here, the east shore freeway still slow. i just heard chp says tow trucks have arrived eastbound 80 at central. they can finally clear a crash that happened over an hour ago. good news. all right. well, the today show is moments away. however, we have more local news coming up. we will be streaming live on roku, pluto and other platforms, and live at eight will show you the simple ways you can avoid overspending this holiday season. we can help. that's what's happening today in the bay. today's show starts right now. have a fantastic thursday. good thursday morning. we are following breaking news from the middle east. >> an american missing for months, just found alive. it is december the 12th. this is "today." scued. a missouri man found in syria, freed from prison during this week's revolution, and guided to safety.

we'll have the very latest, and what he's saying to nbc news in a live report from damascus. major shakeup. the director of the fbi appointed by then-president trump in 2017 announcing he will resign when trump takes office. >> this is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray. >> this morning, what christopher wray is saying about his tensions with trump, the president-elect's attacks on the agency, and the maga ally already tapped for his job. growing mystery. >> there's another one. >> with even more drones spotted in the skies over new jersey, federal investigators pressed for answers on capitol hill. so where are they coming from, and could they pose a national security threat? >> in this day and age, somebody can fly drones of this size, the size of a car, if not bigger, and we have no idea who's doing it? >> inside the search to uncover the truth just ahead. new evidence. police building a case against the accused gunman in the killing of a top health

insurance ceo. straight ahead, what investigators now say they recovered at the scene of the crime, and what the suspect allegedly wrote in a notebook found during his arrest. facing justice. the wisconsin father who faked his own death and fled to europe appears in court after finally returning home. >> i cannot imagine what these kids are going through, and that was -- that was what really drove us. >> what he's now charged with and what's next in this bizarre case. fleeing the flames. dramatic, new stories on the race to escape that raging wildfire in malibu as hollywood icon dick van dyke opens up about his ordeal. >> i was trying to crawl to the car. i had exhausted myself. i couldn't get out. >> this morning, how shifting winds are helping crews gain ground on that dangerous fire while parts of the east coast recover from torrential rain. drivers trapped in a flooded tunnel overnight.

we'll have the very latest. those stories, plus "today" exclusive. from princess kate to elon musk to top world leaders, who will be "time's" person of the year? we're revealing that answer live. today thursday, december 12, 2024. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb. from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning, guys. welcome to "today." we're so happy you're joining us on this thursday morning. >> and we want to get right to this top story. breaking news out of syria. an american who has been held imprisoned there for months is finally free after the sudden fall of the assad regime. >> and just a short time ago, he spoke out to nbc's matt bradley. matt is in damascus. good morning, matt. >> reporter: good morning, hoda. trafts simmerman was reported missing earlier this year.

he was last seen in budapest in may. it was there he started his long, strange journey. his name is travis and he was found in syria a long way from his home in missouri. he told me he had just been released from captivity. the syrians who found him said he was walking barefoot down the road. >> i crossed a mountain in lebanon and syria, and i was living in that mountain. >> reporter: he was in the mountains for three days and nights without food before he was discovered by a syrian border guard. >> my lord sent me to damascus. >> reporter: the lord he said, sent him ton a pilgrimage to damascus. travis seemed remarkably relaxed amid the scrum of reporters firing questions at him. when asked if he wanted to speak to his family, he said no, and he was up for taking questions from reporters. >> i'm okay for right now. >> reporter: and he was quite calm describing the captivity of the notoriously cruel regimes. in the chaos of syria's collapse, families there and across the world have waited desperately to see who emerges from those dangerous prisons. this morning, we witnessed the u.s. special envoy for hostage

affairs calling travis during the aftermath of his rescue. it comes as the united states is scrambling to find more information about americans in syria including imprisoned journalist austin tice whose family has hope he's alive. and you know, hoe ad travis was remarkably relaxed about the months he spent in a syrian prison. he said he was well fed and well treated but his experience was hihighly unual. many people who have been in prisons in syria have endured torture, abuse, starvation and executions. hoda? >> so many horror stories there. all right, matt bradley for us in damascus. matt, thank you. back home, a major shakeup tied to president-elect trump's transition. the fbi director that trump appointed, christopher wray, saying he will step aside before trump takes office again. and trump's pick to replace him already courting support from senate republicans. nbc's chief white house correspondent peter alexander has the details. peter, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you. for the last seven years

christopher wray has overseen one of the most tumultuous periods in the fbi's history. with president-elect trump making clear his dislike of both wray and the bureau he leads. still there are no guarantees that trump's pick will pass the senate to lead the nation's premier law enforcement agency. this morning, president-elect trump is celebrating christopher wray's resignation as fbi director posting, it's a great day for america as it will end what he calls the weaponization of the united states department of injustice. after wray revealed to bureau employees he'll step aside before trump takes office. >> this is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important in how we do our work. >> reporter: with nearly three years left in his ten-year term,

hand-picked by trump himself in 2017 after then-president trump fired fbi director james comey. the president-elect has attacked the doj and fbi for years, arguing that he was unfairly prosecuted for political reasons, and slamming wray in an interview with kristin welker over his role in the classified documents investigation. >> i can't say i'm thrilled with him. he invaded my home. i'm suing the country over it. he invaded mar-a-lago. i'm very unhappy with the things he's done. >> reporter: trump also seized on wray's testimony to congress saying there was some question whether a bullet grazed trump's ear during an assassination attempt last july. >> he said, oh, maybe it was shrapnel. where's the shrapnel coming from? is it coming from -- is it coming from heaven? i don't think so. >> reporter: the fbi later confirmed trump was struck by a bullet. trump has already announced his choice to replace wray with kash patel, meeting with republican senators wednesday. >> we look forward to a very smooth transition at the fbi and i'll be ready to go on day one. >> reporter: a former federal

prosecutor and controversial trump ally, patel has vowed to go after those he says unfairly targeted the president-elect, and recently made this provocative promise. >> i would shut down the fbi hoover building on day one and reopening the next day as a museum of the deep state. >> reporter: nbc news learned that patel told a top republican senator this week he will not do that. that's according to a senator aide familiar with their conversation. just this morning, we have learned that trump invited china's president xi jinping to attend his inauguration here next month. it's not clear whether xi plans to attend. a trump transition team spokesperson calls it an effort to create an open dialogue not just with allies, but with adversaries and competitors as well. savannah? >> all right, peter. thank you very much. also this morning, there are new developments in that ongoing mystery in the skies over new jersey. so dozen of drones hovering over homes and businesses and military bases, it's been going

on for nearly a month. authorities still say they do not know who's responsible, and now the sightings have become a hot topic on capitol hill. nbc's sam brock joins us. he's got the very latest here. hey, sam. good morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning. look, frustrations here clearly mounting with no new information. the mayor of this township telling us, he personally, hoda, saw drones flying methodically right over here, town hall. the fbi is the lead investigatory agency here. only fanning the flames of confusion ashe pentagon is slamming down claims of a local congressman that what was behind it was an iranian mothership. >> there's another one. >> reporter: for almost a month, swarms of drones the size of small cars have been spotted over parts of new jersey, alarming local residents. >> i looked to mleft and i see two big drones. they were propeller-driven goings very slowly. >> reporter: and unnerving lawmakers who say they popped up

in at least ten counties. the issue prompting a meeting wednesday attended by roughly a hundndred mayo and state representatives. america, somebody can start n flying drones and we have no clue what's going on? >> reporter: garden state leaders say they're confounded by the federal government's response, and that of their own governor who's preaching calm. >> the most important point to say is we don't see any concern for public safety. >> reporter: according to new jersey assemblywoman dawn fantasia, the drones are large, up to 6 feet in diameter. there have been sightings every night since november 18th from dusk to 11:00 p.m. the lights are usually turned off, making detection difficult and most sightings are in unrestricted air space. perhaps even more concerning, military officials say they've documented at least 11 unauthorized drone incursions over nearby a weapons development center. and president-elect trump's bedminster golf club is also in the area. all of it leading to hard questioning for the fbi on capitol hill. >> what is going on in new jersey?

