show you the rest of the bay. maybe some damp roadways, but use this warning for you on the peninsula tonight all the way through monday morning we have that express lane work on 101. you will have slowing between san mateo and palo alto, so use 280 as an alternate to 101. all right. good advice. the today show is just moments away, but you can stay with today in the bay. for more local news streaming on our platforms. at 8:00, the k pop group coming to the bay area and a health fair looking to move the bay area forward. every time i hear a k pop, i think of a nsync song, dirty pop. oh yeah, i think of cake pop. oh, stick around. inspiring thoughts. we may talk about more coming up at eight. stick around. thanks for joining us this morning. today show is next. what's the rest of that dirty pop? good friday morning, and it is going to be a brutally cold one. >> it will

good friday morning, and it is going to be a brutally cold one. >> it will. tens of millions bundling up across the country. good morning. it is december the 13th. this is "today." winter blast. temperatures plunging from the midwest to new england. the windchill dipping far below zero in some spots and another round of snow measured in feet now piling up. we'll get al's full forecast and what you can expect this weekend. new details. we're learning more about the accused gunman in the murder of a top ceo. how investigators say he was able to avoid capture for nearly a week and the potential for copycat crimes that police have high on alert. scare in the air. a bird strike forces a plane to make an emergency landing moments after takeoff here in new york. we'll have the very latest. high costs. president-elect trump admitting in a new interview, it will be difficult to lower grocery prices, something he vowed to do during the campaign.

>> priceces will ce down. you just watch. they will come down and they will come down fast. >> just ahead, what he is now saying about the economy and what the future could hold for american consumers. call to action. senators from new jersey and new york demanding answers from federal investigators on those mysterious drones spotted in the sky for weeks. >> we don't know who is sending them, who is controlling them, whether they are spies. >> the growing concerns and the new explanation for what could be behind the sightings, straight ahead. those stories, plus rams tough. >> and they're going to send the game with a sack. >> l.a. rides its defense to a key win over the 49ers, kicking off a crucial weekend in the nfl's push for the playoffs. and the historic era. taylor swift rules at the billboard awards with ten trophies. >> i love it. it's exactly what i wanted. >> making her the show's most

decorated artist ever and giving her a reason to celebrate her birthday, today, friday the 13th, 2024. from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb. from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> well, good morning. welcome to "today." so happy you are with us on this friday the 13th. you are going to be fine. savannah is off today. >> we promise. >> we will start this friday the 13th with a countdown to the holidays. 12 days now until christmas and hanukkah. that means just two weekends left to get that shopping done. >> coming up, the very latest on those ipping deadlines you need to know about before you grab those gifts or empty that online cart. >> if you are headed out to brace the crowds or headed to the holiday parties, you better

bundle up, folks. a cold snap with gusty winds hitting parts of the mifepristone and northeast with temperatures about 10 to 15 degrees below normal. >> meantime, lake effect snow has dumped more than three feet of snow around buffalo that trgered a state of emergency in some regions. we will get to al's forecast for today and for your weekend in just a moment. but, first, emilie ikeda joins us from a frigid montclair, new jersey. >> reporter: frigid is right. it's the kind of cold that makes it hard to talk. check it out. a staggering 25 degrees here in montclair, new jersey, but it feels worse with the windchill in the teens. some serious weather whiplash earlier this week with temperatures plunging by more than 30 degrees across the northeast since wednesday. this morning, bone-chilling temperatures and snow blanketing much of the country, bringing white-out conditions to communities along the great lakes and making travel treacherous overnight. in michigan, this heart-stopping moment caught on camera shows a truck slamming into a fire

engine on a snowy highway, miraculously causing only minor injuries to the driver. the firefighters seen scrambling to safety. in western new york, more travel chaos. the sheriff's office in erie county responding to more than 50 vehicles skidding off the road just yesterday. planes paralyzed on the tarmac in rochester and snow piling up in buffalo, with many americans facing the bitter cold. in international falls, minnesota, air temperatures as cold as negative 15. the freezing cold even creating rare sea smoke in lake superior. this blast of arctic weather coming after a wild week of high winds and rain in the northeast. on the west coast, firefighters beating back destructive wind-driven firefighters, threatening dozens of homes including celebrities like screen legend dick van dyke. >> you could see it and, oh, my god, we got out of here.

>> he was evacuated with his wife arlene and their pets except his cat bobo that went missing. van dyke who turns 99 today posting that bobo was found safe and sound. happy to hear that update. in these frigid temps, by the way, experts recommend setting your thermostat to at least 55 degrees, letting your faucet run overnight slightly with a trickle if you are concerned about pipes bursting and wearing numerous loose layers of clothing. guys, remember, we are still more than a week away from the official start of the witnter season. >> all right. emilie, from a cold 22 degrees in new jersey. >> all right. mr. roker, on a friday morning. we have a lot happening. we have cold. we have wind. we have snow. >> look at these windchills. minneapolis is 1 below. air temperature is 13 below windchill. omaha feels like 0. minus 7 in chicago. even down in nashville, air temperature 34 degrees.

this december chill because e jet stream takes a big dip. for today's highs, buffalo is 11 degrees below average. chicago 8 degrees. cedar rapid minus 8. the good news is warmer temperatures are coming. st. louis above average. cincinnati will be 50s. nashville 60 degrees. that moves east so that by tuesday here in new york, we're up to 58. saratoga 58. roanoke, 62. knoxville will be in the low 60s. and our friends in upstate new york and parts of pennsylvania, those lake effect ststreamers continue to come in. we got lake effect warning in syracuse, watertown, oswego, bradford. and we could see another foot of snow before it's all over between watertown and syracuse. >> wow. all right. chilly. thank you. thanks so much, al. we will check back. new details are coming to light in the murder of united healthcare ceo. investigators in new york saying they now have a clearer picture of the crime and how the gunman evaded authorities for nearly a

week. stephanie gosk joins us with the latest. steph, good morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning. one of the big questions people have is how did luigi mangione allegedly commit murder and then escape new york city? # this morning, we have new details on that timeline. five days later, nearly 300 miles away with mangione sitting in a mcdonald's eating hash browns. this morning a detailed new look at how police say luigi mangione planned his escape after allegedly gunning down brian thompson. the nypd says the trail went cold after he fled the crime scene on an e bike into central park and ended up at a bus station uptown. authorities saying it appears he hopped on a subway and doubled back in an effort to throw the police off his trail. mangione also had thousands of dollars in his bag. >> he was getting money from an atm.

