breaking overnight, a major setback fororisis. the terror group driven out of a key city in iraq as their reclusive leader resurfaces with a rare message threatening the west and urging more attacks. fighting back. nfl star quarterback peyton manning blasting a report that linked him to performance enhancing drugs. >> it's completely fabricated, complete trash, garbage. >> this morning manning's possible plans to sue over the controversial report. and hoverboards and hospitals. >> no, no. >> oh. >> the holiday's hottest gift leading to numerous injuries across the country and social media is lighting up slips and spills today, monday, december 28th, 2015. >> announcer: from nbc news, thth is "today" withh matt lauer and savannah guthrie live from

and good morning, everybody. welcome to "today" on a monday morning. i'm savannah guthrie alongside carson daley who is in for matt and off the markets. >> sorry, ladies. good hot day weekendor me. i got marrieie >> not such a ho-hum holiday for carson and sir sgli thank you. >> there's the beautiful bride. we're so excited. you pulled off quite the feat. >> i did. i wanted a hoverboard and i got a wife. our families were visiting and we surprised our moms and our parents and had a very small ceremony church and a little dinner with some friends after and it was justwonderful. >> absolutely beautiful. >> thank you so much. >> and the kids look great and i know it was an awesome experience. >> the kids were older and khew what was going on. really, really special night and happy belated birthday to you. >> thank you very much. congratulations. >> look at that. >> there we go. >> it wasn't as exciting as getting married. >> close. 44. >> carsonon to our top story, the

across the country producing tornadoes, blizzards and flooding along the way and having a big impact on hololay travelers. we'll goat that and al's forecast in a moment as well but first let's go right to nbc's gabe gutierrez in texas. gabe, good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. the temperature dropped here overnight followingng horrendous weekend. the official death toll from the texas tornadoes now stands at 11 and hundreds of homes like these e destroyed, and across the country the dangerous condidions arear from over. this morning weather whiplash from tornaes to floods to blizzards, devastating the southwest and midwest. >> i don't know what else to say, i'm sorry. >> reporter: at least nine confirmed tornadoes touching down in texas, destruction spanning nearly 40 miles near dallasas

>> reporter: an ef-4 t fing sneers texas' governor declaring four counties disaster areas as thousands are still without power. overnight this family salvaging what they could by candlelight. >> it was the mostt horrifying event in my life. >> reporter: further north, flash floods turned deadly. five people killed in illinois, another eight dead in missouri. and today new mexico sunday a statef emergency. the massive storm system has already dumped two feet of snow in parts of the state. wind gusts of up to 82 miles per ur. thth treacherous driving conditions extending all the way to the texas and oklahoma pan handles. >> people need to slow down. the roads are slick. >> reporter: these tourists from miami visiting amarillo are on ice. >> trying to put the chains on the tire. for the first time in my life.

same stayed struggle through the deadliest december for tornadoes on record. >> this is absolutely unreal. >> reporter: since wednesday there have been 29 tornado-relalad deaths across five states. before that there had been just ten all year. today here in texas damage assessment crews will be out in forces residents struggle to clean up. savannah and cars ron. >> all right, gabe. thank you very much. let's bring in mr. roker who is tracking it all for us now. >> it's really bald out there, and it will continue at least the next 24 hours. 13 people killed in flooding in missouri. please, if you see how water, turn around. it's rough. don't drown. severe weather. tornadoo watches and severe thunderstorm warnings from memphis to new orleans, snow back behind t.8 million people at risk for damaging weather, damaging winds and risk of isolated tornadoes continues againnoday as the front moves through tonight and tomorrow. severe storms possible through the south, and flooding rain as that front moves in.

upwards of 3 to 5 inches as you get from alabama all the way into parts of northern georgia, and then the cold side of this storm. 33 million people in the path of wintry weather. chicago, detroit, oklahoma city,( kansas city and boston all ssible as this system lift up and up into the great lakes tonight and tomorrow, snow to a wintry mix, low pressure, snow developing heavy at times and reducing visibility. look at some of thenowfall we'ree lking. upwards of a foot or more through iowa on into wisconsin and parts of southern minnesota, and this is what i'm really concerned about ice, power outages, dangerous travel, guys, from kirksville, chicago, detroit on into buffalo. we could be looking apt anywhere from half an inch to an inch of ice. it only takes a tenth of an inch of ice to loseraction so this swath stretches all the way into new england so we're going to be watching this very carefully. >> scary stuff, al. thanks very much. all the frightful weather is leading to major problems at airports stranding many travelers trying to make it back home after the holiday.

chicago's o'hare international airport. kevin, good morning. >> reporter: hey, carson. well, on thth t trday after christmas mother nature has given us heavy rains, blowing snow freezing rain and high winds, and behind me here it's also resulted in a lot of glum faces standing in lineups trying to get through security, hopefully to make their flights. already today, carson, more than 600 flights nationwide have been cancelled. there are thousands of dev lays. interesting enough just last week everyone here in the chicago area was talking about how we ha't really h any winter yet. people were bemoaningghe fact that theemperatures were up in the 60s. well, that as al just said is all about to change. more than 100illion people have traveled more than ever over this holidid season.n. i think lot of them are going to be taking a lot longer to get home than they did heading out

ho defeated in a key city of ramadi, according to a statement from iraq.

buildings, hunting the remaining isis jahvidists before making today's television announcement hailing ramadi's liberation from the terrorism of isis. thelusive leader off isis, his last video released in 2014, was rallying his fighters in a 24 mind the audio recording. abaghdad el mocking the u.s.-led coalition against isis, taunting saudi arabia and threatening israel. unverified by nbc news, baghdadi's statement says isis ll defeat the entire world, a war crime and perhaps a cry for help. isiseeds more recruitk, baghdadi's statement apparently admits. while a string of isisis attacks on the west are not mentioned, raising questions about when it was recorded. this past weekend armed police were o the streets of europe agagn as austrian authorities warn of another plot.