>> we do not attribute that to an individual or a group yet. we're investigating, but i don't have an answer of who's responsible for that. >> reporter: after one new jersey congressman speculated this on fox news -- >> iran launched a mothership, probably about a month ago that contains these drones. >> reporter: -- the pentagon immediately knocking that theory down and saying there's no evidence of foreign influence. >> there's no so-called mothership launching drones towards the united states. >> reporter: local police have been launching their own drones into the sky to give chase. so far, the mysterious drones continue to elude them. now local officials guys, we spoke with said they were very disappointed, if not outright angry that the fbi was not part of this meeting yesterday. some of them have called for a limited state of emergency here in the state of new jersey, banning all drones until they can figure this thing out. hoda, back to you. >> they got to get to the bottom of that. all right, sam brock for us there in jersey. sam, thank you. meanwhile, investigators are

continuing to build their case against the ivy league graduate charged in the murder of the unitedhealthcare ceo, gathering more evidence including a notebook discovered at the time of his arrest. nbc's stephanie gosk has the story. steph, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. luigi mangione is being held in the maximum custody section of this prison, according to the department of corrections, while his attorney gets ready to fight extradition. meanwhile the nypd says the evidence against him is mounting. this morning, the case against luigi mangione, the 26-year-old accused of murdering ceo brian thompson in manhattan, appears to be getting stronger. nypd investigators say they've made significant forensic breakthroughs on the gun found on the alleged killer when he was arrested in pennsylvania. >> we were able to match that gun to the three shell casings that we found in midtown. >> reporter: the police commissioner also says his fingerprints match those found on a water bottle and kind bar wrapper found near the crime scene.

>> we've already got some powerful evidence for the prosecution. >> reporter: according to two sources familiar with the investigation, in addition to three handwritten pages, mangione as written inside. what do you do? you whack the ceo at the annual par is a sittic bean-counter convention. it's targeted, precise, and it doesn't risk innocence. mangione's tourn says his client plans to plead not guilty to the charges. the murder of an executive at one of the largest private health insurers in the country has unleashed a torrent of anger at the industry. yesterday senator elizabeth warren making headlines with these remarks. >> violence is never the answer, but you can only push people so far. and then they start to take matters into their own hands. >> reporter: while authorities are warning of increased threat. >> the impact is similar to that of a domestic terror attack, and that is already being reflected

in this just torrent of online vitriol, and the lionization of the alleged perpetrator. this one has all the hallmarks of something that is going to inspire and contribute to a contagion effect. >> reporter: in new york city, fake wanted posters have appeared targeting other ceos of health insurance companies. the head of united health group, the parent company of unitedhealthcare sending a message to its employees calling thompson one of the good guys and saying the company will take precautions to ensure employees feel safe and supported. to fight extradition, mangione will have to prove that new york prosecutors either have the wrong man or he wasn't in new york city at the time, and given the amount of evidence that is mounting, legal experts say that is going to be a tough battle to win, savannah. >> stephanie, thank you. 7:14. time to say good morning to craig. easy for me to say. craig? >> savannah, hoda, good morning. good morning to you as well. a change in the weather is actually helping crews battling

that ragg wild fire in southern california to finally, finally make some progress against the destructive blaze. but this morning, thousands remain evacuated, and we're hearing from one of the malibu residents who was forced to flee, beloved actor dick van dyke. we'll get to dylan's full forecast in just a moment. first though, nbc's dana griffin joins us now with the very latest now from california. dana, good morning. >> reporter: craig, good morning to you. those intense santa ana winds have died down. but officials are still out there working the fire some 1,500 firefighters trying to control the blaze. this morning, wild weather on both coasts with floods in the northeast overnight and in malibu, california. firefighters beating back the flames of a destructive wind-driven wildfire. water and bright pink fire retardant dropped from the skies. a super scooper plane collecting water from the ocean, part of the air attack. >> i got very lucky this time, and it burnt everything but my house.

>> reporter: a number of homes now destroyed. residents returning to comb through the ruins. thousands still under evacuation orders and warnings including celebrities like jane seymour who posted dramatic photos and flames near her home, and screen legend, dick van dyke, capture on his ring camera evacuating, along with his wife arlene and their pets. >> it was coming from over the hill. you could see it, and oh my god. and we got out of here. >> reporter: van dyke who turns 99 tomorrow says he was outside struggling, trying to unsnarl his fire hose when neighbors showed up. >> i was trying to crawl to the car. i had exhausted myself. i couldn't get up. >> oak soeking wet. >> three neighbors came and carried me out and came back and put out a little fire in the guest house and saved me. >> reporter: this community fire brigade also joining the fight. local civilian kwhos have been trained to help protect those around them. >> i lost my parent's house. one of my friend's lost their

houses. >> reporter: across the country, a storm system bringing powerful winds and heavy rain to the northeast leaving cars stranded in a flooded tunnel in boston. thousands without power and new england residentunder flooding and high wind warnings over neegt. as americans across the country clean up after very different winter weather. officials say it will take a number of days before the fire is fully out. more than 4,000 acres have burned. and officials are still trying to determine the cause of the fire. craig? >> all right. dick van dyke there. hard to believe he's 99. thank you, dana. thank you, thank you. let's get more on the weather. dylan in for al this morning. how is it looking out west? >> well, they are getting a wind shift, right? now it's going to come off the water, so that will increase humidity a little bit, and kind of calm things down in that area, slightly. we also have some extremely cold temperatures across parts of the upper midwest in the northern plains where we have actually cold advisories and cold warnings in effect. duluth right now, the windchill

is 38 degrees below zero. minneapolis feels like 23 below. green bay, also feels like 23 below with your actual air temperature below zero. because of that cold air, the great lakes still unfrozen at this time. so we're seeing that lake-effect snow machine turn back on especially off of lake erie and ontario. we'll get those little fingers of snow bands, and in those areas we could see snowfall rates of about 2 to 3 inches per hour. over a period of time, most area will get a foot of snow. but if you get stuck in one of those snow bands, there's a chance you could end up with about 24 so 36 inches of snow out of this. so that is going to be the biggest concern. again, the small areas across northeastern -- the shores off northeastern parts of lake erie and lake ontario where we'll see most of that snow. that's a look at the weather across the country. we'll get to your forecast in the next 30 seconds. 4 renice things you can get: ♪

♪ legos, headphones, cosmetic gift sets. ♪ ♪ pearl barrette, remote control jet ♪ ♪ luggage, watches, pajamas ... you bet! ♪ ♪ use walmart for all your last minute needs, ♪ ♪ you know we gotta get it together for christmas eve! ♪ welcome to your walmart. some scattered activity. much of that wide, more widespread rain is now pushed to the south, and we are going to have a chance of rain throughout today as we take a look at our hour by hour forecast. expect the rain to come back around noon and it will continue, but we are watching out for a bigger storm system in the forecast. moving in on forecast. >> thanks, dylan. still ahead, the wisconsin father who faked his own death and fled to europe. now back home and facing a judge.

