this, i'm do that and that. i just say, you know what. whatever i put my mind to, i just hope i can complete it. i'm trying to take a little more me time. there you go. well that's good. go for that. and don't beat yourself up. i think if you can't come up to that perfect. right? right. kari. she's perfect already. whatever. whatever your resolutions are, we hope we're a part of it. making us part of your morning routine. absolutely. thanks so much for making us a part of your morning in this new year. as we take a live look out right now, you're going to see a shot from our sutro camera. there we are looking at the beautiful city of san francisco. have a great morning. the first tuesday of the new year. first tuesday of the new year. here we go. we'll look. stick around. today show good tuesday morning. first the snow, now the cold. >> tens of millions waking up to brutally low temperatures. good morning. it's january 7th. this is "today." bundle up.

an arctic blast sends temperatures plunging. across much of the country. windchills in the single digits in the northeast. alerts stretching all the way down to florida. snow and ice paralyzing cities from the midwest to the mid atlantic with a new round on the way. al has your full forecast. breaking overnight. a devastating earthquake in china near one of tibet's holiest cities. dozens killed, hundreds hurt, the race for survivors trapped in the rubble just getting under way. we will have the latest as that story unfolds. transfer of power. congress certifies the results of the 2024 election with vice president harris making it official. >> donald j. trump of the state of florida has received 312 votes. >> while the president-elect suffers a setback in his bid to stop his hush money sentencing ebefore the inauguration.

a live report from washington just ahead. stepping down. canada's embattled prime minister, justin trudeau, announces his resignation. >> if i'm having to fight internal battles, i cannot be the best option. >> this morning, what is behind the political shake-up and how it could impact the u.s.-canada relations moving forward. on alert. growing concerns over bird flu after the first death in the united states linked to that virus. we'll have everything you need to know. those stories, plus vacation chaos. inside the strike that is causing major disruptions and long lines on the slopes at some of the nation's most iconic ski resorts. and live from new york. >> wild and crazy guy. >> in a van down by the river. >> it is an american institution. >> snl marking 50 years of unforgettable laughs and history with a one-of-a-kind peek behind the scenes. >> you are just thinking, there

is no way this is going to go smoothly 15 minutes from now. >> and we have your first look with the big celebration just two weeks away, today, january 7th, 2025. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb. from studio isa in rockefeller plaza. good morning. welcome to "today." we're so happy you are joining us on this freezing cold tuesday here in new york. >> you know what? but neither rain, nor snow, cold temperates will keep the hoda-bration down. look at all those fans. it's 20 degrees but it feels more like 10. hoda, you warm everyone's heart, and everybody wants to come and give you a hug this week. >> we can't wait to get outside. hand warmers, please, for the whole crowd. we'll begin with that winter weather. we want to show you a live look. this is the nation's capitol. they got nearly a foot of snow yesterday there. >> yeah.

dangerous conditions led to more than 2,000 flight cancellations nationwide. a lot of school districts remain closed across the atlantic today. and more than 200,000 customers still without power this morning. >> the deep freeze is setting in across much of the country. temps 10 to 20 degrees below average from the rockies all the way to the east coast. >> the full forecast, including the snow still to come. but let's start with sam brock in snow covered washington, d.c. hey, sam. good morning. >> reporter: savannah, hoda, good morning. look, the snow is beautiful as you see around me. the aftermath, though, is a problem. the wind chills right now somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 to 9 degrees. students out of class once again for d.c. area schools. and all eyes right now on the nation's airports, especially dca which had to shut down its runways yesterday to stop them from freezing. still amidst all of the inconveniences, there's still joy for people and for pandas as you just saw the largest

snowstorm of the year here. this morning, an arctic blast after an early winter storm now millions of americans waking up to freezing temperatures and bone-chilling winds. >> mother nature's winning. >> reporter: including in d.c. after almost a foot of snow blanketed the area. >> snowplows here are still working overtime. and multiple states are preparing for freezing roads. let us do as much work possible to let us clear as many roads. >> reporter: after snow piled up in the midwest amid dangerous conditions for drivers. this police dash cam video in ohio capturing the moment a speeding car smacked into a tow truck responding to a call. luckily avoiding two people standing near the truck. as treacherous conditions partly to blame for at least four weather related deaths and white-out conditions snarling travel. lake effect snow forcing an hour's long ground stop at o'hare airport monday as the nation absorbed more than 4,000

cancellations in two days. some travelers leaving mci airport after waiting through this security line. >> this is my third chance to try to get out. >> reporter: while here in d.c. -- >> this is the most at one time that i have ever seen since living here. >> reporter: residents and visitors in the nation's capitol trying to make their way in the snow, some playing in a traditional snowball fight. others even cross-country skiing through the national mall. >> is it a day off or because of the weather? >> because of the weather. >> reporter: this city representing the power capitol, powerless against these harsh winter conditions. but some new residents reveling in their first american winter wonderland. and those pandas as cute as they are not available to the public. they're also not open today, guys. thousand the national zoo closed because of this weather, as are all of the smithsonian zoos around the d.c. area. thousands of miles away from

where i'm standing a different picture on the other coast. the west coast has red flag warnings. wind gusts expected to reach between 50 to 80 miles an hour. hurricane force winds with fire dangers elevated today and back to you. >> sam brock for us there in d.c. sam, thank you. let us turn to the man of the moment, al roker. what's up? >> well, guys, good morning. you can see we have this pesky low-pressure system not going anywhere. that low is over eastern canada. jet stream to the south. so this persistent low is going to keep this unseasonably cold weather for the next few weeks. in fact, 250 million of us are at freezing or below. the only state without freezing temperatures, hawaii at this point. so we are going to be looking at this cold air. wind chills right now feels like 7 in chicago. 15 in albuquerque. atlanta feels like 16. 11 in new york city. highs today 27 in cleveland but feels like 16. houston will feel like 46. denver feels like 14 tomorrow. that continues.

norfolk, buffalo with single-digit windchills. 39 in houston. that will go into next week. now we have another storm that's coming. we have winter storm watches for texas, oklahoma, arkansas and louisiana. this low-pressure system, the american model brings it down through the south. but look at all this snow in dallas. we could be looking at 4 to 5 inches of snow which could crack their top ten. this is the american model. that moves up and away. the american and canadians models keep it to the south. however, the heaviest know more away from the northeast. so it is a battle between the two systems. we will be watching this very closely. but either way, down to the south, a lot of stormy weather and into the mid atlantic states, it will be iffy. as we head into the weekend, guys. >> all right, al. we'll check back in just a little bit. now let's go to the breaking news we're following. a powerful earthquake rocked parts of western china and nepal overnight. the death toll and injuries mounting amid the search for survivors.

