how shopping small adds up. good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we're using storm ranger our mobile doppler radar to track the incoming storm with waves of rain, now about to move back in to san francisco, parts of the peninsula and we've seen some rain moving through the south bay, now getting ready to move through fremont, as well as the tri-valley. so we'll see it off and on throughout the day, at times the rain will be heavy with some thunderstorms, maybe even some small hail especially for areas south of san francisco, and then going into tomorrow, rain is clearing out, but we have more rain in the weekend forecast. and that is your lates and that is your latest weather, guys. >> mr. roker, thank you. coming up, an amazing

survival story from yosemite, the rock climber who's counter her blessings today after a nasty fall down el capitan, and the surprise hero who helped save her. scrolling and shopping, social media sites are making it easier than ever to snag black friday deals without leaving the house. we've got what you need to know. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

still ahead, we brought together 52 chefs from around the country. check them out. >> it's called the united plates of thanksgiving. they will share a plate from their home state after your local news, wow hoa w♪ ♪ life is better with you ♪ ♪ i know just one thing is true... ♪ ♪ life is better with you ♪

♪ ♪

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and may stop treatment. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. tell your doctor about your medicines and if you're pregnant or planning to be. ready to treat differently with a pill? otezla. show more of you. a very good morning to you. it 17:26. by now you know the storm has hit the bay area. taking a live look at the s curve this morning, be careful on your way out the door, if you're in the morning commute or traveling pre-thanksgiving, what a time for this storm to hit, kari. >> right. we need this rain and going to see more of it going into the day. storm ranger tracking a lot of the heavier rain moving across the peninsula and over toward the south bay. we've been seeing some heavy rain coming down around milpitas and just to the north. it's going to really cause some travel problems as you get ready to head out. as we take a live look in fremont, we're in for a cool day off and on rain, and we'll see these spotty showers and even a

potential of some thunderstorms going into this afternoon, as we see the spotty showers moving through, we may also have some peeks of sunshine, and just staying cool throughout the day. by the end of the weekend, we'll be tracking another storm that could bring us some much heavier amounts of rain, starting late saturday night, and continuing through monday and tuesday. we will in the meantime see the rain chances continuing today, and even a chance of thunderstorms once again but a break tomorrow and friday. how are the roads moving now, mike? >> kari, they're moving well. we have breaking news on the peninsula. 101 shows you how wet and slippery it can be on 101 and i will tell you there is a crash reportedly a car lost control on slippery roads at eastbound 84, just before you get toward the bridge around the area. that will be blocking one lane counter commute. your westbound commute shows that jam. all lanes did clear from the earlier crashes on the dumbarton bridge but things are still slow, that should let up because traffic volume is light around

the bay. the green highlighting shows you slicker roadways. the green sensors show you the movement around the bay. fastrak lanes are backed up. back to you. >> we'll be back in half an hour.

back now, back now, 7:30 on this wednesday morning, november the 27th, 2019, thanksgiving eve don't you love our show? look at our show it's a sneak preview, we have a band that's going to kick off the macy's thanksgiving day parade

the morgan state university, magnificent marching machine morgan state marching band this is the first time they have ever marched in the parade, legendary band they come to us from maryland. we're going to get outside and hang out with the band >> a lot of people are wondering about the parade, what's going to happen with the famous balloons their fate is literally hanging in the balance today will they fly, won't they fly, how about those winds. nbc's kerry sanders has an update for us. hey, kerry, what's the latest. >> there's a lot of excitement and anticipation along the parade route the barricades are in place. as you noted, the concern is whether the balloons will fly. there are forecasts for heavy winds tomorrow and if that happens, it could jeopardize floating the iconic balloons

that will be positioned along the parade route, to determine whether the wind gusts or stand winds are too much to put the balloons up. if the sustained winds are more than 23 miles per hour or the gusts are more than 34 miles per hour, the parade will go on without the balloons of course these balloons are huge some more than 60 feet long. they can take as many as 90 people to hold them, and that's without the winds, so strong winds can become dangerous for spectators, in 1997, cat in the hat balloon was hit by a gust of wind, and it hit a light pole which collapsed, injuring four people, one seriously. of course we're hoping the balloons will be part of this year's parade. many many many moons ago, there was a little boy and his older brother who sat on the curb a day in advance of the parade because they were so excited for it, thanks to my brother kevin who found this picture this is the first time i will be here to see the parade since the photo. guys, i can tell you that your inner child comes out. i don't care how old you are, for this parade, and even if there is no balloon floating, there of course are the marching bands, there are the rockettes, there's santa, so we're hoping that the forecast for winds isn't going to come true, but bottom line, this is a really exciting moment. so many people ready for the big parade. >> well, for kerry alone, i hope those balloons fly

by the way, little kerry is adorable that's the sweetest picture. >> adorbs. >> thank you >> thanks so much, kerry. let's get a check of today's headlines. three workers were hurt after a chemical explosion at a refinery in southeast texas about 90 miles east of houston. officials say the blast ignited a huge fire at the facility which produces chemical and petroleum based products residents a half mile of the plant had to be evacuated. international rescue teams have joined local rescuers in the search for survivors after the powerful earthquake in albania. at least 25 people were killed more than 600 others hurt in the 6.4 magnitude quake. several apartment buildings and hotels collapsed while people slept. an 11-year-old boy was pulled from the rubble. he survived because his

grandmother reportedly sheltered him from falling debris. now to a frightening close call for a utah state trooper. he was investigating an accident on the highway when this happened the trooper noticed an out of control vehicle headed right at him, so he jumped over that concrete wall, thankfully, perhaps even surprisingly no one was seriously hurt there. turning now to a dramatic rescue after a terrifying accident ago yosemite national park, a world renowned rock climber almost falling to her death but she was rescued thanks in parts to one of the sport's most recognizable stars. it's a pretty incredible story gabe gutierrez is here with more. >> reporter: it is an incredible story. a couple years ago, alex hannold stunned the world with his journey to the top of yosemite's el capitan he and others are being credited with saving the life of another star climber it's not just a heroing survival story but a remarkable story.