nbc's maggie vespa on the story. hi, maggie. >> savannah, good morning. yeah. it's the latest twist in this case that's captivated the country. wisconsin authorities saying ryan borgwardt returned home willingly after hiding out in eastern europe for months. the chilling quote he gave explaining his alleged plot to fake his own death and what's next in this case. that's coming up. all right, maggie. thanks. plus, we brought you the short list. this morning, it's time for our official reveal of "time's" person of the year. who will it be? you're about to find out, but first, this is "today" on nbc.

all-time favorites, hall of fame guest. >> you know who it is. the lovely jamie lee curtis is going to stop by. got a lot the talk about, a new show, a new movie. a personal milestone. can't wait to visit with jamie coming up after your local news. [screams] five immersive worlds

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you don't stop being you just because you turn 65. but, you do face more risk from flu and covid. last year alone, those viruses hospitalized nearly 1 million people 65 and older. 1 million. vaccines lower your risk of getting really sick, so you can keep doing you. good morning. it is 726. i'm kris sanchez and here's a look at our top stories. i'm ginger conejero saab in san francisco. take a good look at this photo. it's an age progression photo released of arianna fitts, who was two and a half years old

when she disappeared from san francisco eight years ago. she would now be 11. her mother, nicole fitts, was reported missing from the bay area and found dead and bururied in san francisco's mclaren park, a few days after she was reported missing. there is a $250,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect responsible. and now to a live look this morning in san francisco, where there are new developments in parking changes, california's new so-called day lighting law. plans to ban bans drivers from parking within 20ft of any crosswalk marked or unmarked. statewide about a month ago. violators in san francisco started getting warnings. that was supposed to be the case until the first of the year. but now, sfmta tells the san francisco gate that that will be the case until march 1st. after that, fines will be issued. and meteorologist kari hall is tracking that weather that's raining down on you. yeah, we've seen the waves of wet weather moving in. a lot of the more

widespread rain has tapered off, but we're still going to have a chance of showers in the forecast today. we're seeing that on storm ranger with our rain moving through san francisco, the peninsula, as well as parts of the north bay. we'll be tracking that. and if you have the nbc bay area app, you'll also be able to get those alerts. kris. all right. thank you. kari. and don't forget we stream live today in the bay on at 8:00. we'll share some simple ways you can avoid overspending this holiday season. you can watch on roku, amazon fire tv, and other streaming

we are back at 7:30. we are wronging around our christmas tree, and the woman behind that holiday hit just received a huge honor. brenda lee's iconic song joining spotify's billion streams club. how about that? >> wow. >> and the presentation bringing

the 80-year-old legend to happy tears yesterday. how sweet is that? >> what a moment. wow. a billion. >> that's the thing about a nice holiday tune, like, the timeless ones, you just -- every year, on repeat. on repeat. first in this half hour, new developments in a headline-making case that we have been following for a while now. >> the wisconsin father who faked a fatal kayaking accident and fled the country now back home and facing a criminal charge. nbc's maggie vespa has the very latest. hey, maggie. good morning. >> reporter: hey, guys. good morning. ryan borgwardt returning from eastern europe voluntarily to face justice and possible jail time. investigators say after sparking a frantic search back in august all for authorities to discover he was alive and well. and now a criminal complaint against him is painting a clearer picture of a deliberate attempt to seemingly trick authorities and his own family. is morning, ryan borgwardt, the wisconsin man accused of faking his own drowning death and fleeing to europe, now back in the u.s. and facing a

misdemeanor charge of obstructing an officer. the judge entering a not guilty plea on his behalf. >> half way around the world, voluntarily turning himself in. >> reporter: authorities stressing the 45-year-old husband and father returned willingly. >> has he said what compelled him to come back to wisconsin? >> his family, i guess. >> reporter: officials say borgwardt's carefully plotted escape began on august 11th around 10:00 p.m. when he pushed off in a kayak into the lake. late every lite later telling investigators, everything hinged on me dying in the lake. according to the criminal complaint, he flipped his kayak and swam to shore taking off on an e-bike he'd stashed nearby and riding to a bus station in madison where he boarded a greyhound to toronto, canada. from there, flights to paris, then asia where the complaint states a woman he'd been corresponding with brought him to a hotel. later, hunkered down in the

country of georgia, the complaint says borgwardt read headlines about his own disappearance until november 8th when he received an email from investigators and said his heart hit the floor. authorities saying they'd searched his laptop, discovered inquiries about moving fununds foreign banks and a new $375,000 life insurance policy for his family. days later releasing this proof of life video. >> i'm in my apartment. i am safe, secure, no problem. >> reporter: still tight-lipped about borgwardt's exact motive, the sheriff's department now seeking up to $40,000 in restitution to cover the cost of their initial, frantic search. >> i cannot imagine what these kids are going through, and that was -- that was what really drove us. >> all right. so what does this legal road look like ahead, maggie, for him? could he go to jail for this? >> reporter: yeah, he could. up to nine months if convicted on that misdemeanor charge. he posted bond overnight and he

was released. his next court appearance is scheduled for january 13th. he told the judge he cannot afford an attorney and therefore said he will defend himself. the judge reminding him he has the right to a public defendnde. again, this as authorities seek tens of thousands of dollars in restitution. mean while, nbc news has reached out to borgwardt's family and his wife declined to comment. guys? >> all right, maggie. thank you so much. all right. coming up, carson daly is back from "the voice," and he has big news to share in "popstart" about a new "yellowstone" spinoff in the works. and we'll announce "time's" person of the year right after this. just choose what you love. just my style, and i got a great deal. my turn. what the fudge? now that's a holiday classic.

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exclusive reveal of the "time" 2024 person of the year. for the past 97 years, "time" has selected, the man, woman, group, or concept that's had the most influence on the world for better or worse. a quick reminder, these were the five finalists here in no particular order. vice president kamala harris, the princess of wales, elon musk, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu, and president-elect donald trump. here to make the announcement, "time's" editor in chief, sam jacobs. did you bring your drum roll or would you like us to supply one? >> please provide it, thank you. >> our audio guys are pretty fast, but we didn't warn them. so who is it going to be? >> the person of the year who for better or for worse had the most influence on the news in 2024 is donald trump. >> okay. there it is. donald trump, 2024, person of the year. i mean, look. often the person who wins the u.s. presidential election does end up on the cover of this magazine.

tell us about this choice. >> this is someone who made a historic comeback, who reshaped the american presidency, and who's reordering american politics. it's hard to argue with the fact that the person who's moving into the oval office is the most influential person in the news. >> was this a matter of heated debate inside the "time" news room? i mean, you had some interesting contenders here you could have made an argument for. >> absolutely, and when it comes downo trying to pick from the 8 billion people on the planet, and who are the five people who had the most influence on the news? there's always a hot debate, although i have to admit that this year was an easier decision than in years past. >> yeah, no question. you talked to -- your reporters talked to donald trump -- both before -- in the springtime -- >> that's right. >> and even after the election. was there a difference that you noticed in between those two interviews? >> i think "time" spent more time on the record with the president-elect this year than any news organization. what we saw from when we spoke to him in the spring and now is someone who is maybe a little

lower volume, a little more subdued. for donald trump, perhaps a little bit reflective. he told us that it's sad actually that the campaign is other. this is someone who loves to be in a fight. now i think he's thinking about what his next chapter is but also looking back and realizing that this is the beginning of the end for him in his role in american politics. >> he survived that assassination attempt. is that something that he still thinks about or is still with him? is that something you covered in the interview. >> absolutely. we pushed him on that. he's more comfortable talking about how that moment affected other people than how it affected him. one of the things that's hard to wrap your mind about with the ubiquity is how extraordinary 2024 was for the president-elect. >> sam, thank you very much. by the way, "time's" person of the year issue is live and on time.com and will be avaable on news stands beginning friday, december 20th. thank you very much. hoda? we'll get a check of the forecast. we've got dylan in the house. hey, dylan. >> good morning again, guys. yesterday in the northeast,