baghdadi had been wounded. i'm still alive, he declared, while warning his followers manan of you will face death. a showdown with the west is coming, baghdadi says, a final apocalypse. baghdadi's statament was released by isis main media arm by official channels online and that's why we think it is him but we can't be sure, carson and savannah. but what is fascinating is does his statement indicate a lack of confidence just as isis loses this major iraqi city? >> a lot going on in that battle. that's for sure. keir, thank you very much. now to o e presidential race where there was anything but peace on earth over the christmas break. donald trump relentlessly attacking hillary c cnton and attacking her husband on the campaign trail calling him fair game. hallie jackson has that story for us this morning. >> reporter: donald trump is set to kick off a three-day three-state, new hampshire here, iowa and south carolina, and as

also seems to have a new target, not just hillary clinton but bill, too. for donald trump not quite a quiet christmas break. >> she's playing the woman's card, and it's like give me a break. women are more upset about it than anybody else, including most men. >> reporter: on air and online keepepg up his attacks on hillary clinton, and now her husband. >> bill clinton is not going to be the end-all in the campaign, and he'll come under attack, not just from me. he will eebl coming under attack from many other people. >> reporter: trump tweeting hillary clinton has announced that she is letting her husband out to campaign, but he's demonsated a penchant for sexism, so inappropriate. his rds, echoioi clinton's about trump. >> he's demonstrated a person chant for sexism. >> i think that dald trump or any candidate on the other side of the aisle would raise bill clinton as somehow a negative to their peril. >> reporter: bill clinton's approval rating, higher right now than president obama's and

sees an opening. >> i think he is fair game because his presidency was really considered to be very troubled, to put it mildly, because of all of the things that she's talking to me about. >> reporter: and while it's the party front-runners feuding for now, bernie sanders is taking aim, too, arguing his policies would be better for trump's supporters. >> look, the real issues are not donald trump's vulgarity, and he is vulgar. it is the fact that donald trump thinks we should not be raising the minimum wage. he believes that wages in america are too high. >> reporter: trump taking offense t/ that on twitter where he's also attacking his republican rivals, several on the campaign trail today, as 2015 comes to a close, all ice on 2016. trump's frustrated with a new rule in virginia that asks primary voters to pledge they are republicans, worried that could dampen turnout among independents who might vote for

top of mind for most candidates, guys. just five weeks to go in the iowa caucuses where ted cruz leads. the week after, that of course, the new hampshire primary right here in this state where donald trump is still solidly on top. >> all right. hallie jackson, thanks. >> let's get more on this with steve kornacki and an msnbc host and host of "mpp daily." >> good morning. >> truffle going after hillary and vice versa for about a week now. the conventional wisdom i guess is this is good for boast them. makes both of their supporters happy. >> yeah, in a lot of ways that's true. donald trump, if you want to fire up republican voters you can do a lot worse things than go after hillary clinton and get into a public fight with her and from hillary clinton's standpointnt she's gotemocrats rallying around her to go against donald trump, make sure she has a primary with bernie sanders. the flip side of all of this the way donald trump is going about this, republicans may not disagree with the idea off going after clintons but it could tock so coors and aggresstive could

is a reminder do we want this guy as aanned gate on that stage in the debates next fall so maybe that plays into the hands of somebody like ted cruz who wants to still donald trump with kindness and on t t flip side for hillary clintnt a lot of sympathy from people for her on the democratic side and putting issues into circulation that otherwise wouldn't be out there. we wouldn't be talking about bill clinton in the 1990s a a monicacaewinsky and all these things if it weren't for donald trump bringing it up. >> how long before trump's competitors start to really go after him for acting like he already hats party's nomination? >> it depends who the competitor is. like we say with cruz, the cruz strategy here is don't say anything negative at all. tell everyone who will ask you, donald trump ia great friend of mine. i like him and lethat he stands for and let republicans come to the conclusion on their own. hey, we like donald trump, we like ted cruz. ted cruz is a more mature alternative. that's whahayou want them too see. but what you're talking about, seeing it with jeb bush, marco rubio, john kasich, chris

establishment candidates. they are fighting for their political lives and at a certain point theyeyill really have to go after them. >> what changes the trajectory of this race right now because here we are five weeks away from voting. cruz is looking good in iowa, but you've got donald trump ading in most of thehe polls, and that hasn't changed. >> there's your story. iowa and new hampshire, the one-two punch and it's cruz and punch, one-two in iowa and cruz really is one so look to new hampshire. if you're a republican and you n't want donald trtrp as your candidate and don't think ted cruz is electable, want one of the establishment candidates, got to put a win on the board or seen to be putting win,n, a closer than expected second or something like that, and the problem that the republican establishment has the four candidates, ristie, kasich, rubio and bush, all bunched together inn new hampshire, 8,%, 89%, 10% and that's allowing trump to lead and one them has to break out in the next six weeks. >> splitting that vote for sure. >> steve, thank you very much.

family and friends of two people killed by police, one of them accidentally, are demanding answers today. on saturday an officer respononng to domestic disturbance call fatally shot 19-year-old quinto yeo yeo le grier. a 55-year-old neighbor betty jones was accidentally shot during that encounter. on sunday le grier's mother said, quote, the police are supposed to service and protect us yet they take the lives. chicago mayor rahm emanuel isis now calling on the police department and the police overside agency to review crisis intervention training in the wake of those shootings. and we turn now to al, and, boy, as kevin tibbles w w saying, we were all saying where's winter? now it's here. >> this is kind what have happened last year, too. an early start and then, boy, did things get going and we have a feeling that will happen a ain todada as well. wide swath of snowy weather, icy conditions that. lex tend all the way up into new england later today. a slight strisk of strong storms

gulf coast and out west thihis fairly quiet. we'll getthe kwwl viewing area today... a winter storm warning is posted for all of us through tonight. system. roads are deteriorating from the south to the north as sleet and freezing ain continue to track into the state. stormtrack7 live weather network cameras will show all forms of frozen precip today. temperatures are in the nw iowa. windsare strong...e 15-30 mph already gusting&higher and will mainly 20-30 mph gusting to 40 to 50 mph today... wwich will reduce visibilities and cause blowing and mainly snowing. the storm is tracking to the north and will continue to pump in moisture

some snow showers possible tomorrow. we >> and that's your latest weather. >> all right. a thank you. "now" to the stellar box office success of "star wars" >> the movie is rolling right along and shattering records at every turn. natalie is here with re. >> we predicted this. not only did "star wars" just ha the highest grossing second weekend ever. it also balanced budget amendment fastest move toe break the $1 billion mark, reaching that milestone in just 12 days. >> the force is stronger than ever. "star wars" episode 7 storming its way to the $1 billion mark this weekend. becoming the feast movie ever to do so and breaking just about every box office record in existence on its way there. >> are we really doing this? >> "the force awakaks" now holds

fastest movie ever to hit 1 billion. biggest opening weekend and biggest christmas day and biggest opening day ever. in less than two weeks it's already the fifth highest grossing movie in u.s. history with its sights set on number one. >> nothing will stand in our way. >> and the oddssre looking good. the critically acclaimed movie has jedi fans returning again and again for the thrills and the series about the franchise's newest characters. >> who are you. >> no one. >> meaning "star wars" could be just weeks away from its new spot as highest grossing film of all time in any galaxy. >> chewie, we're home. >> right now "avatar"ed is the top grossing movie of all time with over $2.7 billion, buteep this in mind. "the force awakens" hasn't even opened in china yet, the world's second largest movie market. it opens there january 9th, so