>> emily harrington is recovering from a death defying accident. >> how are you feeling >> i actually feel better than i thought i would. >> reporter: we spoke to the >> reporter: early sunday, harrington was five time u.s. sport climbing champion overnight shortly after she had left a california hospital >> yeah, i was in pain, and i was scared, but i could feel my fingers and toes, so i kind of knew that things were not super super super serious. >> reporter: early sunday, harrington was trying to scale yosemite's el capitan, 3200 feet of grit and granite when she suddenly fell.

>> i must have hit a ledge or something. i definitely like hit the rope with my neck it was just kind of a wild sideways fall. and i definitely lost consciousness for a period of time >> reporter: the 33-year-old was climbing with alex hannold who in 2017 shocked world by scaling el capitan in less than four hours without a rope or equipment. >> i feel like anybody could conceivably die on any given day. >> reporter: the incredible feat captured in the oscar winning documentary "free solo." he spoke with savannah last year. >> what is the joy of a free solo climb >> honestly a big part of the appeal, to be in a position that should be totally scary, crazy, but feeling comfortable. emily was attempting that difficult route on el cap and unfortunately slipped. she escaped more serious injuries i'm glad that i was there to help. >> i trust him a lot, and i think that it was wonderful to have him there i think in climbing we develop partnerships and trust with each other. >> her boyfriend, fellow climber, adrian ballinger later describing the key role hannold played, getting things ready for an evac and telling stories and keeping her talking throughout now she's grateful to be alive. >> i had an accident and accidents happen, but in the

end, we always learn something from them, and i just hope that people can kind of take away a little bit of inspiration in that message in whatever they're struggling with in their lives right. she strikes me as the kind of person that doesn't let a brush with death deter her safe to say she's going to keep climbing. >> she's like, yeah, obviously i'll keep doing it it's amazing to speak with her

you would think two days after the accident she would be in severe pain, but she had a few torn ligaments, bumps and bruises, of course a concussion, but she says, get this, she says she plans to climb again, wait for it, within a few weeks. >> oh, my word all right, gabe. >> they're not like the rest of us. >> no, indeed. coming up, charge your phones for black friday because some of the best deals around could be found on your social media feeds. that's all coming up right after liberty. liberty. ♪ (people talking) for every dollar you spend at a small business, an average of 67 cents stays local. shop small and watch it add up. small business saturday by american express is november 30th.

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save on hundreds of black friday doorbusters this thursday through saturday only. doors open 5pm, thursday. don't miss the biggest doorbusters of the season. black friday, only at target. (people talking) for every dollar you spend at a small business, an average of 67 cents stays local. shop small and watch it add up. small business saturday by american express is november 30th. we are we are back with "today's" holiday consumer it used to be people would head to the local mall to get their shopping done. >> these days there's a whole new way of getting things done with the help of a smartphone and social media jo ling kent has more on this

one. >> reporter: millions of americans do plan to hit the malls like here at mall of america on black friday, but of course a lot of it is going to be happening online, too in fact, for the first time ever, a majority of shoppers say they are going to be spending most of their holiday dollars online, and that of course includes your smartphone, that means on social media, facebook, instagram, or tictoc will be competing for your hard earned dollar. >> the holiday shopping season is officially in high gear and more consumers than ever are skipping traditional stores and snagging the best deals on their ceremonies instead. >> i would rather shop for my coach that have to deal with crowds of people on black

friday >> it's just madness. >> reporter: scenes of shoppers dashing into stores on black friday have started to become a thing of the past. for the first time ever, half of americans say they will do most of their holiday shopping online. >> for me, it's fun and easy, and i don't have to leave my coach. it sounds so gluttonous. >> reporter: the massive shift toward mobile buying has turned social media into huge hubs for online shopping. this month, there have been 3.5 million holiday shopping mentions on facebook and instagram alone, and the number of people clicking on ads and buying products directly from the two apps was up more than 50% in 2018 and it's expected to jump again this year >> the reason that social media works so well for retailers, especially when it comes to targeting shoppers that they have the exact data, the exact science for who they want to target. >> facebook, instagram and tictoc, instagram owned by facebook is testing a check out feature that lets users shop directly in the app using a saved credit card. this along with their popular augmented reality feature that lets shoppers try on make up and accessories. facebook is trying to simplify online shopping, allowing users to send money to friends in the app. using the new pay system, and the massively popular app tictoc, is allowing content creators to create a product link in their post >> you have to be careful

because you might not be getting the best price, and you're certainly not getting their best deals and don't take the first price as the last price, there's always another way to save, even on social media. >> reporter: in other words, you still have to do your homework to really get the best deal. >> let's talk about the home work here, jo. these apps are certainly making it easier to shop online what can folks do to really get the best deals out there >> reporter: all right so when you see a good deal in your social media feed say for black friday or cyber monday,

these are going to be really targeted ads you probably already see them in your feed on a daily basis but when you see that holiday deal, what you should do is hop off social media, look for a deeper discount, do some comparison shopping, look for that free shipping and also you may want to wait for a discount code to land in your e-mail. and maybe you'll get all of the above. so before you buy, do a little more background to get the best possible deal, craig. >> all right jo, thank you. >> useful information there. >> have you started shopping >> it's not december 23rd. how about you? >> i'm kind of with you. >> al, you done? >> i'm actually wearing an augmented reality suit this isn't on. >> nice suit. >> thank you very much. >> mr. roker is going on with the weather. i hope our internet holds, otherwise i'm just in my underwear. we have strong winds into thursday, almost coast-to-coast, upwards of 23 states, 88 million people under wind advisories or