nbc's janis mackey frayer is in beijing. she has the very latest. hey, janice. good morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning. this was the most powerful recorded quake in years in that area of the himalayas. a rescue operation is now underway in freezing cold conditions. the epicenter at magnitude 7.1 was located about 50 miles from mount everest and also near tibet's holiest cities. now officials say more than 95 people have been killed, more than 100 injuries, but these are early estimates as rescuers push into the area. we're getting early video of some of those efforts, including one of a girl being carried out alive on the back of a policeman. the power of this quake shaking buildings in nepal, bhutan and parts of india. more than 1,000 homes have been damaged. some have collapsed. with videos on state and social media here showing homes with are in ruins.ve fallen apart and

now, china's military has launched a rescue operation, and they're using drones to assess where the help is needed most as winter temperatures in that area are set to drop. hoda? >> all right. janis mackey frayer for us in beijing. thanks. we turn to washington and the peaceful transfer of power. exactly four years after rioters stormed the catol after the donald trump 2020 election loss, quickly certified his victory in the 2024 race. the president-elect now preparing for his inauguration in less than two weeks. and also making a new push to delay this week's sentencing in his new york criminal case. nbc's capitol hill correspondent ryan nobles has all the latest on that. ryan, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. it took almost 15 hours to certify joe biden's victory in 2021. in 2025, the process to certify donald trump's win took less than 40 minutes. democrats did their part to allow the peaceful transfer of power with a very clear reminder of how different things were

four years ago. >> reporter: vice president kamala harris just a few months removed from her loss in the 2024 election, presiding over a joint session of congress, to officially certify the win of her former political rival. [ applause ] >> reporter: democrats going to great pains to show they believe the will of the voters and accepting defeat is part of demonstrating the power of the democratic process. >> america's democracy is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it. >> reporter: the largely ceremonial proceeding a stark difference from the violence and chaos of four years ago, where 140 officers were hurt. the president-elect has called the events of january 6th, 2021 a day of love and has promised pardons for some of the convicted rioters. he took to a social media platform to call monday's certification a, quote, big moment in history. trump has been pushing his congressional colleagues to send

him one massive bill that will address wide range of his legislative priorities, dealing with taxes, the border and spending cuts. but yesterday possibly casting confusion, acknowledging that could be difficult. >> my preference is one big, as i say, one big beautiful bill. now, to do that takes longer. i'm open to either way as long as we get something passed as quickly as possible. >> reporter: congressional leadership planning to follow his lead. >> we can do anything over here that we have consensus for. but there is some merit to the one bill strategy. >> reporter: while trump plows ahead with his legislative agenda, he is still dealing with lingering legal issues, including a sentencing in the new york hush money case set for this friday. trump's legal team pushing for a delay, something the judge juan merchan rejected, but left open the option that trump could seek relief elsewhere. >> ryan, another legal front, the president-elect ramping up efforts to block a report due out from special counsel jack smith.

what do you know about that? >> reporter: yeah, savannah, that's right. trump's legal team is urging merrick garland to stop smith from releasing his findings on the election interference and classified documents investigations in the coming weeks. they're calling smith an out of control private citizen, unconstitutionally posing as a prosecutor. the lawyers know they read through a two-volume draft of smith's report over the weekend. now since both cases have already been dismissed by a judge, they argue that releasing the findings would be nothing more than a political stunt. savannah? >> ryan nobles on the hill. thank you. now to a decision set to impact the incoming trump administration. prime minister canada's embattled justin trudeau, under growing pressure from his own party to resign. announcing his plans to do just that. what will that decision an for his country and the u.s.-canada relationship? stephanie gosk is here with that story. good morning. >> good morning. justin trudeau has been in office for nine years, and he comes from a political dynasty. his father was also a prominent

prime minister. but he has been facing a wave of backlash in canada and pressure from the outside, including president-elect trump. speculation of his resignation has been building for months. this morning, a key ally facing new leadership. >> i intend to resign. >> reporter: the liberal party leader justin trudeau stepping down after months of political turmoil. >> it has become clear to me that if i'm having to fight internal battles, i cannot be the best option. >> reporter: trudeau was once a prominent leader on the global stage, but has faced anger in canada over the economy, inflation and political chaos. and the pressure ramped up with the election of president-elect trump who said he will impose a 25% tariff on all products coming into the u.s. from canada. after trump's vick toirks trudeau paid a visit to mar-a-lago, posting he was looking forward to working with trump. elected in 2015, trudeau is one of the longest-serving pms in

canada's history and faced declining popularity in recent years. in 2019 trudeau apologized for photos of him in black face. from two decades earlier. that scandal threaten pging his re-election. and in 2021, covid vaccine mandates sparked wide-spread trucker protests around the country. trudeau's time in office also sidetracked with personal problems. in 2023 he separated from his wife after 18 years of marriage. as trudeau's polls have sunk, president-elect trump has increased the pressure. trump saying yesterday he'd like to work with a possible conservative successor. >> it would be very good. our views would be more aligned, certainly. >> reporter: trump as repeatedly suggested canada should be the 51st state, posting overnight, together what a great nation it would be. it is part of an apparent recent theme calling for more u.s. territory, arguing that america take over the panama canal and

repeated interest in greenland, saying his son don jr. is traveling there and posting the people will benefit tremendously if and when it becomes part of our nation. now, the greenland idea has been a popular talking point for trump. he also floated it during his first presidency. nothing came of that. but as he's renewed the idea this time around, greenland's leaders said it's not for sale. back to you guys. >> all right, steph. thank you very much. okay. a quarter after. we have craig here. >> good morning. good morning to you as well. there's some growing concerns over bird flu this morning. health officials in louisiana now reporting the first known human death from that virus here in the united states. let's ing in nbc news medical contributor dr. john torres to find out more about this. let's talk about this specific case down in louisiana. what more do we know about it? >> that's the concerning thing, the first human death. here in the united states from bird flu. he was over the age of 65, had other underlying medical conditions, which is one of those things we look at when we look at other conditions as well. on top of that, he had severe

respiratory illness, had been in the hospital since december and unfortunately he passed away at this point. >> talk about the trajectory. this is something that officials are watching very closely but we haven't crossed that threshold of human to human contagion, correct? >> exactly. there's bird to bird. bird to other animals, dairy cows, for example. stage three is animals to humans. that's where we right now. those 66 cases here in the united states in cases worldwide as well. and the one we get concerned with is when it starts going animal to human, that's stage four -- excuse me, human to human, stage four. we haven't gotten to that stage yet. there were mutations in this patient that we found making it more susceptible to human to human transmission. we're watching that yet. >> so people are watching this and thinking, oh, i'm a little afraid of that. should they be? what are the symptoms for bird flu.

>> right now it is low. but you do want to be concerned. this person in louisiana got it from backyard poultry and backyard wild birds he came in contact with. you want to be careful. any time you are around dead animals, don't handle them. if they're sick, do not handle them. let somebody who knows what they're doing, make sure you have safe food practices, eggs, meat. those types of things. don't drink unpasteurized dairy products. i know there's some people that are very big fans of that but don't do that because of bird flu. make sure you get your flu shot. if you get a combination of human flu and bird flu at the same time, that makes it more likely to mu tate into that human to human transmission. don't want that to happen. >> dr. john, thank you. >> thank you, john. mr. roker, what do you have your eye on? >> well, we're looking out west where we have fire danger, fire weather watches for 19 million people. we will look at this coming up in the next half hour in a little more detail. that windy fire risk will continue. santa ana winds out west. sunny but brutally cold up through the plains. freezing cold in the mid-section of the country. cold and windy as you get up into new england. we will get to your local forecast in the next 30 seconds.

if you struggle with cpap... you should check out inspire. honey? inspire. sleep apnea innovation. learn more and view important safety information at inspiresleep.com waking up to sunshine. all clear skies across the bay area, but it's also very windy and that wind has been gusting mainly in the hills. we're going to continue to see a breezy to windy day, and the wind advisory continues through tomorrow morning. temperatures will be slightly warmer headed for the mid 60s for today, and we'll continue to see sunshine

>> and that' and that's your latest weather. guys? >> all right, al, thank you. coming up the ski patrol causing strike causing chaos for families on winter break. nbc's liz kreutz following that story. hey, liz. >> yeah, it is one of the busiest ski times of the year. right now less than 20% of the slopes are open. we will show you what it looks like and the impact of all of this as families speak out about their frustrations. also ahead, a closer look at what's behind the soaring prices of breakfast staples like eggs, milk, the coffee you're drinking right now. what you do to safe money on the most important meal of the day. but first this is "today" on

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as the people you love get older, antheir risk of severe flu. and covid goes up. last year, those viruses hospitalized nearly 1 million people 65 and older. so if someone you love is older, talk with them about vaccines. (vo) welcome to old el paso, where stand 'n stuff taco shells stand tall without falling over. where squeezable sauces means less mess. where however you make it, everyone can make it their own. go on, get yourself some in old el paso. some people just know they could save hundreds on car insurance by checking allstate first. like you know to check the weather first, before sailing. it's gonna get nasty later. yep. hey! perfect day for sailing, huh?

