good morning. doubling down. jeb bush and donald trump go at it on the las vegas strip. >> you're never going to be president of the united states. >> you're rere tough, jeb. >> insulting yououway to the presidency. >> you're at 3 and i'm at 42. so far i'm doing better. >> doesn't matter. >> i'm doing better. you started off over here, you're moving further and further. pretty soon you'll be off the end. >> how trump's proposed muslim ban along with a new one. how he wants t shut off the internet. the highs and lowow of the most heated debate yet. flight of fear. a southwest airlines plane suddenly skids off the runway after landing in nashville. 100 passengers evacuated and at least eight of them taken to the hospital. the terrifying moments as we head into one of the busiest

peaking interest. all eyes on the federal reserve today. the historic meeting likely to generate an interest rate hike, the first in n nrly a decade. what does that mean for you? and eyewitness news. a local news reporter covering a bank robbery gets the surprise of a lifetime when the suspect strikes again. >> reporter: tyler, just 24 hours ago this bank -- what? oh, that's the robber. this is live tv, folks. that's the robber just went by. i got to go here and call 911. i'll talk to you later. >> the alleged robber now behind bars. that reporter adding new meanini to the phrase "live on the scene," today, wednesday, december 16th, 2015. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie live from

> and good morning, welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. so you're a television reporter on live tv describing a bank robbery, probably about to say and here's a description of the robber. he looks a lot like the guy back over there. >> just ran by. isn't that a fun job sometimes? >> really is. we're going to show you more about that. we'll show you how that story unfolded coming up. let's start with our top storthis morning, fifth h d final republican presidential debate this year. the issues of national security and isis dominated the showdown. it took place in las vegas, and while everyone expected the new rivalry between donald trump and ted cruz to take center stage, they spent most of the night clashing with other candidates. we have it all covered and we'll talk to the head of the rnc in a moment, but let's start with nbc national correspondent peter alexander. peter? >> reporter: hey, matt, good morning to you. significantly this was theirst republican debate since both paris and san bernardino with all the republican contenders trying to show strength.

against donald trump, but was it too little too late, and for the first real time we saw marco rubio and ted cruz battle back and forth. fight night in vegas. jeb bush flailing in the polls taking the gloves off f ainst donald trump. >> so, donald, you know is great at the one-liners, but he's a chaos candidate. and he'd be a chaos president. >> he has failed in this campaign. it's been a totatadisaster. nobody cares. >> reporter: trump's reactions alone priceless. bush argued trump isn't a serious candidate. >> i won't get my information from the shows. i don't know if thth's saturday morning or sunday morning. i don't know which one. this is a tough business. >> oh, i know. you're a tough guy, jeb, i know. >>nd we need to have a leader. >> you're tough. >> you're never going to be president of the united states. >> i'm at 42 and you're at 1 and so far i'm doing better. >> doesn't matter. >> you started off over here jeb, you're moving over further and further and pretty s sn

>> reporter: trump earned points reaffirming he won't run as an independent. >> i'm totally committed to the republican party. i feel very honored d be the front-runner, and i think i'll do very well. >> reporter: ted cruz and marco rubio, a pair of ambitious freshmen senators, exchanged blows on a series of hot button issues from defense spending. >> you can't carpet bomb isis if you don't have planes and bombs to attack them with. >> rorter: to immigration. >> he was fighting to grant amnesty y d not to secure the border. i was fighting to secure the border >> reporter: anticipated fireworks between trump and his chief challenger, ted cruz, never materialized. >> gotten to know him over the last three or four days. he has a wonderful temperament the. he's just fine. don't worry about him. >> we will build a wall that works, and i'll get donald trump to pay for it. >> reporter: rand paul jabbed chris christie over the bridgegate scandal. >> i mean, when we think about

might want world war iii, we might think about someone who mimit shut down a bridgegeecause they don't like the friends. >> reporter: christie directed his sharpest attacks at presidint obama's foreign policy. >> and yes, we would shoot down the planes of russian pilots if in fact they were think that this president was the same feckless weakling that the president we have in the oval office is right now. >> reporter: and ben carson battling to resurrect his struggling campaign wouldn't even answer when asked to pick sides in a spat between paul and rubio over surveillance. >> i think you have to ask them about that. i don't want to get in between them. let them fight. >> reporter: bottom line, analysts agree nothing happened last night shifting thstatus quo meaning the temperature inin las vegas. the race, the field will remain frozen with trump at one and ted cruz at two and two more

before the iowa caucuses. >> thank you. >> reince priebus chairman of the republican national committee is also out in las vegas. good morning. thanks for getting up early. appreciate it. >> hey, good morning, savannah. >> let's do some housekeeping. donald trump seemed to be flirting again with the idea this week of mounting an independent run. last night he seemed again to closed door on that and say he'll run as a republican, no matter what. can you now sleep at night? ed is the issue closed in your mind? >> savannah, it's been closed for months for me. i was never losing any sleep about it to begin with. i think that the media enjoys this little narrate about independndt runs, but the trutut is that there isn't going to be any independent in the white house. they are either going to be a republican or a democrat. i was never concerned d out it. donald trump signed the pledge when i went to his office months ago, and he's never indicated to me any reason why he wouldn't honor the pledge, and i never

so it's never been anything i've been concerned about. >> let's talk about another issue. there's open discussion among some republicans of a notion of a brokered convention, that if trump were to be the nominee, that republicans would get together at the convention and come up with an alternative and have a floor fight. let me ask you directly. will you rule out this notion of a brokered convention? >> well, savannah, i don't know where that narrative comes from other than a fictional narratiti that's spun up last week that never happened. >> will you rule it out? can you rule it out? >> first of all, well no one can rule it out. if a candidate doesn't get to a majority of delegates by the time you get to the convention, then you could have a contested nvention, but my belelf is that we'll have a presumptive nominee by the end of march or middle of april. i've said that for over a year. i still belifve that. the odds of a contested convention are almost nothing, but, you know, look, is it possible? it's possible, but it's possible the democrats would have a

of course not and it's sometng that -- go ahead. >> sorry to interrupt. the discussion comes up because there's this feeling that if donald trump emerges as the nominee that some republicans will not be happy with that and they fear that it will essentially hand election to hillary clinton. a lot of the candidates, if you ask them, say they will ultimately support whoever the republican nominee is, but they can not bring themselves to say i will support donald trump. where are you on that? will you support donald trump if he is the republican nominee? >> of course. i mean, the point is the republican national committee is beininbuilt and is built for whoever the nominee, is so it doesn't matter whether it's him or someone else. one of the other 13 candidates who are on the stage last night. the republican national committee is built to plugged into whoever the nominee is, and so we're going to support whoever the nominee is, and that -- that means that whatever nominee can get a majority of delegates is the nominee of our

going to be. >> trump is getting a lot of attention and certainly setting the agenda in terms of this ban on mlims that he has proposed. you've been critical of it. you said that it would come at the expense of our values. other candidates have criticized it in varying degrees, and yet republicans support t at idea. the poll i saw was 59 to 61% approve of that idea and trump is getting a bump out of it and there's 41%. where's the disconne? is he more accurately reflecting where the republican voters are right now? >> well, you know, look. i think the reality is that we all have the same goal, righ and so you have 13 people on the stage that have different ways of getting to that goal of keeping america more safe. do i think that people are afraid. we're afraid. i'm afraid. i'm sure that you're all concerned about where we're at in the this country in fighting isis and terrorism and what happened a couple weeks ago in california frightens everybody. look --

expense of our values and yet you'll also support donald trump and i'm just trying to put those two concepts together. >> well, look, here's the thing. the concept is that everyone has or at least many. candidates have a different pathway of getting to the same goal, savannah, and the reality is that this president and hillary clinton haven't done a good job, and ththamerican people don't believe that barack obama and hillary clinton have done a good job in figing terrorism. now, look, when you have 13 candidates running, many cases you're going to have 13 different ways of tackling the problem. at least at the very least, republicans are offering solutions to the problems that i know that americans don't believe are being tackled properly, and so f f that i'm excited about the fact that we're offering the american people solutions to these problems. and we may not agree with each other on everything the goal is s still the same and that's the point i'm trying to make. >> all right. republican national committee

to talk to us. appreciate it so much. thank you. with the first votes just seven weeks away, where does the race go to here, chuck todd is nbc political director and moderator of meets and nicolle wallace is former communications director for president george w. bush and analyst for msnbc. i want going to ask you both about the debate. i want to ask is reince priebus being forthcoming about the possssle idea of a brokerere convention and his support of donald trump? >> i think he is and a lot of people that believe 's whistling past the graveyard, the criticism has been he's got his head in the sand and he will argue. no, no, no, we've got a thing in place here to handle all t ts. everybody thinks it's going to be contested, it's not, but there's others that thing he wouldn't. >> who won last night? >> i thought marco rubio took a stand for what i ireally a more

policy, and i think it was very important to see that the party had someone in the field that could articulately could defend when under attack a world view that has us more aggressive on the intelligence front and more aggressive in the middle east, and i thought he did a good job defending that. >> nevev saw the cruz/trump argument really materializes. who wins in your book? >> i thought the cruz and rubio together in some ways because they really do represent some divides inside -- inside the party, sort of ted cruz, sort of want of taking a different direction on national security, as nicole just pointed out, rubio a more traditional sort of post-9/11 view of foreign policy, and they are very gooat articulating their own points of view. they are very good at going after each other. look, rubio i thought took some incoming on immigration, and was reminded as much as i agree i thought he handled himself well, i was reminded why i think 'll have a hard time winning this nomination. immigration, just out of touch with the republican party. >> if he's a little bit out of step with the republican base it's why a lot of republicans and democrats will argue that

hillary clinton. >> touche. >eb bush never gets good reviews after debates. he's admitted. >> here or anywhere else. >> last night was different though. we saw a different side him. >> there's no debate that jeb bush had his best performance last night, that he did a great job, on the offense against nald trump. really seemed to g g under his skin and annoy him. i think the unfortunate piece of it is that many wonder and suspect that it may be too late but we'll see. >> but he found his role. >> his role is to go after trump, and i think if that's all heheoes now he thinks hehe done a service to the party. >> chuck, nicole, good to see you. >> thank you. a breaking story out of tennessee that happened overnight. a southwest airlines plane skidded off the taxiway after r landing at airport in nashville. nbc's tom costello is covering aviation for us and has the story. tom, what can you tell us about it. >> reporter: good morning, more than 100 passengers on board and evacuated all safely after the plane suddenly veered off the runway on landing and then running into a ditch. that triggered a full emergency

this morning the faa investigating why this passenger plane rolled off a taxiway in tevnessee tuesday night. southwest flight 31 originating in houston was taxying to the gate and then became stuck in a ditch aftetelanding in nashville. >> everything is normal and we hear a big pop. >> reporter: photos posted on social media show one of the plane's emergency slides deployed. a spokesman for southwest tells nbc news the 133 passengers and 5 crew members were safely transported into the airport. the e fety of our customererand employees remains our primary focus. eight passengers on board the 737 were transported to a local hospital after suffering minor injuries, mostly bumps and bruises, according to the nashville fire department. >> it was scary, real scary. we were on the ground so it uld have been worse. >> reporter: tuesday's incident coming days after another southwest flight made an emergency landing in san antonio -- that aircraft landed safely after part of the wing apprs to be what the airline calls at an regular angle.