high wind warnings so for today, we're looking at wind gusts from davenport to chicago, down to louisville, 40 to 50 miles per hour wind gusts and tomorrow, that moves into the northeast, and new england, including new york city, here's the deal, what we're looking at as far as the macy's thanksgiving day parade sustained winds, 23 miles per hour wind gusts, 34 anything higher than that, those balloons need to come down here's our forecast right now. sustained winds between 17 and 24 miles per hour. but look at these wind gusts, could be up to 40 miles per hour, if you're coming to the parade, partly cloudy, windy, cold, windchills will feel like in the mid-30s i think at best, best case, they're going to have to lower the balloons fingers crossed. th good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we're not on it with the storm just yet. we'll see off and on rain and possibly thunderstorms today. we'll see a lot of the heavier rain in san francisco on southward and we see rain moving through redwood city and areas south of san mateo, so expect

some rain throughout the day. coming in waves, but it does move out by tonight. tomorrow is looking good but chilly, some peeks of sunshine and also keeping you dry on friday before rain returns saturday. mr. roker. >> if they have to lower the balloons. >> it's a lot more work for the handlers because the balloons are heavier, they have to let some of the helium out, bring them down, it's harder to control. from a viewing standpoint at home, you'll notice that maybe they're a little lower but you still get to see them. >> that's the best case scenario >> i hope you're right >> me too. >> still ahead, a thanksgiving story that you do not want to miss this morning. how a text to a stranger led to a beloved tradition for one grandma and the one man she mistakenly invited to her holiday meal that's after these messages i'm ládeia, and there's more to me than hiv.

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. coming up, nick jonas and priyanka chopra welcome a new edition to their family. >> and chefs from around the country. >> much more after your local news the clock is ticking on irreversible joint damage. ongoing pain and stiffness are signs of joint erosion. humira can help stop the clock. prescribed for 15 years, humira targets and blocks a source of inflammation that contributes to joint pain and irreversible damage. 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,

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small business saturday by american express is november 30th. our microclimate weather alert continues at 7:56. we are seeing the possibility we could see some thunderstorms today, as we get spotty showers for much of the bay area. it's going to be off and on and still left with some cold temperatures and times of rain. we'll be tracking that with storm ranger, our mobile doppler radar. hit or miss showers and there may be some peeks of sunshine, but where we do see the rain there could be some thunder and lightning and small hail and all of this winds down tonight for a break in the wet weather. thanksgiving is looking chilly with times of sunshine, and on friday, we're going to see high temperatures inland reaching the mid-50s. we'll have another round of rain that could be heavier going from saturday night through sunday into monday, as well as possibly tuesday, going into next week. mike, how are the roads moving?

>> the early morning commute is dying down for the bay bridge toll plaza. the volume will build over the next two hours. we're looking at a smooth drive and you saw the damp and wet roads, that will be the case around the bay. dumbarton bridge recovers nicely over the last half hour and that crash that alert near the ravenswood site things have cleared there as well. we see slowing through fremont. the live camera, i just spotted it as you travel south a crash. back to you. >> thank you so much. it's 7:57. if you plan to head through the sierra this thanksgiving holiday, be extremely careful. it's whiteout this morning in some spots, up to three feet of snow was expected to fall. if you plan to head that way, check with cal trans or the chp before you leave. we're learning more about a large police presence in the east bay. police in lafayette combed the area near happy valley road off highway 24. it's not clear what happened but we're hearing reports there may have been a home invasion. we expect an update at some

point this morning from the police department. another local news update is coming up for you in about half an hour.

it's 8:00 on "today," coming up, get away day dread. >> it's usually bumper to bumper by 3:30. >> to the airports. >> i've never seen it this fast. >> to the parade floats. >> it's going to be a game day decision >> what you need to know before you go we're live with the latest. plus, happy text-giving. after an accidental invite went viral, we'll catch up with the duo who have remained friends ever since. >> you got a lot of text messages.

>> because you didn't block my phone number, and i had 600 text messages. >> just ahead, a look at their new thanksgiving tradition and the united plates of thanksgiving we are kicking off the holiday like never before, with 52 chefs from all over the country, here to make sure your thanksgiving dinner is a huge success, "today," november 27th, 2019 >> celebrating mckenna's birthday. >> today is my 60th birthday. >> we're the chefs from the east, prepping for a feast. >> we're from the midwest, the best. >> we're from out west, happy thanksgiving >> man. >> what's better than right now.

♪ >> sunny anderson bringing it in, thanks for being with us on wednesday morning. those are the chefs marching the day before thanksgiving, we have magnificent marching machines, helping spread that holiday cheer. yes, no kidding, you guys, we have chefs and when we said 52, we meant 52, count them, from all around the country, puerto rico and d.c >> to your thanksgiving table, al roker representing new york city you know what's been cool, i have been watching the chefs like hang out with each other. >> take selfies. >> they're having a blast out there. >> my second favorite thing about our show is watching roker dance over there you know how you do. >> something better than. >> oh, no, that's it >> meantime, guys, we are back inside, and we are missing savannah this morning. she's recovering from an eye injury, and she's going to be calling us in a couple of minutes just it tell us how she's doing.

we do want to first get to your news at eight. we have a lot going on. >> indeed. including messy storms we have been warning you about they have become a reality for holiday travelers stuck at airports or crawling along icy roads. mr. roker, we come back to you how are we looking for the rest of the get away. >> from now until sunday for the return home, it is a mess. we have two big storms on each end of the country we start in the east, snowy, icy, wet, as you make your way along the i-95 corridor. boston to atlanta, back to chicago minneapolis and detroit. salt lake city, a big hub, snowy and messy, san francisco, wet and windy, down to san diego let's look at your thanksgiving day forecast, once you get to where you're going you'll give thanks to weather in the mid atlantic down to the southeast and florida, thanks for that, with sunny skies, temperatures in the 60s and 70s.