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last year may start to receive justice as a person finally charged with her death is scheduled to make her first court appearance today. 63 year old yinfeng wu died last july from a head injury, two days after being pushed to the sidewalk in the bayview district after police ruled it an accident. it sparked outrage, but then last month, district attorney brooke jenkins announced charges against a suspect identified as tia hopkins. for months, investigators have tied the same person to a separate violent assault on an elderly chinese woman. i'm ginger conejero saab in pacifica. a wind advisory is in effect for much of the bay area, with winds expected to reach 20 to 30 miles an hour. it does remain in effect until tomorrow morning, but much of the focus is down in southern california, where a potentially life threatening windstorm is on the way. at least six bay area cal fire engines are ready to add additional resources down to southern california. they're helping out in an all hands on deck situation. let's get a look

at that forecast for the bay area with meteorologist kari hall. and the wind has mixed out any chances of fog today. so it's going to be clear and at times breezy. we'll continue to see those winds gusting through tomorrow morning as our high temperatures today reach into the mid 60s. laura, don't forget to join us for today in the bay live streaming newscast at 8 a.m. we're taking you live to las vegas for a look at some of the hot products at this year's consumer electronics show. you can join us on roku, amazon fire tv, xumo, and streaming platforms including nbcbayarea.com, and of course, from our app. have a great tuesday m

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stop. >> can i just ask you, what's going on right now? >> i'm shaking! >> that was eight years ago. the hoda-bration rolls on. this is an unforgettable hoda moment. she pulled off this huge surprise for the gold medal winning final five. at the 2016 rio olympics. simone was 19 years old there. she made no secret she has a big crush i guess from "high school musical" zac efron, that was her bo. >> i can't believe that happened. >> we begged him to come. he came. he watched them compete in a secret room, walked in there, and simone lost it. i'll never forget that. >> beautiful! >> another unforgettable story that you did coming up in our next hour. >> okay. first, let's get to our news here. stalemate on the ski slopes. >> park city, utah, at one of the largest resorts in the country, the union represents

the ski patrol now on strike. the strike coming at the height of ski season. nbc's liz kreutz joins us with details on that. liz, good morning. >> reporter: hey, guys, good morning to you again. this strike is now in its second week. visitors are reporting frustratingly long lines and little communication from the resort. one man told us his family didn't even know about the strike until after they arrived and found themselves waiting as long as three hours to go down one run. >> reporter: long lift lines, fewer runs and frustrated skiers have been the norm in park city, utah since the ski patrol went on strike just after christmas. peter and his family traveled from minnesota to the popular resort area after new year's to find the ski version of gridlocked. do you feel duped? >> completely. >> reporter: no one told him about the strike. >> we went out to ski the next day after check-in, and we saw lines that were hundreds and

hundreds of people long and a very limited amount of runs and lifts that were open. >> reporter: many other visitors reporting similar experiences. >> a lot of people pay a lot of money in order to come here, and those people are not getting the experience that they're paying for because it is not properly staffed. >> reporter: the union representing around 200 ski patrollers and mountain safety personnel went on strike december 27th against park city's parent company vail resorts after the two sides were unable to reach an agreement over wages and benefits. park city says it's using management and nonunion staff to stay open. >> we are opening the lifts and terrain that we can safely with the people we have. >> reporter: but visitors say few slopes are open, and it's caused not only huge crowds but safety concerns. >> most of your skiing, you can look left to right and you see a ski patrol. that was not the case when we were skiing. >> reporter: in a statement, park city apologized for the long waits and limited terrain

and blamed the union for the debacle. writing, by choosing tho strike during the peak holiday they hurt their neighbors. patroller wages more than 50% d over the past four seasons. but employees say they can't afford the cost of living in this expensive mountain town. >> like all mountain towns, it's extremely expensive to live here. we would just like to see the company acknowledge that and pay people so they can afford to be a part of this community. >> lots of frustrated folks on all sides of this, liz. any signs they may be coming to some sort of resolution? >> craig, a mediator has been brought in to hopefully bridge the gap between the two sides. a main sticking point, hourly wages but the union saying their asking for $2 more an hour. vail resorts disputes that and says it equals $7 an hour more. as for the guests, peter says his family saved up for months for this vacation and says he hopes they will issue refunds. for him and other guests going

through this. >> liz kreutz, thank you. keep us posted. >> what a mess. still ahead, a sweet surprise. imagine visiting the same bakery for years, but then discovering that its owner was your long lost mother. it happened to this pair. you have to hear this incredible story in their own words. but, first, christine romans is exploring the skyrocketing prices for eggs, orange juice and other breakfast staples. hey, christine. >> good morning. you know, it's breakfast sticker shock. the most important meal of the day might be the most expensive. i'm going to tell you how to get around some of those skyrocketing prices at the grocery store after the break. talk with them about vaccines. what you all did five months ago... mr. milchick: was one of the most painful moments in the history of this company. our message got out, he said we're famous. all of us equally or one of us is like the star? what did you see? my outie's wife was miss casey. ♪ if you want to find out what happened to her,

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♪ we're back at 7:38. this morning on "today's consumer," the soaring cost of breakfast. >> yes, prices are on the rise for eggs, milk and coffee. those staples of the most important meal of the day. >> we're hungry for answers and figure out ways to save with nbc senior business correspondent christine romans. walk us through some of the breakfast foods and drinks you're seeing going up. >> we're talking about record highs for things like orange juice. you're looking at beef prices, steak and eggs has never been more expensive if you're that kind of person. record prices for coffee and o.j. if you are buying the ground coffee in your grocery store, that's up 11%. eggs up 7%. even milk is up 5%. breakfast, the most important meal of the day, is probably the most expensive meal of the day right now. a lot of different reasons. you have drought, weather,

different commodity issues happening around the world that have conspired this time of year to really drive everything up. >> but nothing more than eggs. i mean, egg-flation is back. why? >> it's the bird flu. this is the deadliest bird flu we have ever had. you have 10 million fewer hens today than they did a year ago because they had to cull these flocks to stop the bird flu. that's my grocery store this weekend. that's the egg case in new jersey this weekend. yeah. so they're really having trouble getting the supplies consistently where they need it. you have high prices in some places. although, there was another grocery store where you had $2.99 for a dozen eggs. and then 7.99 some place else. it's just you have to be kind of -- you have to go out there and hunt. >> hunt and peck. >> hunt and peck for your eggs. >> is there anything that's getting cheaper? prices going down? >> i'm telling people let's switch to a blt for breakfast maybe because bacon prices are pretty much flat. you have bread prices down a little bit here. it is really the meats that are

up. yogurt prices are down. bacon is down 1%. so that's kind of where you go to look for that. just everyone is noticing these breakfast meat prices and egg prices and orange juice. you know, orange juice is up like 90% over the past few years. >> why is that? >> you have a smaller harvest in florida. you've got brazil has had some issues with its harvest as well. so you're actually producing less orange juice and that's been a problem. >> are there any other ways to save some money? >> you know, okay, aside from the blt, i would say there's a lot of fast food value men use or today there's a mcvalue menu that launches today for mcdonald's, a breakfast meal buy one add one for $1. there's an ihop breakfast meal. there's still this value consciousness among the big fast food chains and coming out with idea. a dunkin' donuts $5 meal as well. a bunch of officers for breakfast meals if you don't want to cook at home and want to try to get the best value. >> i'm looking around. this is when they usually bring

in a tray of mcmuffins. no, not today? egg-flation. >> too expensive. >> thank you. you hear about the blt, al? speaking your language. >> come on bacon, baby. i get it myself but i don't have thumbs. >> wind alerts. life threatening destructive wind storm, 32 million people from chico, california, down to san diego. look at the wind gusts through wednesday. los angeles, 63. santa ana winds and so you combine that with very dry conditions and we've got a critical to elevated risk from montecito down to temecula. tomorrow, even worse, we have an extreme risk for that extreme fire behavior and any kind of wild fire starts it's going to spread like crazy.