a week away and the rush beginning, millions of americans expected to fly for the holidays. recovery crews arrived on the scene overnight and began moving the plane out of the ditch.. the nashville airport says despite the emergency all runways remained opened and operational through the evening, no delays. both the faa and southwest looking into what happened. back to you. >> tom costello, thank you. now to the harsh criticism aimed atathe school officials in the second largest school district in the country. hundreds of thousands of students returning to class after an unprecedented decision to the close many schools. many calling that a knee jerk reaction. let's go to nbc correspondent miguel almaguer in los angeles. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this is one of hundreds of schools set to reopen acting out of an abundance of caution the superintendent says he was acting responsibly but this

of him. 700,000 students will be back in school today, just 24 hours after the unprecedentetedecision to shut down the nation's second largest school district just before classes were set to begin. >> we can now announce fbi has determined this is not a credible threat, something we couldn't have announced earlier in the day. >> reporter: the abrupt decision came after an e-mail threat. someone claiming to be a high school senior sasa they were bullied and ready with an army to attack schools with guns and bombs. l.a. is just 65 miles from san bernardino where 14 were killed in a terror attack two weeks ago today. >> decision was made and information we have now was not available. >> reporter: while theheolice chief stood by the superintendent't' decision, privately law enforcement officials say they advised against the closure calling it a bad move. in new york where a similar e-mail was receid, classes went on as scheduled.

bratton, now the police commissioner in new york, says l.a. overreacted. >> we do not see that as a credible terrorist threat, and we are investigating it as a hoax. >> reporter: after sweeping 1,500 los angeles schools for bombs the all clear came late tuesday, well after parents scrambled to pick up stranded students. >> i'm happy that they took precautions. i'm sad, you know, for the kids that they can't be in school today. >> reporter: this morning l.a. usd is back in business but onon after heavy criticism. as students across this 710 square mile school district get set to return, a 17-year-old student was struck and killed by a truck yesterday as he was crossing the street. it's unclear if he was headed to or from school after the school closure. savannah and matt, back to o u. >> allllight, miguel almaguer, thank you. want to turn now to the historic meeting by the federal reserve that's being watched

main street. a little later today the fed is expected to raisisinterest rates for the first time since 2006. it's a move that will impact everything from your mortgage to your savings. nbc's olivia sterns covers financial issues for us. why now. >> reporter: this is a good consider this a vote of confidence in thamerican economy and the central bank saying we're back, don't need emergency measures anymore. they brought the zero rates in order to bring us back from the crisis to stoke borrowing and lending in the economy and the good news it worked. the economy is growing at a pretty steady clip at 2.5% and unemployment is half of what it was during the crisis. it's 5% and, yes, some people are starting to get away so all of this is good news and w don't need the crutch anymore. >> good news for the economy but it can be tough for people on main street. it's going to impact our bottom line. how fast and how will it affect

>> reporter: not soon. first rate hike es of 1%. the questionons the pace at which the fed continues to raise rates over the next year or two that. -- that said, if you have any kind of variable rate debts or credit t card loans or student loans or an adjustable rate mortgage you'll see an increase in your monthly payment and if you're a more interest on any savings or cds, but, again, we're talking if you're thinking about m ming a big purchasesedon't do anything rash but do start to get your finances in order now. >> olivia is a glass half full. no question about it. >> i like it. never thought this s y would come. >> it's good news for the economy that we don't need that crutch anymore. >> olivia, thank you so much. we'll get a check of the weather. mr. roker is over at the weather wall. >> you guys ready to play the game we love to play, who's colder? >> yes. >> these are some of the temperature lows, los angeles or new york city, who is colder? >> los angeles.

are e u absolutely corrected. los angeles 43 for a low, and 48 in new york city. >> what do we win? >> nothing. >> boston or las vegas, who is colder? >> las vegas. >> let's see if you are right. hey, johnnyny tell them what they've won. 38 degrees in boston and 35 in las vegas, and our final, who is colder, phoenix or washington, c., ladies and gentlemen? >> phoenix. >> okay. let's see if you're right. boom, yes.s. 43 in d.c.c.nd a low of 33 in phoenix. >> let the record show we were 3 for 3. >> you were amazing. that's what's going on and we'll get to what's happening in your neck of the woods right after this i i30 seconds. look at me all togetetr now all together now everything techie for everyone.

all together now loan. today will be partly to mostly cloudy and windy. there may be a stray shower or flurry up to the north, otherwise the big story today will l e the wind. ggts could be up to 40 miles per hour at times. tomorrow will be partly cloudy with a brief relief from the wind. then the winds pick up again on friday with a mostly sunny sky. here's a look at the current flood warnings acrrss the area. several area rivers are still experiencing minor to moderate flooding. many of these rivers will crest within the >> and these your >> and that's your latest weather. miss winter. >> i just love when you do these games. that's really fun. a thank you so much. better than the old weather map. coming up, does a popular -- is a popular celebrity-endorsed hair care product making women lose their hair, a massive class action lawsuit. and on "rossen reports," is it time fororew christmas lights? dangerous concern of

could be in your home today. but, first, this is "today" on

damminged and oming up, natalie helps a woman dedicated to helping children in need. >> first your local news. i sure had a lot on my mind when i got out of the hospital after a dvt blood clot. what about my family my li'l buddy? and what if this hapapned again? i was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if this was the right treatment for me. then my doctor told me about eliquis. eliquis treats d and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots, but eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. knowing eliquis had both... turned around my thinking. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding.

or abnormal bleeding. if you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily... and it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. eliquis treats dvt & pe blood clots. plus had less major bleeding. both made switching to eliquis right for me. ask your doctor if it's right for you. at toys"r"us, you can buy one get one 40% off all sorts of toys. even that life size stock boy action figure? nah, that's just s4eve. buy one get one 40% off power rangers, crayola, nerf modulus and more.

heart disease. asthma. diabetes. 7 out of 10 americans take prescription drugs. but in the last 7 years drugs prices have doubled. hillary's going to take on the drug coanies. require medicare to negotiate lower drug prices. let people buy their prescription drugs from countries like canada at half the price. ancap monthly prescription costs for evereramerican. the drug companies have been over charging long enough. it's time to fight back. i'm hillary clinton

as we hear of mass shootings and school threats across the

-- iowa police are preparing just in case. here's the des moines police department's bomb squad equipment...somethi ng many iowa theyve got a suspect might be, something like that, we can really start following up on leads, then well aluo get our detectves involved, nd the bomb squad will et involved.' police have tools to help them track down people who make threats online. the driver of a car that flips over doesn't have to look far for help. it happened right out the dubuque fire station at university and grandview avenues. this is video ffom our coveragg partners at t-h media. we're still working to learn more about the crash. here's the storm track 7 day forecast. today will be windy. tomorrow will be partly cloudy. more sunshinenen friday but ii will be windy and very cool. with a slight chance for rain next monday and tuesday. we'll be back in 30 minutes, be sure to check kwwl dot com for the latest news

got you covered. paris: there's a lot to do on a dairy farm. nobody's gonna do it for you. you have to get out there and do it yourself.. bernie sanders is a well-known friend of family farms. bernie cannot be bought out by big money. bernie's opinion cannot be purchased. it's time for our vext president to get in there, roll up his sleeves, take offffhe gloves, and take on wall street, take on big business, take on big money, and get the working class back to where they should be. he's a rock.

ere's a happy crowd. 7:. it'sednesday morning, december 16, 2015. another pretty day here inin manhattan. festive holiday crowd out on the plaza and no complaints about the weather. almost a headline in itself. >> none whatsoever. > students are retururng to classes in los angeles today following a threat that shut down all 900 schools in the nation's second largest school system. that threat turned out to be a hoax, but the superintendent says he couldn't take any chances. defense secretary ash carter commanders and iraqi leaders. the goal of the trip, to find new ways to fight isis and speed

the region. and the reporter covering a day-old bank robbery in minnesota got a big surprise during his live report. >> reporter: what? oh, that's the robber. this is live tv, folks. that's the robber, just went by. >> apparently a bank employee ran by that reporter that the bandit had just struck again. the suspect was captured about an hour later. not what you expect when you're covering a day-old bank robbery. >> no. >> we'll have more on that in a little while. meanwhile, the biggest talker of the morning, the fireworks on display in las vegas last night during the final republican presidential debate of the year, especially fireworks between donald trumpmpnd jeb bush who declared the front-runner to be a chaos candidate. nbc's national correspondent peter alexander was there. peter, good morning, again. >> reporter: hey, matt, good morning to you once again. the night's biggest headline very likely was the fact that donald trump again reaffirmed

third-party candidate, as an independent, the commander in chief debate with national security now a top priority for americans. no one was able to knock out donald trump, jeb bush tried and marco rubio didn't. rubio and ted cruz exchanging most of the blows. trump at center stage appeared more comfortable and in control than in some past debates, and he turned some heads with his comments about how to o mbat isis' online propaganda machine. >> isis is recruiting through the internet. isis is using the inteteet better than we are using the internet. i would certainly be on to closing areas where we are at t war with s sebody. i sure as hell don't want to let people that want to kill us and kill our nation use our internet. >> reporter: a lot of people were interested in his choice of words, our internet. as to what happened last night as to what didn't. no fight between donald trump

a lot of analysts believe that this race is locked in place through the holidays. two more debates in january before those iowa caucuses february 1st. matt? >> peter alexander, thanks so much. shifting gears. popular line of hair care products endorsed by some celebrities has nobeen hit with a massive lawsuit. a growing number of women claiming a cleansing shampoo has actually caused their hair to fall out. natalie is following this one for us. >> righ this lawsuit, guys, more than 200 women in 40 states say they used wen products and ended up with rashes, scalp irritation, hair breakage, discoloration and even in some cases baldness. now some of the women are speaking out. hair care products are an enormous $83 billion industry in the united states. >> if you're having a bad hair day, it's a bad day. >> reporter: something that can make that day even worse, losing your hair. hundreds of peopop on social media say it happened to them after using wen hair care products. >> the hair started coming out. >> reporter: in flflida amy

products for two weeks. >> absolutely outrageous that a product that you would put on your hair causes hair to fall out. >> reporter: nbc news cannot independently verify amy's claim. she filed a lawsuit against wen and now 200 women have joined a class action lawsuit against the company. it alleges one or more wen products contain an ingredient or combination of ingredients that cause significant hair loss, damage and other injuries upon proper application. >> hi. i'i'chaz dean, creator of wen hair care and body care. >> reporter: and named in the lawsuit celebrity hairstylist chaz dean and guthy renker which mass markets usisi celebrity spokeswoman including alyssa milano milano, brooke shields, and angie harmon. >iterally a miracle.. >> reporter: wen and guthy renker said there is no scientific evidence whatsoever to support any claim that our hair care products caused anyone to lose their hair.