no thanks for boston, cleveland, oklahoma city, vegas and salt lake city. los angeles and san diego. coming home, busiest travel day of the year. it is going to be a nightmare on both ends of the country we're going to have airport delays in minneapolis and chicago, boston, new york, down to atlanta, and then out west, again, more of a problem as you get into the rockies, also into the pacific northwest. san francisco and l.a. looking rainy as well. so craig, we are talking going and coming is going to be a mess. >> all right al, thanks, we'll come back to you in a bit meanwhile, a show of support from president trump, a new hearing on impeachment and a trump family thanksgiving. nbc white house correspondent kelly o'donnell is in west palm beach with three things to watch this morning kelly, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, craig. here we go with our three things to watch, first, president trump delivered a fired up defense to a raucous rally crowd here in florida. it goes to the very heart of the

impeachment inquiry. he claims he did not connect investigations with military aid for ukraine. >> i have never had a direct link between investigations and security assistance. okay what that means, you know what it means, it means we did zero we did nothing wrong >> reporter: next up, the impeachment action moves to the house judiciary committee next week for its first public hearing. the focus will be on the constitutional grounds for impeachment and house democrats invited the president to appear himself and have his own lawyers question the witness panel no response yet from the white house. and our third thing to watch, the trump family will celebrate the thanksgiving holiday at their private mar-a-lago club, and the president will be speaking with members of the military who are based around the world on duty by video conference to offer thanks for their service away from home craig? >> kelly o'donnell, west palm beach. thank you. three people were hurt by a massive explosion and fire at a chemical refinery. the explosion blew out windows

on homes several miles away. people living within a half mile of the plant were ordered to evacuate others were told to shelter in place, and shut their windows. the plant's operator says everyone working at the site has been accounted for you might remember this video of an injured hiker who's being air lifted off a mountain in arizona when this stretcher started spinning violently out of control there's the video right there. that was back in june. well, now, the woman and her husband are suing the city of phoenix for $2 million 74-year-old kaitlyn metra says the spinning caused damage to her eyes and ears along with psychological damage her medical bills have reached nearly $3 million and she had specifically asked not to be flown down from that trail. federal health officials say an e. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce has spread to 19 states the center for disease control

is advising people to throw out any romaine grown in salinas, california, that includes packaged salad mixes that contain romaine. if you don't know where it came from, throw it out anyway to be safe at least 67 people have already been affected. we'll get the news covered, would you like a little boost. >> i would love a boost. >> there's a little girl who has a companion she can count on while she waits for the school bus, her big dog gordon waits for her. he doesn't budge until he sees tat girl and her friend have climbed aboard the bus and then as the doors close, just trots back home that is a loyal companion right there. >> yes >> my kind of dog. >> thank you for that. coming up, imagine being personally serenaded by sir paul mccartney, his surprise performance at a company holiday party that's already going viral. >> that's awesome. we're going to check in with savannah

we're going to see how she's doing after that unexpected eye injury kind of threw a wrench into her thanksgiving plans, but first, these messages. so become a regular, more regularly. because for every dollar you spend at a small business, an average of 67 cents stays in the community. join me and american express on small business saturday, november 30th, and see how shopping small adds up. ♪ ♪ do good for the galaxy. buy specially marked big g cereals, scan the tattoo within the star wars app to complete an interactive mission, and general mills will donate to feeding america. get these big g cereals today. star wars: the rise of skywalker. in theaters december 20th.

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every good act we do goes... on the board. it's on. at state farm, we're challenging ourselves to each do 100 acts of good. on the board little one. i'm here with state farm employee max, who is saving a beached whale. max... on the board! on the board! (cheering) this man has become an absolute hero. giving back starts with us. join us at neighborhoodofgood.com®. we're back, it is 8:12. we're back, it is 8:12 joining the table here is dylan, we know savannah has been missed the past couple of days. people wondering, does she have a cold, the flu, no, it's an eye injury first of all, how are you feeling? hit

by -- charlie threw how you doing? >> i'm good, i'm good. i miss you all >> we miss you. >> yeah, i just, well, i got hit by -- charlie threw a toy train right at my eye and it tore my retina. >> a big train. >> yes and it happened last week, actually, and then i lost my vision in my right eye about 24 hours later and it turned out to be kind of serious they were afraid my retina was detached and so they told me to just take it easy and they have been doing a bunch of laser procedures trying to avoid having to do the full surgery. i see you're showing the little culprit there. that was the train and it has a real pointy edge and he threw it right at me. that's what happened. >> walk us through, because i was wondering about what the lasers are actually doing. you had to go for like a laser in the morning and a laser at night. describe what was going on there. >> yeah, and i'm so grateful to the doctors. they have been so careful with me i saw the ophthalmologist on saturday i really did lose my vision in my right eye and in fact on

monday, i came to work, but i couldn't see in one of my eyes, actually, that's why i was wearing those glasses. you know, but it was so blurry from not to get too gross but there was so much blood inside the eye that it completely blocked my vision. it's like putting like vaseline on my lens they couldn't see, they couldn't tell what the nature of the injury was over time they have been able to look at it, and they are essentially trying to weld back this tear in the retina very carefully, and really trying so hard to avoid the retina detaching and avoid having to do a major surgery and actually on monday, they kind of rushed me in for this emergency procedure that i wasn't expecting. and at first they didn't think it had worked and it looked like i was going to have to have this surgery. now it's looking more hopeful and have i'm hoping i can do the parade tomorrow. i'm not supposed to like jump up