and we will see sunshine and warmer temperatures into the afternoon. dublin headed to 62 degrees and 64 in san francisco and some mid 60s for santa rosa. into the nexfew days we're going to see these temperatures continue with sunshine and calmer winds and no rain in the forecast into weather. guys? >> all right. thank you, buddy. hoda's morning boost coming right up. also, brian cheung has made his way to vegas. he's at the elelectronichow there where ai is all the rage. that is, however, the real brian cheung. the exciting breakthroughs you will be seeing very soon right after this. >> or is it? now taxes is matching with a turbotax expert who does everything for you. ♪♪

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electronics show. nbc's brian cheung made the trip to check out the latest gadgets and gizmos. brian, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, guys. you sent me on the wrong assignment because i have been geeking out all week. good morning from the consumer electronics show here in las vegas. we're getting an inside glimpse into what the future looks like. from our vantage point, artificial intelligence is making everything smarter from pizza ovens, yes, pizza ovens to this right here, a robotaxi. this year's consumer electronics show in vegas leaning heavily into artificial intelligence, giving otherwise normal products a big brain boost. >> this is a mock pizza oven. >> reporter: yep. from a pizza oven that calculates time and temp to robots of all shapes and sizes. >> i'm having a blast. at the ces. >> reporter: artificial intelligence is also changing the game for the way we hail rides. amazon owned company zooks, ai

helped these self-driving test vehicles adapt to the roads in las vegas. >> that lets us train and validate our software. when it's ready to drive all by itself, we put it on the robotaxi. this is it. >> reporter: this is the robo taxi? it looks like a carriage. >> it kind of is a carriage, yes. it is a robot carriage. >> reporter: no hood, no drunk. trunk. inside in pedals and no steering wheel. >> shall we go for a ride? >> let's do it. >> reporter: as you ride, the robo taxi analyzes everything else around it in realtime. >> it has to many, many, many times every second understand the state of the world around it, make predictions and plan the best trajectory. >> reporter: the state of the world today a lane closure on the las vegas strip. >> we approached it, kind of came over it and now we're in another lane. but other robo taxi companies have hit snags with g-ms saying it will shelve due to cost. one man in the phoenix area even getting stuck in a google waymo which the company says lasted only five minutes. >> i got a flight to catch.

>> zook under investigation itself for two reported incidents when test vehicles unexpectedly braked causing minor injuries to motor pscy cyclists. >> predicting that the change will soon feel less dramatic. >> and the idea of getting in the elevator without a human seems kind of scary at the time. but eventually there was enough data to show that elevators are incredibly safe. >> do you think that robo taxis are going to be as are prevalent as elevators some day? >> i do think so, yes. >> guys it really does feel like you're stepping out of a carriage in cinderella. zook says that public rides in las vegas and san francisco are coming later this year and they have those test fleet vehicles moving around in austin, miami, and seattle, which means that this driverless future is coming to your doorstep perhaps very soon. although i should point out it's weird making direct eye contact with the person inside of this

vehicle. but, hopefully the person you're driving with is someone that you're very close with. >> good point. brian cheung. >> that was pretty cool. >> that was pretty cool. >> you get stuck for five minutes in one of those things, maybe a nice carriage ride would be all right. pretty cool. thank you for that. >> how about a boost? >> got you. the view on both sides of the car is so good that the dog cannot decide which window it should look out of. >> what? >> it's going from side to side. >> what! >> it's going to side to side. >> the dog. >> okay. if you have a dog you may know about this. they're call the zoomie-s. sudden random burst of energy in the subaru. it took a break and back at it. side to side. side to side. that was fun. >> the internet debunk this as being two dogs? >> research as we speak. >> that's pretty good. >> kids get the zoomies, too.

coming up on "popstart." two highly anticipated shows. return of "the last of us" and long-awaited celebration of "snl" 50. but first a quick check of your news and weather. for people who feel limited by the unpredictability of generalized myasthenia gravis, season to season, ultomiris is continuous symptom control, with improvement in activities of daily living and reduced muscle weakness. and ultomiris is the only long-acting gmg treatment with the freedom of just 6 to 7 infusions per year, for a predictable routine i can count on. ultomiris may lower your immune system's ability to fight infections, increasing your chance of serious meningococcal and other infections which may become life-threatening or fatal. complete or update meningococcal vaccines at least 2 weeks before you start. if treatment is urgent, and you're not vaccinated, you should receive antibiotics with your vaccines. don't start if you have a meningococcal infection. infusion reactions may include back, lly, limb, or chest pain, muscle spasms, blood pressure changes,

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good tuesday morning to you. it is 756 right now. i'm laura garcia. and i'm marcus washington. happening now. a possible vote on a critical development deal on bob redell. later this morning, the alameda county board of supervisors will vote on whether or not to approve the a's portion of the sale of the coliseum to the

african american sports and entertainment group. the double a, c g, offered 250 million for the coliseum, 125 million of that for the city of oakland's portion, the other 125 million for the a's. but this past november, that organization missed a payment deadline to the city of oakland because its investors are waiting for county supervisors to approve the a's half of the sale. without that money, the city of oakland has already had to revise its budget and make cuts to key programs. teachers statewide are awaiting the release of a new report on education salaries. a private firm conducted the survey spotlighting wages and the rising cost of living. more than 2000 public school teachers took part. union leaders are also planning to hold a virtual news conference at noon to present the findings. take a look at that fecast for today. meteorologist kari hall tracking some windy conditions across the bay area, and it will be windy through the next 24 hours. as we take a look at a clear view in san jose and the wind advisory that will be in effect until

10:00 tomorrow morning, we may see some of those gusts bringing down some tree limbs, and may also cause some issues with power. as of right now, a lot of our valleys are seeing calm conditions, while the mountains and the hills are seeing some really high wind gusts. and today temperatures will reach into the mid 60s with the gusty winds continuing. back to you. all right. thanks, kari. and make sure you watch our today in the bay live streaming newscast, starting in just minutes at 8 a.m, we're going to show you some of the gadgets creating the biggest buzz over in vegas. when we take you live to the consumer electronics show. you canatch wit

it's 8:00 on "today. coming up, deep freeze.. tens of millions waking up to frigid temps this morning following that blast of snow and

ice. >> stay safe and let us do as much work as possible, to let us clear as many roads. >> power outages, flights cancelled, schools still closed. al is tracking all of it. and sweet reunion. our visit to a beloved chicago bakery serving up delicious treats and one special surprise. >> this world is full of people that don't do good things, you know? and it just so happens that my mother is the pillar of the community. >> how one man found his long lost mother and the special connection they now share. all that, plus a first look at "snl 50." >> any questions? >> nikki glaser tops golden globes. >> okay. done here. and are zendaya and tom holland engaged? >> i should probably get back to the class. >> it's all ahead in "popstart" on tuesday, january 7th, 2025. ♪ >> nola loves hoda!