temperatures were in the 60s. we are going to see a huge change. you'll notice it the second you step outside. this dip in the jet stream is going to drag down those colder temperatures up from canada. so we are going to see a much colder day all around. chicago, 17 degrees. that's 20 degrees below average. columbus, only 27 degrees for a high today. st. paul, five degrees for a high temperature. that's 23 degrees below average. tomorrow we're looking at temps still in the 20s for most of the great lakes area. that's continuing to keep that lake-effect snow machine turned on too. st. louis on the warmer side for this time of year, 46 degrees. philly, 36 tomorrow, and then we'll moderate those temperatures back to close to average as we gohrough the weekend. so erie, pennsylvania, even gets up to 50 by the time we get into monday. burlington goes from 29 on saturday to 41 on monday, and even in new york city we're looking for the highs, cold on saturday in the mid-30s, but up near 50 by the time we get into monday. we do have that heavier snow again up to 2 to 3 feet of snow possible in some of those lake-effect snow bands. it's chilly down through the

southeast. sunny and pleasant through the south and out west, we have some mountain snow in the sierra he had some widespread heavy rain earlier this morning, but now it is tapered off to some more scattered activity. there will be a chance of rain throughout the day, just kind of hit or miss. and as we go into the next couple of days, there will be another stronger storm system coming in. that one is expected to affect the bay area on friday, but in between we'll still have some lingering showers today into tomorrow, and gu forecast. >> dylan, thank you. still ahead, guys, one of our favorite friends this year, lisa kudrow will be live to talk about her latest series full of binge-worthy twists and plus we have a don't-mismorning "boost" coming up after this.

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it seems like -- >> we missed you, carson. >> three weeks. >> great season. >> congratulations to michael buble. our rookie coach won "the voice," with a great singer from the philippines. great season. >> very cool. that was awesome. >> welcome home. >> thank you so much. >> you guys ready for a boost? >> yes. >> here we go. there's nothing wrong, nothing wrong with a little self-confidence. so listen to what a little girl in ireland has to say when her mom asks her why her christmas list is so short. >> what did you say? where are you not asking santa for more? >> because i have the great looks and the personality. what more do i need? >> yes. >> if you didn't catch it, this is what she said. i have the great looks and a good personality. what more do i need? >> she's right. >> her mom posted this on instagram with the caption, i have no words anymore. i don't know where i got her. wow. raised right. >> i want to start calling santa santy.

it just sounds better. >> and she's right. she does have the looks and the personality. >> a cutie. coming up, it will be an oscars preview. that will be the question on "popstart." we have the look for best picture nominees for this year's critics choice awards. that is all -- you know who's also here? >> who? >> she's just around the corner there. the iconic jamie lee curtis, everybody. >> i'm going to strut out. "the voice," and the women just can cuddle. we huddle and cuddle. dylan, come on. >> this is the best. >> we huddle and cuddle. you guys just stand and applaud. golf clap. >> we will clap. >> the best in the business. >> we love you. >> we're going to visit with jamie lee in just a second. you got a lot of new things going on. >> i do. i'm busy. >> you're the queen. all right. we're back after your local news and weather. isn't this the best? ♪ ♪ ♪ get your motor running. ♪

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xxxxxxxxxx good morning. it is 756. i'm kris sanchez. happening now. i'm bob redell. we're outside a farmers insurance location here in the east bay. that is the state's second largest insurer, which just made a surprise announcement that starting this saturday, they will start taking applications, new applications for new policies, including condo renters, umbrella landlord, vacant and manufactured home, raising their cap from 7000 a month to 9500 a

month. that's an increase of 2500 new policies each month. farmers says it's adding these new customers because the marketplace has improved. the company credits recent changes by the state's department of insurance, ai kari hall. yes, as we take a live look outside in dublin, we're getting started with some wet roads. we had some heavy rain earlier this morning, but it's tapered off to some more scattered activity. we're tracking it with storm ranger, our mobile doppler radar with some hit or miss rain now moving through parts of the north bay into the peninsula, and we're still going to have a chance of rain today. staying unsettled. but the bulk of the widespread rain has moved on. as we go into this afternoon, the rain will start to ramp back up. so you want to track it on the nbc bay area app kris. all right. thank you. kari. our today in the bay live streaming newscast starts in just a few minutes. we're going to talk to an expert about driving safety during the busy, bustling holiday season. y can

watcouh

coming up, rescued. just this morning, a missouri man missing for months, found in syria after being freed from prison. what he's now saying to nbc news in a live report from damascus.

and stars in studio 1a. jamie lee curtis is stopping by. the oscar and emmy winner here to talk about her new series. >> i love a good heist. plus, another good friend drops in. lisa kudrow. >> oh my god. are you okay? >> i'm fine! >> maybe we could go into your house and get some ice? >> no. >> giving us the scoop on her new dark comedy. all that, plus chris rock back on "snl." >> mind if i step in? >> beth and rip back at it? >> i don't need anything else. do you? >> and "friday night lights" back on the small screen. 2024. thursday, december 12, ♪ >> shoutout to florida. >> laredo, texas. >> cedar falls, iowa. >> and sutton, nebraska. >> good morning to our team at nbc 10 back in boston. >> from sutton, nebraska, today's my 12th birthday. ♪

>> brought grandma -- >> on our first trip to new york city. >> for her 70th birthday. >> celebrating my retirement after 30 years in education. >> mother and daughter bucket list trip. >> from harrisburg, pennsylvania. >> my grandma loves the "today" show. >> and today she turns 88. >> happy birthday, grandma rose. >> grandma rose, happy birthday. happy birthday. welcome back. we're so happy you guys came out here. it's a beautiful, chilly thursday morning. people are celebrating birthdays and anniversaries and all the rest. we want to say welcome in. >> by the way, folks, 'tis the season, and when you want to spread a little holiday cheer, what do you do? of course, you turn to hoda kotb. so hoda grabbed her friendnds fm little big town, and this did happen. she did carolling with little big town around rockefeller center. >> how cute. >> we are looking forward to that adventure. >> truth be told i was a mouther. you know their harmony is,

like -- it sends chills up your spine. it was really fun. the crowd was surprised when they saw that. >> i was glad your voice blended. >> kind of. we'll get to our news at 8:00. let's begin with breaking news from overseas. an american missing for months found alive in syria this morning. he was among the thousands of detainees who emerged from jails after the sudden fall of the assad regime. nbc's chief foreign correspondent, richard engel is right there in syria. he's got details. hey, richard. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, hoda. i spoke to the american travis timmerman shortly after he was found here in damascus, and he told me he came into this country on a religious pilgrimage that he entered illegally. he crossed in over the mountains from lebanon. then he came here for spiritual reasons. i asked him, was he following in the footsteps of jesus and the apostles on the road to damascus? he said he had heard the voice of god. once he got into this country, he was arrested by the former

regime. he was imprisoned. he was treated fairly well, not tortured, and then when the assad regime collapsed, the rebels who are now in charge here, broke him out and he said that since monday, he has been walking the streets of damascus, sleeping on the street, eating whatever he could find, sleeping in an empty building, and then this morning he was found by a syrian man who saw him barefoot, limping down the street. i spoke to that syrian man today. he brought him into his house, gave him some water, and called the rebel authorities. i happened to be with the rebels at the time, and they responded immediately. they wanted to see who this person was. they got there. they told him that he was safe, and now they're trying to get him out of the country. they want to use this as an example that they're not extremists. they're not terrorists. they want to free people from prisons, and try and improve relations with the west. a very bizarre story. still another american unaccounted for that of journalist austin tice missing