and down or anything because it's kind of like literally hanging by a thread. but i'm very positive because i think it's going to be okay. >> let's put that graphic up again. a picture is worth a thousand words. the retina is this thin, you know, nerve layer in the very back of the eye, and what you see that big gel like substance in the middle is the vitreous. she had a tear in the retina first of all, that caused bleeding in that vitreous cavity, and she had a vitreous hemorrhage that gel fluid can seep through the tear in the retina and the more fluid that builds up there, that can lead to a retina detachment which is important because the retina is where the light beam goes to and an electrical impulse that goes to the optic nerve, to the brain and that's

how we see right now, her vision loss is really apparently just from this vitreous hemorrhage, not hopefully from any detachment. they don't think there's a detachment there hopefully the blood will reabsorb, and she will regain full vision. the prognosis is good if there's no detachment and if she needs the surgical repair. >> how common are retinal tears. >> so they increase with age they're not terribly common. i think, you know, one in 300 people in their lifetime around that would experience a retinal detachment there are some risk factors, but you don't have to have risk factors, in this case, is one of them advancing age is another >> we're not going it talk about advancing age. >> savannah, how is charlie, we want to know how charlie is? >> he's good you know, he's 2, so he doesn't even know what he did, and of course i wouldn't want to make him feel bad about it, but it's

funny, he hears me talking about, he has no idea but i was face timing with my mom to tell her, and he came running in and he said, i did it, i did it. he was very proud of himself >> there you go. >> here's the thing, here's what's not lost on me. that's a big train charlie is a little boy. he's a lot stronger than the average 2-year-old. >> he's a bruiser. he's a bruiser he'll be 3 in a couple of weeks. yeah, actually, that picture might make it look even bigger but it's real pointy, and he was basically sitting on my lap, and 2-year-olds want to test the boundaries and he threw it right in my eye. there you go. >> you couldn't tell looking at you on monday. >> you couldn't tell now my eye is swollen and looks messy because of the lasers. it's kind of tough on my eye like i said, my doctors have been so careful, and they're

really really trying to avoid that retinal detachment and avoid that big surgery, which is quite an ordeal, so i'm very hopeful that if i just hang out here and take it easy, they're like don't exercise, which was not a problem for him anyway >> you sound like your spirits are up and your positivity, i think, will help you get through this. >> we love you honey. >> happy thanksgiving. >> and happy birthday to libby >> it is libby's birthday, our executive producer. >> yes, it is. savannah, thanks, we love you. dr. azar, we love you too. thanks for coming to see us. mr. roker, you got a check of the weather. let's show you what we've got going on for today, this travel day, mild in the east, rain starts in we've got heavy snow through the upper great lakes. we're looking at a flood watch through southern california and a real mess comes into the pacific northwest and the interior sections of the northwest as well. the weather alert continuing

as we see this storm system still affecting california. we are going to see at times potential of scattered showers and thunderstorms. we'll be tracking that today. make sure you have the nbc bay area app. may be peaks of sunshine and snow on some of the bay area peaks. all of this clears out by this evening. tomorrow is looking good. friday, also dry before more rain moves back in late on saturday. and that's your and that's your latest weather, guys. td >> thank you so much td for a lot of people thanksgiving means celebrating with loved ones, but in the case of an arizona grandmother, she has a new tradition and she's sharing her dinner with a stranger, which is an amazing story. >> it's a stranger, who we should say is now more like family nbc's kristen dahlgren. >> wanda dench sent a text message she thought was going to her grandson inviting him to thanksgiving dinner, instead the message went to a wrong number,

a mistake she remains grateful for three years later. >> thanksgiving dinner is at my house on november 20th. >> a fateful text that brought them together. >> who is this >> a selfie swap to confirm the mistaken identity. >> you're not by grandma can i still get a plate though >> followed by a sincere invitation. >> of course you can, that's what grandma's do, we feed everyone. >> jamal posted the improbable exchange on twitter. >> you got a lot of text messages. >> because you didn't block my phone number and i had 600 text messages that night and it was crazy, my phone blew up. >> they could have just left it at that, a hilarious holiday mishap, they didn't. >> right up front, jamal. >> wanda dench, and then 17-year-old jamal hinton spent that thanksgiving in 2016 together with wanda's family, and have done so every year since. >> the first dinner, i don't

think we really got to talk that much because there was so much going on at the moment but after that, when we got to sit down and get to know each other, it was great. >> they have gone on double dates, jamal and his girlfriend and wanda and her husband. and even hit the pumpkin patch together last month. jamal is now 20. wanda is 62. they live about an hour apart in arizona. it's a friendship that's caught them both by surprise. >> once i was here, i felt like i have known her for years i felt like i can just talk and it's always a great time >> i'm always looking forward to the next time we're going to meet and find out more about him. >> this year, it was wanda who received the thanksgiving invitation. >> mikaela, his girlfriend, invited us over, my husband and i to her aunt's house for thanksgiving, and i said yes before she finished her

sentence >> they'll gather together again for the fourth time, and give thanks, and for important life lessons they feel lucky to have learned. >> don't judge anyone before you know them. >> it has made me look at young people differently in a much better light. >> i love wanda. she says she has done it again, mistakenly sent a text she thought was going to her grandson that person did not respond. big mistake. she makes a mean turkey. >> everything about this >> i love it >> kristen, thank you so much. don't you love when jenna bush hager joins the table i like the vibe she brings dylan in for carson. got a little "popstart" for us. >> yes, and we are starting "popstart" off with the one and only tom hanks, everyone knows he can currently be seen on the big screen, playing tv icon fred rogers, getting rave reviews for his portrayal, after sitting down with ellen, hanks reveals while they were shooting the