individuals may lose their hair, all l related to wen hair care products. and they promised to vigorously contest allegations made against our products. t even allegations c c be devastating for the company. >> there is the court of law and there's the court of public opinion, and when hendreds of people are claiming that your hair product is causing scalp damage and making their hair fall out, they have already lost in the court of public opinion. >> both sides say they are working towards a settlement in the wsuit but it's a company that's been very popular, two years that they have been in business, grossed over $100 million in their product sales. >> tough headlines for them, for sure. thank you. we'll get a check of the weather now from a a a pretty vigorous snow storm ming out of rockies s d making its way into the upper midwest.

a lot of snow there. some places picking up up to 8 inches of snow. kids enjoying, of course, a good old game of touch -- well, maybe that's tacklklfootball. boom! i guess it's tackle. the storm system going now. well, wewee watching it make its way its way knew the upper midwest, another 5 to 8 inches of snow in minnesota. wind gusts, could be blizzard-like e nditions. also watching another significant storm coming into the pacific northwest wednesday through friday over the next several days. some area, 4 to 8 inches of rain and 2 to 4 inches as you get closer to coast and look at this. snowfall amounts anywhere from one to two feet. we've got winter storm watches from partsloan. today will be partly to mostly cloudy and windy. there may be a stray shower or flurry up to the north, otherwise the big story today will be the wind. gusts could be up to 40 miles per our at

cloudy with a brief relief from the wind. then the winds pick up again on friday with a mostly sunny sky. here's a look at the current flood warnings across the area.. severara area rivers are still experiencing minor to moderate flooding. many of these rivers will crest within the >> get your latest weather when you need it, weather.com online and the weather channel. >> good advice, al. ahead, before the new year, we'll look at the stories that impacted our world and touched our lives in 2015. >> but first, coming up -- >> good morning, i'm jeff rossen. comi up, the christmas sson danger in your home right now. we'll show you the one item that caused this massive fire in just a matter of seconds and how to protect your family. it's so hot i have to actually back up right now. it's sava life coming right up. it's that night of the year you come here. looking for gifts so there won't be tears. eleventh hour shopper...that's you.

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unusual bruising, or tingling. if you have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto , watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle related signs or symptoms. do not take relto if you have an artififial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto , tell your doctor about any kidney, lir, or bleeding problems. you know xarelto is the #1 prescribib blood thinner in its class. that's a big win. it is for me. with xarelto there is no regular blood monitoring and no known dietary restrictions. treatment with xarelto ... ...was the right move r us. ask your doctor r out xarelto . 7:42. we're back with more of our rossen reports series "saved my life." >> today national correspondent jeff rossen is here with a very timely warning. jeffff >> repororr: really is. supposed to be the happiest time of the year, but did you know most house fires happen right now, during the holidays.

your christmas tree. turns o o many people are makakg a simple mistake that could mean the difference between life and death. just days ago a christmas tree catching fire in missouri, erupting in flames, s sting this whole house on fire. the family barely made it out alive. in california, this house up i flames, too. again, all starting with their christmas tree. >> everything happened right away, so quickly, so i was just trying to hurry everybody up and get everybody out. >> reporter: turns out it's common, and if you're caught inside deadly. >> christmastime, these happen all over the country. they are tragedies, not only one or two kids, can be entire family. >> reporter: because when these trees burn they explode in flames in seconds. why? your tree is too dry, not getting enough water. we are testing it out with a sacramento fire department. this i i the kind of christmas tree you probably have in your home right now.

full of ornaments and it's not been watered in days. the way these fires normally start, a small little spark somewhere in your house, and we're going to do is set a spark here and set this tree on fire and see how fast it burns. we'll get out so we're safe. >> fire in the hole. >> reporter: within seconds it's an inferno. the tree, fully engulfed. whoa, that smoke. within secos. you. >> finitely. what happens in your home when you don't water your tree. literally every minute it will double in sides like having a huge piece of kindling. >> reporter: and watch, it's already spreading tthe table and chair. the entire room is on fire. >> if i'm in my house, should i get a fire extinger? >> that's the biggest mistake people make, try to stay in the home and fight the fire. get out of home immediately and call 911. we've cleared all the smoke out of the room and have a new christmas tree here and this one has been watered.

it look, the firefighter can't even get to light up and he's trying t.finely gets going. burning a lot slower with the dry tree. with the wet tree takes tries as long to ignite. >> dry tree on the left and wet tree on the right. huge difference. >> reporter: what are the tips here? >> water your tree every day or every other day and keep it away from any heating element, portable space heater, radiator and check your christmas tree lights, any frayed or d daged light keep that off your christmas tree because every year that can be the emission source. >> every year people use the same lights, put it in the attic and bring it backck check for this before you put it back up. >> reporter: simple advice to keep your family safe. savannah, one of the people that use the same lights every single year. >> i do, and it'scheap. >> reporter: fine to do that and make sure they are not frayed and there's other things at home that could spark this time of the year.

and if you're cooking on a stovetop keep a pan nearby in case that catch eds fire and make an escape fire case something like that happens. >> what do we have tomorrow? learned a lot. >> reporter: tomorrow in our series "saved my life." what to do when you get trapped in your car in a snow storm. it's happened with drivers getting stuck on major freeways. how to survive until help survives 24 to 48 hours later tomorrow on "today." >> jeffry, thank you very much. coming up, the biggest stories of 2015 and how we covered them on "today, grandma is so happy to be here for your very first christmas. i hear you'reuite the expert at waking g ople up in the mororng. let me show you how grandma does it. your daddy made this when he was a little boy. this is your dad at my house,

thanks for making the coffee. well look who's up. i'm really glad you're here mom. me too. look who's here! with ingredients like roasted hazelnuts and cocoa, there's a whole lot of happy in everyryar of nutella.

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an iowa man sees two people for money -- and offers them a b. but the pandhandlers say no thanks. then -- the businessman sees them back out with their signs.

"if they're going to sand out there and hold a sign and ask don't give them money." he's offered jobs to panhandlers before -- and says he'll contine to do so. a lot of you sharing your thoughts on this story on our now, let's go to kyle with a look at weather. he's the storm track 7 day forecast. today will be windy. tomorrow will be partly cloudy. more sunshine on friday but it will be windy and very cool. however, slight chance for rain next monday and tuesday. we'll be back i i 30 minutes, bb susu to check kwwlwldot com for the

it's 8:00 on today. coming up, from the pope's historic visit to the race for the white house. leader by far. >> to moments of terror and kindness. a look back at the year that was. the events, people and stories that shaped our world. then paying it forward. >> i'm a city of foster kid. >> i live in foster care. >> i grew up in foster care. >> a shining the light on foster care and finding children a forever home. >> plus, double the star power. fresh off two golden globe nominations, hollywood's new it

he's good. pop star sings his latest hit today, wednesday, december 16, 2015. >> merry christmas, from cali to new york! >> good morning. >> go clemson tigers. >> celebrating 40 years of marriage. >> and 60 years old, yay! >> here in new york to celebrate my birthday here on the "today" show. >> 8:00 on a wednesday mornin 16th day of december, 2015. >> there's a noticeable change in the air today even though we've got the same huge holiday crowd and winds blowing, temperatures have dropppp and more seasonal feel right now.

>> it will warm up again this weekend. >> okay. >> let's head inside and check the top stories of the morning. hey, nat. >> guys, good morning. republicans traded stinging personal insults during their final debate of the year tuesday nit. nbc national correspondent peter alexander was in las vegas f f us. peter, good morning. >> natalie, good morning to you. this was in effect a commander in chief debate all the republicans trying to convince voters that they are best qualified t t keep americans safe. there was no outright winner last night except perhaps the republican party demonstrating, that well, donald trump is going to stay in the te. he said he would not monday a third-party bid. some real infighting between donald trump and jeb bush. bush taking aim at trump, insisting that he is e chaos candidate and thenou had trump attacking bush for his poor poll numbers and marco rubio announced real divisions such as domestic surveillance and

ris christie was strong as well but most analysts agree this race is locked in place during the holidays with donald trump a strong number one and ted cruz in second. natalie. >> peter alexander in las vegas, thanksks we have breaking news from europe. officials in austria say they have arrested two men with possible connections to the attacks in paris last month. meantime, hillary clinton is providing new details abobo her plan to prevent future attacks here in the u.s. she wants silicon valley to help block isis recruitment online. she also called on american muslim communities to intervene and help stop radicals, calling them our best defense. two people were killed overnight when a medical helicopter crashed in the mountains about 55 miles east of phoenix. search teams found one crew member alive. >> just be advise e at had we have dps on the ground. they have possibly located the crash side.

waving a light at them. >> that survivor was flown to a nearby hospital, the chopper carried a doctor, a nurse and paramedics. no crew on board. the mana woman who revolutionized the mail order, lillian vernon went small and offered unique gifts and home goods that could be monogrammed for ee. lillian vernon was 88 years old. for the first time a woman has been chosen toer is as commandant of cadets at west point. brigadier general diana holland aduated from the academy in 1990. afghanistan. general holland will be in charge of training west point's more than 4,000 cadets. congratulations to her. a homeowner i i south geoeoia was doing some yard work when he look. it was that. a small plane that landed right on his rooftop. the two people on board were

few cuts and bruises. the pilot had reported engine trouble and was trying to reach an airport about half a mile away. good thing he is okay. right now. mr. roker. today's weather is brought to you by kay jewellers, the numbebe one jewelner america. every kiss begins with kay. >> around the country today, sunshine, a little cooler along the east coast and more wet weather making its way from the the gulf coast. snow across the northern plains and another big storm moving into the pasloan. today will be partly to mostly cloudy and windy. there may be a stray shower or flurury up to the north, otherwise the big story today will be the wind. gusts could be up to 40 miles per hour at times. tomorrow will be partly cloudy with a brief relief from the wind. then the winds pick up agagan on friday with a mostly sunny sky. here's a look at the current flood warnings across the area. several area rivers are still

minor to moderate flooding. many of these rivers will crest within the >> that's your latest weather. savannah. >> all right, al, thank you. remember the most. we look back at the most talked about news stories of 2015. >> plus, natalie pays it forward to a selfless woman she's known for years but has never met. >> and honey, he's good. andy grammmm performs his [makes siren noise] i'm watching that. eew. every christmas is memorable. but a gift from kay jewelers... makes it unforgettable. because it's more than a gift. it's a memory she'll wear forever. save 25% on any citizen watch. powered by light - any light. never needs a battery. at kay, the number-one memory-maker in america. every kiss begins with kay. this holiday i can count on someone's kid mistaking me for santa.