>> bye-bye" avatar." >> disney paid $4 billion for lucas film and they will pay for itself right out of this movie. >> just as you'r'r going to see it again. >> my brother and i are going to see it in 3-d imax. >> saw it for a second time last night and futd over the top in ticket sales. >> han solo still a babe the cond time? >> this time i kept my eyes open the whole time. >> still have to go for the first time. >> so good. thanks, nat. coming up, nfl star peyton manning firing back what he says about a report that suggests he received performance enhancing ugs. >> and hoverboard wipeouts, w the year's must vsh have holiday gift is keeping doctors very

morning this is "today" on nbc. . coming up, grea news if you

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track northward. some freezing rain is beginning to track into our southern counties with mainly snow and some sleet to the north. iowa dot cameras are showing roads becoming snow covered in many areas. ice is coating roads, as well. these conditions will continue to deteriorate as snow, sleet and freezing rain continue to track to the north. ice could be a quarter inch or so iowa city southward with the heaviest snow waterloo to elkader and northward and strong winds will create b bowing snow and low visibilities. temps will cool into the teens for highs for the new year. snow, sleet and freezing rain conttue to track northward. some freezing

beginning to track into ou southern counties with mainly snow and some sleet to the north. iowaadot camerass are showing roads becoming snow covered in many areas. ice is coating roads, as well. these conditions will continue to deteriorate as snow, sleet andd freezing rain continue to track to the north. ice could be a quarter inch or soiowa city southward with the heaviest sn waterloo announcer: one candidite tough enough to take on the bully... jeb bush: donald, you're not going to be able

that's not going to happen. (applause) announcer: one candidate tough enough to take on isis. jeb will destroy isis... and keep america safe. jeb bush: the united s stes should not delay in leading a global coalition to take out isis with overwhelming force. announcer: tested and proven leadership matters. jeb bush.. right to rise usa is responsible for the content of this message. oh, yeah. we're going to play the holiday music for a few more days. 4:30. tree's up. music is on. 28 off december, 2015. saying good morning to the folks out on our plaza this morning. good morning to you at home. nice to have you with us. >> here are the stories making news right now. heavy snow is creating bliard

and oklahoma in the wake of deadly tornadoes in the same areas over the weekend, and that swath of snow, ice and the rain will spread through the midwest and south today. we'll get al's forecast here in just a moment. >> breaking overnight. iraqi forces have retaken the city of ramadi from isis militants. that terror group had occupied the capital of anbar provincece since e y. >> a a the first votes of the 2016 presidential race will be cast five weeks from today when the iowa caucuses are held. on the campaign trarl over the weekend republican froro-runner donald trump spent most of his time attacking hillary clinton accusing her of, quote, playing the woman's card. >> let's start this half hour with nfl star quarterback peyton manning vehemently denenng the claim that h h received performance enhancing drugs while recovering from a neck injury back in 2011. "today" national correspondent craig mvin is following this story for us. good morning. >> good morning. we're talking about one of the ggest names in thee history of sports. peyton manning says he is furious and from us trade over that report by al jazeera's investigate unit.

nbc sports that he is so angry he may sue the network. this morning outrage from an nfl icon. >> it's completely fabricated, complete trash, garbage. >> reporter: peyton manning firing back denying allegations he used performance enhancing drugs in an interview with pn. >> disgusted is really how i feel, sickened by it. >> reporter: in the documentary airing overnight on al jazeera, charlie sly, a former pharmacy intern at the guyer institute in indianapolis claims manning w w giveve human groroh hormones when he received treatment there in 2011. secretly taped by al jazeera sly claims the star quarterback got the drugs illegally through h h wife. >> all thehe time we're going to be sending ashley manning drugs, like a growth hormoerngs all the time everywhere. florida, never under peyton's name, always undererer name >> reportete five-time mvp says he did receive treatment at the guyer institute in the 2011

injury but insists he never took banned bstances. hgh is banned i ithe nfl, but random testing did not start until 2014. the denver brcos say they support their quarterback 100%, and thecolts, manage's former team, calls the accusations utterly ridiculous. dr. dale guyer, the clinic founder, iss dismissing the report saying mr. sly has fabricated this whole thing for reasons i can not fathom. posting a video on youtube charliely is retracting all the statements in question saying they are all unruh. >> i am recanting any such statement. >> reporter: when asked if he would sue al jazeera manning told sports writer peter king, yeah, i probably will. i'm that angry. one of sport's biggest stars defending his legacy and finding support from his team and fans. >> so manage isn't the only athlete mentioned in that documentary.

lped several other football and baseball players obtain banned substances. attorneys for some of those players are also thrhrtening legal action. nbc news did reach out to the al jazeera. they have declined to comment. this is likely jus the beginning of this story guys. >> keep following, it craig. thank you very much. now to the trouble being caused by a gift that probably found its way under the tree this year. it was huge. the hoverboards, search the internet and you'll find all sorts of video ofew users struggling to keep their balance and as as nbc's kerry sanders explains in some cases it's no laughing matter. >> reporter: hoverboards, one of the host christmas g gts this ar hard to get and even harder to stay on. the self-balancing electric scooters causing righters of all ages to lose their balance. since christmas the videos arere all over social media showing would-be riders having more than

falls ranging from funnyo downright dangerous. one florida congressman says he tried one and ended up in lhe hospital. this 12-year-old took a spill and broro his arm. others on social media reporting a similar fate. count me in #hoverboardfail, bruised ribs. my poor father fell off our hoverboard, and he is in the hospital. leading up to the holidays the consumer products safety commission warned of the fall hazard withozens of reports of injuries that required a trip t t the hospital. that government agency encourages users to always wear a helmet and proper padding when attempting to hover. but it's advice not seven heeding. >> hoverboard is on fire. >> reporter: and federal safety regulators are investigating the boards after several caugh fire. amazon recently pulled most branan from its site and overstock.com stopped selling them.

them a many riders just can't seem to get enougug of. for "today," kerry sanders, nbc news. >> they catch on fire, they are hard to ride. it's amazing they are as popular as they are. >> and they are not hoverboards. >> whaha are they? >> they are segways with handles. >> i was out on the plaza, and i nearly broke my arm. hard thing to get off a a off for. >> and that's why i asked for a handsome christmas sweater. totally safe. >> best gift there is. >> a check of the weather. >> see what's going on. a lot of folks traveling over the next couple of day as we come into theenewyear'r' weekend. look at this. we've got a mess in the early part of the week from snow and ice and severe weather out west and snow as well and then as we get into the mid-week period, wet weather from the mid-atlantic states into the southeast and more snow upper great lakes and the latter part of the week, things finally start to calm down though southern parts of texas looking like a mess and look at the tempererures. ababe average in the east and way below average out west and it continues to move its way

above average temperatures. the cooler weather spreads further to the east, south and up into the great lakes region as wellith below average temperatures, so things start to get back to normal, but the severe weather quiets today... a win >> and that's your latest weather. >> thank you, al. >> al, thank you. coming up, one grandmother's priceless reaction to this piece of chnology. >> and also -- i want to know