movie in roger's hometown of pittsburgh, he learned how serious people were about someone playing their local hero >> i was going up in the elevator, and all of pittsburgh knows you're there shooting a movie, and everyone is cool about it, and they say, oh, mr. hanks, you're shooting mr. rogers, yes, yes, i am, how are you enjoying pittsburgh, very nice, thank you. pittsburgh is a lovely town. is shooting going well yeah, i think it's going pretty well who knows. we hope it cuts together good luck to you i hope the movie turns out well. thank you very much. just as the elevator was closing, he got out before me, he said to me, you know, we take mr. rogers very seriously here and the door closed. it was a veiled threat it was literally don't screw this up. >> he's not going to screw it up. >> right guy there. finally, paul mccartney,

it's about that time of year for company holiday parties but one company has already had the coolest party of the season. that's because not only did sir paul show up at his wife's company holiday bash, he gave an impromptu performance of beatles hit, "i saw her standing there," check it out one, two, three, >> one, two, three, four ♪ you know what i mean and the way she looks ♪ ♪ i wouldn't dance with another ooh because i saw her standing there ♪ >> i love our holiday parties but i think we need to step it up. >> who can we get to come to ours >> sir paul. >> can you ask j. lo. >> i'm sure she'll do it. >> she'll do it, i'm sure. >> all right

thank you, guys. we're so excited to be at the thanksgiving day parade tomorrow hang on a second there's a little mini parade happening outside our window another parade taking place right here on the plaza. united plates of thanksgiving. 52 chefs from all over the country to bring us a full proof holiday pack >> that's right. and in fact, millions of americans are preparing for the biggest feast of the year. we hope to make it your family 's, sit back, relax, take a few note, we are dedicating the rest of the morning to celebrated chefs, sharing tips and tricks of the turkey, the trimmings, decadent desserts, we have your entire thanksgiving table covered. >> awesome, al. >> i love this >> parading our chefs in, morgan state university

from baltimore, maryland they're 130 strong the performance is great, by the way. so from our family to your family, happy thanksgiving >> we're just getting started. good morning. 8:26. it's expected to keep raining off and on throughout the bay area today. to give you a sense of what's been going on overnight, this video from outside our studios in san jose. you can see the heavy rain coming down at times, leaving behind puddles and a mess. in the east bay, a video of a eucalyptus tree that crashed down, barely missing a home. a police officer estimated it's about four feet across. this public works employee had to break it down with a chainsaw to remove it. let's get a look at that commute for you. >> we had some tough times and less flooding as things ease up.

still a little bit of a breeze, but this crash south 880 just passed the truck scales is causing some slowing. heading out of fremont toward mission, just shy of mission by the way. just north of mission, we have slowing from an earlier crash and flooding reported. they should have cones out in the area until they can clear that. looking at wet roadways. the bay bridge toll plaza, look at this. it's only 8:27, so that's an easy, light morning right now. back to you. >> thanks, mike. we'll have another local news update coming up in 30 minutes. so, as you can see, saving can be quite simple.

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8:30 on this wednesday morning, november 27th. it's oregon state university, magnificent marching mach 8:30 on this wednesday morning, november 27th. it's oregon state university, magnificent marching machine, helping getting our amazing crowd, getting started for the holiday weekend, we are here on thanksgiving eve. >> i love a marching band. that's a magnificent marching machine. speaking of the holidays, guys, we are dedicating the rest of our show this morning to helping make sure your thanksgiving feast is the best ever. 52 chefs from all over the united states of america, plus washington, d.c., puerto rico, they have the ingredients on

hand. they've got the spirit on hand. spread all across the studio, as well as out here in rockefeller plaza as well. >> we have grouped them into three regions and the chefs will be sharing special recipes, tips and tricks from their area of the country. >> wow. >> well, you all, i just want to say, a lot of people watch our show and they see us and they think this is kind of what keeps the show together, but there's actually one person who really brings our show together and it happens to be her birthday today. we'd like to wish a very happy birthday to our executive producer libby. >> happy birthday. >> happy birthday. >> we love you. >> libby, we love you from the bottom of our hearts. take a look at that woman right there. she's driving this bus every day, and we love you for it. happy birthday, libster, we love you.

mr. roker, you got a check of your weather? >> but first, this portion of "today" is sponsored by state farm. we know thanksgiving mishaps happen, get covered with state farm. >> see if the band takes requests. that would be great. anyway, let's show you what we've got going on as far as your today weather, a mild day in the east with wet weather moving in, heavy snow in the upper great lakes, a flood watch in southern california, and a real icy mess in the pacific northwest which will continue tomorrow. good morning. we are seeing some thunderstorms nearby, but we have only seen a few in the bay area. we could still see that as we go into today with some scattered showers and a potential of thunderstorms today, with some spotty rain, mostly south of san francisco, going into the morning and then developing for

the rest of the bay area for this afternoon. we'll see this clearing out by tomorrow. we'll have a couple of dry days heading in for the holiday. by saturday and sunday, our next round of rain will start moving in. that is your latest weather. hoda. that is your latest weather. hoda. >> bring it on in here, al. thank you so much. now it is time for what we have been waiting for, the united plates of thanksgiving. we brought in 52 chefs from all across the nation with recipes, tips and tricks. we have divided the chefs into three groups, each will share a tip for you for your turkey, your sides, your dessert, and the groups are the east, the midwest, plus the south, and we're going to start out west. from all the states, they have all brought their dishes. start with phil the grill johnson from arizona. >> come on. you know i'm representing the ac, we like heat. southwest like heat. >> what you got.