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we call it share the love. during our share the love event, get t new subaru, and we'll donate $250 to those in need. bringing our total donations to over sixty-five million dollars. and bringing love where it's needed most. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. from the crowded raced to the white house and the pope's visit and terror here at home and abroad, 2015 has been filled with triumph and tragedy. >> here is a look back at moments that shaped your world as we reported them here on "today".." breaking news. masked men opened fire at offices of a controversial newspaper in paris. >> two armed men entered the buildingngnd began opening fire.

at a kosher deli and meanwhile the two brothers suspected of cornered. >> terrorists who traumatize this region for three days are dead but not before leaving 17 innocent lives ended. >> the kayla mueller, an aide isis. >> i really feel we had a chance to get her out. >> do you feel like our government did enough? >> the major new offensive launched by isis. >> the u.s.-led coalition is striking back. are we winning right now? >> we're still building the forces. i'm confident we willwin. >> russian passenger plane with 224 people o o board crashes in egypt. >> isis claimed it had brought down the plane. >> vladimir putin is vowing to take revenge. >> and attack on a paris-bound train thwarted by three americans. >> seemed like he was ready to fighted to the end. so were we. >> we remember spencer leaning over you and helping you.

take you thanks for saving my life. >> today marksled promise of a new day for the united states and cuba. >> for the first time in 54 years an american flag will be raise the at the u.s. embassy in havana. >> devastating earthquake in nepal. >> this is the race against time. brick by brick the desperate dig to find survivors. >> growing crisis overseas. migrants trying to escape their war-torn homeland attempting to get to europe >> president obama is strongly defending that controversial deal to halt iran's nuclear program. >> it is a good dealal >> you guys have been bamboozled and the american people are going to pay for that. >> bamboozled, outmaneuvered, outnegotiate the. were you fleeced? >> there's a lot of politics going on, matt. >> breaking news. >> this comes out of france where a germanwings passenger plan has crashed. >> disturbing new details. co-pilot intentionally crasheded the plane into the mountains.

responsibility for unprecedented attacks in paris, in six separate but coordinatee bombings and shootings. >> the scene of the worst carnage at bataclan theser. >> witnesses say they saw these shooters arrive inside and beginning firing indiscriminatete. >> an international manhunt is now under way. >> the suspected ringleader is in in fact dead. >> the soul of the city is intact. they have heavy hearts but they will not succumb to fear. >> seems another week, another tragic mass shooting. >> nine people killed in an unthinkable crime in charleston, south carolina. >> w wt does it say about us, that in 2015 somebody walks into a church and then shoots them one by one? >> he said should up, i'm going to shoot you. he said i i not going to shoot you. i'm going to leave you here to tell the story. >> in laugh yet, louisiana, a gunman opened fire inside a

>> i'm not sure why this man chose this movie to end these two people's live. >> a reporter and another killed lived on television. it takes my breath away. >> a gunman opened fire carrying out the vicicus attack. >> exchanging swhots him. >>. happening? >> we' become numb to this. >> a 57-year-old man behind bars after a deadly shootout at a planned parenthood clinic. >> breaking overnight, a young % papay. what d d she describe? >> bullets flying all over the place. >> the female shooter pledged her allegiance on line to the leader of the islamic state. >> the this was an act of terrorism designed to kill innocent people. >> the u.s. has already seen

the year. >> get off me. >> it has been a night of chaos, violence, lawlessness in baltimore over the death of freddie gray. >> areas of the city that literally look like battle fields. >> this is the scene of a deadly amtrak derailment in philadelphia. >> just down the road behind me you can see the tanglgl mess of cars, tracks, power lines. >> there were people screaming and bleeding. >> the white house awash in a full rainbow in celebration of the supreme court's historic ruling on same-sex marriage. >> we've made our union a little more perfect. kentucky is behind bars this morning after refusing to issss couples. >> i'm not. >> under whose authority? >> under god's authority. >> pope franci waking up for the first time in the u.s. this morning after being greeted by the president, the vice

>> unique and historic moment. the first opportunity for so many americans to see this pope in pope francis. >> pray for me, don't forget. >> where are they in the desperate search to find and capture two inmates involved in a brazen prison break. >> this prison break right out of a hollywood script. >> new questions swirl around joyce mitchell and whether she helped them hatch their plan. >> i knew i was in way over my head. >> there have been reports that your wife fell in love with one of these inmates. >> she didn't know if i loved her anymore, she said. >> the nightmare is finally over. >> i'm not the monster that everybody thinks i am. . >> the notorious mexican drug lord el chapo. >> i saw that prison break in upstate new york was impressive.

>> el chapo had a mile-long tunnel. >> the death of cecil the lion has ignited controversy behind the world and the doctor behind it now in hiding. >> tens of million_ of e-mail addresses belonging to ashley madison customers available for all to see now oint net. >> millions of marriages and reputations could be very much at stake this movning. >> areou african-american?? >> i don't understand the question. >> the a prominent ncaa leader under fire accused by her own family of lying about being black. >> are y y ann african-american woman? >> i identify as black. >> new england patriots are at the center of a controversially. >> they are calling this deflategate. did the new e eland patriots dock tort fooooalls their team used in the big win over the colts here over the weekend? >> is trade' cheater? >> i don't believe so. i mean, i feel like i've always played witn the les. >> he did it! >> american pharoah in that run

crown winner in 37 years. >> american pharoah is finally the one! >> i don't know that i'v'v everr heard a roar that was louder than what i heard on saturday afternoon. >> believe. >> the u.s. women win the world cup. >> it was thrilling, it was stunning, it was amazing. >> usa! >> we're world cup champions! >> bruce jenner's transition to life as a would. the former olympian revealed a look and name on the cover of ""vanity fair." ". >> was there an adjustment? >> we all support him, was there an adjustment, yes. >> nothing better than to look in the meror and feel comfortable with yourself and who you are. hello from the other side >> so the song what, is it about? >> i like to start reconnecting with everyone else and myself, you know. it's in general just hello, everyone. hello.

>> nice to meet you. >> gwen and blake, does it good to be out in the open now? >> i likeour suit. >> thank you. >> i like your movie. >> oh, my god. thank you. >> so funny. >> stop. what was your favorite part in the. >> all o it. >> yes, yes, yes. >> i'll have what he had. >> on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being happy and 10 being over the mood. how happy are you not being to run willing for everything? >> not as happy as michelle. >> i just constantly think of how proud i am that he's able to carry the weight of the world but still, you know, find time to be myy husband. >> and all of the spotlight gets to be on those ladies you love. >> there's just nothing like sharing the spotlight or anything else with your sisters and your mom. >> i knew during the surgery that he was on my side and this wasn't something that i felt

husband wasn't going to let that happen. >> you know there are a lot of rumors. >> sure. >> out there right now, and would you like to address them head on. >> i'm here to admit that i am in fact hiv-positive. it's a hard three let efforts to absorb. >> so are we talking about lawsuits filed against you, charlie? are we talking about shakedowns? >> we're talking about shakedowns. are you still paying some of these people? >> not after today i'm not. >> the let me know we can't wait for you to come bacac we can't wait for to you come back and i can't wait to make them laugh again. >> you know what would be a nice way to thank them, one day walking down those stairs again on "sasarday night live." >> i i promise you, i promise you. >> i'm back.

>> glad you're with us. should be a good afc west -- >> yolky's blast sails over the left field fence and the yanks are off and running. >> we're grateful for it. >> we can't late criminal extort his own freedom. >> many in the hills say they need the crease fire. >> i never dreamed it could possibly have grown to where it is today. >> half the united nations --

>> live long and prosper. >> let the race begin. >> i am announcing. >> i am proud to announce. >> i am officially running. >> i'm a candidate. >> i announce my ndidacy. >> for president. >> of the united states. >> the question being raised about why hillary clinton used a personal e-mail account only during her tenure as secretary of state? >> secretary clinton said she did this for convenience. >> i don't think convenience should trump national security. >> it's a story that just won't go away. >> did you wipe the server? someththg? >> doo you get how bad it looks? >> it was allowed, and i've said

>> the american people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails. >> thank yoyo me, too. >> front-runner hillary clinton does have one less thing to worry about. >> i believe we're out of time, the time necessary to mount a winning campaign. >> we've put together a benghazi special committee. >> you're scheduled to testify before that committee. >> that's right. >> do you think it should be disbanded? >> they have admitted it's a political partisan committee for the soul purpose of going after me. >> high stakes at benghazi hearing. >> i thought more about what happened than all of you put together. >> nbc news has learned that house speaker john boehner will resign from congress. >> this isn't about me. it's about the people. it's about the institution. the speakership is a powerful job, and yet you don't have people following all over themselves to fill it. >> the place is impossible to run right now. >> paul ryan era sunday way on capitol hill. >> now more than ever we must

>> donald trump is riding the wave to the lead of a crowded republican field. >> when mexico sends its people, they are bringing crime, they are rapists and some i assume are good people. >> i don't mean to be fun bethis. you're losing in the polls to the host of "celebrity apprentice." >> tarart trump. theepublican candidates for president take on the front-runner and pull no punches. >> mr. trump doesn't have a proven conservative record. >> you call women you don't like fat pigs and disgusting animals. >> only rosie o'donnell. >> look at that face, trump is quoted as saying. would anyone vote for that? >> think women all over the country heard very clearly what mr. trump said. >> do you think you're setting the right example as someone who is running for the highest office in the land? >> every poll said that i'm the best leader by far. >> we've got to the wake up. cannot elect somebody t tt doesn't t ow how to do the job. >> another day, another new poll with donald trump in the lead.