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all right. we're back now at 41 with a look inside one of the country's most famous homes. >> talking about michael jackson's famed neverland ranch. it's now for sale, and nbc's joe fryer got an exclusive tour. >> reporter: official name for this massive property is now sycamore valley ranch, but nearly everyone still knows it as micha jackson's verland. >> this is ,000 square feet, the main house itself. >> reporter: kyle foreside with colony capital, the real estate company that jumped in to help jackson keep the property in 2008 when hee was in debt. >> and michael's vision was to take the ranch back to its natural setting and to sell the ranch eventually, so we're just following through with our iginal vision.

square feet sand now on the market for $100 million. neverland has long been a source of fascination ever since the king of pop bought it for nearly $0 million in 1987, creating a park. today the rides are gone and so are the animals with a few exceptions like ricky thehe llama, but traces of neverlandlinger. >> when a lot of people think of neverland ranch this, clock is the image that comes to mind, isn't it? >> it is, and the train station is soo iconic and ties michael to neverland. >> reporter: another connection to the icon, a 50-seat movie theater which he designed. >> you take away the michael jackckn mystique and story, are you still able to sell it for $100 million? >> you know, i think they had a good question and that's one we'll never know because it was michael's and always will be a part of hisis history. >> reporter:r:limpses inside neverland will rare. shortly after jackson's death in 2009 matt lauer got a look at

>> this wall here, and it reveves a secret sex. >> reporter: now we're making our way up into up country. >> reporter: what the public scarcely sees is this. >> when you see this view, what goes through y yr mind. >> it goes through my mind is i don't want to leave. >> reporter: this is the view from up high overlooking the ranches four square miles including mt. cacaerine named after the star's mother. the pop star never accused to neverland after being accused and acquitted of molesting children and now the search is on for a new owner. the vetting procece just for totoing the place is very strict, but already forsythe says there's interest. how important moving forward that they sort of preserve some aspect of michael's legacy? >> you know, that is up to them. the train tracks are here. the train station is here. his movie theater, but what they want to do with it, it's really up to them. >> reporter: in your mind do you picture someoneho has a deep appreciation though for michael?

and we have still an affinity for michael and deep respect for michael's legacy. >> reporter: foror "today,y, joe fryer, nbc news, los alimos, california. >> poor ricky the llama got left behind. >> whereid everybodygo? >> i'll keep an eye on the place, everybody, don't worry. coming up on "pop start" how the stars of movies, tv and reality spent their holidays. >> and what has a lot of people talking this morning. dylan explains right after the flu virus hits big. with aches, chills, and fever, there's no such thing as a little flu. and it needs a big solution: an antiviral. so when the flu hits, call your doctor right away and up the ante with antiviral tamiflu. prescription tamiflu is an antiviral that attacks the flu virus at its source ananhelps stop it from spreading in the body.

in people two weeks of age and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu, tell your doctor if you're pregnant, nursing, have serious health conditions, or take other medicines. if you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion, or abnormal behavior. the most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting.

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rad. inside every overweight woman, is a woman she knows she can be. many times you look in the mirror and you don't'tven cognize your own self, because you got lost, buried, in the weight that you carry.

so every time i tried and failed, and every time i tried again, and every time i tried again, has brought me to this most powerful moment. to say, if not now, when? i feel that way, and i know millions of other people feel that way. are you ready? let's do this together. allllright.

carson here for matt which means dylan is over in the original room a i see you're wearing your pats gear. >> do you know how hard it is being a pats fan living in new york. >> tell us. >> way to go last night. >> yeah. >> all right, all right. everyone is talking about the game-changing moment from last night's jets/patriots game, so to clear up the confususn, here's how it went down. the game, it was tied. it went into overtime and the patriots won the coin toss, but to fans' surprise wide receiver mat two slater told the f he elected to kick the ball and allow it to end um in the hands of the other team which is exactly what happened, and the jets scored the game-winning touchdown. now in defense of my team a aer theeame coach belichick said there wasn't any confusion. i believe he said there wasn't any confusioned about the decision to kick. >> very good impression. >> thank you. the misunderstanding led fans to draw comparisons to, you getd guessed, it steve harvey. breaking news, patriots send

the s srt of overtime. we elect to take. >> we'll take columbia and patriots said you kick, you know how you feel. steve harvey is att home wait, i finally get a few days break from this story and you pull me back in. >> take a cheap shot. >> i don't get it. why -- why did he do that? >> dylan, such a good job explaining that. if i were in the original room this morning i never would have been able to do it. >> my thing the thinking on bill belichick's part was we've got a lot of people injured, don't think we're goingngo score a touchdown, let hold them on "d" and we get the ball back. >> you have tom brady. >> and we win the game but everybody else is sick. it's not just tom brady. >> don't think normally defer to kick? >> you would normally to defer to kick thinking you would get the ball at end of the game. >> garin teets ball in the second half. they do it often. just shouldn't have done it in overtimeme >> hey, have guys heard about manning? >> whoa. >> how much room under that bus,

>> i'm sorry. it's the pats fanan in here. i can't. they elected to kick. bad call. >> get some coffee, dylan and walk it off. >> i like how she's standing by the decision though. >> all in. >> a lot of pats trying to. >> doubling down. just ahead, from returns to

your [ laughter ] [ male announcer ] for tim and richard smucker, giving a gift of their family's delicious jam always mama the holidays just a little b b sweeter. we forgot to put our names on them! richard, i think they'll know who it's from. thank you boys. you're welcome. you're welcome. [ male announcer ] happy holidays from our family to yours. i love christmas! two million, four hundred thirty-four thousand, three hundred eleven people in this city. and only one me.