>> jalapeno. right into your brine. kick up the spice on your turkey. >> is it yummy. >> delicious. >> we have chipotle, smokiness, a little bit of heat, put that in the gravy. >> put that in the gravy. >> tim sunae all the way from alaska. what you got. >> we have amazing wild seafood from alaska, the mask northwest, frozen seafood can be your friend. >> for thanksgiving. >> yes, it will lighten things up. >> what you got. >> believe it or not, you do not have to cook your seafood. all you have to do is take your wild alaska salmon, rinse it under cold water, brush each side with a little bit of oil, stick it right into your up and down, and five, six minutes later it's perfectly cooked wild

seafood. >> i like that. thank you, kim. kayla robinson, north dakota, you have potato. >> we're a potato state, so my tip is making sure you've got room and space. use your crock pot, make mashed potatoes in your crock pot. and one of the coolest tips, easy way to clean your mashed potatoes or your potatoes is on a dishwasher on rinse cycle. >> on the rinse cycle. >> on the rinse cycle. >> what you any? >> love it. >> and then sweet potatoes, let's jazz up sweet potatoes, caramel chocolate, and. >> what? >> we got eric gruben representing idaho. >> i've got a little bit of potatoes, but our trick is the microwave. you're always looking for a place to put your hot food before you're setting the table,

45, 50 minutes, it's an insulated container, pack this thing full of all your casserole dishes. speaking of microwave, 20 seconds in the microwave and you can peel garlic super easy. >> you nuke it for 20 and then peel it. >> then peel it. >> what? >> and then the last little tip just roast the garlic the day before, and add it to everything. put it on everything. put it on everything. >> hello. >> hey, you all. i got texas, the great state of texas. what you got, babe? >> i have a tip for how to spice up your dessert, i like to add savory, we have brown butter pecans, get that butter brown, add a little sea salt, a little

bit of cinnamon, and if you want to spice it up, a little cayenne pepper. i take these beautiful pecans and put them right on a cheesecake or pie. really a fun tip. >> are they just yummy. >> they're delicious. >> you all, i want to challenge. i want the other coast to come to play, right, the west coast at the show down. find all of these recipes at today.com/thanksgiving. have fun, craig. >> you know what, the west coast is fine. you ain't seen nothing yet. 17 chefs representing the midwest and the south, tasty shortcuts for your thanksgiving spread. barbecue turkey to pimento cheese stuffed devilled eggs, that's right, the midwest, but first this is "today" on nbc.

welcome back to our united plates of thanksgiving where we have chefs from all over the country bringing holiday recipes, tips, tricks from their home states. west coast just kicked things off with tips for turkey, sides, desserts, now it's time for all 17 west coast, ha, there is darnell ferguson representing the great state of alabama, and most people are going to have a turkey on their table tomorrow. you have a pro tip for us, what is it? >> this is a chinese barbecue turkey, it's not the salt and pepper west coast turkey you get. you should marinate it, inject

it. and i get a lot of flavor to it. what is turkey lacking? salt, flavoring. that's going to take care of everything. >> bam. >> that's it. what you're going to do is have flavor on the outside from basting it, flavor on the inside for injecting and me cooking it, you got everything. >> they can't have you at the house, how long do you put that in the oven. >> i would break this down, cook the breast separate from the leg, because the breast doesn't cook the same as the rest. let's move to michigan. roxanne, thank you. >> of course. >> i like the energy here in the midwest. so you've got a gravy tip here, and i read this, and i was like, oh, that's genius.

>> when you take your pan drippings, when you take your bird to let it rest, put this in the freezer quickly, it will separate and you can scoop the fat off the top without having to worry. >> that's what i'm talking about. >> and then you can keep your gravy in the thermos. and keep it hot all day so you don't have to worry about it, and work on your other stuff. >> the west coast, they'd -- >> they have no concept. >> elizabeth, how are you? >> good, good, mississippi right here. >> you've got an onion cutting trick. >> this is unbelievable. i have cut onions for 22 years, you know, i'm very young. anyway. >> child chef here. >> and i have cried and cried and cried. and cried. i have put matches in my mouth, bred in my mouth, there isn't a tip or trick none of them work. but i'm telling you, honey, i've got it all you do, once you start cutting, you take your salt, rub it on your hands and then you get ready to cut, and i'm telling you. >> salt on your hands. >> i have no idea why. i just know it works

it doesn't have to be kosher salt, it can be anything use something inexpensive. i don't want you to get your himalayan sea salt honey, that is a squash casserole. that is his language right here. >> food. >> this is another thing because if you have gloves and you're not going to need spoons, so get yourself a pair of gloves and use that, so that's less you have to clean up you know after you have eaten this turkey, you're exhausted, you don't want to be doing dishes, mix it up with your hands, one or two less things you have to cook with. >> oh, yeah. >> going over, jennifer, how are you? jennifer, great state of arkansas i'm most excited about your dish because i can actually eat it. devilled eggs, a little shrimp on top walk me through. >> yes, so you have a pimento cheese stuffed devilled egg. >> now you're speaking my

language >> bacon, a little fried shrimp and my tip boiling eggs, peeling them, if you get to that point, now you want to dice it up, quick, easy and clean, so i just takes a roasting rack or a cooling rack, put it on top of your yolk. >> look at that. that's the way we do it in arkansas >> there you go. >> devilled eggs >> kentucky, you've got a great dessert tip. >> if we're trying to elevate our pie at the owned of the meal or cake or pastry, and you want to do a fancy spin on creme anglaise sauce, all you have to do is either forget to put your ice cream in the freezer or the microwave and let it defrost pour the melted ice cream on the bottom of the plate, and you want to get super fancy, put chocolate and swirl it around,

and put your pie right on top, and you have made a super fancy, representation of pie with that quick creme anglaise. >> chocolate pecan pie >> that's a pecan pie. thank you. >> craig i don't want to fight with you today >> that's why we're going to send it out to al. don't forget, the recipes, by the way, the interactive map at today.com, super cool, check that out chefs, thank you. >> thank you, craig. we've got our east coast chefs ready with some deliciousness. but first, this is "today" on here we go but first, this is "today" on but first, this is "today" on nbc.