everything he did, he was paying for in cash. >> reporter: altoona police also recovered a gun that the nypd says its crime lab has now matched to three shell casings left behind at the crime scene. but an ongoing mystery is how he got the weapon. >> the gun itself, it is a ghost gun. it is a receiver that has come from a gun manufacturer from parts, and then the gun was built up from a 3d printer. >> r reporter:olice say they're still searching for a possible motive. united healthcare saying he was not insured by their health plan. investigators look into years of severe back problems and eventual surgery may have played a role. >> he posted x-rays of screws being inserted into his spine. so the injury he suffered was a life-changing, life-altering injury, and that's what may have put him on this path. >> reporter: he hits in a maximum security cell in pennsylvania. his attorney contested his

detention, arguing the state has not proven mangione was in new york the day of the murder or provided probable cause that he was responsible for the crime. in that wild-ranging interview, officials also expressing their continued concern about copycat violence in this case. we're also learning from the governor, kathy hochul, that she expected the manhattan d.a. to officially indict mangione in her words any day now, and that would speed up the extradition process. >> stephanie gosk for us there in pennsylvania. steph, thank you. to the trump transition now. his cabinet picks continuing to court support on capitol hill, the president-elect himself speaking out in a new interview and appearing to back off a major campaign plan to one of the biggest issues in the election, the economy. nbc's chief white house correspondent peter alexander has this story for us. peter, good morning. >> reporter: craig, good morning to you. president-elect trump says americans not being able to afford their groceries will soon

be a thing of the past. americans paid roughly 20% more for groceries last month compared to when trump left office. ahead of the election, he promised to bring down those prices on day one. now trump is acknowledging it may be easier said than done. president-elect trump taking a victory lap on wall street. ringing the opening bell at the new york stock exchange after being named "time" magazine's person of the year. but just days after sharing this assessment about the election with nbc's kristen welker. >> i went on groceries. it is a very simple word, groceries. >> reporter: the president-elect backed off his central campaign promise to lower prices for consumers, including on groceries, saying, look, they got them up. i'd like to bring them down. it is hard to bring things down once they're up. you know, it's very hard. but i think that they will. i think energy will bring them down. i think a better supply chain is going to bring them down. throughout the campaign trump repeatedly vowed lower prices. >> but prices will come down.

you just watch. they'll come down and they will come down fast. not only with insurance, with everything. it will also bring your grocery bill way down. >> reporter: trump detailing the moves he well make when he first takes office. trump pardoning defendants from the january 6th capitol riots. asked if that would include those who committed violent acts, trump saying he will look at each case adding, it's going to start in the first hour that i get into office, and a vast majority of them should not be in jail. meanwhile, the current administration issued a flurry of pardons and commutations for non-violent offenders yesterday in what the white house said was a single-day record. president biden commuting the sentences of almost 1,500 people and pardoning 39 others. the president saying many of the 1,500 would not be convicted if they were tried today. it comes two weeks after president biden pardoned his son hunter. and the president is signaling clemency may be a focus of the last weeks of his presidency

adding, i will take more steps in the weeks ahead. the trump team's efforts to shore up senate votes will begin for his top cabinet picks next week with robert f. kennedy jr. among those expected to make the rounds on the hill is pentagon pick pete hegseth. he welcome back at it this weekend, heeding to the army/navy football game where a source says he will meet with president-elect trump. craig? >> peter, thank you. you just saw kristin welker's exclusive conversation with president-elect trump. this week she will have exclusive conversations with bernie sanders and lindsey graham. that's sunday on "meet the press." some scary moments on an american airlines flight out of new york after a bird flew into its engine on takeoff forcing it to make an emergency landing and all of it was caught on camera.

oh, gosh. imagine being that passenger, getting that video. the plane just took off. it was on its way to charlotte, north carolina. after the bird strike, the flight was diverted to new york's other airport, jfk, landed safely. there were no injuries there. to the middle east and the power shift unfolding in syria. u.s. officials now in the region pushing for a peaceful transition after the fall of the assad regime. this as the discovery of an american freed from a syrian prison raises hopes that other americans held there could soon be found. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel joins us once again from damascus. richard, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, craig. as you know, the syrian rebels here have been breaking into former regime prisons to release political prisoners, and that's creating a lot of opportunities to find out more about missing people, including potentially

the missing american journalist austin tice. now, this report is based on the account of one former detainee. over the years, i have received many tips about the possible location or information about austin tice. but what made this account different was the level of detail. he knew about the prison's location, its layout, where the guards' rooms were, how many stairs there were. and he says that he saw austin tice with his own eyes. and he says that he's speaking out now that the regime has fallen because he wants the family to know what he knows. american journalist austin tice has been missing in syria since 2012. his family has renewed hope he will be found now that the bashar al assad's dictatorship has been overthrown. a senior rebel leader says they're aware the assad regime

arrested tice. regime arrested tice. we have tried as much as possible to find information about austin and return him to his mother. but we have not reached a result, he said. then a lead. we spoke to a man now in dubai. he was an activist and citizen journalist arrested for filming anti-regime demonstrations. this is the first time he's showing his face on camera. he told us he was in a prison cell across from tice and last saw him alive in july 2022. on one occasion they punished me for four hours because i violated the instructions and looked at a detainee. we went to the location this morning, assad's prison. >> reporter: ahmad said he memorized the location here and said you had to descend 27 steps to get to the area. 26 and 27, it all checks out. he said the steps would lead to a row of cells about 100 yards

long. >> reporter: this is the tiny solitary confinement cell where ahmed was kept with a tiny slot in the bottom. and just opposite, this is the cell where tice was kept. ahmed said most of therisoners in this wing were foreigners. a calendar counting down days. look at this. and it would have been absolutely miserable to stay here. look, there are still cockrohes crawling out of holes in the walls. we showed pictures of the cells to ahmed, and he confirmed we were in the right place. he said tice was thin and, like other prisoners, had his hair and eyebrows shaved off. but appeared healthy, able to walk, eat and communicate. we don't know what happened to him after that. >> so, i mean, richard, clearly the country is in chaos right now.

do we know if there might be official records that exist that could show where tice has been? >> reporter: it's very possible. this was a regime that seemed to keep a lot of records when we were in the prison, which was a much harsher facility than the one we visited today. there were records strewn all over the floor, so it was a regime that kept tapes, documents, handwritten files. it is a chaotic time, but a lot of these records are still lying around, and the rebels are collecting them. i will say that they are taking austin tice's case very seriously as they are looking for tens of thousands, potentially hundreds of thousands of missing syrians as well. >> all right. foreign correspondent richard engel for us in syria. thank you. all right. let us shift gears now and go to the nfl. a big rivalry game on thursday night football. it's the rams versus the 49ers.

each team likely needing a win to stay in the playoff hunt. if you're a big fan of the kicking game, this one was for you. in all, six field goals made last night, four of them made by the rams' kicker joshua karty. the last one came with 18 seconds to go, gave the rams a six-point lead. the niners did have one last chance. they threw up a hail mary, but brock purdy was sacked. the rams went on to win that one. the score there 12-6. >> sloppy game last night. the weather wasn't great. >> all kicking. >> cooper kupp didn't catch a single pass. only the third time in his career that happened. >> just a bad day? >> yeah. but the rams keeping their playoff chances alive. >> okay. >> mr. roker, how are you, sir? >> lookingood. in the weather along the eastern seaboard. although chilly. freezing cold in the plains. we're looking at sunshine through the rockies. another big storm comes into the west. we will take a look at that in the next half hour. but we will get to your local forecast in the next 30 seconds.