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track northward. some freezing rain is beginning to trak into our southern n ounties with mainly snow and some sleet to the north. iowa dot cameras are showing roads becoming snow covered in many areas. ice is coatig roads, as well. these condititis will continue to deteriorate as snow, sleet and freezing rain continue to track to the north. ice coul be a quarter inch or so iowa ciiy southward with the heaviest snow waterloo to elkader and norrhward and strong winds will create blowing snow and low visibilities. temps will cool into the teens for

snow, sleet and freezing rain continue to trackcknorthward. some freezing

it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, ready, set, return. as millions of americans head ba dr. natalie azar will put us to the test. why i got you on my mind >> and what has grandma this

. [ laughter ] >> the christmas gifted that gave her the ride of her life, monday, december 28th, 2015. >> celebrating my mom's 50th birthday all the way from hot springs, arkansas. celebrating 50 years of adventure on the "today" show. >> celebrating my 80th birthday with my family! >> we made it to new york, momma. >> from alexandria, indiana. >> here on a family trip to new york. >> happy holidays to third graders here in greenfield, wisconsin. >> we're here on the "today" show. >> good morning, everybody. it's monday, december 28th,

it's a beautiful day. we've got al here. we've got dylan here. carson is here. carson is married! so much to celebrate. good morning. nice to have you with us. >> thank you very much, guys. coming up, with temperatures finally dropping, you can feel that they are indeed drop, and a monster storm is starting to sweep across the country. we've got some tips for you, for your house to get you ready for the worst of it. >> we've got a sweet way to end 2015 before you make your new year's resolution. we're kicking off a week of indulgences in the kitchen and just to get you over the ten pounds that you've already gained. >> i was thinking that. i was at like 9.9. let's get it across the ten-pound mark. >> first let's go inside to miss natalie who is inside with a check of to morning's top stories. good morning. at least 30 million americans are under winter tomorrow advisories from snow and ice from texas to the midwest and others are cleaning up after deadly tornadoes. nbc's gabe gutierrez is in

good morning. >> reporter: natalie, good morning. texas's governor has declared four counties a disaster. the death toll stands at 11. at least nine confirmed twisters tore through the area spanning nearly 40 miles near dallas. an ef-4 tornado tumbled down here in garland, damaging hundreds of homes, and this wild weather is trending through much of the country. today new mexico is in a state parts that have state have seen up to two feet of snow and wind gusts of up to 82 miles per hour. the panhandles of texas and oklahoma are also on ice, and further north there have been 13 weather-related deaths in the midwest due to flash floods. here in texas, damage is set to

>> natalie. gabe gutierrez, lots of heartbreak in garland, texas. the weather is affecting people on the ground and also up in the air. on sunday 9,000 flights were delayed and thousands canceled in the u.s. with more than a thousand flight disruptions today. delays are causing big headaches for people trying to get home after christmas or get away for the new year. the iraqi military has scored a major victory over isis in ramadi. today forces recaptured the government complex and raised the iraqi flag above it. that's something that a u.s. military spokesman in baghdad calls a significant accomplishment and a proud moment for iraq. militants have controlled that key city since last may. isis controls large parts of land in western and northern iraq and in neighboring syria. a dangerous wildfire that forced evacuations around ventura, california, is now mostly contained. the fire burned more than 1,200 acres before the winds started easing over the weekend allowing firefighters to make progress. officials in the area are now worried about landslides if rain moves in. well, the man known as the

the longtime face of the harlem globetrotters has died. according to the "new york times" meadowlark lemon died sunday in scottsdale, arizona. he played with the globetrotters for almost a quarter of a century, delighting audiences with his trick shots and his signature smile. meadowlark lemon was 83. a british man is claiming to be the first person ever to row from the u.s. to australia non-stop by himself. 55-year-old john breeden arrived sunday in northwestern australia for more than 200 days after he left san francisco on a small boat. breeden has also rode across the atlantic and admits the pacific was tougher than he thought it would be. his wife was in australia to meet him there, and he told her he doesn't plan to get in another boat for a while. probably a good thing. that is brave.

rowboat and he onto gets the last item in the newscast? that's a big deal. >> and he's 52. >> give him credit for getting in that boat. >> natalie, thanks for that. now to on ongoing series hassle-free holidays. chanced you are received a new gift that maybe wasn't on your list. >> before you head out to the store to take it back, you need to know about new policies that could make returns a little bit trickier. here's nbc's olivia stern. >> reporter: sometimes santa's gifts just aren't quite up to snuff. >> sometimes you don't like the gift that they give you, yeah. socks, shoes, ties, yeah. >> when i return over people's gifts, i sometimes get a little nervous that i giej run into them in the store holding their gift saying, hey, hi, i got two of them. that's my excuse. >> reporter: andwhile you might not be ready to return to the mall just yet, there are a new things you should know to make

breeze. in some stores the window of time for returns is shrinking, but you're not just up against the clock on the return policy. you're up against the limited amount of merchandise that's left. >> reporter: always check the fine print in the store's policy. return the gift in the original packaging with all of its tags, and if possible bring a gift read the. some stores are tightening their policies to combat an estimated a $2 billion in fraudulent returns over the holidays. at sears most items must be returned within 30 days. costco will not allow returns of tires, batteries, or custom orders. and walmart shoppers can only make three returns without reats within a 45-day period. and for those hard-to-please friends, gift cards are a popular choice this year with more than $25 billion worth expected to be sold. if you receive a gift card that you don't want that you know you'll never use don't just put

you can actually sell it online. >> at sites like rays and cardpool you can sell or trade in your unwanted gift card for cash or credit at a store where you want to shop. for "today," olivia sterns, nbc news, new york. >> everyone pleased with their gifts? that's what i thought. >> every one of them. >> absolutely. >> we love every one of them. >> a generational thing. gave my dad a gift and immediately opened it and said it's too big, i'm taking it back. thanks, pop, take it back. >> something else to keep in mind. if you're planning on exchanging your gifts, some of the best sales, they say, will come later in the week, so you might want to make. coming up next, an excuse to take an afternoon nap. we'll reveal the reasons so you can do so. >> and the pop stars who will spice up your life. >> storm watches and warnings and what you can do right now to prepare your home for the snow, cold and ice. yes, wanter is actually here

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to block the virus and protect healthy cells.. don't tough it out, knock it out, fast. abreva. we are back. it's 8:11. time for trending. >> yes, let's trend. >> we've established that hoverboards were a very dangerous gift to get for christmas. people were falalng off of them and they set your house on fire in some cases. dylan fell. >> i did so good the firsthree times and then i fell the last time. this wrist n n functioning so well. >> your hovering wrist is not feeling good. another hot gift item that caused a lot of mayhem. take a look. >> a little bit -- >> oh, no. >> no! >> that was the reaction of so manyeople after their drones crashed.

got stuck in his hair. >> ouch. >> people really seem to be struck how to work the newh toy and the faa reports 1 million received tvor rees-jones for christs. >> a couple years ewing had the helicopters, little mini helicopters and those things busted up pretty quickly and drones are now the more expensive version. >> exactly. >> all been dizzy the past few days, safe to say we could use a nap right about now. a new myths about naps we're here to debunk. myth number one, napping is only for young children. >> no way. >> of course not. >> the for everybody. >> need a 20-minute power nap. >> two-hour power nap. >> that's called sleeping. >> actually around a third of americans nap every single day. this number two, something napping makes them feel worth. >> it does to me. >> i feel foggy. >> that isut only if i sleep

>> for 20 or 30 minutes to avoid sleep. >> they say set your alarm for 20 minutes and i can't fall asleep on demand so if i set my alarm i'll think about the alala going off for 20 minutesnd never nap and i don't set the alarm and i sleep for three hours. >> you've got problems. >> i really do >> mythumber three, you should not nap att work, probably not, right? >> i would say no. >> i think people would know if we nap. >> i'm napping right now. >> i won't t%ll if you don't but if you can sneak a power nap ring your launch break you'll actually boost your productivity. >> wait, my lunch break? >> myth number four, you shouldn't drink caffeinated beverages beforeou nap. >> no, thahas true. >> actually a a little espresso right before you nap. >> that's exactly right. >> a little tip there. nap for 20 or 30 minutes and the cacaein kicks in and actctlly wakes you up. >> they nal it a napaccino.