>> it's a marathon. >> the donald j. trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the united states. >> he's a chaos candidate and he'd be a chaos president. >> you can't deny his impact on politics whether you like it or don't like t. >> so a little bit happened the last year. >> we're exhausted. >> quite a year. >> we should thank everyone who worked on that piece. takes a long time, producers katie buckley and yale federbush, mike sadowski and the graphic artist pauly shirokis. >> i'm glad we showed the shot of the control room. it makes the point this show is a reflection of hard work from people you don't see. >> always amaze when we sit and watch that piece how much we

course of 12 months. >> and how much of that is going to extend into 2016, whether it's politics the international fight against terrorism. these are ongoing storieie >> we look forward to what w goat cov in 2016. meanwhile. >> we are back in just a moment

the education department says it's 82 percent - the highest since it started using a new measuring system several years ago. iowa had the higgst graduation rate in the country at 90 percent. d-c was the lowest, at 61 percent. here's a big a surprise from best-selling author james patterson. he's giving two- million-dollars in grants and bonuses to school libraries and independent bookstore workers. patterson is best known for his series about detective and psychologist alex cross. iowans made the list of winners! bunger middle school in evevnsdale and theerarie lights bookstore in iowa city will both get money. now, let's go to kyle with a look at weather. here's the storm track 7 day forecast. today will be windy. tomorrow will be partly cloudy. more sunshine on friday but it we warm up this weekend with a slight chance for rain next monday and tuesday. we'll be back in 30 minutes, be sure to check kwwl dot com for the latest news you're watching k- w-w-l, we've got you covered.

8:30 now. it's wednesday morning, 16th of december, 2015. christmas is getting closer every day. great crowd out on ourplaza. a little chilly out here, but we won't complain. starting to feel like the holidays. andy grammer coming up. he's going to sing his new song and also out here collecting toys for us. >> also coming up, we've got a young lady here. she is a very talented young actress, a couple of golden globe nominations, alicia vikander and "vogue" magazine says this will be her here.

>> al, a check of the weather. >> for today snow in the plains. going to be a windy day and really a little messy. look for wet weather from the u.p, of michigan all the way down t tthe gulf coast. sunny but a little cooler along the eastern seaboard and the sunshine through the southwest and onloan. today will be partly to mostly clolody and windy. there may be a stray shower or flurry up to the north, otherwise the big story today will be the wind. gusts could be up to 40 miles per hour at times. tomorrow will be partrty cloudud with a brief relief from the wind. then the winds pick up again on friday with a mostly sunny sky. here's a look at the current flood warnings across the area. several area rivers are still experiencing minororto moderate flooding. many of these rivers will crest within

holiday is the perfect time -- jumping t tough my shot. chuck schofield is with us from no kid hungry. good morning, thanks for being here. >> thanks for having she. >> tell me about your truck and your partnership with city. >> absolutely. i'm here with the no kid hungry campaign and no kid hungry is focuses on surrounding children in need who struggle with hunger with nutritious food where they live a a learn and play. we have one in five kids in this country who struggle with hunger and that doesn't need tonight case. it's a solvable problem and that's why we have teamed up with childhood hungry. no kid hundred rig has been an incredible partner and we have beenenble to provide 10 million meals to children in need and the food truck shows we just launched this new initiative with the food truck that's driving awareness and driving donations to no kid hungry throughout t t city during this

>> that's tobin bride. chuck schofield, thanks for the work you do. >> appreciate it. >> merry christmas. >> merry christmas. >> now back inside to you guys. >> well, this morning on our series make your today it's natalie's turn to pay it rward. >> that's right. back in 2008 when i was pregnant i m mtioned on air i cravedd cheeseburgers. a woman named sarah bartos e-mailed with the world cheeseburger to congratulate me on my pregncy and we've kept in touch over the years and sarah is the lead council for children's rights, an organization that advocates for children in foster care, and i decided that that was the perfect reason to finally meet face to face. >> i'm so excited. i've been waiting seven years for this moment. sara.

you're that person on the front lines really in the courts litigating and trying to make sure that the states are taking care of those kids in the stem. >he government can do magical things for children and for families, but without accountability there's broken lives, kids who grow up in foster care and turn 18 without a home, without a mom, dad and so w wre in the courts trying to make sure that happens as infrequently as possible. >> my second home. i consider it kind of hell on earth. my foster mom started telling me things like you are ugly. you're worthless. no one could ever love you. your mother doesn't love you. that's why you're in foster care and then her husband soon began to abuse me as well. he had his way with me and i remember so clearly i'm 15.

>> wow. >> god has been incredible in my life. >> you finally had a positive experience and found your family. >> i am very, very, very fortunate to have ended up in a family like this one that has soo much love, so much kindness. >> what do you wanted people to take away from yourife? >> while things c be difficult, almost pitch blblk, in the most despair, there is hope. >> my parents, they just weren't there. they couldn't take care of me. my older brothers -- sorry. >> i know, it's a hard thing to do to talk about what you went through. >> i moved in with my foster mother whoould a year later adopt me. i ended up living with her from 5 to 13, and i suffered from physical abuse. >> so how many foster homes did you end up living in?

between 25 to 30 different fosters homes. you question where's my family? why don't i have a home? >> how did you go from that dark plple to overcoming it and becoming who you are now? >> you know, they say it takes a village to raise a child. that is true, but it takes one person to change a child, and my socialal worker was that one person who changed my life. i'm currently in my second year at st. john's university. my goal is to really inspire my brothers and sisters in the foster care system. i never gave up, even though it is hard. i am who i am today because of everybody who invested in my future, and i can be the president, too >> i'm v ving for you some day. >> i had a really actually great experience in foster care. i was in my home, in my foster home for a couple months. i thrived in it at first. eventually i started to feel a little caged in and acted out in

away when i was 16 actually. >> and then when you turned 19 >> yeah. >> that changed everything in my life. >> i got my g.e.d. while i was pregegnt with elijah and r rht after he was born i began college and i became a foster mom at 24 and if you look at a kid for their trauma, you're not looking at kid, you look at what's happened to them and my daughter hasasad a lot of trauma in her life but if you look at her and you see her, she's amazing.g. >> and the woman who inspired it all and inspired me and still inspires me, sara bartos who is so -- i'm so thrilled i finally got to meet you and we got to tell these stories. we have a little surise for you though, beyond thatat we created another video for you to help children's rights that you guys can use on your website. take a look. >> oh, my gosh. >> over 650,000 children spend time in the foster c ce system every year.

waiting to be adopted. >> just 58 of those who grow up in foster care graduate from the highgh school. >> and only around 3% graduate from the a four-year college. >> i used to be a foster kid. >> spent two years with the state as my parents. >> i spent 18ears in foster care. . >> i lived in over 25 different foster homes. >> and now i have a forever family. >> i was supported in foster care and now i'm supporting hers. >> i hope to inspire the world with my story. >> children's rights shines a spotlight on failing foster care systems. >> and used the lawawo protect tens of thousands of kids. >> hi, my name is victoria rowell. by working together we can reach the children who need our help most. >> and i'm natalie morales, and please help give tensf thousands of kids in foster care

lives they deserve! so, what do you think, zahra? >> that's fantastic. what a thrill. what a holiday joy. what a blessing, thank you so much. >e know the organization, you don't have a lot in a media budget so we figured creating that video will help raise awareness. do you think that will help to accomplish that? >> i sure hope so and if it makes a few families think about adopting. if they think bus and help us do our work, we're going to make these systems work for kid and there can be thousands upon thousands of new permanent families. . >> you are -- >> your help is amazing. >> you are a super hero. >> you know why we keep talking over chseburgers. >> exactly. >> see more of that video on our wednesday i'd. up next, one of hollywood's rising stars. double golden globes nominee

is "today" on nbc. praised as one of america's best mayors who governed as a pragmatist. bernie sders passed more amendments in a republicacacongress than any other member. cracked the gridlock with john mccain to strengthen veterans' healthcare. bernie sanders. a consistent, principled, and effective leader. building a future to believe in.

>> there's more to bebe congratulating her about. great to have you here, welcome. >> thank you so much. >> eddie redmayne was here and this is an embarrassment of riches meaning the roles he's had in the last year or so and same thihi for you. >> it's been quite a whirlwind this year. yeah, i've -- i've -- it's been just first of all been able to be wking on some of the films that i've done. some of them that came out that i did almost two and a half years ago up until now it's been quite surreal getting to meet not only people but to work with some of them. >> you're nominated for best

also best supporting actress andnd whatatas it like on the morning that the nominations were announced? >> i was in berlin doing press for "danish girl" and we were going to head off strght after we finished this table junket that i had with journalists and i came out and my publicist just looked at me and screamed and said you got nominated and i jumped out and freaked out really andnd then she said and another thing -- >> wait, there's more. >> i just blanked out then and had a very hard time to get my head around. called my parentnt the first thing. >> "the danish girl" will get a lot of attention because it deals with the issue of transgender which is in the news, but when eddie was here he made a very strong point and said let'semember that first and foremost this is a love story. is that the way you see it? >> definitely. >> it is the heart of this in a way and think it's also why i

in that sense that it's a couple that you get a very tight insight into their relationship and how -- how you -- how you tackle and handle a big change and how the relationship can go through very different stages and i was kind of just touched and very moved by -- by the amount of love. >> i was moved by the whole movie. it's a wonderful f. you're on the cover of "vogue" magazine basically saying that this comingear is going to be your year. that's a compliment and can also be nerve-racking. >> well, there's been a lot of nerve-racking moment and i think it's been, but, i mean, it's such an honor. i was 13 when ias in sweden when i went to -- to the strain straight in gottenburg was the only place you could buy international magazines,nd i gotto telel them how big -- it was a looking glass to another world so to be invited in and be

>> it's deserved. alici ya, great to meet you. congratulations on everything. >> thank you so much. >> and "danish girl" from our sister company focus features opens on christmas day. >> still ahead, a live performance from andy grammer downstairs, but, first, on a

"today" on nbc. we're back now with a rare condition tt can develop in women pregnant with identical twins. >> two mothers are l lding the charge to bring attention to it. here's "today's" erica hill. >> so this is the photo of them at the 20 weeks. they said you're fine. go home, like things are looking good, and then three days later is when we, you know, we found out that we lost our first baby. >> two weeks later, jamie delivered her twin daughters, ela and stella.