>> hi to our grandkids! in st. louis. >> visiting from phoenix, arizona. >> lancaster, pennsylvania. >> rhode island. >> and oklahoma. >> girls trip from georgia. >> hoda! we wanted to say congratulations on an amazing journey. we are so excited for what your next chapter and journey is going to be. don't forget about us. >> congratulations on everything. >> hoda, i love you. congratulations on your retirement and all that you have to come on a new chapter. it was amazing to have you in our living room for so many years, but i'm going to see you out on the road. you better come see me. >> hoda, 15 seconds is not enough to tell you how much better our lives are because of we love you. i love you. congratulations. i can't wait to see what's next for you.

god bless. >> traveling across the country from pasadena, california. >> to meet hoda! ♪ welcome back. it's tuesday. we're so happy that you are here. i got to say that 6-year-old girl when i first came in was standing there. we know she came in and got warm. >> that's so sweet. i got chills. >> i don't know how you must feel so w so many people coming out to say thank you. >> it's something. it's really filling me up, man. i don't know what to say. >> it's beautiful and well deserved. tomorrow on "today," vicky nguyen is sharing a first look at a ground breaking research study on screen time and the impact it can actually have on a child's brain. >> something we have been talking about for a long time. let us get right to our news at 8:00. first, the snow, now the freezing cold, tens of millions of people from the rockies to the east coast are waking up this morning to these frigid temperatures.

d.c. schools are closed again today after the region was hit with nearly a foot of snow. snowplows still working overtime. in chicago, lake-effect snow force and hours' long ground stop at o'hare airport on monday. the nation absorbing more than 4,000 cancellations in two days. we will check in with al now with the latest on these conditions. hey, al. >> yeah, so first we get the cold. that will set the stage for this next storm. this persistent low from canada, just pushing all that cold air south. jet stream is down to the south right now. 250 million people at freezing or below. hawaii the only state without freezing temperatures. new york, it feels like 15. 19 in midland, texas. and then for today, the highs going to feel like 16 in cleveland. 32 in dallas. 52 in jacksonville. more of the same tomorrow. and that's going to go right on into next week. then we have this winter storm watch activity from dallas to mccalister, little rock, shreveport. 11 million people ahead of this storm system. the american model brings it to

the south. strong storms in the gulf. heavy snow in dallas possible as we get into thursday, friday. and then off the coast the european and canadian models keep it south. but still heavy snow in dallas and strong storms through the gulf. we will just continue to watch this, track it. but it is going to be a high impact system over the next 72 hours. guys? >> all right. al, we'll come back to you in just a few moments. meanwhile, a major announcement this morning from metathe parent company of facebook, instagram and whatsapp. in a video posted on its platforms today, ceo mark zuckerberg announcing big changes to the company's fact checking policy. nbc's senior washington correspondent hallie jackson joins us with more on this. hallie, the timing is a bit curious, just days ahead of the start of a new administration. >> yeah, that's right, craig. good morning to you. and the big headline here no, more fact checking as we've known it for the last eight years on facebook and instagram. mark zuckerberg hems is

announcing these new changes. calling the recent elections a cultural tipping point towards prioritizing free speech. this morning he says that meta will move away from independent, nonpartisan fact checking they've had in place since after the 2016 election. instead, he says, they'll rely on community notes. in other words, users putting out context. this is similar to what x is doing. zuckerberg says meta's complex moderation system makes too many mistakes with too much censorship. watch. >> fact checkers have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they created specially in the u.s. >> that's not all. meta also plans to get rid of restrictions on topics like immigration and gender. and to move their content moderation team from california to texas, among other thing. he referenced the timing. all happening less than two weeks before president-elect trump is sworn in and as zuckerberg and tech titans appear to make in roads with the incoming administration. after mr. trump's win in november, zuckerberg travelled to mar-a-lago. his company donated $1 million

to the trump inaugural fund. keep in mind the backdrop here. over the next four years the trump administration will set federal policy in areas like ai and anti-trust that are really important to meta and other big tech companies too. craig? >> lots of changes there. senior washington correspondent hallie jackson. hallie, thank you. we have sad news about a beloved member of your "today" show family, richard cohen died on christmas eve. he was 76 years old. richard lived with more than 50 years with multiple sclerosis, surviving two cancer diagnosis. he refused to let any of those challenges define him hchl he was a devoted husband, accomplished journalist and father. richard cohen lived his life to the fullest, using laughter to get through whatever came his way. >> you know, meredith and i both use humor as a coping mechanism. it's really what helps get you through the day. >> an award-winning journalist and author and an advocate, we'll remember him most as our friend and the beloved husband

of our own merededith viei. >> we love when our old pal meredith vieira and her husband richard cohen stop by to say hi. >> mostly with richard. >> cohen spent his career speaking truth to power, covering politics and wars, rising through the ranks at cbs news. but it was his own personal story that resonated with so many. at a young age, cohen was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. >> i was diagnosed when i was 25 years old. and essentially told there is no hope. >> see you later. >> nothing much we can do. >> he decided to turn his pain into purpose. writing about his own health struggles, eventually becoming a fierce advocate for the chronically ill. >> i think too many people stay closed and don't tell the truth. >> he lived with the disease for more than 50 years. revealing his diagnosis to meredith on their second date. >> i told her about the illness because i had sort of learned

the hard way to get it on the table. and she really didn't blink. >> i've always been of the school of thought you could get hit by a bus the next day. any one of us could. it certainly wasn't enough to scare me off. >> of all of his many accomplishments, if you asked him, he would say he was proudest of his family. his sons, ben and gabe, and daughter lily. and of course, his wife of 38 years, meredith. when meredith left the "today" show in 2011, her decision was driven by her desire to spend more time with her husband and children. >> time is one of those weird things you can never get enough of it. and it just keeps ticking away. i know i want to spend more of mine with my husband richard and my kids. >> richard cohen died on christmas eve, surrounded by his family and love. and meredith did say that all of the kids came around thanksgiving because they were concerned they were going to lose him early. instead they got a glorious month she said with their dad. she said it was --

>> new grand baby, she said. >> yes. >> which just added so much life. and she's in really good spirits. she was such a beautiful and devoted wife to richard. and he adored meredith. they were like the most fun, entertaining, irreverent cool couple you could hang out with. >> and you and i both know this from speaking to her, too she held on to her sense of humor even after all of this. but we wish her and her family well. >> we love you, meredith. >> a life well lived. much more ahead here on a tuesday morning including this really touching story from laura jarrett. she went to chicago. there's this bakery there, not only beloved by their community, it helped one repeat customer find his long-lost mother. she is going to bring us inside that heartfelt reunion, a really incredible story right after this. for asthma. get medical help right away if your breathing doesn't improve