♪ fasta, busta! let's go! ♪ there's nearly no end to the nice 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. head of a strong storm system that's on the way, and already producing some rain in parts of the north bay, as well as san francisco into the east bay. this is out ahead of the atmospheric river and the heavy rain and high winds that we're going to see moving in during the overnight hours. expec the intensity of the rain to pick up today into

weather. >> thank you. just ahead, even more mysterious drones spotted over new jersey, but a frustrating lack of answers remain. sam brock is looking into that. >> that's right. there were more reported drone sightings overnight, two very different narratives, though, one from residents saying the drones are blanketing their communities at night, another from the federal government suggesting they're mostly manned aircraft. so which one is it? that story, coming up. do you have packages to mail right now? christmas is 12 days away. the rush is on. the first deadlines are actually today. so we'll have everything you need to know to save on that last-minute holiday shipping.

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kris sanchez and here's a look at our top stories, including the fate of nima momeni, which continues to hang in the balance this morning. jurors are not deliberating today. they don't on fridays, but they are set to resume on monday. momeni faces one count of murder for the deadly stabbing last april of cash app co-founder bob lee. day six of deliberations wrapped yesterday. the jury is combing through six weeks ofestimony and three days of closing arguments. attorneys for both sides were called into the courtroom a few times to listen to questions posed by the judge, by the jury yesterday. still, again, no verdict. now, let's take a look outside across the bay area. a little sloppy for some folks as you hit the roadways this morning. rain rolled through overnight and there is another storm headed this way tonight. a winter storm warning issued in the sierra. snow caused on i-80. the chpthe showed these long lines of big rigs and cars as people were stopping to put chains on near

truckee. chains are still required both on i-80 and highway 50. kari not a surprise seeing what the radar looks like. yes, we do have quite a bit of rain coming in, and it's a very soggy and sloppy morning commute for parts of the north bay. we are going to see this really ramping up later on tonight, as this atmospheric river arrives and brings in not only the heavy rain, but high wind that could cause a lot of issues into our saturday morning, but most of it coming through late tonight, and we will be tracking all of this as well as on our app. back to you, chris. all right. thanks, kari. and today in the bay continues live streaming at 8:00. we're going to take a look at a health fair that is looking to move the bay area forward. you can watch that on roku and other pces youla

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a one horse open sleigh ♪ ♪ jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way ♪ ♪ oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh ♪ >> check this out. this festive scene, that's unfolding right now on "today's stop on our merriest main street." you are looking at st. charles, missouri, decked out in costume. this is big. that celebration is marking a huge milestone. guess what? we are going to spend some time with the folks there in just a little bit. they turned it out. >> i love it. >> wow. >> they got the kids there. they understood the assignment. >> there you go. >> all right. first, let's welcome in sheinelle jones on this friday morning. savannah gets a bit of a jump start on the weekend. >> we have a lot to get to in this half hour, starting with that still-unfolding misri in the skies over new jersey. >> day after day now, for weeks now, drones have been spotted buzzing over neighborhoods,

businesses, even military bases there in new jersey. now, a group of lawmakers on capitol hill have fired off a letter to several federal agencies demanding answers and transparency. >> nbc's sam brock has all the details. >> no shortage of theories on this. now, we did speak with one new jersey mayor who said he expressed gratitude for the call to action for the four senators in new york and new jersey saying it is about time. those senators addressing protecting infrastructure, safety and safety could be at stake here. they want an update asap. but the white house says there is no evidence the drones pose a risk. they may actually be manned aircrafts. the reported drone sightings that have consumed new jersey now expanding to maryland outside of washington, where a group of four senators from new york and new jersey are demanding a briefing from the

fbi, faa and homeland security as soon as possible on how the agencies are working to identify and address the source of these incursions. >> we don't know who is sending them, whether they are spying. >> i have been frustrated there hasn't been enough transparency letting people know what's happening. it is allows misinformation to spread or at least fear. >> reporter: in this cafe in new jersey, the dronies are the tal of the town. >> there is a lot of panic in the area. >> reporter: the restaurant's owner says he was actually woken up by one. >> it sounded like a helicopter. look out the window and you saw lights in the sky, like a green light, red light. >> there is a pair of drones right here in front of me. >> reporter: a week ago, the mayor investigated reports of eight drones flying by his government building. you saw them right over there? >> right over this tree line. >> reporter: he says local mayors are demanding answers, too. >> this smacks of a lack of control and that makes people very uncomfortable. >> reporter: thursday, the white house downplaying concerns, saying the sightings are not mitary drones and do not come from a foreign threat. they aren't even sure if they

are drones for sure. >> it appears they are manned aircraft being operated lawfully. >> reporter: rob is the former head of the fbi's counter drone unit who says it is easy to confuse drones with planes or other aircrafts. do you suspect that a large percentage of these sightings are actually manned aircraft? >> i believe 90% of them are. the other 10% are drones allowed to be flying. >> reporter: whatever is swooping around in the skies, locals believe they are not getting the full story. do you get the impression the federal government knows way more than what they're revealing? >> absolutely, without a doubt. >> a lot of people agree with him because if it was a real threat, you would imagine the federal government would have said, uh-oh, houston, we've got a problem. what are authorities going to figure this out? >> that is the question, what are they doing? according to this joint statement, what they're doing right now is coordinating with

state police and using personnel and technology, in their words, to investigate are they actually drones. are they manned flights? are they inaccurate sightings. what was interesting is to hear from the white house yesterday. they're going off imagery being provided by people. so they're combing through that as well. if it were a real threat, speaking with the former head of the counter drone unit for the fbi, he would know what he was talking about. if russia or china were behind this, he said they wouldn't come in with lights on, huge amounts of sound and be hovering over people's neighborhood. they don't see a national securi risk profile here. but what is it? is the question that remains. >> all these lawmakers who are veterans are not in the know, they don't know what it is, is surprising, too. >> this is so much about it that doesn't smell right. someone knows what those drones are. >> whoever it is, can you say, oh, sorry, guys, that was me? >> tell us what you got. the fact that we're talking about this for several minutes indicates that people want answers. >> all right, sam. we'll see you on this again on monday. all right.

still ahead, we got "popstart" celebrating two icons on their birthdays. a big award show honor for taylor smith and a reimaging for one of dick van dyke's most beloved films. first, much-needed tips and advise if you've got a lot of holiday packages to mail. good morning. >> good morning. not to be the grinch, but you do need to get some of those things in the mail already if you want to get it to your loved ones in time for the holidays. we'll tell you all you need to know. it's the first iphone built for apple intelligence. that's like peanut butter on jelly...on gold. get four iphone 16 pro on us, plus four lines for $25 bucks. and save on every plan versus the other big guys. what a deal. that's a lot if you ask me. ya'll giving away too fast t-mobile, slow down. lets just get a closer look mom? nina, wait [elevator swoosh]

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back now at 7:40 with "today's holiday consumer." this morning we're focusing on those looming shipping deadlines. >> just 12 days to go until christmas and hanukkah. today is the first major deadline to get your gifts and packages sent in time. >> people are freaking out right now. brian cheung is here to help us freak out a little bit less maybe. >> yes. >> if you are planning on shipping a gift to a loved one around the country, what do you need to know? >> well, time is ticking, and today, unfortunately -- not to get you freaking out here, today is the deadline for fedex to get things in the mail by the 25th on standard shipping, right? when it comes to the other postal carriers as well, usps is december 15th. ups wants you to check online. if i'm shipping something to my colleagues in california, well, i need to get it in the mail on tuesday. again standard shipping. >> if you are not ready to ship, you haven't really finished your shopping, speaking for you and me, what are your options?