>> sometimes things look stone cold normal and within a very few days it can accelerate. >> it is tttf or twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, a disease many expectant mothers of identical twins have never even hearddof. during pregnancy most identical twins share a single placenta in the womb. sharing the placenta also means the twins share blood vessels. in at lelet 10% of cases where the twins share the placenta tttf develops and the blood flow between the babies about, unbalanceled putting bothh twins in jeopardy. >> so the smaller donor twin is losing blood volume and the baby is basically losing nrients to the other twin. the other baby gets an excess amountntf blood volume and basically each baby is in jeopardy but from polar opposite reasons. >> in some pregnancies, like jamie's, tttf developed so

nothing can be done to save the babies. but for those whoan be saved, recognizing the early signs is keyyo a positive outcome. odeh snider was also pregnant with identical twins that shared one placenta. >> i didn't know anything could go wrong. >> she had never heaea of tttf until she was diagnosed. after doctors noticed a sides discrepancy during her 16-week ultrasound. >> very intetesting. >> within days she was in the office of a one of a few neo-natal surgeons in n e country by treat tttf by operating arthroscopically to laser blood vessels that share blood vessel and restore normal flow. >> we quote a 90% chance or higher that at least one baby will survive and about a 70%

>> griffin and zachery beat the odds. >> i was very lucky, gave birth to amazing and healthy children. >> experts say women carrying twins with a shared placenta should have an ultsound every one to two weeks and watch for any physical warning signs like a rapid growth of the womb, abdominal tightness and cramping. >> i think all moms shouldn't be afraid to ask questions just to get more information for a sense of peace. >> for "today," era hill, new york. >> i've never heard of that. important information. >> and that's the whole point, to raise awareness. put a lot more information on tttf including the questions that expececnt mothers should be askingngheir doctors. it's on our website, today.com.

this is "today" on nbc. >> we're so happy to have andy grammer here to perform his latest single. >> ladies and gentlemen, andy

i've been grinding so long, been trying this for years and i got nothing to sh, just climbing this rope right here and if there's a man upstairs, he kept bringing me rain but i've sending up prayers and something's changed i think i finally found my hallelujah i'veeeen waiting for this moment all my life now all my dreams are coming true, yeah i've been waiting for this moment good to be alive right about now good, good, ood, good to be alive right about now good, good, good, goooo to be alive right about now hallelujah, let that bass line move ya, say ya and it's good to be alive right "now" i was dead in the water,

i was old news, i went cold as cold could be but i kept throwing on coal trying to make that fire b bn sometimes you got ace aa get scars to get what you deserve i kept moving on and now i'm moving up damn, i'm feeling blessed with all this love i think i finally found my hallelujah i've been waiting for this moment all my life now all my dreams are coming true, yeah i've been waiting for this moment feels good to be alive rig about now good, good, good, good to be alive right about now good, good, good, good to be to be alive right about now hallelujah, let that bass line move ya, sayyaf and it's good to be alive right about now

i could get you, could get used to this i almost can, cannot handle it i could get you, could get used to this i think final found my hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah good to be alive right about now good, good, good, good to be alive right about n n good, good, good, good to be alive right about now hallelujah, let that bass line move ya, sayyaf and it't' good to be alive right about now good, good, good, good to be alive right about now good, good, good, good to be alive right about now good, good, good, good to o alive right about now

alive right about now all right >> awesome. andy grammer and his band. thank you so much. we're back with much more of

first, a check yourthe salvation army is hoping this is a golden opportunity for a red kettle turnaround. donations are down right now. so far, no gold coins. last year, the salvation army of waterloo cedar falls received 12 during the 12 days of christmas. each coin came with a note a ad was worth between one-thousand to 17-hundred dollars. those notes are the only clues the salvation army has. helps keep the surprise and suspence going... it's the fun part of it. it keeps the mystery in the magic..." the e rganization also says it's struggling to find volunteers right now to help ring the bells so it can reach its fundraising goal. now, let's go to kyle with a look at weather. here's the storm track 7 day

tomorrow will be partly cloudy. more sunshie on friday but it will be windy and very ccol. however,,that's pretty close to average. we warm up this weekend we'll be back in 30 minutes, be sure to check kwwl dot com for the latest news you're watching k- w-w-l, we've

this morning on "today's take" best of 2015. as the year comes to a close we'll take a look back at year that was. then find out what we think about the new "star wars" films. we omise, no spoilers. >> and wait until you see what beyonce did that's got everybody talking today. all that and more coming up next. >> from nbc news, this is "today's" take with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist and tamron hall. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. welcome a "today" on this wednesday morning. a look at the beautiful tree outside and the crowd on wednesday, december 16th. tamron.

>> this is conrad zel. "hold me up." >> feels like old school. >> a little retro. >> a lot of young kids are doing old school '7 as and '880s kind of soul jams, i love it. >> speakinin of retro, i thought you were going to speak -- >> i could have. >> that's old school. >> yeah. >> that's a classic. >> we all were lucky enough last night, we went to go see "star wars, the force awakens." >> had dinner and a movie. >> so fantastic. >> i cried leaving the theater. i couldn't sleep last night. watched thehe gop debatat tries. >> unfortunately. >> that was my palette cleanser. it was beyond. it was great. >> not giving anything away. >> no, we're not. >> i do have a slight confession. >> yes. >> here it comes.

a movie. had a lot to eat, some vino, and some of us got a little sleepy. >> some of us. >> how did you fall asleep? >> i don't know. >> i was seated next to lance bass and his husband michael and like this. humor. >> it was good. the parts i was awakeke for it wawa great. >> and everyone knows that han is back and the lines, the writing. j.j. abrams, that cast. >> yeah. >> weow at your altar.r. it was so good to me. >> i thought they did such a good job of bringing new characters and plots and keeping the nostalgia there but not in a corny way. >> didn't you love the reaction of everybody in the thesers. >> oh, yeah. >> the applause. >> yeah. >> when you saw han solo popping up first, harrison ford and carrie fisher.

>> but immediately like everybody b bke out in applause and cheers. >> the applause is so loud you woke up at one point. >> you woke up and found yourself. >> i wasn't asleep the whole time. >> i grabbed lance bassss hand. >> this is the first movie that -- i saw nick and leila, nick was like, yeah, yeah. >> i couou hear him onn the side. >> i can't wait for my kids to see it. >> that's the thing. it's a shared experience and i said to someone, it feels like, brace for it, 1978, you know, '77 a a then suddenly, and it's just perfect. modernizes but keeps it true and then we woke up with bitmojis on my brain, myself and al. we have our bitmojis. >> willie, why you need that app. >> i have it. >> i did it as well. >> there you are.

family. >> someone helped me out. the young woman the star of the movie. >> daisy. >> daisy ridley. >> on her way. >> for sure. >> reporter: she is so good. >> fantastic. >> it will make $300 million. >> first weekend. >> first weekend. >> thehave already sold $100 million in advanced tickets. >> this is -- this isishe first movie i've said i want to see again, i want to, and i want to buy the dvd. i don't know the last time i actually bought dvd. i've rented but i want to own it in myy home. >> i'm going to get a laserdisc. >> yes, yes. >> getting a laserdisc. >> i'm getting a layers. i'm bringing lasers. >> half you are our audience is googling right now. >> there was a time. >> there was a time. >> it was a platter the size of this table, and you -- you get two people to walk it in and put it in the stand and then you closed draw. keep the kids away in case they

>> can't scratch it. >> in keeping with the "star wars" theme. jimmy fallon and the roots did the an amazing a capella version with some of the stars from the film. take a look.

>> everybody want a pb8. >> so cute. his l ltle facial expressionon doesn't have a face but his eyes. his eyes with the expressions. >> we better stop. we've got to the stop. >> j.j. had a big job and he delivered. the castts the awesome. >> daisy ridley. >> amazing. >> about to become a huge star. let's talk about the other thing, the thing it a tamron watched twice last night. many of us onlyy watched it once. fifth and final republican debate, another one next month. last one this year. dominated by national security and terrorism. not a lot of talk about the economy and other things. they did talk a lot of policy which was nice to heart. former in governor jeb bush confronted donald trump inary sees of exchanges. >> donald, you know, is great at one-liners, but he's a chaos candidate, and he'd be a chaos president. he would not be the commander in chief we need to keep our country safe. >> jeb doesn't really believe i'm unhingeled.

because he has failed in this campaign. it's been a total disaster. nobody cares. >> you won't be able to insult your way to the presidencnc that's n n going to happen. and i do have the strength. the simple fact is the if you think this is tough and you're not being treated fairly. >> this isn't tough. i wish it was always asasy us a, jeb. >> or dealing with islamic terrorism that exists. this is a tough business to run for president. >> you're a tough guy, jerks i know, and we need to have a leader. >> real tough. >> you'll neverer beresident of the united states by insulting your way. >> let's see, i'm at 42 and you're at 3 and so far i'm doing better. >> doesn't matter. >> so far i'm doing better. you started off over here, jeb. you're moving over further and further. pretty soon you're going to be off the end. >> oh, my gosh. >> there you have it. >> wow. >> you know what's interesting watching the debate jeb bush is the only one who really went after trump in a meaningful way. >> has to. >> the front-runner gets heat from all sides and especially ted cruz in second place, all but hugged donald trump.

as an analyst, don rickles. >> i would love rickles to weigh in. >> what would rickles think? >> at end of the day nothing really changes because trump and cruz still are going to be leading. >> it's an interesting "morning joe," joe scarborough talked about this alliance with an alliance that's formrm, "star wars" force, between donald trump and ted cruz and jeb bush, even though he's polling at 3% in some%, he may have found his lane to at least be discussed at the top of the newscast and the past it's been cruz, trump, of course or carson and now he's at least in the headline going into this holiday break. >> i think chris christie actually -- >> very good. >> was pretty strong. >> on the small table lindy graham. >> was incredible. >> lindsey graham was very, very strong and many people are saying he needs to now be on that main stage, polls aside because he is willing to

heat to donald trump to challenge whether or not, you know, he should be president. >> i love the facial expressions on the attacks the split screen, that is always like the trump faces and even linds e graham had a lot of great faces, too. >> can we talk about ted cruz not really going after donond trump but did go after his fellow senator marco rubio. the two had a number of exchanges, this one on immigration. >> he was fighting to grant am nest and not to secure the borderer i was fighting to secure the border. >> does ted cruz ever rule out legalizeding people in this country illegally now? do you rule it out? >> i've never supported legalization and i do not intend to support legalization. >> do not intend to. gave himself a little wiggle room. >> that's an interesting dynamic. >> interesting one. >> two youngish senate, for the senate they are young, 44 years old. >> a month apart. >> so that's a nice dynamic. >> one to watch. >> al, how about a lookkt weather.

all right. where's go. >> where is he? >> in my ear. let's go, move it along. a fun little game here. everybody ready to play. who wants to play who's colder? >> we all do. >> here's a question, overnight low, who is colder, los angeles or new york city? >> los angeles. >> all right. going with l.a. let's see, 43, los angeles, 48 new york. you're correct. >> oh, wow. >> l.a. is colder. how about boston versus las vegas. who do you think? >> las vegas. >> oh, you're catching on. >> 38 in boston, only 5 in vegas. >> 35 in vegas. >> yes. you didn't see that coming, did you? >> a how about difference between phoenix and d.c.? who is colder? >> phoenix is colder. >> oh, you didn't go for the bait. look at that. 33 in phoenix for a low. >> you should do this for a living. >> 43 in washington, d.c. >> that's right. johnny, tell them what they have won.loan. today will be partly to mostly cloudy and windy. there may be

strarashower or flflry up to the north, otherwise the big story today will be the wind. gusts could be up to 40 miles per hour at times. tomorrow will be partly cloudy with a brief relief from the wind. then the winds pick up again on friday with a mostly sunny sky. here's a look at the current flood warnings across the area. several area rivers are still experiencing minor to moderate flooding. may of these rivers will crest within the >> and that is your late weather. >> thank you very much, al. up next, got rave reviews as they eased on done the road with the nbc "wiz the snow is starting to fall... and all the decorations are just right. the presents have all been opened... and our loved ones are gathered all around. so share that extra joy in your heart... and make this christmas even more special than the last.