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[crowd noises] smiling first can help someone find the courage to do the same. ♪♪ 9sd we are back at 8:13 now with a very special reunion. >> the owner of a chicago bakery had her fair share of regulars over the years, but little did she know about a remarkable connection to one of them. >> laura jarett has this incredible story. i want to lean in for this one. good morning. >> guys, i'm so excited about this. have you ever walked into a room and something just felt familiar or cozy? the sound of someone's laughter. something just felt like home? well, i went back to my hometown, chicago, and i met two people who are about to show you, it is never too late to

make a connection you thought was lost and find your way back home. >> our house was the cookie house. >> reporter: their connection started over sweets. >> it was the lemon bar, the chocolate chip cookies. >> reporter: for more than ten years, vamar hunter found himself drawn to give me some sugar, a bakery on chicago's south side. how often would you say you were coming? >> at least once a week. >> reporter: and what did you like about this place? >> just the whole vibe. everything is comfortable, and the pancakes were just like the best i had ever had. i still to this day don't order pancakes from anywhere else. >> reporter: behind those pancakes, lindsey, who never thought she would own a bakery, but took it up after retirement, putting her own spin on some family recipes. >> i just wanted to have a little place like cheers where everybody knows your name. >> reporter: and always watching out for the regulars. >> hey, are you going to eat all that? like that. >> reporter: so in those early days, he comes in. were you paying any attention to

him? >> no, nonat all. i didn't think he was special in any way. >> man! that just felt mean. >> reporter: that easy rapport foreshadowing a life altering explanation. vamar was adopted as a child. >> the way i found out was my adoptive mother just brought it up to me kind of matter of factually like, yeah, remember when i told you you were adopted? no. >> reporter: you never heard that before? >> no. >> reporter: so he started working with a genealogist who found his biological mother. >> you can't tell this story without talking god, because i was led the entire way. >> reporter: little did he know he would be led right behind the counter of his favorite bakery, back to lenore. pregnant at just 17, at the time she felt adoption was the best way forward.

>> every time i think about how i disappointed my parents, that's just very overwhelming for me. so all i could think about was how could i make this better for my parents and just kind of go on? >> reporter: 50 years later, she was given the name and number of her son to call, thinking he'd be a complete stranger. >> i called him from the bakery line because i wasn't sure who he was or anything. >> reporter: give me some sugar pops up. i didn't order anything. i'm thinking, why? then i heard her voice. i was like, ms. lenore. yeah. ms. lenore, i'm like this is vamar. >> reporter: so, wait, are you two just screaming at each other on the phone. >> a lot of, oh, my god. >> no! no! are you kidding? no! >> reporter: and the pair started noticing some similarities.

>> i started seeing like, oh, the little wise-cracking thing. yeah. yeah, yeah, yeah. i got somebody to blame for that now. >> we arso much alike, it is crazy. >> reporter: as the two were making up for lost time, she was fighting breast cancer and the shop was taking a toll. so vamar decided to step up, learning how to bake at ght. today he's running the bakery full time. >> i couldn't just sell it to anybody or have anybody coming in. they had to feel it. they had to feel the people. and, so, he loves it like i love it. that's huge for me. >> reporter: and he has mastered his craft. are these the famous pancakes? >> yes, yes, yes. >> these are the vamar pound cakes. >> reporter: mother and son now together, feeding the souls of their community. >> this world is full of people that don't do good things, you know? it just so happens that my mother is the pillar of the community.

>> i can't explain it. it almost feels like i have never been away from him. >> oh, my god! >> are you kidding me? that's the greatest story i have ever seen. >> one of the greatest stories i have ever seen. >> it is pretty incredible. thank you so much to vamar and ms. lindsey letting me into that shop. i felt such a special connection going back home and being with them. lucky for us, guys, they took a little break after the holidays because they had to recuperate. but they sent us some of their goodies. they don't even ship national yet, but they shipped them here. >> they will when this story wins an oscar. >> she is doing better now and she still gets to spend time. >> so he quit his job when she was sick and ran the bakery. she didn't lose the bakery. her son happens to be the dude in the neighborhood. it's incredible. >> now they get to spend holidays together and time together. >> look at them. they look-alike.

their mannerisms are the same. >> she said she remembered when he first came in he laughs like her brother does. >> that story is just wild. >> and that phone call, that phone call between them, it's me. what? >> i didn't order anything. my biological mother. >> he just ordered a mom. >> that should be a movie. >> wow! way to go, laura. >> by the way, this is great pound cake. >> well, you know, if you say so, i'm sure it's very good, right? thank you, guys. thank you. >> i want to know more about them. >> well, you can find out more. go ahead. >> today.com. >> yes. >> the bakery and the reunion is on our website today.com. >> delish. >> are you between bites. can we get a check of the weather or no? >> that's what's going on around the country. no. cold and windy in the northeast. freezing cold in the plains. unfortunely we have a wind andat

>> if you're heading out the door, join us on the serious xm channel. right now best time e of the morning. >> the cookie has potato chips on it. >> wow. i can't. >> i can't wait to try that. guys, let's get to "popstart." saturday night life, the to celebrate the major milestone, peacock is releasing a four-part docu series beyond saturday night feature never before seen and all the snl greats.terviews

we have a "popstart" exclusive because we know people. >> anybody can do comedy. ky teach all y'all here to tell jokes. but are you funny? >> snl was the biggest show ever. >> there was nothing like it. >> wild and crazy guy. >> in a van down by the river. >> it is an american institution. >> you may be wondering why you have never heard this story before. >> i don't know what story you heard, but this is what happened. >> it's fine. let's just do the thing. >> so many storied. i don't know how they narrowed it down. we look forward to it. it starts streaming exclusively on peacock january 16th. that will be great. next up, "the last of us." it's been two years since they premiered their episode. based on the wildly popular video game series. yesterday a new teaser dropped for season 2, returning to the zombie-filled fight. [ bell ]

>> there are just some things everyone agrees are just important. >> i don't know what's happening there, but i'm scared. i'm scared. i need another cookie. >> along with a new teaser, max confirming season 2 will arrive in april. next up, zendaya and tom holland after debuting that big diamond ring on that finger at the golden globes, people magazine confirming the spiderman co-stars are engaged. they have worked together since 2017 spiderman homecoming. their off camera relationship closely watched by fans in 2021, tom nearly broke the internet with the birthday post for zendaya featured this picture that got 20 million likes on instagram. big congratulations going out to both of them. speaking of the globes, nikke glaser up next.

the comedian hosted the globes. yesterday on howard stern revealing this backstage run-in with the legendary harrison ford. >> amazing. [ applause ] >> hoe did catch me and walks over. this is such a tough gig. you are -- did such a great job. he gave me everything that i wanted. and he said, by the way, you just need to know there are not speakers in the crowd. if you don't get the reaction that you want, we can't hear you. and i had been assured they could. that might be a harrison ford issue. but there were pockets -- there were pockets that people couldn't hear. but he was so nice. >> telling howard she heard chatter she might be asked to host again next year. >> i thought it was great. >> she crushed it. >> i think they need new speakers. they need to be able to hear, right? you've been there, yeah. you can hear, right? >> you can hear. people are eating. if you're a host, it's like a thankless job. it's a hard room to win. she did better than anyone i

could imagine. we're looking at you, ms. dylan. your new book is out. it's called "a peek out your window" my first book of weather. let's take a peek out the window now. there's everybody in the plaza getting a free copy. >> that's so fun. >> this is the latest in the series. tell us about it. >> this is like the one i'm most proud of because when i first started here, al, what do you say? here what's happening in your neck of the woods. i had to come one a phrase, right? brian and i came up with a peek out your window. and since then, i've had a bunch of kids. and what do they love more than anything is a lift the flap book. what perfect flap to lift than a curtain -- >> a window. >> something covering a window. so it's just introducing young kids to weather in a little peek out your window. and it's just kind of gets kids used to looking outside. >> i love it. >> it's illustrated by the great rosy butcher illustrated all my great misty the cloud books. misty explains how important --

>> what happens at the end of the book. misty survive? >> here is the thing. here is the thing, everyday it's something different. because you're going to peek out your window. >> there could be a tornado and there goes misty. >> she would be part of the tornado. >> the funny thing is -- >> are there zombies -- >> stop it. >> i read this to my kids. >> it's a beautiful moment. >> i can read this to my kids at night and i say, what's out the window. >> it's dark. >> there you go. >> i need to read this during the daytime. >> here is a hint, people should buy two because these lift the flaps -- >> they always come off. >> sturdy flaps, al. >> this is a beautiful book, dylan. >> congratulations. go to today.com/book