what do you have? >> when it comes to all these postal carriers, if you pay a little more, you can buy yourself a little extra time with those expedited shipping deadlines. looking at ups, usps and fedex as well, december 19th. you get an extra day at fedex. and at usps, you can delay it as much as december 21st. in some cases, these carriers have next day shipping. but they get costlier the closer you get to christmas and hanukkah. >> sometimes you end up paying more for shipping than the gift itself. >> what if you are shopping online and then you can send it directly to the person? >> you can really trim down on the time if you do that, but you are running it really close. here are some deadlines you need to know specifically for amazon and walmart. you can ship something as late as december 22nd. if you're a subscribed member, you get access to that faster shipping. if you are a non-member, look at december 16th and december 19th. those dates are next week to get those in the mail.

a few other companies as well, gap, nordstrom, sephora and apple as well, december 18th, december 20th by 6:00 a.m. apple does offer december 23rd orders for the next day. again, it is a little risky there. they're saying that's where you might be able to get it in time. but, of course, with weather you kind of never know. ordering early is always the best. >> is there anything folks can do to save on shipping? is that even a thing?s? # >> one thing is that tomorrow, and this is something i learned, national free shipping day. so there are a number of different companies participating in this. j crew is an example. they will provide free shipping for that day. sign up for the membership free trials. at walmart plus, you can sign up for a 30-day trial and get access to that free shipping. use flat rate boxes. to your point, craig, sometimes it costs money just to have the cardboard. try to use an old box you might

already have saved. >> thank you, brian. merry christmas. all right. we will check out the weather. how is it looking as people are out shopping last minute? >> by the way, e-gift card, boom! >> boom! >> all righty. so the midsection of the country, we've got some problems. winter weather advisories, ice storm warnings in central iowa, nine million people impacted by this. we could be looking at a 10th of an inch to a quarter of an inch of ice that will lead to power outages, tree damage. a big problem from michigan to iowa. partof nebraska as well. out west, another big storm coming in. as this comes in, the good news is it will provide more humidity and help fight the fires in the south. but we have winter storm watches, winter storm warnings and flood watches out right now. we're looking for upwards of five inches of rain from southern oregon all the way just north of san francisco and a lot of snow, up to 36 inches in some of the highest peaks out in the

cascades and the rockies. that's what's goin out with some light to moderate activity. we're getting ready for some heavier rain that's going to be moving in later tonight with this atmospheric river that will be blasting the bay area with some heavy rain and high wind during the overnight hours. so here we are at 1:00 in the morning. we see the rain getting a little bit more intense and continuing into 5 to 6:00 in the morni weather. >> all right, al. thank you. coming up, fast friends. we have told you about the new game show celebrating the show's 30th year anniversary. a behind-the-sces look at the host, one of "friends" most

beloved characters. and we will have your boost coming up right after this. spoons? they're out. panera's new ciabatta dippers are in. each melty sandwich, paired with a perfect portion of soup, is made to dip. go for the french dipper or spicy chicken dipper - no spoon necessary when your sandwich is built to do the dipping. only at panera, for a limited time. save on the last minute gifts... that make it look like you planned ahead. like jbl earbuds, or cozy slippers, or even barbie dolls! and with express delivery, you can get them delivered as late as 6pm on christmas eve. welcome to your walmart.

han is 22 years old. he's not just a pet, he really is a part of our family. knowing that he's getting good nutrition, that's a huge relief for me and my dad. (sings) old bean piglet head yes that is your name. if you saw his pigt head you would say the same. toot toot. people love to find me. but me, i love finding the perfect gift. like for my friend wenda, who loves coffee. or for my little dog woof, who eats big. ♪ ♪ gifts that say i get you. etsy has it. with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis my skin was no longer mine.

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well put me on the naughty list, this has never thathappened before!hem. and that, people, is whyhy we he target circle 360. [ doorbell rings ] it's here! don't miss anything on your list, with unlimited same-day delivery. we are daley. we're also back with a special good-bye that took place in new york here last night, actually just a short walk from where we are right now. >> so after more than 50 years, a legendary broadcaster chuck scarborough stepped down at wnbc. > last nit was chuck's final broadcast, and he signed off with a powerful message for viewers. >> we all need to lift our eyes

occasionally from the societal imperfections of the day and appreciate what we have, how far we have come and the opportunity we've been given to continue our journey toward a more perfect union. thank you and good night. [ applause ] >> wow. >> i got to tell you, i started working with him in 1983 when i first came here, and he's just the same as he is today. >> wow. we'll be back right after this. oh, we got the boost? >> we were counting down. >> we were getting the countdown in. i was like, okay, let's do our boost then. okay. here it is. a custodian who spent 31 years on the job at the same school is calling it a career. and all the students and teachers came out to say good-bye. good-bye. [ applause ] >> that's great.

>> wow! you can see him trying to hold back his emotions. he walked through that tunnel, tunnel of applauding kids. you can see just how much this man meant to them over the years. one teacher said he was always there for students from early in the morning until the evening and sometimes longer. so let us also say congratulations to him on a well-deserved retirement. way to go. >> my grandmother was an elementary custodian for decades. i don't think folks appreciate how much a part of the lives the custodians become. guys, coming up in "popstart," the roker ham, something that we love. it's become a tradition. well, tom cruise has the same tradition for his friends and family, but it's a cake. we'll taste it. it's delicious. we got our hands on one. plus, hoda enlisted the help of little big town for a day of holiday music. the fun they had after your local news.

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redell another atmospheric river about to slam the bay area. that's why places like santa rosa up in the north bay are preparing. because the ground there is still saturated. might recall that just a couple of weeks ago, they got hit by that atmospheric river that dumped 14.5in over a 72 hour period, which means with the ground being saturated, trees are more likely to become uprooted and fall down. let's get a look at that forecast for us today. meteorologist kari hall tracking that. kari. we are seeing that rain already in parts of the bay area, starting out with some light showers and starting to pick up in parts of the north bay as we track it with storm ranger. this is out ahead of the atmospheric river and the stronger storm system that will be arriving later on this evening. it is expected to bring in some high winds and heavy rain. already some light rain that will continue throughout the day, but we see the activity picking up as we go into tonigh, and you can get the latest and track the storm through our nbc

bay area app. back to you. thank you kerry. we'll be talking about that and other news on today in the bay live streaming. it starts in about a couple of minutes. we'll tell you about the k-pop pop up coming up to the bay area. you can watch on roku, pluto and other 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.