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>> as donald trump would say huge. >> today they conquered oz and social media with both receiving the critics choice award nominates for their perform be a and in casas you missed it there will be an encore airing of the >> good morning. congratulations. we were all over social media with everyone else. excitement. few things live up to the hype. this and "star wars" have lived up to the hype foror me. i'll put them in the same category. >> how did it feel for you. >> just anays maidsing being the first thing i've ever done i experience. >> what does the live aspect, all of a sudden you're on live tv and tens of millions of people watching? >> it's definite pressure but it's the kinin of pressure that pushes you forward, okay, back

three and then it's at that the point it's do or die. we were well prepared. it speaks to the importance of reparation, you know, two, two and a half months of rehearsal of whaha we got up there and i can't speak for anybody else but i wasn't as nervous as i thought i would be because we were so prepared, so 'n sync with each ototr. >> y y can see the chemistry and the flow between all of you when you saw the reaction, and again, the encore saturday. when you saw the reaction, what did you think? >> the just so excited. like, whoa, we did that. >> i field like i shouldn't have even had the opportunini to watch you guys. >> it's one of the things that as you can do, can you sense you're doing it well. technicallll do you know that whwh it's going on? >> it's crazy. i was so into the role and like

first time and it's so fresh and that's why i think it h such a good time. >> and that costume. >> oh, that costume. one of the things i do not miss putting on that costume, man t.dedenitely adds a whole other element to -- to just regular singing and dancing. very, very happy and not so much. not supposed to be able to move too freelel and i feel likee -- >> you were rocking it there. considering i did already. >> trying to keep that helmet up. one hand up. >> issue of the hat. >> yeahah gotto ask u, neo, about the accent. i was talking to jay farrell who said he was in the mirror trying totoail the neo accent. >> i'm originally from camden, arkansas, and all of my uncles talk like that. the character is from kansas which is not incredibly far f fm

to feel authentic so i -- i, you know, went back to some of those old conversations and thehe way they speak and the twang and the the character. >> know a lot of great things are next and one of the tweets i red from jonathan capehart from ashington post" tweweed out he had not seen a rights star come to life other than you and jennifer hudson. watched a star being born. >> that't' amazing. >> in fantastic company. >> thank you. >> "the wiz live" gather the entire family. neo will be watching for the first time with us at 8:00, 7:00 central here on nbc and up next, she's known for taking fashion risks, but this time beyonce pulled out all the stops. someone wrote it's one of the reasons beyonce is betterhan the rest of us. >> another reason. wore rig proud of you, son. ge! a manufacturer.

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do not take xarelto if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto , tell your doctor about any kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. you know xarelto is the #1 prescribed blood thinner in its class. that's a big win. it is for me. with xarelto there is no regular blood monitoring and no known dietary restrictions. treatment with xarelto ... ...was the right move for us. ask your doctor about xarelto . all right. lift your mugs, my friends. it's hump day and "pop fix" and let's get it popping. call her treeonce? she was spotted in new york festooned in a coat with christmas tree ornament and the back featured stockings, perhaps this was the work of blue ivy the singer reportedly chose the

can't wait to see what she butts out for christmas or new year's eve. also getting into the holiday spirit. tom brady and his beautiful wife gisele. the patriots quarterback shared this photo of his wife topping off the tree with the caption now we are ready for christmas thanks to the love of my life gisele. and it's been nearly 20 years sinned goldie hawn and bette midler teamed up for one of the movies "the first wives club" and it looked like the reunion might be in line and the leading ladies are back for netflix film with "diva nation" about a once popular singing group who reunite after 30 years and let's hope we get another musical number like this one. i'm free and i love to be free to live my life the way i want to say and do whatever i want >> that movie is so good. no word on "diva nation" and when it will premiere and one direction maybe going on hiatus

out their song "one more time" with "late, late show" host in another car karaoke including a choreographed routine to their hit "no control" and things got really interesting when james asked niles to play a game of sleep with me, mary cruz. okay, so -- >> nice. >> that's mary gomez. >> selena gomez. >> i'm going to -- i'm going to -- going on a cruise with d mi lovato. >> great fun. >> the pair rumored to be dating. neither confirmed that as a fact so there you have it. once again my fun nightclub is empty. i can never get anybody to ease on into the club. >> here? >> okay. >> are we the first ones here? >> where's the yellow brick road? >> we don't need the yellow

>> come on, ease on down the road saturday. coming up after your local news. okay. here we go. ooooohhhhhhhh it's that night of the year you come here. looking for gifts so there won't be tears. eleventh hour shopper... that's you. see you next year, buddy! get low prices on all your last-minute gifts. walmart. you know the love you feel for olive garden's fresh baked breadsticks? well multiply that by a million. new breadstick sandwiches,

an iowa man sees two people standing by the street asking for money -- and offers them a job. but the pandhandlers say no thanks. then -- the businessman sees them back out with their signs. so, he makes one of his "if they're going to stand out homeless i can hold a sign out there i offered these guys a job don't give them money." he's offered jobs to panhandlers before -- and says he'll continue to do so. a lot of you sharing your

now, let's go to kyle with a look at weather. here's the storm track 7 day forecast. today will be windy. tomorrow will be partly cloudy. more sunshine on friday but it will be windy and very cool. however, that's pretty close to average. we warm up this weekend with a we'll be back in 30 minutes, be sure to check kwwl dot com for the latest news

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paris: there's a lot to do on a dairy farm. nobody's gonna do it for you. you have to get out there and do it yourself. bernie sanders is a well-known friend of family farms. bernie cannot be bought out by big money. bernie's opinion cannot be purchased. it's time for our next president to get in there, roll up his sleeves, take off the gloves, and take on wall street, take on big business, take on big money, and get the working class back to where they should be. he's a rock.

taking a look at the headlines. people who borrow money and those who save it have a lot riding on the federal reserve today. the fed is wrapping up two days of meetings and is widely expected to raise interest rates for the first time since 2006. an increase would affect mortgage rates, car loans and credit card rates and the amount paid on cds. more than 200 women have joined a class action lawsuit against wen hair products and their creator and marketer. in the suit the women claimed the products are dangerous and unsafe, and in some cases made their hair fall out. the company says there is no scientific evidence whatsoever to support any claims that our hair care products caused anyone to lose their hair, and it promises to vigorously contest the allegations made against their products. older adults who get shingles may also have a higher short-term risk for strokes and

a new study from britain found that shingles patients over 65 have two and a half times the usual risk for stroke in the first week after their diagnosis. their risk for a heart attack was nearly doubled. some good news though. those elevated rates gradually decreased over the following six months. combining chemo with electromagnetic field therapy can extend the lives of people with a fast growing type of brain tumor. researchers tested the dual treatment on patient who had already been going through chemo alone and those who received the combined therapy survived about three months longer than those who only got another round of chemo. and a new study finds that using antibiotics alone to treat children with uncomplicated acute appendicitis may be a good alternate to surgery. researchers found that 3 out of 4 children with uncomplicated appendicitis could be successfully treated with antibiotics and were okay a year later. the study was led by researchers at nationwide children's

well, the national zoo getting ready for its newest stars public debut. giant panda bebe is almost four months old and, boy, has he grown from 5 ounces to more than 17 pounds. today reporters had a photo shoot with him and earlier this week we even got a closer look. bebe will have his public coming out party on january 16th. look at that face. just want to pinch those cheeks. right? let's get a check of the weather with al. i'll pinch al's cheeks. >> i'll leave that alone. anyway, a frontal system push through the south and back behind it we'll see maybe 5 to 8 inches of snow in the northern u.p, of michigan and on into northern minnesota. this wet weather spread into the east later tonight and on into tomorrow and then clears out by loan. today will be partly to mostly cloudy and windy. there may be a

north, otherwise the big story today will be the wind. gusts could be up to 40 miles per hour at times. tomorrow will be partly cloudy with a brief relief from the wind. then the winds pick up again on friday with a mostly sunny sky. here's a look at the current flood warnings across the area. several area rivers are still experiencing minor to moderate flooding. many of these rivers will crest within the next couple of days, and then begin fall >> and that is your latest weather. >> thank you very much, al. ike barinholtz is one of the funniest guys in comedy right now and has been as it since he was a busboy at the improv theater when tina fey and amy poehler were big stars there. >> fast forward to today, co-starring with them in "sisters" we'll talk to ike in a minute but first more about his rise to stardom. >> you know how hard it is to write and perform jokes.

folks laugh. getting his acting start on mad-tv he was part of the sketch comedy group for five years. he continued acting on the small screen, becoming the lovable goof ball nurse tucker on "the mindy project." >> at all the times i've been abandoned at a celebrity pet grave this is the most hurtful. >> where he also served as writer and producer and he landed a role in the movie "neighbors." >> you know what brings people to party more than anything, celebrities. >> soon he even joins the star-studded cast in the upcoming film "suicide squad," but first ike is teaming up with the queens of comedy, tina fey and amy poehler. he's amy's love interest in the much-anticipated comedy "sisters." >> hi. >> hi. >> i'm maura. >> i'm james. >> i just wanted to say hi. so that's done. >> oh. >> ike, good morning. >> good morning. another like hour and a half

rolling. >> just keep going. >> that would be great. i need al to like narrate my life always. >> isn't it great? >> he's at mcdonald's right now, got a fillet of fish and eating it in the bathroom. >> that's filet-o-fish. "sisters." here's the great part. you've known amy and tina for years but the first time you get to work with them professionally. >> yes. this is -- i was a busboy like you explained and they were very nice. they made me cut in my tips and that was acceptable but here we are. >> it's worked out well. >> worked out well, yes, yes. >> you get to be a leading man, not just a leading man but hunky leading man. i heard you had to lean down a bit. >> it was just a simple matter of diet, some extensive plastic surgeries and then they redid -- this is all woven-in hair. >> they gave you a weave? >> this is cat hair, but this is mine right here, so it was just a combination of those three things.