>> that's why you can't nap because your brain is so fast. >> that's funny. knit number five stay awake and stay busy. >> yeah, you're always busy. >> as day goes on your progress deteriorates so sneak i ithe nap if you can, feel recharged and keep that productivity up. there's your napping -- >> that was a comprehensive thing. >> thank you >> i'm tired. i need a nap after all ofthis. >> who wants to see grandma wearing a virtual reality headset. >> i do. >> roll the video. >> agh! >> oh, my gosh. >> what iss she watching? >> she's virtually experiencing a roller coaster ride. a roller coaster. never been on a rololr coaster in real life and she got the

hawaii with her family and it went over very well. >> i'll have what she's having. with her iphone. >> that was a samsung, you put it in, cardboard google thing. >> have you eve tried ? >> i have. >> is it that exciteing? >> yes, yes, it is. >> it feels like you're on a roller coaster. >> and then you take a nap. >> and that's a good afternoon. >> that video voo of 100,000 times. >> her laugh is amazing. now for a look at how some celebrities celebrated christmas holiday and an nba star who stared down a mocking fact. carson, let's do "pop start." >> the comprehensive namg story. keeping mee busy. a roundup of how people celebrated christmas starting with justin timberlake with baby silas and captioned the photo truly the greatest gift and madonna spent the day with three children of her with pictures

and the kardashians threw a party at mom's house and wore their christmas best and even got into wunsies. >> footsies, too. neil patrick harris shared his video of the favorite christmas gift holding up two photos of his twin son and daughter and they creepily then turn into zombies. n't that crazy? >> neil got a kick out of that. and then possibly the winner of christmas steve harvey, the comedian flying under the radar since h hmisuniverse mishap and did send out this photo with merry east every, everybyby. good to see he has a great severance humor. after rumors for months there would be a spice girls reunion it has been confirm, mel b. nfirmed the news and the singer said to be serious it's our 20th anniversary this year, and it would be rude not to sell operate so hopefully something

i don't know if that confirms it or not. >> is posh spice. >> just mel b so far. >> so many questions. >> she said that s wanted to. >> if you build, it they will come. >> maybe shean go out and her own reunion. no word on whether the other ladies will take part in that. the interview, if you want to reveal it. . >> who is alan carr? >> look it up. >> and finally, lebron james, caught on cameras, can you see a fan sitting behind lebron an mocking him and moves herer fans up to make the cry baby act right there just as lebron turns around and he busts her, it appears the woman immediately regrets her decision or at least getting caught doing it. >> i could watch that all day long. >> that is fantastic. >> yeah. >> busted. >> there you go. that's your "pop start," everybody.

today. >> dylan. >>al's here. >> i defer to him. >> wow. really? >> you took a couple weeks off. >> just ignore the black man sitting here. >> oh, al! >> w wt the heck. >> now i know how steve harvey feels. >> man! >> kidding, kidding. anyway, let's show you. we've got a lot of weathth going on, i mean, a lot of weather going on right now. first of all, take a look. we've got winter stuff but we also still have severe weather. tornado warnings gling on right now from missisiippi all the way into alabama. a tornado watch until 1:00 for the panhandle of florida into georgia, and we've got 82 million people at risk for severe weather, damaging winds and isolated t tnadoes possssle. my gosh, look at all the rain. anywhere from 3 to 5 inches from central alabama into parts of northern georgia and then we've got a wintete storm.m.

weather today on into tomorrow, oklahoma city, detroit, kansas city and boston. look at the snowfall amounts. anywhere from 10 to 12 inches of snow from southern minnesota into central wisconsin andarts of northern iowa. ice also going to be a big problem. possible power outages and dangerous travel. up to an inch of ice in central and norththn illinois, and, in fact, that ice potential stretches all the way into northeast, parts of central pennsylvania could see half an inch of ice. snsnfall amounts there a a well. looking at upwards of 12 inches of snow as you get into northern parts of new england and upstate new york. >> i'm so sorry. >> this was such a good weather weathercast. i wouldn't want anyone else to do it. >> happy birthday. >> love you. >> ah. >> i gotthe kwwl vieeng area today... a winter storm warning is posted for all of us through tonight. system. roads are deteriorating from the south to the norths sleet and freezing rain continue to ttack into the state. stormtrack7 live

show all forms of frozen precip today. temperatures are in the nw iowa. winds are strong... ne 15-30 mph already gusting higher and will be mainly 20-30 mphusting to 40 to 50 mph today... which will reduce visibilities and cause blowing and mainly snowingng the storm is traccing to the north and will continue to pump in moisture over our cold surface. this some snow showers possible tomorrow. we will that's your latest forecast. savannah? >> today's health is brought to you by abva. heal yououcold sore fast. it is confusing around here sometimes. >> it is, a little bit. >> it's that time of the year when seems like everybody is getting sick, and it can be confusing on where you should go to get care. >> that's right. medical contributor dr. natalie azar is here to decide whether you should go to the doctor emergency room or urgent care clinic and we've got our paddles which means you're going to futd to the test. >> we are. hits hit it. you're at the playground. the child falls off the swing or their hoverboard.

swelling and lots of pain. where do they go? >> urgent care. >> i'm going to go tower jent care. >> e.r. >> why? >> i know. >> that was my first instinct. >> e.r. without theline. >> exactly, right? >> that's nice. >> and without the cost. here's a little distinction. if you've got a little fracture, a minor fracture that requires splintding, urgent care absolutely is a a fantastic place to go but if you have had a more significant fracture, compound fracture, something sticking through your skin you might need a cast, an orthopedic consult and may need surgery. not all fractures are created equal and especially with children i always urge a ltle more care. >> you said bruising on the playground, not bones coming through. >> especially in children, if you have a fracture, some things happen on playgrgrnd, go to the emergency roommnd have the experts there and have the