for more than a decade, hoda. >> richard engel's for us there in damascus. thank you. we move to that shakeup in washington. fbi director christopher wray announcing yesterday that he will resign next month at the end of the biden administration. nbc's chief white house correspondent, peter alexander joins us with more on this departure, and the man picked to replace him. peter, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. president-elect trump obviously has not been shy about his disdain for the fbi and for wrwray. he's celebrating wray's announced resignation calling it a great day for america. wray who by the way was hand-picked by trump in 2017 is going to leave with nearly three years left in his ten-year term, revealing his plans to bureau employees yesterday. >> this is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important in how we do our work. >> reporter: for his part, trump had already announced his choice to replace wray. it's kash patel, who is not

guaranteed to get confirmed by the senate. patel is a former federal prosecutor. he is a controversial trump defender. critics have questioned patel's with qualifications for the job and sounded alarms aut his calls to go after those, he says, unfairly targeted trump. also overnight, president biden said he's commuting the sentences and placed on home confinement. he's pardoning 39 americans convicted of non-violent crimes, savannah, the biggest single day act of clemency in modern history. >> all right. peter alexander at the white house. thank you. to texas now where at least four people were hurt yesterday when a small plane made an emergency landing on a city street. check this out. cell phone cameras actually capturing the dramatic moments. it happened in victoria. that's about two hours southwest of houston. you can see the plane there. it was flying overhead. moments later, it crashes into three cars at the intersection. four people were taken to the

hospital. the cause of that investigation -- excuse me. the cause of the crash is under investigation. it is official. former new england patriots head coach, bill belichick is headed back to college. the university of north carolina announcing yesterday that it has hired the six-time super bowl champion to be its new head football coach. the 72-year-old spent nearly five decades coaching the nfl. in a statement, belichick said this. i've always wanted to coach in college, and i look forward to building the football program in chapel hill. >> how about that? tar bill. that's what they're saying. >> undeniably the greatest coach athe professional level. eight super bowls if i'm not mistaken. he's never coached in college. never coached in college. we'll see what happens. just ahead, some major engagement news from the music world overnight. who's wearing that very big diamond? carson's going to have that coming up in "popstart." but first, we'll spend some time with one of our absolute faves. there she is.

the e great jae lee curtis, busier than ever. her new heist show, new movie in the work, we'll talk about "freakier friday." much to discuss with jamie after this. (tony) it's really in our . it's amazing. (taylor) nearly three hundred and twenty million dollars donated to charity. (tobias) nearly twenty-three hundred hometown charities supported. (taylor) all bause of the share the love event. (tony) you're part of something bigger when you get a subaru. (vo) get 2.9% for seventy-two months, and subaru and our retailers will make a minimum three hundred dollar donation to charity. how are folks 60 and older having fun these days? family cookouts! ♪♪ playing games!

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♪ welcome back. the word icon gets thrown around a lot when it comes to hollywood, but for our next guest, it just fits. all right. just take a look. we first came to know jamie lee curtis in "halloween," a thriller that is still a major franchise 46 years later. from there, a string of iconic movies from "trading places," to "a fish called wanda," to "true lies" and then at the anyone of age of 64, i mean, what do you do? i tell you what jamie did. she wins an oscar for her performance in "everything everywhere all at once," and then she followed it up a year later with a guest emmy appearance win for "the bear," and of course, on top of all of those things, she's also a best-selling author. she works as an activist which is -- it's one of the most prominent things you do. we're going to talk about all of it with jamie including her new project "the sticky" on prime.

she's an executive producer on the series, and you'll see her in that too. that story loosely based on the unusual heist that made headlines in 2012. take a look. >> $150 million worth of maple syrup just sitting in the woods. >> not technically the woods. >> with just him, and some other guy guarding it? so what's the plannel, flannel? i love a good heist. >> okay. i don't even know where to begin with all the things we just said, and all the things -- >> here's how we're going to begin. >> okay. >> say it ain't so, hoda. i can't deal with it. i just can't deal with it. i just cannot believe this is the last time i'm going to be here with you. it's approiate we're wearing purple. >> yes. >> i'm going to tell you why? >> tell me why. >> we'll talk about "sticky," which is really funny and it's a true story and really weird dark comedy like fargo and it's funny and great and marco martindale is great. it's on prime now and people love it.

when i did "the bear," the person who plays sydney was shadowing the director because she was going to direct an episode. she was -- did the episode with liza that is spectacular in season three. >> mm-hmm. >> when he did the scene at the dining room table on the christmas episode, she came to me and i had told her that i like direction that's really simple, hotter, colder, faster, slower. i even like colors, and so i did two takes of the scene and she came up to me on the third one and she said -- whispered in my ear, purple. what she meant was, she's wounded. purple is a wound. so i have a wound today with you. we are both wearing purple. i'm a little sad, and yet i love you. i heard you on the phone with your daughters this morning as i've heard you on the phone every time i come here at 7:22.

you facetime your children. you are an absolute treasure, and we are all going to miss you here. i can't imagine this place without you, and yet so that's what i needed to say. >> okay. >> watch this. i'll plug it. watch "the sticky". it's really good and funny and great. >> can we talk about -- first of all, thank you from the bottom of my heart. it's just the note you gave me. you sent to my house that never got to your house. >> in september i believe the postmark, yes, it's september 28th. >> can you read it because i'm not going -- >> read it? >> read it. uh-huh. read it. it's eight words. >> it says, hoda, the long and winding road. where you go, my hand in yours, bravo. it was when you announced you were leaving. >> thank you. okay. let's talk about you. thank you, by the way. >> i talk about me all day long. all i do is talk about me. >> what you just did here with me is what you do always, and you do it -- you did it

in "sticky" too. you were offered the lead role in this. >> i was going to play the part that margo martindale plays in the show and then something happened and i wasn't available and they bought the show and they said do you want to do it and i couldn't blah blah blah. and i said, no, marco martindale needs to do the part because she is the right and she's brilliant. >> so this is theme of your life. you had the role. you said i know who could do this. she's incredible actress and doesn't get top billing and you gave her top billing. fast forward, pamela anderson in "the last showgirl". hey, jamie, do you want to be in this show with pamela. and you said, pamela anderson is in it? >> pamela anderson is in it, i need to play her besty. i need to play her ride or die. it's a beautiful movie. it's called the last showgirl. it opens in los angeles on the 14th of this month. and nationally on the 10th of january.

>> every interview i see about this -- and i watched them with you, you talk about her. that's what you do. >> you know what, we have underestimated pamela anderson. i don't know if you watched her documentary. i watched it last night for the first time. i knew nothing about her except that i understood she was an artist. and i understand what it feels like to have yourself put in a box and saying this is all you can do. and i just loved that she was more than we know she is. >> yes. >> and boy is she more than we know she is. she's exquisite in this movie. >> thank you for cheering on all the women, myself included and pamela and margo and everybody. and lindsay lohan. come on, "freaky friday" we're all waiting. >> we did a little sneak last night. >> and, and? >> i got very nice notices from all of my producing friends. >> you did. >> yes. >> so tell me.