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coming up, arctic blast.

freezing cold temperatures and heavy snow blanketing much of the country this morning, making for dangerous conditions on the roads and in the skies. al has got everything we need to know before we head out the door. then making spirits bright. we are hitting the streets of new york to spread holiday cheer with a little help from some friends. >> the best way to spread christmas cheer is to sing loud for all to hear. >> our carolling adventure with little big town you do not want to miss. and "fast friends," our first look at the game show putting "friends" super fans to to the ultimate test. >> find th the test. >> find the key somewhere to this apartment! >> we'll take you inside all the fun. all that, plus taylor wins big. dick van dyke celebrates a major milestone. and "today" strikes a cord. ♪ today, inspiring you today.

>> a live performance from our very own super fan, today, friday, december 13th, 2024. ♪ >> from austin, texas celebrating our 50th birthday. >> today is our 10th anniversary. >> girls' trip! >> from land oh lakes, florida. >> visiting from illinois. >> cartersville, north carolina. >> indiana! >> texas. >> and tennessee. ♪ >> hi, mom! in easton, illinois. >> and maryland. >> celebrating my 10th birthday with "today." >> and now celebrating his 18th birthday with "today". >> saw them outside early this morning. good to see everybody. let's take it slow, y'all. let's show everybody on it's a beautiful friday morning. people made signs.

they came. savannah is getting a head start on her weekend. >> and they're prepared when they come here with their signs. you know? >> my favorite sign, we're going to miss you hoda signs. >> oh, lots of signs for you, too, my friend. lots of signs for you, too. >> be sure to join us next week, folks. we have the stars lined up for you. tyler perry, kerry washington, nate bargatze, just to name a few. >> that's a great lineup. all right. let us get to our news at 8:00. we will get to the blast of winter hitting states all the way up to new england. the windchill dipping far below zero in some spots. white-out conditions making travel just treacherous overnight. in michigan, a frightening moment caught on camera.

a truck slammed into a fire engine. it was a snowy highway. in new york state, the sheriffs office responding to more than 50 weeks skidding off the road yesterday. al is back now with his eye on what we can expect over the weekend. it will be chilly. >> it will start off pretty cold, but eventually we will warm up. windchills feels like minus 20 in duluth. columbus feels like 14 degrees. philadelphia at 23. knoxville 27 degrees. the december chill because of the jet stream dipping to the south, today's highs, 8 degrees below normal in chicago. minnesota at 15. new york city only at 34 degrees. but this warmer air will start moving east. 50 in st. louis and cincinnati. charlottesville tomorrow cooler than average, but look at that warmup. sunday 39 in new york city. 58 by tuesday. and the lake effect snow still continues. we're getting more of those streamers coming across the great lakes.

winter storm warnings. between watertown and syracuse, bradford and buffalo. we could be looking at another foot of snow before this is all over. guys? >> al, we will come back to you in a few moments. meanwhile, one person was killed last night, another seriously hurt when the plane they were in crashed on the connecticut highway. it happened in greenwich near the border with new york. the pilot reported problems. thankfully, no one on the ground was hurt. the highway was closed for several hours, though. the exact cause of that crash is under investigation. there is new information this morning in the murder of united healthcare's ceo. police say they have a clearer picture on how the accused gunman evaded authorities for nearly a week. stephanie gosk joins us with the latest. stef, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, sheinelle. one of the mysteries in this

case all along has been how he could have allegedly murdered someone in midtown manhattan and escaped new york city. the nypd said he had gotten on his e bike, went to a bus station and that's where they lost him. now the chief of detectives says instead of leaving from that bus station, he instead got on a subway and went back downtown before he left and got to pennsylvania. he then went to philadelphia, pittsburgh and ultimately altoona where he was arrested at a mcdonald's. we're learning about a possible motive. the united healthcare putting out a statement he was not part of their health plan. the chief of detectives says they are still looking at his health as perhaps being a part of this equation saying he had suffered from chronic back pain, that he had had an injury and that he ultimately had surgery for that, that in the chief of detective's words put him on the path. he also said he may have targeted united healthcare

because of the size of the company, which would suggest that this alleged murder was more ideological than personal, sheinelle. >> okay. thank you, stef. all right. we've got an important recall to tell you about this morning. stanley is recalling more than two and a half million stainless steel travel mugs, specifically the mugs with switch back and trigger action. the lid threads can shrink when exposed to heat and they can torque and cause the lid to detach during use, and that can pose a burn hazard. consumers should stop using the mugs and contact stanley for a replacement lid. christmas and hanukkah could come early out there because the mega millions jackpot now reached a staggering $670 million. that is the eighth largest mega millions jackpot ever. the next drawing is tonight. just because it is the unluckiest day on the calendar, friday the 13th, that does not mean you can't hit it big. according to lottery officials, seven previous jackpots have

actually been won on friday, the 13th. >> keep your hope. it could happen. coming up, the big winners from last night's star studded billboard music awards and the history that birthday girl taylor swift made during the show. first, though, we have hoda doing what hoda does best, spreading joy and cheer with our friends from little big town to the delight of crowds all around. just wait until you see the fun that was had by all. yes, she's singing, too. she's not mouthing. >> mouthers. >> i've got one for all of you. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. i'm under 7. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. i'm lowering my risk. and adults lost up to 14 pounds.

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>> go away. >> the best way to spread christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear. >> thanks. we are back. we're back with some very wise words from buddy the elf. nothing like spreading holiday cheer through song, right? >> and that's exactly what hoda recently did for our season of givingng series. >> it was fun, you guys. i got to hit the streets and do a little carolling. and not by myself, don't worry. i had little big town with me. so before the rockefeller center tree was lit, we got to belt out some holiday classics in unexpected places. and together we had a lot of fun. ♪ >> there is nothing quite like christmas in rockefeller center. magic and joy are everywhere you look. my mission is to take it up a notch as i hit the streets caroling with one of my very favorite country groups, little

big town. they are letting me join their band for a day. there's a lot of christmas spirit in rockefeller center. >> yes. >> when you walk around, it is contagious. >> doesn't get any better. >> you guys have new christmas music out. >> yes, we do. >> what is it? >> brand new christmas music. we waited 25 years to make a christmas record. finally did it. >> is this the first one? >> it is. >> i feel like i have always wanted to kind of sing with you guys. >> have you caroled before? >> i caroled when i was a kid and a little bit when i'm a grown up. i could use some little big town pointers. >> we do this when we warm up. here we go. >> you're an old pro. >> i think we're missing one thing, though. we have to get in the spirit. i have hats. here is for you. i have one for all of us. all right. let's go. >> one, two, three, merry christmas!

>> we are on our merry way. >> where should we go? >> where the children are. >> i think i have the spot. our first stop, new york city's iconic toy store fao schwartz. these unsuspecting holiday shoppers have no idea what's in store. >> hey! are you all ready for a little christmas cheer? holly ♪the halls with boughs of ♪ fa la la la la la la ♪ ♪ don we now our gay apparel ♪ ♪ fa la la la la la la la ♪ >> yes! ♪ in a one-horse open sleigh ♪ >> little big town and i jingle all the way.