>> i learned something. >> number two, have you a spot on your wrist that's gotten inflamed. your watch knocks into it and now it's bleeding. what do you do? >> that you want to get looked at by a specialist? >> like a mole. >> not allowed to answer questions, i have an answer. >> go to a doctor. >> yes. >> ding, ding, ding. doctor is the right answer is we always talk about the suspicious moles or lesions on your skin that could bleed or be a skin cancer, go to the doctor nothing something that's urgent or emerge ent. number three, you tell a dinner party you've been feeling indigestion all day as you clean up and youou n nice an heavy feeling in your left arm. >> that could be a heart attack of i'm going tower jent care sglur jent care. >> wan to get immediate consultation. >> immediate what. you do want to go to the doctor. >> is that a precursor for the heart attack. >> urgent care will let me know and then i'll go toe. r. >> hehe'sissue.

immediately assess you, do an ekg and actively tell if you're having a heart attack. what's the issue? is is a letning problem that's very time sensitive so kind of like pass go, go directly to the emergency room. >> okay. >> just err on the side of e.r. >> whenever there' a symptom that's potentiallyly life-threatening. well, i don't know if it's life-threatening. if you think you're having a heart attack or pulmonary embolism go straight to the emergency room. >> got to get one right here. >> your shuns loading the dish washer. >> that would never happen. just kidding. >> savannah was unloading t dishwasher and makes arong move and she's overcome by tremendous pain and can barely stand up. where does she go? >> i'm going to e.r. after everything we've learned today. >> going to be doctor. >> oh, come on. >> okay. so this is -- this is something that's urgent but not life-threatening. you probably have -- >> i can't stand up.

acute attention, right, and you probably need pain medicine, but do you really need an emergency room because is it life-threatening? in all likelihood not. what you real sneed a doctor to can n u and make sure it's not a neurologic emergency we they can do. >> for the takeaway, if you to the e.r. >> life-threatening, time sensitive, go to the emergency room, urgenen by not nettling go to urgent care and by the way longer hours than regular doctors and routine things obviously see the doctor. 2> the thing you is should never do the dishsh. >> exactly. natalie, thank you so much. >> you're welcome. >> we'll send it over to dylan or al. >> it's me ts time, you got. coming up, a sweet treat with just a few days leftt until you try to stick to your new year's resolutions.

america is not just electing a president, we're also electing a commander in chief. that choice matters. because strengthening the economy, making healthcare more affordable, raising incomes. all of that depends on us being both secure at home and leading the world. i will get up every single day and do whatever it takes to make sure our country is safe and strong.

track northward. some freezing rain is beginning to track i io our southern counties to the north. roads becoming snow covered in many areas. ice is coating roads, as well. these conditions will continue to deteriorate as snow, sleet and freezing rain continue to track to the north. ice could be a quarter inch or so iowa city southward with the heaviest snow wateteoo to elkader and northward and strong winds will create blowing snow

visibilities. temps will cool into tte teens for highs for the new year. we'll be backkn 30 minutess be sure to check kwwl dot com for the latest news you're watching k- w-w-l, we've got you

38:30 now. it's monday morning.

now there's a little bit of a brisk wind. >> it's feeling like winter. good morning, everybody. nice to have you out on our plaza. >> coming up with the cold and the eyes and snow, taking the cold across the coununy. what a a you going to do to start winterizing your house? we'll show you some tips before it's too late. >> and share your most persosal information with them without even knowing it. we'll tell you how to prprent credit card companies from using that information against you. and all this week on "today food" a few final splurnlgs fore you make the resolution to watch your weight in the new year. >> oh, my gosh. >> a delicious english trifle. >> oh, my gosh. >> very, very tempting. >> that's good. >> exactly. >> al, let's get a check of the weather. >> this nice lady brought something. >> what's in here? chocolate chip cookies. >> oh, no. oh, look at these.

>> mickeyy hickey. >> it is really? >> margaret. >> i'do with mickey hickey. >> anybody like a cookie? >> hold thatat while i do the weather. >> let's show you what's going on and a fabulous week to start things off. we've got a mess in the eastern third of the country with rain, ice, ow, wind and severe weather. mid-week the wet weather moves east and snow in the great lakes and also around the plains and then we're also looking at late week some snow in the upper great lalas. also w w weathth down through texas with icy conditions out west and things looking good and temperature-wise believe average. the western two-thirds of the country above&average here in the east, and that continues in the mid-week period but then look towards the latter part of the week that. cooler weather makes its way east.

the country and hertoday >> i wanted to show a little love to this man. all of these people, yeah, it's a holiday crowd, baby. that's your latest weather and now let's head back inside. >> crazy. well, al, thank you very much. with that storm in mind, we're launching today's winter tune-up. if you haven't taken advantage of the unseasonably warm weather to winterize your home is now the time. george oliphant home of "georgrg to the rescue" is the here to show us exactly what to do.

kids playing with their toys outside and i'm looking at my house and the gutters and thinking, man, i've got t start getting this sucker reaea. >> you're a procrastinator, carson, and a lot of people are. you wait for the weather to kind of dictate what you need to do to yr house and a lot of people have been put if okay this year. a lot of houses as i was driving around didn't have their tape up and people didn't have stuff cleaned out of the gutters. that's paramount. >> what's the first step? >> get rid of all the stuff in the gutters and highly recommend that you wear gloves because you never know what's going nobody there, leaves and pine needles, don't know what a squirrel may have dropped in there. get up there on a ladder and scoop it up and drop is it off on floor and the important thing is safety first. if you're going to be on a lalaer that you have to be to get things out of the gutter. have a friend, neighbor, father-son activity, whatever it is, you want to make sure that the ladder is, you know, secure. >> you're seeing something you can do.

that. >> unless you're real, really high gutters and tn mt people can clean their own gutters. veve easy thing. >> how do you avoid the ice dams that form and build up? >> once you clear the gutter, that way the water can flow down the gutter and go down the drain and get out of there. as they get all clogged up you get ice and ice daming which means the water comes back up underneath your shingles and get in your roof and can cause al sorts of damage so what you want to do i i usese heat tape and use the little clips and go up about three shingles from the gutter, clep them in and run this up in "vs" up and down your shingles and what that does it melts the snow and ice immediately above the gutter so it doesn't free and cake up and continues to flow. looks difficult but it's not. >> this is something you can do yourself or bring somebody in to do for you. it's not that hard. if you can hang cistmas lights outside on your roof.

and t t avoid the ice buildup. >> ice damming is a bad thing. >> buy these at any big box imprement store or your mom & pop store. plug them in like you would your christmas lights and away you go. >> on to the pipes. >> any types in your basement that rex posed or crawl space you want to make shower they are insulated. the easiest sway with the foam insulation cult to the size. >> they sell these le t ts at hoho depot. >> most pipes, whether it's an inch or a two-inch pipe. put your finger right there. >> it ces pre-cut. >> already pre-cut. >> this would be hot. >> the if it's a hot water pipe it will be warm. measur the thing, it's about 29

know where the top is. >> what does thiss do? >> it keeps the hot water hot. >> does it give you hot water quicker. >> it does. gives it to you quicker and also allows, you're upstairs and taking a shower and the hot water just disappears this, will inlate your pipes thus keeping the water hot for when it leaves your water here the until it gets to your shower. right now if it's exposed the entiti time it's exposed the cold air is hitting it and it's dissipating how warm the water is. >> the best part, once the weather comes and you know it's coming and you'v'v got the accumulation of ice and snow out of your house, driveway. i've got an arians myself. >> you have a snow blower. >> i do and i love it. >> it's a greatat way to go, if you have a place to store it and can afford one, it's great. >> this one just shoots it. pull therying they are and pull this back. as you can see this one is a personal pace so go along at your own pace, not driving itself.