>> i'm not telling you nothing because i'll be back here but you won't be here. >> okay. fine. >> i'll tell you what, i'll tell you privately offline. >> but you're very -- you're pleased with it. >> it's fantntastic. it checks every box that you would want. it has the nostalgia of the original movie with pink slip and chad michael murray. boy do women love chad michael murray. >> for sure. >> and it has some new elements to it. you know, lindsey -- we couldn't have made this movie until now because lindsey had to be old enough to have a 15-year-old. because, of course, she has a 15-year-old. >> you had to wait for that. >> so i'm now a grandma. >> we're coming up on a personal milestone in your life. >> yes, a big one. >> you are about to celebrate how many years of marriage? >> 40 years of marriage. 40 years married to christopher next wednesday. but, look at me, i am like the

most immature -- ask your crew, i'm the most immature guest you've ever had. i don't understand it. >> do you keep growing together? what is it? >> you know what, it is that. ultimately chris wasn't a director when i married him. i wasn't a writer. chris wasn't a producer when i married him. i wasn't a producer when he married me. we have grown into these new jobs that we've done. he still makes me laugh more than any human being and i'm sure there's something about me that he likes. i don't know what it is, but i'm sure there's something. >> okay. i just want to say thank you. >> i want to say thank you. you have truly changed this place, this house, this group of people that love you. and you are going off for all the right reasons, and you're going to take all of us with you. and whatever you do, know that you have this family with you, but you are a beautiful human being. and this show is better for you being here. >> i love you. thank you. >> god bless. >> god bless you.

>> happy holidays everybody. >> "the sticky". >> the last show girl, the sticky. i'll do it. "the sticky" is on prime now and the "last show girl" opens on the 10th in the world and what else? >> just throw it to weather. >> dylan. >> and dylan, it's all you now. >> jamie lee curtis just tossed to me for the weather. you can't beat that. we've got a very special birthday out here. who is turning 105 years old? >> aunt ruby. >> aunt ruby. where is she this morning? >> lincoln, nebraska. >> lincoln, nebraska. >> is that where you're usually farming? >> no. >> so you're not farming anywhere? >> sutton, nebraska. >> thank you so much. hi, aunt ruby. happy 105th birthday. we have finally dried things out on the east coast. that storm system is gone. but now the cold air is moving in. and we have lake-effect snow falling off of lake erie, lake on tear yoerks down in lincoln,

neb nebraska, temperatures today teens and 20s and colder across the northern plains, upper midwest. wind chills down around 25 degrees below zero this morning. bundle up as you head outside out west. we have ra and that's your latest forecast. time for the best time of the morning. >> this might be the second best. jamie lee -- that was great. >> love fest there.

>> oh. >> we'll start with "popstart" this morning. critics choice awards. we can exclusively reveal the nominees of the big film categories. we'll do actor and actress. are you ready to go? we start best picture with a complete unknown, "anora," "the brutalist," and "dune part ii," "conclave." plus amelia perez, nickel boys, sing-sing, the substance and finally "wicked." >> is that alphabetical? >> i don't know. >> yes, it was. >> let's move on to best actor. the nominees are for actor, adrian brody, timothee chalamet, daniel craig, colman domingo, ray fi-e nnnes and hugh grant. the actresses are cynthia erivo, karla sofia gascon, marianne jean-baptiste, angelina jolie, mikey madison, and demi moore. >> wow. >> the are your mom nominees.

the critics choice award hosted by chelsea handler. will broadcast live on e! january 12th from santa monica and catch it streaming on peacock, the next day. >> chelsea's a good host. >> that's a preview for oscar. next up, "friday night lights," a reboot is in the works based on the 2004 film. here's what we know so far. following a devastating hurricane, a rag tag high school football team and their damaged interim coach make an unlikely bid for a texas state championship becoming a beacon of light for their town. and good luck to the new coach because he's got pretty big shoes to fill. >> blood, sweat, tears. it all stays right here on this field right now. this is our dirt. this is our mud. this is ours, baby. can't lose! >> i mean, who doesn't love coach eric taylor inspiration early in the morning? the new "friday night lights" is in development with our sister company peacock and universal television. that's done by the same group

that did the original too. peter berg and ryan for magic. that should be good. speaking of remakes, austin butler, the golden globe winner landed his next big gig bringing back this iconic role. >> i'm patrick bateman, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me. only an entity. something a losery. and though i can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and sense our lifestyles are probably comparable, i simply am not there. >> is it ove >> i can't bear it. >> you're really bringing us up. bringing us right down. >> 30 seconds of face peeling this morning. butler will star in the upcoming remake of "american psycho." from challengers and call me by your name director luca. next up, selena gomez, congratulations. she's engaged. the singer and actress revealing overnight she said, yes to her boyfriend, benny blanco. showing off that massive bling

to her 423 million instagram followers, with a nice post there, forever begins now. the couple went public with their relationship a year ago now. if you went through the comment sections which a lot of people did, you'll notice taylor swift writing, yes, i will be the flower girl. buried in there. congratulations to selena and benny. next up, "yellowstone," news ahead of sunday's epic finale, news of another spinoff has the internet buzzing with beth and rip in talks to get their own series. and why wouldn't they? "variety" reporting that kelly riley and cole houser will continue to play their characters on a new show. in the meantime, we don't know if this week's episode is the season finale or a series finale, but we know the creator loves to keep the fans on their toes. that's an obvious one there. now to "saturday night live." former cast member, chris rock set to return to the famed studio 8h this week and in a new promo he's so excited to be back he is helping out those famous nbc page studio tours. >> mind if you step in? >> chris rock. it would be an honor, sir.

>> "snl" was created in 1942. >> what? >> jackie robinson used to be an intern here. >> that's not true. >> people don't know this, but lorne michaels is actually haitian. >> that's wrong. >> been haitian the whole time. can't you tell? how was that? >> it was interesting. >> give it up for jane curtain, everyone. jane. >> very cute. >> it's going to be cute. finally, jerry springer. a trailer is out for netflix's upcoming documentary about the late tv icon's talk show going behind the scenes. here's a peek. >> the bigger that show got, it raised questions about what really went on backstage. >> the producers were coaching us on what to say and how to act. kind of impact it was going to have on you. >> okay. the two-part series, "jerry springer: fights, camera, action" starts streaming on

january 7th. what a great title. >> yeah. >> he really had a rich life, though. >> you got it. just ahead, the one, the only, lisa kudrow. she's here. >> you said she's here, so i came out. >> hi. >> how are you? > so excid. you got a new show. it looks great. hello. >> hi. we're going to catch up -- oh, . >> just fell. i'll hold onto lisa. >> so smoo. >>th i

morning, everybody.

it is 8:30. it's a thursday morning right smack dab in the middle of the holidays. great crowd out here. feeling festive. hello, hello, hello. much to celebrate, and oh my gosh, yes. luke wilson, one of the many stars you will see in the series "no good deed," is right here on our plaza. he will be back to talk about his appearance in our third hour. we love luke. >> love luke. >> you remember luke. >> what? >> you remember. >> by the way, speaking of the toy drive, we want to give a quick shoutout, to jazz wares for donating 500 bum bumz and squish mallows the plush toys for the drive. you can join the fun as well, just scan the qr code. coming up, lisa kudrow is here. she's one of the stars in luke's show we mentioned. we're going to talk to her

about "friends," and of course, a lot more. also ahead, you can't forget about the stocking stuffers as you finish up your holiday shopping. we're going to have some great finds on our hot list for makeup lovers, gamers and even the little ones. and cassidee dabney is here from tennessee's famous blackberry farm. it's a great recipe for a chicken dinner that doubles for a dish at an upcoming party. blackberry farm is amazing by the way. third hour coming up a few minutes from now, and we're going to show you a place where technology and history, where they really come together. we're getting an exclusive look at a massive expansion at the cleveland museum of natural history and we're going to introduce you to the star of the show, dunk. carson, his name is dunk. >> okay. let's get a check of the weather, miss dylan. in for al. >> different than this time yesterday. >> it's chilly. >> a little colder, but sunnier. we are done with the rain for the east coast. for now we do have snow showers back through the great lakes.