>> fantastic. >> you can't tell, willie. >> tell me about your character. amy and tina are the good girl and bad girl. >> good girl and bad girl. i'm kind of the -- of the boy next door, kind of a sweet guy, normally all my characters are desperate perverts. this guy is just like a nice man. >> and broken out, on my back. >> on your back. >> yeah. i'm just kind of a guy whose job it is to show amy's character that she can have fun and be a good person, and i think the word around my house is i'm the glue of the film. >> oh. >> that's what everyone says. >> that's what tina said this week? >> that's what she said? >> she called you -- >> no. >> she knows the movie. congratulations at premier and asked me for a drink. >> you steal a scene. i won't give anything away but i'll never look at one of those little ballerina jewelry boxes the same. >> neither will i because i can't. >> you can actually see it. open my mouth wide enough you

>> and now you'll in "neighbors 2." >> yes, yes. if you thought the first "neighbors" was full of stupid morons, just you wait. we found a way to make them all dumber. >> i think we have a photo of you in a clown outfit. >> yeah, that's possible. where am i -- >> what were you doing in the clown outfit? >> right there. there we go. yes. >> why the clown outfit? >> nice hair. >> that was right before i got to the set and then i got into makeup. >> that's my son zach ephron. >> that's your i woke up like this look. >> i woke up like this. after a couple hours -- >> sound like you're channeling heath legend. >> little bit. very creepy. >> we've got seconds, "suicide squad." >> starring my best friend will smith. meeting him for lunch later. ever heard of him? i'm not. >> gave him a jewelry box. >> that was my rap gift to him. he's a wonderful person and it's very exciting. >> thank you so much.

>> come back any time. >> starring ike. >> thank you. >> that's right, that's right. >> coming next, a little song, a little dance, a little snowball down your pants. we did it all this year. take a lack back at all the fun we've had this year. >> with the breakouts on your back. just fifteen minutes and a little imagination are all you need to make holiday magic. (microwave) ding! chex party mix. it's what the holidays are made of. i have asthma... ...one of many pieces in my life.

on my long-term control medicine, i talked to my doctor and found a missing piece in my asthma treatment. once-daily breo prevents asthma symptoms. breo is for adults with asthma not well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. breo won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. breo opens up airways to help improve breathing for a full 24 hours. breo contains a type of medicine that increases the risk of death from asthma problems and may increase the risk of hospitalization in children and adolescents. breo is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide if you can stop breo and prescribe a different asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. do not take breo more than prescribed. see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. ask your doctor if 24-hour breo could be a missing piece for you. see if you're eligible for

at applebee's, when you give a gift card... you get a mystery bonus card up to $25 of your own. which is a nice surprise since most gifts don't give the gift-giver a gift just for gift giving. it's a little gift from us, at applebee's. come on duck! (puppy barks)

hurry up duck! you can do it duck. iams. helps keep your dog healthy at every stage. so you can always look forward to what's next. wow! this toilet paper reminds me of a washcloth! new charmin ultra strong, dude. cleans so well it keeps your underwear cleaner. (secretly) so clean you could wear them a second day. tell me i did not just hear that! (sheepishly) i said you could not that you would! new charmin ultra strong with its washcloth-like texture, helps clean better than the leading flat-textured bargain brand. it's 4 times stronger, and you can use up to 4 times less. it cleans better. you should try it, "skidz." we all go. why not enjoy the go with charmin? all right. raise your hands if you guys had fun this year. >> all right. >> okay. so how about we take a trip down memory lane. >> oh, wait. is it going to be embarrassing? >> absolutely. >> yes. >> let's hope so.

was. >> you're driving! >> happy birthday. >> the trump wig. >> wow. >> hold on. >> we made it. look like we've made it >> it was a lot of fun. >> chaos. >> sweet, wonderful chaos. >> uncertainty was the buzzword. >> here we go. >> every day something epic happens. >> holy moly. >> i've got my two sisters, tamron, natalie hand my brother al. >> this year we really got our groove on. where do we even begin? >> tamron likes to think that she's a good dancer. >> we call this the choo-choo train. >> as does natalie. >> and willie and i know know we're not good dancers and we don't pretend to be. >> you love to dance. >> you have to be willing to laugh at yourself and make fun yourself.

>> and there's other kinds of dancing comes out and you're like what is going on there in. >> fudge brownies. >> this is wow me week with three cool experiments. >> i inhaled the cass. and my voice dropped down sub james earl jones as darth vader. >> that's unbelievable. >> yes. >> it was as though i were out of my own body, and if you watch the clip, i was genuinely scared of my level. >> when you hear the worth weather howl at moon. >> weather. >> i want you to imagine and believe that it's possible to take the dents out of the can. you'll tap on it. it's reseal the. it becomes -- >> oh, wait a minute. >> come on! >> what is crazy. >> i'm a sucker for a magic trick and clearly the viewer saw it that day. >> i swam with sharks, well, sort of, from behind a wall.

>> the rokerthon this year was daunting, 50 states in a week's time. it was as exhausting as it was exhilarating. every place we went -- >> i got the goat! >> people are goats. >> goats magoats. it was like, really? >> got a little chill in the air. there's only one thing to do and that is have an ice dancing competition. >> how did that happen? whoa! >> baby. >> you're mean. >> there you go. >> the first time in my life. >> willie goes urban. >> tweeted a little audition for john cena. what it takes to be a wwe star. taking a look at headlines, you're all about to be in a world of pain because natalie is coming for you you. >> i was born to brawl, i've got the guts and the gal. >> the forecast for today, pain, i feel a cold front coming in from the east. >> i'll take tough piledriver to the canvas and get on the top

the job, brother. >> i can't get down. >> help me. >> i'm sorry you had to see this. >> spitting image. >> oh, my gosh. >> were you a little scary. >> wow. >> the feet. >> i love my life! >> the "today" show has evolve the. you can't do the same show that we do from 7:00 to 9:00, so at 9:00 it's a more conversational problem. >> put my weather to the test. good try. >> the what usually happens at end of an hour is that you get something delicious. and something that's hopefully fun. maybe you'll learn a little something. >> majority of our job is to reported news, so if we can smile and laugh together it

>> egg crack challenge. >> i am waving our "today's take" flag. >> i think i learned our team dunk crew is that we were all that much better when we work together as a team. the take team. mwah! >> the wow, what a year. >> forgot all that happened this year. >> felt like that was three years ago. all happened in the last week. thanks to everyone for putting that piece together. >> really great job. >> tomorrow we'll check out some of the stars who come through studio 1a. >> they don't stay. >> pass on through. >> shovel on pass us. >> always come to play and we always have fun with them. >> up next, sick of being asked about being single at holiday parties, i know i am. >> i know i am. >> nobody asks me. >> i'm going to pay attention to

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ooooohhhhhhhh it's that night of the year you come here. looking for gifts so there won't be tears. eleventh hour shopper... that's you. see you next year, buddy! get low prices on all your last-minute gifts. walmart. i'm home. hey, it's dinner. a lot happens on your wooden surfaces. luckily, no one cleans and kills germs better than clorox disinfecting wipes. olive garden's all-new flavorfilled pastas, with raviolis so nice we filled them twice. bursting with indulgent flavors like chicken marsala ravioli, an irresistible twist on an old favorite.

for a limited time. at olive garden. i'm phil mickelson, pro golfer. my psoriatic arthritis caused joint pain. just like my moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. and i was worried about joint damage. my doctor said joint pain from ra can be a sign of existing joint damage that could only get worse. he prescribed enbrel to help relieve pain and help stop further damage. enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders and allergic reactions have occurred. tell your doctor if you've been someplace where fungal infections are common, or if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores,

or if you have persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. joint pain and damage... can go side by side. ask how enbrel can help relieve joint pain and help stop joint damage. enbrel, the number one rheumatologist-prescribed biologic. it is mid-december which means, of course, holiday stress in full effect. last-minute travel, the office parties, dinner with the in-laws, all that have can take its toll as you know and we called in an expert for help. laurie levy is ought aror of "life in life." and she offered us a little holiday help. >> you're at a fever pitch of stress to begin with trying to get the card out, the decorating, the presents. it's crazy, and then on top of

>> from "bridget jones diary." >> the why is it there are so many unmarried women their 30s these days, bridget? >> people dread being asked being asked dating questions. take a breath, stand solid who you and give them a smile. >> to the family stone. >> you have a lovely home. >> all to better to entertain you, my dear you. >> look street in their eyes and give them the best of you and know that you are enough. >> to rachel's recipe disaster in "friends." >> monica, i want you to have the first taste. >> really? >> well? >> mmm. >> take a beat, breathe, know that whatever pressures you're putting on yourself you're losing sight of the holiday. your joy, your light was

if you're feeling good, they are feeling good and that's what the holiday is real be. >> and in the blind side. >> hey. >> whoa. >> mom. >> technology is great around the holidays because certain loved ones can't be reached any other way but if your nose is buried deep into that cell phone you may not look up and see that you're standing underneath the mistletoe and miss that kiss. >> so breathe, relax and enjoy the holidays.

this is "today" on nbc. good morning, ladies. >> what do you have? >> good morning to you. >> you know what we have coming up take a look at that guy. >> take a look in the kitchen. >> andy grammer is going to hang with us. >> he's here?

>> nothing is happening over here. >> can't have enough andy grammer. >> a give that actually gives back which is good and hoda is going to tell us what she thought about the new "star wars" movie because she went with you guys. >> i, of course, was watching the debate. >> whatever. >> you know what hoda said, gave me half of her twizzlers, i'll never forget that. >> unbelievable dinner and then -- and then i was throwing twizzlers at willie. >> she was.

>> tons paris: there's a lot to do on a dairy farm. nobody's gonna do it for you. you have to get out there and do it yourself. bernie sanders is a well-known friend of family farms. bernie cannot be bought out by big money. bernie's opinion cannot be purchased. it's time for our next president to get in there, roll up his sleeves, take off the gloves, and take on wall street, take on big business, take on big money, and get the working class back to where they should be. he's a rock.

reach a new high. the education department says it's 82 percent - the highest since it started using a new measuring system several years ago. iowa had the highest graduation rate in the country at 90 percent. d-c was the lowest, at 61 percent. here's a big a surprise from best-selling author james patterson.

in grants and bonuses to school libraries and independent bookstore workers. patterson is best known for his series about detective and psychologist alex cross. iowans made the list of winners! bunger middle school in evansdale and the prarie lights bookstore in iowa city will both get money. now, let's go to kyle with a look at weather. here's the storm track 7 day forecast. today will be windy. tomorrow will be partly cloudy. more sunshine on friday but it will be windy and very cool. however, that's pretty close to average. we warm up this weekend with a slight chance for rain next monday and tuesday. we'll be back in 30 minutes, be got you covered.

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