>> come with us. ♪ making spirits bright ♪ >> come with us! ♪ what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh ♪ >> yes! >> oh, we got to cross over. let's do that radio city one. >> they're just sitting ducks. >> they're waiting for us. ♪ oh jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way ♪ >> the crowd waiting for the radio city christmas spectacular is getting an opening performance. ♪ oh, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh ♪ >> our next stop, the shop at nbc studios where fans are embarking on the nbc tour. do you think we should go in there? >> we should go in there. >> little do they know we are here to entertain. ♪ hang a shining star upon the highest bough ♪ >> the holiday spirit instantly fills the store. >> i'm going to cry. ♪ and have yourself a merry little christmas now ♪

[ applause ] ♪ >> the best way to spread christmas cheer is to sing loud for all to hear. >> the perfect spot for our grand finale. >> merry christmas! >> is none other than the famous rockefeller christmas tree. come! anybody who wants to carol. the more the merrier. ♪ deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la la la la ♪ 'tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la la la la la ♪ >> a joyous day celebrating the spirit of the season. >> merry christmas, everybody! >> come on! >> until you have heard a little big town harmony, you haven't heard a harmony. those four together are unstoppable. it was amazing. >> did you jump in and help them out a little bit? >> i was a mouther. yeah, carson. by the way, we will share more of our caroling in the fourth

hour. for more holiday music, please don't miss this. christmas at the opry monday night at 8:00. and they have their new first-ever christmas album. >> are you part of the christmas special? mr. roker, how is it looking out there, buddy? >> it is a little on the brisk side but lots of smiles. we're happy about that. let's see what we have for you today. we are looking at a big storm moving in the pacific northwest, lake effect snow continuing along the great lakes. temperature-wise, teens and 20s across the northern tier. 70s texas on in to florida. 40s in the pacific northwest. for today, freezing cold and way below as you get up into the plains. sunshine reigns supreme. that's what's going

hoda, we have a couple of kids that say they want to retire with you. this is the best. best time of the morni, though, "popstart". >> there you go. >> all right. we got to roll through it. billboard music awards will start things off. the biggest names in music celebrated last night and star studded performance. we had shaboozey and taylor swift and coldplay. as for the winners, no shocker who took home the most trophies, the birthday girl taylor swift became the most awarded artist in the show's history. >> it means the world to me that you guys have embraced the

things i've made, you know, and the fact you have cared so much about my music. and this is like the nicest early birthday present you could have given me. so thank you very much. i love it. it is exactly what i wanted. >> as for newcomers to the field, the top new artist title went to -- >> this is so awesome. you have really been so supportive and put not just one song but multiple songs on the billboard charts, and this has taken a long time to be a new artist. >> that, of course, is chappell roan. she's had quite a year. congratulations to all the winners. next up, dick van dyke. it's a big day for the grammy, emmy and tony winner. today dick celebrates his 99th birthday. this morning, there is a little news coming in. you might love this one, uncle al. making a remake they will re-do. take a look at this.

♪ ♪ bang bang ♪ chitty chitty bang bang ♪ bang bang ♪ chitty chitty bang bang ♪ >> yeah. "chitty chitty bang bang." they will remake it. the four-fendered friend could be driving back on to the big screen. happy birthday to mr. van dyke. next up, wham. key the music in honor of 40 years of the christmas classic. george michael entertainment is dropping an anniversary edition ep celebrating the track that just reached its highest ever positioning on the billboard hot 100, currently sitting at number three. it is also a big wham weekend because their "last christmas" documentary is scheduled to start streaming sunday. we have a little present for you. it was underneath the rockefeller christmas tree. we have a "popstart" sneak peek. >> we were just passing time. >> i remember andrew was watching football. i had just got one of those

four-tracks you could have at home. suddenly, this melody came to my head. and i thought, god, that would be great for christmas. so i went upstairs. >> he just disappeared. he recorded the skeleton of "last christmas," the keyboard rhythm, basic drum track and the chorus. >> wow! >> sounded like "dateline" for a second. what happened to the wham murder? >> everybody okay? >> are we going to find out who did it? >> the special starts streaming on netflix and roku on sunday. billy crystal stars in an apple plus tv series "before." and he sat down with willie geist. billy opening up about the enduring legacy about a movie he did back in the '80s "when harry met sally". >> people knew you in comedies and television series and some of the other movies you'd done, but this was something else.

this had a life of its own. >> and it still does, you know. suddenly you are being told you are a romantic lead. that took a lot of adjustment for me. even to this day, 35 years later, people come up and they want to meet harry. after a while, you are not even surprised because there is so much truth and love in that movie. >> one of the best right there, billy crystal. one of our favorites. i'll have what she's having. you can catch that conversation on "sunday today" with willie. finally we're going to wrap up this friday "popstart" with a peek inside a big holiday tradition. for years tom has been sending this cake to all of his hollywood friends. we're talking about tom hanks is on that list. he also sends the cake to "top gun" buddies glenn powell, jimmy fallon gets one. i thought, i have to bring one here for you guys. >> where did you get this? >> this is the cake. >> how did you get this? >> gold belly.

but i was comparing it to your ham, uncle al, because that ham you get all of us that's become the roker ham is a great tradition as well. >> i love coconut. >> i love it. wow. that's very good cake. >> i trust al here. >> real good. >> you should send that red velvet cake to us which is great, from georgia. >> that's right. unfortunately, it went out of business. >> oh, my gosh. >> well, eat your cake. let the merriment start to rise again. >> oh, merriment. i get it. nice. >> yes. it is another destination this week for the bright and festive lights and holiday fun in st. charles, missouri, where it's chili, uncle al. michelle lee is there alongside the mayor. we'll send it to you all in st. charles. ♪ prepare him room ♪ >> reporter: good morning! yeah. we have been out here all morning long on historic main street. this is really one of the

merriest places in the country. we have the mayor dan with us. how special is this? >> this is absolutely wonderful. we're honored to be the merriest city in america. >> you will just put it out there. >> starting 50 years ago. and, no, i was not here then. it has grown every year. and this year we're approaching 100,000 people here in saint charles for christmas traditions. >> reporter: wow, 100,000 people. over 50 years, how has it changed? it went from a small thing to this big national thing. >> we have been here for 50 years. the makeup covers it. we add more characters every year. we close the street now so people could come out and bring their kids. st. charles is safe. >> reporter: and mr. jack frost. i know you do so much preparation work for this as well. how many people are involved here? you have 100 shops. >> indeed. i am thrilled to break the ice on this festival. there are 100 shops here on main street. 109 people who put together the

st. charles christmas traditions festival, which is the best-kept holiday secret in the country. >> reporter: yes. i love it so much. and you have to prep with your accent, too. everyone speaks in an english accent. >> well, we are very lucky to have over 50 of the most iconic figures of holiday history. ebenezer scrooge, the sugar plum fairy, an international delegation from around the world. it is really very special. >> reporter: oh, my gosh. it is so special. can you send us out, by the way? >> of course. a special wish for you. ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ we wish you a merry christmas and a happy new year ♪ >> wow! wow! wow! way to go. that was awesome. >> thanks to st. charles and even at ksdk for helping us and coming out on a chilly morning

to be part of our merriest main street. >> one more time. man! >> great looking santa, too. >> awesome. >> thank you. thank you. ahead, a sneak peek of a new game show celebrating all things "friends." but, first -- mr. roker, save me. first, your local news and weather. >> what did you say? >> mr. missouri. >> they're re-thinking their choice now for sure.