that will continue through the upcoming weekends. chill is on across the northern plains and upper midwest on saturday. quite chilly across the northeast and southeast, temperatures in the 50s. down in florida, we're looking at 70s. rain starts to develop back through the ohio and tennessee river valleys on saturday and continues to move east and big storm makes its way on shore out we that will produce snow showers into sunday across parts of the higher elevations. the rain into the great lakes and down through tennessee and kentucky on sunday. the east coast warms up little bit, getting closer to average with highs in th good thursday morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. today we'll see temperatures in the upper 50s and off and on rain. the scattered showers continue tomorrow as well, but some more widespread rain, some heavier downpours and gusty winds expected on saturday. eventually it's going to dry out for the weekend. sunday is looking nice but on the cool side with highs in the upper 50s and lows down to 39 degrees. and the rain returns on monday in san

franci forecast. >> before we go, where's that scarf? there's a scarf for craig somewhere. >> way down in the corner. >> where? >> it's coming up? >> go find that scarf. >> he's going to go grab it. >> i'll go get the scarf. >> you got it? he's running down there. there we go. there we go. >> what's your name? >> elise. >> where are you from? >> illinois. >> you made the actual scarf? >> my mom did. >> where's mom? >> home. >> thank you so much. i'm going to put it on. >> look at the label. it says "today." >> i love it. >> there's a label. >> that's really cool. >> look at that. thank you. thank you so much. >> very cool. well done. all right, guys. coming up, dylan -- thanks, dylan and to craig. we're going to chat with lisa

kudrow. she's joining the cast of "no good deed" and celebrating the 30-year anniversary of "friends," but this is "today" on nbc.

♪ smelly cat, smelly cat, what are they feeding you ♪ >> everybody! ♪ smelly cat, smelly cat, it's not your fault ♪ >> we couldn't resist. we're back with lisa kudrow who we all know and love of course, as the quirky friend, phoebe, but she's an amazing actress and back on television and her new project is called "no good deed," a star-studded netflix series that is full of twists and turns. lisa plays the loving wife and mother distraught over selling the family home haunted by dark secrets and marriage troubles. take a look. >> your life's work is in this house. it's our home, okay?

the only home that emily and jacob have ever known. >> emily hasn't stepped foot in our home in three years. >> okay. i just -- i'm confused. >> put the knife down. >> i'm just gesturing, okay? >> you're all hyped up. put the knife down. >> well, i'm not going to kill you. >> all right. so put it down. >> lisa, good morning. >> good morning. >> it's so good to see you. >> you too. >> we -- we were talking about "no good deed." it is an incredible cast, and ray romano, i read that you were, like, i've always wanted to work with him. >> yeah. >> how did this come to be? >> i just got a call saying, netflix, liz feldman, and i knew she did "dead to me," and i loved "dead to me," oh, and ray romano would be your husband and i said, that's, like, a dream come true. >> yes, yes, yes. >> my agent went, yeah. sometimes dreams come true. that tone. i loved it. it was great. >> it's awesome. he -- i heard you, like, rewatched "everybody loves raymond" or watched it for the first time. >> for the first time over

covid. >> huge sitcom stars at the same time. >> yeah. on the same lot. >> oh, you're kidding? had you ever really connected before? >> no. >> oh, that's so weird. >> i know. >> so when you went back and watched it, like, what was that experience like? >> heaven. it was covid, and it was funny, and i laughed out t loud. so -- and then i watched it, like, you know, a few more times and it turns out ray didn't believe me when i said, i love "everybody loves raymond." >> was he, like, oh sure, you do? >> he just went, oh, thanks. i heard him say later, he's, like -- then she quoted something back from the show and i was, like, oh, she really did watch it. >> tell me about the premise of this. it's -- i mean, you can't do anything that doesn't have a certain humor to it, but it's not light hearted. there's all these twists and turns. it's a mystery. tell me about the show. >> yeah. it is a mystery. yeah. there are dark, tragic things

going on that have happened, you know, in each episode, you get this tease of a little more information that comes out, and it's -- it's pretty good. i mean, it's kind of compelling. >> yeah. you have a star-studded cast. luke wilson is coming in our next hour. >> oh my god. >> he's in it too. >> he's so great. >> he really is. he's the nicest. tell me about -- so "friends" just turned 30. i feel like there's a huge -- people are watching it. they started watching it. there's a whole new generation of people watching it. >> yeah. >> how is that like for you to experience that now? is it just sort of -- i can't ever i guess mimic what happened in the '90s, but it's really getting the second wave. >> yeah. i mean, nothing can mimic what happened in the '90s for the six of us, you know, but it's just -- it's really nice that -- but i kind of feel like younger people also might be sort of unconsciously nostalgic for

connection and in-person connection. >> it's so true. i think jennifer aniston said, like, if they had been sitting on that couch today, everybody would have been on their phones scrolling. >> yeah. yeah. >> it is -- it's just a lovely time where you're, like, you called on the phone. you're, like, meet me at the coffee place or in your case, walked across the hall. >> or just showed up. yeah. you know someone would be there. >> what is the most commonly quoted line that you get? people are, like -- >> my eyes. for phoebe. >> that's so funny. they're starting a game show, like, a whole game show of trivia. >> yeah. >> how do you think you would do it, the "friends" game show? >> horribly. >> because i did have some trivia questions. >> let's see. let's try. >> what did phoebe tell her husband mike she changed her name to? this is hard too by the way. >> it's not regina phalange? that's always her fake name. there was something. i don't know. >> princess consuela bananahammock. >> oh, yeah.

i didn't flow know if that's what that was. bananahammock. wow. >> what role -- i just noticed that now. that's funny. took me a minute. what role did joey play on "days of our lives"? >> oh, dr. drake ramoray. >> i knew you would know that one. >> what is the price ross and monica fight over while playing football? >> like, the geller trophy or something? >> the geller cup. >> the geller cup. >> you're getting a lot of applause here. this is very impressive. >> okay. wow. >> and then -- so i talked to you about "friends" we know "no good deed" is coming out. it's incredible. everyone is talking about is that. i love "romy and michele." it's in the mt. rushmore of movies and i heard it might be making a comeback. >> it might be. it's close, but not officially. >> so what would the premise be? i just love it because we're ash -- we're similar age. >> no, we're not, but okay. >> yes, we are. >> okay. i'm happy to be in that world.

>> so what do you think romy and michele are like today, modern era? what are they up to? >> i, you know, i think they're still very much romy and michele, you know? >> never change. >> yeah. i don't know. i mean, i read a really good script, but i can't say. i don't know. >> okay. well, i hope, i hope, i hope. thank you so much, lisa. you're such a doll. appreciate it. you and i, we're essentially the same age. ray romano will be here by the way in fourth hour with you. you got luke coming in the third hour. "no good deed" out on netflix today. hoda, over to you. still to come, our friend is in the house. she's got stocking stuffer ideas for kids and adults on your holiday list, but first, this is been here before? or haven't been here at all? your next favorite thing about this place is waiting to be discovered. did you know you can do this? ... pretty cool, right? ... and you don't want to miss that. you can also ride this ... and then race on over to do this... and before you leave? you definitely wanna see that.