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we are back with our united we are back with our united

plates of thanksgiving we are not done yet. you have already met 35 incredible chefs we've got our east coast chefs right here, and we each represent the states you are pennsylvania, wi looking at right now in just a moment, we're going to hear from five of them but we want to remind you, you can head to today.com/thanksgiving to see all their dishes and tips with a special nod to this amazing group. we've got jordan andino from pennsylvania, will gillson of massachusetts, esther choy of new jersey, quami from washington, d.c., and yasin prado from vermont jordan, what's your turkey tip >> this is a roasting rack made of vegetables, toss away the metal roasting rack, use the drippings from the turkey and get that soaked in you can turn to gravy after, so i highly recommend going this way, and a fun tip, if you have

the leftovers, you can actually just make like a philly cheese steak using the sliced turkey, provolone, some turkey, but also if you have a dehydrated bun, 450 degrees, one, two minutes, nice and easy and you have yourself a sandwich, a nice philly cheese steak. >> very good massachusetts. >> this is going to be the trick to some of the best green bean casserole you have had, growing up in massachusetts, we never had canned cream of mushroom, we had canned clam chowder, mix it in there brightest green beans, blanch them a little bit of holt -- hot boiling water. go in for about 30 seconds, come right out. these guys go here take your clam chowder instead of cream of mushroom soup over the top and a little bit of lobster and we're there. >> and the fried onions and boom next, who we got. >> esther joy.

>> jersey, it's all about the corn corn is my favorite side, and born and raised in jersey, corn in jersey is amazing first tip, screaming hot pan, corn, you want to blister it before adding to any of your favorite corn dishes blister your corn, it will give it that smokey char, amazing we're going to blister that, and another tip is you blend your corn and add it to any substitution for dairy, milk. >> so corn milk. >> very cool >> you can add it to soups, sauces, et cetera, right, so one last tip, get your charred corn, add it to cranberry sauce, and that will give it that salty, nice spice. >> very nice, esther, thank you. you've got butter tips for us. >> i've got butter tips. we're going to make spiced butter d.c. is a melting pot of so many different cuisines and we have a thing called mumbo sauce leave a stick of butter out

overnight, it will soften, tomato sauce, and a little bit of vinegar for acidity you can put that on top of anything over here, we rolled the butter in a log and old bay spice, and here are some herbs, celery leaves, rosemary, thyme. >> we appreciate that. >> absolutely. >> yasin, what do you got. >> in vermont, maple is the most precious thing in the world. you know what else is precious. >> what. >> pie dough dough. everyone is dropping dised dish you don't have a cool area, you're going to use police tape, and say pie line, do not cross. and then you can also have everyone is dropped dishes, and you don't have a cool area, you're going to use police tape, and say pie line, do not cross and then you can also have some chalk there, so you're going to make a chalk outline of anybody that touches your thing. they're in trouble >> and then what are you doing with these frozen grapes. >> if you don't like when ice melts in your drink because you want the full vodka, you can put frozen grapes in there so you get a little chew, a little

snack, and all of that hundred proof goes straight in >> very nicely done. yes. east coast, you can check out these recipes, on our interactive map on today.com/thanksgiving we're going to be right back with all 52 chefs, but first,

we are back, we have we are back, we have 52 wonderful chefs. we have a thanksgiving table, and we have a lot to be grateful for. we couldn't have pulled this off with a lot of hard work from some awesome people, including our today design team, the food stylists, the producers, debbie, our props department, the digital food team and every single chef who came here today. we're forever grateful >> this is quite the feast.

>> it sure is. >> check out the interactive map on today.com let's close the show with a group toast to a healthy and happy thanksgiving for everyone here on the plaza, and for all of you at home >> happy thanksgiving. >> happy thanksgiving. and by the way, some of these chefs are going to be sticking around for our third and fourth hours to put their spin on our favorite family recipes after your local news and weather. happy thanksgiving >> cheers y'all. cheers >> i like it all y'all. cheers. >> i like it all. >> welcome to the

good morning. 8:56. i'm marcus washington. be sure to pack your umbrella if you're expecting to head out this morning, because that rain is expected off and on throughout the bay area today. in san mateo, this driver was stranded at 42nd and pacific last night. police officers had to swim out to rescue the person. it's a reminder where you should

always turn around if you see deep water on the roadway. happening now if you plan to head to see yara, it is a complete whiteout this morning with up to three feet of snow. check with caltrans as well as chp before you leave if you head that way. and a large police presence in the east bay. police in lafayette spent the overnight hours combing the area of happy valley road off of highway 24. it's not clear of what happened, but we are hearing reports it may have been a home invasion. our crew is on the scene, and spotted at least one ambulance near the scene. we have a special call into the authorities to find out more. the lafayette police chief is expected to release an update at some point this morning. we'll have more local news coming for you in an hour, and we're always on at nbcbayarea.com.

live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza, this is the "3rd hour of today." >> and good morning, on this day before thanksgiving. welcome to the "3rd hour of today" i'm dylan here with al, sheinelle and craig, and i'm just so excited. >> good morning. >> i just watched you guys have like 52 meals. where's all the food. >> i haven't had a single bite this morning. >> actually, i haven't either. >> it was such rapid fire, we had 52 chefs. >> that's amazing. >> it was rapid fire recipes, but they're all on our web site. >> on today.com. >> and great little tips. >> you know what's so funny is everybody downstairs, there's a whole bunch of people do