(musica) >> and welcome back! welcome back. 8:30 fri-yay morning. and look who's here spreading a little joy, handing out toys for our toy drive spectacular. [ indiscernible ] they're together on broadway right now. [ indiscernible ] >> this is great. >> they will join us in our 3rd hour to tell us all about it. my favorite sign there, ho, ho, hoda. >> we also want to thank thrive cosmetics for contributing 2,000 lip balms for the older kids. if you want to donate from home, scan that qr code below or head to today.com. all right. this crowd is overwhelming. i've got to say, i see a congratulations melvin sign that

looks really cute up ahead. and there is so many. you guys, thank you all for coming out. coming up, the one thing about the game show we love, "friends" is celebrating with a new reality competition inspired by the legendary sitcom. who else but joe fryer will have a look at "fast friends". also, we will eat well today because our buddy matt abdu is here. i always mark the calendar when i see matt abdu. we have "today food loves football," a feast inspired by tonight's game between green bay and seattle. >> cannot wait. ahead, today's super fan rob recently wrote a very special song honoring our show. so, of course, we had to bring him in to meet him and he will perform "ready to 30 rock". before we go anything else, mr. roker, how about a quick check. by the way, it's cold. >> yeah. >> that's right. everybody cold? [ cheers and applause ]

>> everybody happy? [ cheers and applause ] >> there we go. all right. let's look ahead to your weekend. we have a northeast chill for saturday. sunshine in the east. showers and storms in the mississippi river valley. out west, rain, wind and snow. sunday, sunday still dry. but rainy and raw in the ohio river valley. scattered snow in the plains. sunshine in the central plains all the way down to texas. that's what's going on around the sunshine in the central plains. all the way down to. that's what's going on around denver. hurtado. tapper. nima momeni. danielle. good friday morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we are starting out with some light rain across the bay area. off and on. showers, but then some heavier rain late tonight and into early tomorrow morning, along with some high winds an the potential of some flooding, as well as a drying periods between saturday night and into sunday morning, and another wave of rain coming in on monday. but we are going to be watching out for this very active storm periodsunday

here we go. sunday night football night in america! packers coming in to seattle. it's going to be cloudy, chilly. 42 as th take on the seahawks. sunday night, football night in america! there you have it. all right. >> mr. roker, can you hear us? all right. craig and i are going to skip around this line. is that all right? >> go for it. >> we're going to shout out everybody we can see and we're going to go slow. let's go! t's show everybodydy. >> let's go, let's go. >> come on, craig! come on, guys! >> hello! >> hoda, hoda, hoda, hoda! hoda! hoda! >> love y'all. craig, come on, craig! let's go! let's go! >> thanks for coming. >> i can't. you guys are the funniest. love you guys. come on, guys! all the way. i love you.

love you. >> thank you all for coming. >> all the way! all the way! all the way! all the way! >> thank you for coming. >> oh, my god. remember me. look at me and you. what a good day, y'all. thank you, guys, for coming. go hokies. >> happy birthday. when we come back, an inside look at the tv fun and memories" it is an upcoming game show all about the beloved sitcom. joe fryer is here with a firsthand sneak peek. we will take a bit of a break so we can all catch our breath. but, first, this is "today" on nbc!

she has a sign that says, it's cold out here, and she's

right. what a great bunch of people. happy everyone came out. we're back. it is 8:37. a look at the new game show dedicated to the tv show "friends". >> for the 30th anniversary, max will be streaming a realty competition called "fast friends," putting super fans to the test. >> nbc's joe fryer got a behind the scenes look, right? >> last week we did rudolph trivia. that was fun. if you are obsessed with "friends" and think you know every detail of the show, this is basically your olympics. we have nine teams of two answering questions and playing games on the show's iconic set of the "friends" experience right here in new york. the music is familiar, even if the faces are not. they're contestants in "fast friends". >> find the key somewhere in this apartment. key somewhere i this apartment. >> >> a game show for "friends." a really long time. >> i have pretty much been a fan since this.

>> you learned it in the womb. >> they were playing mozart, but really, it was just "friends" quotes. >> i think your buzzer needs to go to the paramedic. >> the show's host whitney cummings is just as obsessed. >> "friends" was always my true north. you have to make them laugh or you have to make them care. >> she guided me through one of the show's challenges. >> pivot! >> which centers on this iconic moment. >> pivot! >> shut up! shut up! shut up! >> i had to answer questions in the spirit of that scene. >> which of phoebe's songs was adapted into a jingle for a pet product commercial? >> smelly cat, smelly cat, smelly cat. >> shouting each answer three times. >> where were ross and rachel when they kissed for the first time? >> i don't know. i don't know. i don't know. >> others did know a lot because they trained for this.

>> nonstop. >> 24/7. >> we haven't watched anything else in so long. >> in all, there were 236 "friends" episodes. >> could i be wearing any more clothes? >> filled with countless quotes. >> we were on a break! >> and a legendary trivia competition. >> what is chandler bing's job? >> among the friends. >> that's not even a word! >> the show remains popular becausthe characters were so relatable. >> i am such a phoebe. >> i always thought i was a rachel, but as i get older i'm more of a monica. >> janice, chandler. >> it's true, just a little bit. >> what makes you janice? >> i'm a smotherer, especially with my cat. >> do you do a janice impression? >> oh, my god! >> which is exactly how the contestants reacted when maggie

-- con december tes -- con december wheeler appeared. >> it is a special opportunity for me to be able to interact with fans. >> wheeler says the iconic character was a gift, as was working with the late matthew perry, always cracking her up. >> this is like a reunion in the hall. >> i just invented the laugh so that if he made me laugh, i could laugh in character. >> i'm assuming you think of matthew often? >> i do think of him often. i loved him. i think his untimely death is a terrible tragedy. i feel like he was taken terribly advantage of by people who really didn't care what happened to him. >> his legacy lives on through "friends" and now "fast friends" where the winner gets a trophy. >> the geller cup. >> inspired by the show. s. >> is everybody else seeing a troll doll nailed to a 2 by 4? a fitting prize for the ultimate "fast friends" champions.

now, each pair has a team name that alludes to the show like "it's a bing thing, the rachel. four episodes in all. premiers on max december 19th. if you feel like you need to re-watch "friends" to prepare, you can watch that on max as well. >> that's a fun idea. >> that's the perfect show for that. >> and people have every detail. like even the titles of the episodes. >> that's crazy. >> i know. >> if you don't know the show, it is fun to watch how much people do know about it. i can smell matt abdu's meal coming this way. on the way, a tasty treat for the game on sunday night. we have mac and cheese balls for the packers fans and a seattle-themed twist on baby back ribs. delicious. but, first, this is "today" on nbc. 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.