♪ back now, 8:44. with today's hot list, we're rounding out some of the fabulous stocking stuffers that won't bust your budget. our lifestyle expert is here with gift ideas for everybody in your list. all of them by the way, under 30

bucks. shop along with us. scan the qr code. first, it's so good to see you. >> good to see you too. >> i like your gifts. they're unique, different, and the price is right. >> the price is right. you know what i love about winter? i love having shoes like this. feel them, hoda. they're so nice. i loveaking up in the morning, walking on my carpet with these >> yes. >> and then if you need to go out and grab a package, let's flip these other. they actually have a nice, grippy outsole so you can walk around without slipping and sliding all over the place. i mean, a perfect stocking stuffer. >> brilliant. >> i wish you could feel these. aren't they incredible? >> they're soft and cozy, and incredible. and they're festive. i love the look. perfect. fun to have. >> this is good for anybody on your list. >> all right. >> this comes to us from tarte. it's a makeup brand we love. in fact, it's a shop today beauty award winner. they have this curl lash right here that you have. and for the first time ever, we have the mascara and the highlighter as well. >> all included in one little packet? >> in one package which i love because you can keep it as is or divvy it up if you want.

to use it's so simple. if you are watching at home and you don't know, look at that difference. you take the curler. you prep your lash. go ahead and apply that mascara, and then you take the highlighter and then you put it in the crease. >> in the corners. >> the producer loves this as well. she takes the highlighter and puts it on the brow bone to give a little definition. the corner of your eye to give a sparkle. perfect stocking stuffer. >> this is something we need. if you ever tried to massage yourself with a tennis ball -- >> okay. this is next level here. >> okay. so this will soothe those tired and achy muscles to put it under your feet and roll it back and foot. you can pretty much use it all over your body. so that's so nice because it's small, and you can take it with you if you are going to be traveling, but keep it with you next to your desk. so really nice again if you have those sore, tired muscles from standing on your feet or anywhere from walking. >> it's got the bumps on the ball so it's good to use. >> it's nice. >> this is a modern day rubik's cube. what have you got for us?

>> it kind of is. this game is fun for everybody. this is great for adults that have quick reflexes and like solving puzzles. this is a fantastic game. it is called flip slide. what you're trying to do once you turn it on, you have the matching colors. you're trying to match the colors. flip and slide until you can match the color. play by yourself or you can play in groups. here is the thing, hoda, you'll never get bored because there's multiple modes to choose from. our shop today team loves this because you can turn down the volume as well and it's compact ifou're going on a road trip, it won't make a lot of noise with the kids. >> this is a fun stocking stuffer. >> i got this for my nephew and he was obsessed. these are dinosaur eggs. a set of six. all you have to do is add weather and literally within a matter of weeks, days actually you get these cute little dinosaur. it comes with the cards right there. you get facts. >> learn about them. >> they're cute when they're done. >> fun and engaging way to learn about dinosaurs. the kid who loves dinosaurs and

loves science. this is the kit to get them. >> lastly, this is great for someone with a green thumb but also i love a bonsai tree. >> it's about time and patience. a meditative practice but great way to bring nature into the house. you're getting a set of four. all miniature right there. the plant markers, the soil and everything you need to grow it into this beautiful tree and exercise your creativity because it comes with the sheers. just go ahead and shape it. four different types of seeds. blue, it is stunning. >> by the way, you do such a great job. we knew it from day one when you started here and to this day today. congrats on everything. >> i love you. thank you. >> go to today.com/shop. carson? >> we're going a great job right here, chef. just a little sprinkle. a delicious meal that's perfect for a busy work night or next holiday party. yo

♪ all right. welcome back this morning on "today" food. the perfect recipe to warm up a cold winter's night. it's simple enough to add to your regular rotation. also elegant enough to impress guests at your next dinner party. cassidee dabney is a james beard nominee and for the past decade executive chef at the rnn the smoky mountains of east tennessee. a dusting of snow, i understand. >> we've got a slight dusting of snow in tennessee yesterday. >> blackberry farm is the best resort in the south. it's rated a magical place. i've never been. >> it is magical. >> this time of year, what is it like? the whole santa village. >> the trees are up. the wreaths are up. all the things. all the things. >> so we have four minute. two minutes on chicken. two minutes on the pressed potato. let's do this thing. >> so we have our chicken. patted dry. >> season first? >> i would pat it and then season it pretty aggressively. this does not have salt in it.

>> are we at the stage to help get it crispy. >> drying out. the salt. we'll put it in this braiser. skin side down. and you can hear it searing. >> love it. well not really. >> no, you can't. i was making that sound. >> tv. >> it's cooking up so good. >> you want to get this golden brown. when the skin starts to release, it is going to be ready to flip over. >> what do you like about this meal, it is casual on a tuesday or elegant when you have people over. >> kids like it. it can be bougie. once the chicken is brown, take it out using the same pan, we're going to caramelize some onions. i don't like doing dishes. >> kitchen sink of spices. >> too much. cinnamon, fennel, karaway, dill. >> all good with chicken. is that what you like about

them, the spices. >> no, they're terrible. yeah. >> fair enough. thank you for not putting the terrible. >> keep doing that. we love that. troll carson. >> cassidy and i were college roommates if you can tell with the ribbing. >> for years. >> so you can start to smell the spices. >> great. >> we'll add herbs. >> garlic. >> we'll add raisins for sweetness. now that will cook. and ththen the pnt of the tomato paste is to add some richness and thickness. you really want to caramelize this. this chicken stock is beautiful. >> uh-huh. thank you. >> did you make it? >> no, but it doesn't look boxed. it look good. >> it looks real. we'll let that simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes. we're going to strain it. >> yep. >> how is that chicken coming along, chef? >> i can hear it. >> once we strained it, we're going to add our seared chicken thighs back. >> okay. is the chicken cooked off right here. is it done? >> no. this is part of the cooking

process, yeah. after we put this back in, we're going to throw it in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes uncovered and let it get nice and bubbly. you will want to put a whole stick of butter. >> whole stick. >> whole entire stick. >> how is it, guys? >> gone. >> it's a good sign when they're that quiet. >> it's good. >> all those horrible herbs she put in there. >> so terrible. >> lemon juice for acidity. potato pave. it seems like it's hard. >> it does. >> it looks really cool. >> 1,000 thin layers of potato pressed down. >> slice them on a mandolin, about the thickness of a quarter layering them with garlic butter, salt and then cook this for about. >> potato layer, little butter, lasagna vibe. >> roast it. toothpick to make sure it's soft. then you want to weigh it down with something overnight in the

fridge. >> got it. >> heavy weigh down. > did youo caviar on top? >> that's the bougie part of it. >> you got to try the chicken. it's beyond. >> i know. >> yeah. >> if i make this at home, it just doesn't taste that good. it's lost in translation. >> it's the three sticks of butter that go in this. >> that is delicious. cut it. sere it. in this pan here. >> okay. >> golden brown. >> i want to off however you want. >> i recommend caviar. >> chef, thank you so much. thank you for bringing this great meal to us. we appreciate it. >> so good. >> if you want the recipe, easy, scan the qr code. we're back with our star-studded third and fourth hours of today. >> were you really roomies? >> yeah. we were. >> is that true? >> junior college at tennessee, smoky mountains. >> your local news and weather. >> it's not true. i believed you, though.

good morning. it is 856. i'm kris sanchez. police in the east overnight crash that was deadly. it happened just before 1030 last night in the area of castro lane and mission boulevard in fremont. police say the driver of a bmw sedan for some reason struck a tree, then crashed into a garage. a second person in that car was also killedd inside the home. no one was hurt and there is no word on the cause of the crash at this point. happening now. it is day six of deliberations in the murder trial of nima momeni. he is accused of killing cashapp founder bob lee in san francisco last year. if the verdict isn't reached today, the judge will schedulefigure out how to

this morning on the third hour of "t