♪ ♪ >> we are back. it is 8:30. it's a tuesday morning. it's a bit of a cold morning, a bit of a cold start to the day

here in manhattan. let me tell you, it is not putting any sort of chill on our hoda-bration. folks from far and wide showing their love for hoda kotb. fair warning we have another, another special surprise coming your way. >> i got a shoe! i got a shoe! >> where is that from? it's from new orleans because you know how new orleans rolls. >> yes, we do. >> and, wait. i promised this lady. i just want to show her something real quick. wait. who made this. >> this is my niece. alex baldwin. and she made these for you, for hailey and for hope. >> i just want to say -- will you please tell them i said thank you. >> i will. >> i'll come grab those after. okay? thank you. sweet. >> you have dorothy's new orleans slipper. that is kuts. >> the hoda-bration will continue. that's for sure.

we have martha beck here with a game changing way to take on life's challenges, including how to naturally turn off anxiety. >> ooek okay. but look who is here right now. the one the only, alan cumming. cannot wait to hear about season 3 of "the traders". >> people love that show, by the way. a few minutes from now, coming up, 3rd hour, a fascinating look at how some people are getting pretty creative with help from social media to find a job in this new year. okay. tomorrow on "today," one of my favorites is here. kyle chandler will stop by to tell us about his netflix spy thriller, it's called -- "back in action" with cameron diaz and jaime foxx. >> clear eyes. clear eyes. >> y yes. al, let's get a check of the weather. >> well, we know it's cold and it will stay that way over the next several days. let's head out to the weekend. snow and ice and storm. sunshine northeast, great lakes.

fire risk out west. saturday a light snow in the northeast on saturday. a southern chill down through the gulf. sunny skies. and sunday, sunny and cold around the great lakes. mid tantic states. nice and quiet through the gulf. snow showers back through the rookies. that's what's going on in the country. some slightly warmer temperatures today, alongith some gusty winds and mostly sunny skies as expected. expect a high to reach 66 in oakland and hayward today and 64 in napa going into the next several days. our temperatures stay well above what's normal for this time of year, and calmer winds starting tomorrow afternoon, and sunshine at least through and that is your latest weather. oh, ms. hoda? >> are you strolling around the horn. let's stroll right here. i just want to show all these sweet people.

hi. oh my god. hi. okay. coming up, what if you could turn off your anxious brain like a light switch? renown author and lifestyle coach martha beck is going to show us how. but, first, this is "today" on nbc.

mardi gras beads. we're back. it is 8:35. with much needed help for a feeling that a lot of us struggle with. carson you talk about this a lot, anxiety. >> that's for sure. according to one report, 43% of americans felt more anxious in 2024 than they did in the previous year. so the question is, how could you possibly overcome it once and for all? >> we have a life coach and

best-selling author martha beck says the antidote is creativity. she tlines it. she has a brand-new book called "beyond anxiety." everybody is talking about it. before we start, i have to say, maria shriver is my guru. when ever i have a problem i go to her. when maria has a problem, she goes to martha. i just want to start there. anxiety is one of these things i think a lot of people try to fight. >> yes. >> they have to fight through it. >> you say that is completely not the way to play it. >> right. if i came to you and said, okay, i will coach you. here is what i will do. i will analyze you, bring you down, end you forever. how do you feel about that? >> yeah, defensive. >> well, anxiety is not some monster in our winds. it is a little -- it is a deep evolutionary thing that is more like a baby animal, like a tiny baby animal. so if you found a little starving puppy on your doorstep, would you go, i'm going to drug you, i'm going to analyze you, i'm going to bring you down. how would it feel? not less anxious.

>> i have generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder. it is this endless worry loop. once the worry loop starts and the brain is telling the body, there is an immediate threat, it starts to compound worry. how do you stop the spiraling. >> yeah. if an animal seeing danger and then it gets afraid. the danger goes away, the animal calms down. but when we sense danger, we don't calm down. we start saying, oh, there is more danger out there. and what could have happened? and everything that we're thinking and fearing is actually happening to that primitive part of the brain. so the first thing you need to do is find this very frightened little animal part of yourself. i call it the anxiety creature. and offer it compassion. and, you know, people will say to you, be calm. you can't just be calm. >> yeah, it is hard to do that. what i ask people to do is be kind. there is something i call kind internal self-talk or kiss. i love an acronym.

just say to yourself, you know what, you will be okay. it's all right. just picture the frightened part. i'm here for you. we're not in danger right now. i got you. we've got this. we've done this before. we're right here together. and, so, you do what we all -- we all instinctively know how to calm a baby creature, baby human. >> it is how you calm a puppy. you're okay. i got you. give him space. give him a minute. give him time. >> do you know even hostage negotiators use this on psycho pathic criminals. they're gentle. they're soft. because they know they have a frightened creature in there. and fighting makes it worse. kindness and compassion, whether you mean it or not. >> what are other natural things you can do like i know i can take a walk, cook, get your mind brain on a different rail. >> talking about cooking, walking is great because it gets your fight or flight doing something. when you start cooking, what happens is there is that spiral

of anxiety in one-half of your brain. it is only in the left half. in the right half lives like a mirror image, but it is not fearful. it's creative. we have known forever that anxiety shuts down creativity. so i started thinking what if it works the other way, too? what if creativity shuts down anxiety. >> that's interesting. >> if i do something simple like plan a meal for tomorrow. with a client. >> right. >> so say you are having a dinner party. start planning it right now. >> your brain thinks about what i'm going to do. steak on a plate. i'm going to serve it with this. now i'm thinking in a different pattern and anxiety is quiet. >> it works like that. >> same thing with knitting or working with your hands. figuring something out. >> anything creative that you should start doing. >> yeah. and people say, i'm not creative. i can't do art. that's still in the anxiety part. just make something you love. try using your hands, your senses, cook, garden. if you like to draw or paint or

do whatever, there is tons of evidence. >> i always say like you can't be -- if you're filled with gratitude, you can't be anxious and filled with gratitude at the same time. >> right. >> it is the same sort of idea. >> but the way you get into it -- because if i say to somebody -- if you are in a panic attack and i say, you know what, just cook something. you'll feel great. it's like, no. but if i say to you, be kind to yourself. be kind. be kind. it comes down. and then you say, what could we make? >> what could we make? >> not what should we do. >> okay. we are actually going to continue this conversation except for in the 4th hour. martha, thank you so much. this book, beyond anxiety, is out today. we will go further in our discussion a little later. savannah, over to you. >> all right, guys. thank you. coming next, the hoda-bration rolls on. the surprise for hoda right here in our sdio. but, firtust

welcome back. well, for more than a decade, hoda has shared stories of breast cancer warriors and, of course, that's because she is one herself. through her pink power series, you helped countless women feel less alone, whether you met them in person or not. in 2016, viewers told us about a special young mother from virginia beach. named erin ludwig. she was going through the fight of her life. and what followed was a story of love, loss and hope that touched all of our hearts. >> the difficult talks that have been difficult. and, so, we've talked about like the future and everything like that, but not -- not too much. we treat it more as tomorrow is not promised. live every moment in the moment. >> seeing what she goes through every day, yeah, it's the worst pain ever. >> when hoda first met erin ludwig in 2016, a young mother

battling breast cancer alongside her husband and jason and daughters. their connection was instant. >> hi, erin. >> hey, hoda. >> that day became one of many precious memories, a family photo shoot on the beach, a surprise reunion with loved ones. >> surprise! >> most importantly, moments that showed erin just how many lives she had touched. >> there is a lot of love on this driveway right now. >> months later, sweet erin passed away. >> something i realize is that life is moving on, whether you are ready or not. so better jump on board or be left behind. that's the way i look at it. it's happy and sad like, oh, wow she accomplished this milestone like talking. erin never got to see that. >> through bedtime stories, morning hair braiding and endless hugs, jason was determined to honor his wife's legacy of love. a year later hoda returned to throw her arms around this family. >> what is that?