♪ and we're back with today's "food loves football." a great game coming your way. packers taking on the seahawks. here to help you with that spread, the chef and owner of restaurants in queens, also in palm beach, florida. always good to see you, buddy. >> likewise. >> we love to haveou on the lendar. look at this spread. >> good eats. >> let's start in green babay, e dairy capitol of the country. >> america's dairy land, so obviously we have to do something with cheese. here we are doing everyone's favorite mac and cheese bites. what's great about this recipe is if you just want to make a delicious, simple -- >> just skip to the ribs! >> all right. got to love you, craig. >> easy, over there. >> super simple. once you get your cheese sauce melted, we will add cooked pasta into it. >> what cheese is in there? >> with have american cheese, block cheese, half n half and evaporated milk. i like to add shredded american

cheese. that makes it a little silkier and more luscious. mac and cheese is done. eat it as it is. whatever is left over, you can cool this down or make this whole batch. feed the crowd. mix into it whipped cream cheese that binds it together and lots of shredded cheddar cheese and ball it up. what i love doing, the three-part breading procedure. we'll take our mac n cheese balls and roll them around in flour first. the flour is used as an adhesive to get soaked up by the egg. if you are breading anything, let the egg sit on the flour for a few seconds, because it absorbs it. if you ever try to coat something, it's because the egg hasn't soaked up the flour yet. >> pro tip. >> from there, roll around in your bread crumbs and you are good to go. get some high heat. you can fry them, whatever you want to do to them. they're just delicious, simple mac n cheese bites.

>> it is a healthy light snack. >> and it is great. >> and my kids love them. luke, love you. anyway, come on over. so for seattle, right, the coffee mecca of the world, a coffee inspired rub. st. louis spare ribs. what's really cool about this is the coffee adds this rich savoriness to it. it doesn't really taste like coffee per se, but it's got all these incredible flavors. garlic, onion, thyme, rosemary. paprika, cue minute. when you are doing the coffee, instant coffee. the instant coffee will dissolve into the meat. beuse if you use actual coffee grinds, it will get gritty, and we don't want that. >> this is a dry rub? >> it is a dry rub. we will just take that and heavily season these ribs top to bottom. yes, carson. get into it. use it in a smoker if you have it. 275 degrees for about two hours

on a rack. after two hours, the foil that it's cooking on, we will put some butter, light brown sugar and a little drizzle of honey. >> that's where the magic happens. >> break it up. and we will wrap it up in the foil and finish cooking until that meat falls right off the bone. >> so about four hours? >> 275 for two hours uncovered. >> two hours, uh-huh. >> after that, two hours. put the butter, the brown sugar and the honey and stick it in for another two hours. >>ight. i love that. >> glaze them up if you want. there is a coffee barbecue sauce recipe that can go with it. a little expresso. and get your favorite dipping sauce for the mac and cheese bites. this is a great entertainment theme as well. >> a lot of people don't make ribs bause they are intimidated like you have to have a smoker or something. and you don't. >> that's the greatest thing. practice it. before you make the investment

in a smoker, you can learn the process. the rubs. al, you know. the rubs, the seasonings, the process is just as important. now we just add smoke. >> i'm good. i will read this. matt, thank you. you can get this recipe at today.com/food. don't miss the big battle, big game, packers/seahawks sunday night right here on nbc. coverage begins at 7:00 eastern. >> hoda, you're up. >> this is so good, matt. >> all right, guys. coming up next, a talented musician with no prompting from us wrote a special song about us and he's going to perform it for us. but, first, this is "today" on

♪ ♪ each day from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 ♪ ♪ i'm turning on to the party in a four-hour block ♪ ♪ to spend some time with savannah and hoda ♪ ♪ from the crew that will rev up

your motor ♪ ♪ i'm ready to roker ♪ ♪ and i'm ready to 30 rock ♪ >> ready roker, ready to 30 rock. a video caught our attention on social media, and it was music to our ears. >> yes, it was. rob schiffman, an actor and performer from right here in the new york area, he decided to write and perform that special song that's all about our little show, the "today" show. >> we were so touched by it. what made you decide to write that? >> i'm inspired by you folks. you do a phenomenal job and service for all of us. we can wake up to you to feel positive and informed. yeah. yeah, and i'm a songwriter. i have been a songwriter for a whwhile. i'm fortunate to be able to host corporate meetings. when i do that, i'm often -- i often write songs for the corporation. so i thought, well, why not do that -- >> for us?

>> for a show that i love. >> why don't you take it away, and we'll talk to you after. have some fun, rob. fun, rob. >> sounds good. ♪♪ >> sounds good. ♪ each day from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 ♪ ♪ i'm turning on to the party in a four-hour block ♪ ♪ to spend some time with savannah and hoda ♪ ♪ from the crew that will rev up your motor ♪ ♪ i'm ready to roker, and i'm ♪ ♪♪ savannah asked some questions ready to 30 rock ♪ ♪ savannah asked some questions ♪ ♪ unless you count the time she

dressed up as taylor swift ♪ ♪ and hoda gives us the morning ♪♪ boost daily. ♪ after the boost, then she gives hope and haley ♪ they get together ♪ today ♪ inspiring you today ♪ put fire in you ♪ you want to hear what they're gonna say ♪ so you make them a y part of every day today ♪ ♪ speaking of al, he's got the glasses and he's got the goods ♪ i love it when he says, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods ♪ carson is the choice to put up on to "popstart" ♪ he's also the voice that put singers on pop charts ♪ they are just that good ♪ today ♪ inspiring y

today ♪ put the fire in you ♪ you want to hear what they're gonna say ♪ so you make them a part of every day today ♪ oh, say it ain't true ♪ today ♪ what are we going to do about you ♪ when tomorrow comes and you have gone away ♪ today is the home you are filled with love today ♪ today ♪ today. >> yes! [ applause ] >> today! hey! >> that is it. >> great! >> well done, sir. >> great job. >> thank you, thank you. now we have a drinking song. >> hey! >> that was the true intention right there. >> great. >> rob, you are incredible. you can just fire these songs up. >> that was a great song. >> it's a talent. >> it almost sounds like the

theme from "cheers." it's very iconic. >> very cool, very cool. >> i love that you turned roker into a verb as well. >> ready to roker, the way it is meant to be. >> you have two daughters penny and abbey. >> i sure do. >> we have to acknowledge them and say good morning to them. >> they are so excited to be here. you know, they're just wonderful. right over there. >> hey! >> right there. >> come on over! come on over. >> this won't be embarrassing at all for you. >> we're proud of you. >> we just want to say thank you. he did really good. >> good job. >> i love you so much. >> that's so good. >> thank you. all right, guys. thank you, guys, so much. rob, you are a real talent. can i say thank you to the people in the back who showed up back here. they came inside to warm up. we just want to say thank you for coming. >> thank you. thank you all so much. >> look out shaboozey and taylor swift and snoop dogg on the charts because rob's 30 rock jam

is coming to the charts. morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we are tracking some very active weather set to move into the bay area. we're already getting some light to moderate rain. now it has shifted into the east bay as well as continuing in the north bay. but this is out ahead of the stronger storm system that will be arriving later on tonight. this atmospheric river will be packing a punch with some high winds and heavy rain, and we're going to see the ramp up of that activity after midnight into early tomorrow. the good news is that if you have some saturday afternoon plans, it will be clearing out and we will see a break in the activity on sunday before we get more scattered showers in the forecast on monday. you can track it all through our nbc bay area app, as

well as

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