is that a big bear? >> hoda! >> hi! come here! >> hi! >> say hi. i remember. >> hi, aubry. i remember. can i hold you for a second. >> yeah. what a surprise! >> i want to show you one quick thing on the bottom of the feet. this one says aubrey. and this one says savannah. watching you with those girls just melts my heart. how are you doing? >> it is a struggle every day, just getting into our routine now. >> when you look at your girls and you watch them playing and they seem carefree, what are your hopes for them as they grow up? >> that they will follow in erin's footsteps and just be strong and opinionated and be themselves and have the same values that erin has. >> with jason's devotion to grow into the strong women their mother always dreamed they would be. are you ready to see them? seven years later, we're happy

to report that jason and his daughterare now 13 and 10 and they're doing great. hoda, if you need proof, they're here today. so jason, savannah and aubry, come on out. hi, girls. they have a little gift for your girls. >> thank you. how are you? you're good. how are you? >> we brought some flowers for you. >> hi, jason. hi, aubrey. hi, savannah. have a seat, sweetie. >> oh, my gosh. wow! wow! >> look at these big girls. >> come sit. come sit. come sit. come sit. come sit. >> look at these flowers. erin's favorite flowers. >> oh, wow! hi! how old are you again?

>> 13. >> 13? >> 10. >> did you notice they brought bears? >> oh, gosh. >> we wanted to bring those for you because that was one of the best gifts that they treasure, is the ones you brought for them. so we wanted it to be a full-circle moment and bring them ck to you for your daughters. >> it is so beautiful that you are here, and we saw the bond that erin shared and then all of you. you know, what has that meant to you over the years? it means so much for you to come and to be here for hoda. >> yeah. we would not miss this for the world. when we first got you. you know, what has that meant to you over the years? it means so much for you to come and to be here for hoda. >> yeah. we would not miss this for the world. when we first got the call that we were asked to come back, sat with the girls and we talked and without a without we decided we wanted to come back. you have touched our lives in ways you have no idea. we are just a small percentage of lives you have touched throughout your career. >> jason, you are unbelievable.

how are you, by the way? >> we are great. savannah is in sports. aubrey is in sports. they're both very active. >> what do you play? >> i play softball. >> gymnastics. >> yeah. and i have a huge family support system, my dad, my brother, my sister, aunts, uncles, cousins. my girlfriend has been there for me. and i couldn't do it without her. she's been there for me the past few years helping me raise them. w. i bet you tell so many stories about their mom to him. >> oh, yeah. she's still brought up. she's still very alive in our house and in our memories. >> i can't believe this moment happened. you guys, i can't. i don't know how to say thank you. i can't wait to tell my girls about you girls. it's going to be pretty cool. i'll do that tonight, too. so you said the bear is on your bed now? okokay. well, the bear will be on their bed tonight, too. >> and aubrey actually has one thing for you guys. >> you do? >> remember?

>> whoa! whoa! >> oh, aubrey! thank you. >> she is quite the bracelet maker. >> by the way, i will treasure this bracelet. okay? thank you. thank you so much. oh, i love you, honey bunch. thanks for coming. >> you have grown up so beautifully. jason, what a testament to you. thank you so much. >> wow! wow! >> thank you so much. >> wow, wow. wow. well, stick around. hang out. we want to see you a little bit more. we'll catch up. it is great to have you here, all of you. thank you. and we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

♪ welcome back. in an ancient castle, alan cummings brings the ultimate murder mystery games. famous faces turned competitors in the ultimate murder mystery

game. players are divided into teams where the faithfuls must uncover the traders as they vie for a grand prize. season 3 is almost here and here's a sneak peek. >> the game has begun. >> one facing forward. >> oh, no. >> do we recognize that build? >> it's like a guy's body. >> who is it, alan? od morning. >> hi, savannah. >> this is so like -- it's just taken off in popularity. >> it's nuts. >> why? did you ever think this was going to take off like this? >> no. i did it -- i mean, it is all

really left field sort of exrience from the word "go." i mean, i think people -- i have vaous theories. one, we all love watching people lie, right? >> yes. >> we lie all the time, but we don't get to watch people being made to do it. that's a psychological thing. secondly, i think the production values are amazing. >> it is gorgeous. >> it is a stunning show, the beautiful design. of course, i look insane. >> insanely great. i mean, don't you talk and dress like that all the time? >> i love it. when we were watching that, i was like, look at me swishing that cloak. >> you are swishing around the castle. >> it's great because the clothes -- i always get all my inspiration acting from the costume designers i really do because they researched it much more than i have. let's go over the top? let's go all the way scottish country lore? >> i came saying i wanted to be this sort of dandy scottish lair. that's the phrase i used, like a

james bond villain. and each year it goes more and more and more. also this year with all thos followers and i'm like, take it away, guards. followers away. and now i'm like a cult leader for some reason. i've become a cult leader. >> which your very good at it. it feels quite natural. >> like a nice cult. >> yeah. a friendly cult. >> cults, per se, are not necessarily evil. but just when they all start having sex with each other and all that. >> or coercive. but we're not doing that. >> no, my cult would be nice. >> you have contestants, faithfuls and traitors. what do you think you would excel at? being a faithful or a traitor? >> well, i would like to be a traitor because it is so much more fun. >> yeah. >> although you have to stay up much later. >> oh, why? more action? >> because you have to do the tough stuff at the end of the day. when they go home, you're up for hours. it's a good sign. you want to look at who the

traitors are, look at the people with the bags under their eyes. the tired ones. >> you know, hoda is retiring. she is not tired. >> i know she is. >> well, she's leaving the show. she's not really retiring. but do you think she could be on the show is my question to you. >> you know, my criteria for people coming on the show is would they look good getting wet. i could see you with a wet suit. >> not my hair. yeah, i can't. >> the queens get wet. you know what drag queens look like with wet hair. >> it's so fun. it is beautifully shot. you are such a star. you really make it so. >> thank you. and i had such a laugh doing it. i really enjoy it. it is such a fun thing to happen to my life and i'm just really loving it. >> and a love letter to scotland. i want to go there. apparently i have a lot of relatives, the guthries. we just said the guthrie is a very scottish name.

>> we could be related. >> do you authorities in monterey county's seaside today plan to update a new investigation tied to matthew mueller, convicted in 2015, in the so-called gone girl vallejo kidnaping. the new case unfolded in san ramon shortly after the vallejo crime. this is where police initially accused the victim, denise hawkins, of making the whole thing up. well, she later sued for defamation. seaside police chief says that mueller was has confessed to other crimes and letters they exchanged, and mueller was recently charged in connection to two separate cases in the south bay. well, alameda county supervisors today resumed discussions to sell the a share of the coliseum property to the african american sports entertainment group. that deal is valued at more than $200

million. the a's purchased the county share several years ago, and because oakland already has a deal in place, oakland's budget is now hinging on payments that will only be made once this part of the deal becomes finalized. happening now, our bob redell is speaking with leaders who will have a live report for us during our

this morning on the 3rd hour of "today," breakfast sticker shock. eggs, milk, coffee, all the essentials are getting