in front of you, it stops and you're good to go. >> this will move serious snow gettttg you out of your driveway, if you have multiple cars. >> big storms, long driveway, this is the way to go. if you don't have that or just trying to clear the walks and don't have time every day, trying toeep things clear, definitely go with a shovel but i'm a big fan of the ergonomic shovel because it will save your pack. >> metal tip, because if you have plastic it will get in the ice a a brbrk. >> spend a couple more bucks to get a good one. i notice that had. mine cracked. >> agreed. >> spend the extra money. >> get one good shovel and it will last you all winter long. i throw melt out. is all melt work -- is there a good melt versus bad melt and does it really work? >> two different options. throw sand. sand will give you a little traction and there are diffefent types s meme. what would i recommend is you go to find an environmentally friendly, plant and pet friendly melt, get that industrial melt that will melt anything but then your yard is going to turnn all

your dog growing a second tail so go with the environmentally friendly melt. >> feel bert already. >> good. >> going to come on over and help me do all this. >> you name it, i'll do your pipes. >> awesome. george, thank you so much. tomorrow we'll show you how to that tomorrow. up next you won't believe what your credit card company iss learning about your private life every time you swipe for a purchase and a recipe for a decadent dessert is on the way.

first, this is "today" on nbc. hey! this holiday, u.s. cellular's giving you 15 gigs of data for just $70! but i wanted a p py. [ gasps ] you're getting data. pony-sized data? u.s. cellular sized data. 15 gigs of good, strong data you can actually use because it works in the middle of anywhere. i'd like $100!0! you're getting $400 in promo cards! yes! switch to u.s. cellular and get 15 gigs of data

plus $400 in promo cards. 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-knownfriend of family fms. 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, antake on wall street, take on big business, tata on big money, and get the working class back to where they should be. he's a rock. sanders: i'm bernie sanders and i approve this message. before you reach for your credit card, each time you use it important information about your private life is revealed to your credit card company and what is it being used for, andnd can n u do anything about that? editor in chief of "readers digest" joins us.

>> we know our credit card track our purchases which generally is a good thing. helps with fraud alerts and that kind of thing. >> right, right. >> well, think about the big life events. a credit card company might know about that, if you're getting mayor eerksd sending your kid to college, having a baby. the credit card knows all of this and they might be able to put certain alerts on your cocoseling. that may mean you're headed for divorce so they might want to know about potential default on your payment. >> not that they just have this information. they know it and they knowt and use it. >> i i you're going to pawnshops and bars, they may sort of track you as financially troubled and could even lower your credit limit without you knowing it. . >> okay. . >> that is had a little disturbing. >> let's move to our next panel here. the other thing credit cards snow our location. >> yes. >>8so what's the significance of that? >> so we know when we sign up for a credit card it knows our

goes by, knows our favorite atms and coffee shops and shopping habits$ so if we're having coffee at 7:00 a.m. in cleveland and at 10:0:0 we're buying gas in texas, it can give you a fraud alert so knows your credit card has been stolen so that's a good thing but it's getting kind of creepy what they do know. if you download your credit card app, it can tell how long you're spending in a certain aisle of the store. >> come on, really. >> and sometimes you get served up coupons for a product yououe looking and you're thinking that's weird because it knows but, so that could be a good thing, but if privacy is concern, it's a little creepy. >> anything you can do about that? absolutely. when you download an app you automatically get asked tone able location services, so don't automatically say yes, first of all, and if you've alreadydy downloaded your app it's easy to go into settings and disable the location settings and that will

>> the credit cards know what you will buy and they know what you bought and can predict what you might want to buy. >> you leave an online travell ur life as you go about your daily business and they predict patterns and then sell that information to companies to marketing companies. big data, they look at public records and analyze even sococl media. if you're doing a home improvements, you may all of a sudden get deals for renovations, so that's -- that's a good thing, but if you boy a baby gift for yr friend and now you're inundated with diaper coupons not such a good thing. >> how do you battle against in a? >> well, by law, every financial institution once a year has to send you a priricy notice. it's pages and pages. >> yes, i ignore that every year. >> that we all ignore, and in that is very important instructionsn how to opt out. you can either follow those instructions, or you can make it harder for the credit card companies to follow you line.

can disable the cookies and you can enable privacy browsing, or you can just change the way you pay. if it's something you don't want your mom or boss to know that you're doing, might not want a credit card company to know what you're doing so pay in cash if that's at all possible. >> cash, what is, that liz? let's leave on a high note because there's also information that you can use to perhaps get a better rate, information about your own history that you can take to the credit card companies. >> exactly. so the information works both ways. one study found that 78% of people who called their credit card company and asked for a lower interest rate got it, so if you have a good financial history, make that phone call, but know that that customer service rep on the phone may be looking at your name and there could be a red light or a green light next to your name. green means that you're a good customernd that rep is supposed to do whatever he or she can to keep you ppy. >> you figure out pretty fast if

green light next to you. thanks for the good information. coming upup we'll lauauh a week of tasty what we're calling last hurrahs before you hit reset on your diet for the new

on nbc. and we're back now with today's food. launching a day of indulgences before the ball dropsnd why nott finish off the year with a sugar bang. elizabeth chambers is owner ever berg bakery in san antonio, texas. great to have you here. >> great to be here. >> can't belieie we're doing is segment. everybody is so full still. and you have some time before your new year's resolution kicks in. >> a few more days and we're going to go big or go home. >> what are we makeing? >> we haveur b be and our fruit and finishes. this is where it all starts. >> is that an english trifle.

grandmother's recipe, very nostalgic, time of the year for traditions and m mt traditional recipe in our family and our grandmother was amaze and made everything from scratch. i'm less amazing. making two of her ingredients from scratch. it sounds r rlly intimidating but it's really easy to make. don't need a double boiler, need one pot. >> cream or heavy milk. >> this is heavy milk. >> heavy cream. >> this is heavy cream. >> sorry.y. >> whole milk. >> this is hovey and hole. this is whole milk and it's simmering on this very hot stove, okay. the next thing we'll do is whisk the egeg. >> we'll do this. >> and add the sugar. >> do you make this stuff in san antonio? >> we do. we don't serve english trifle but we have a custard and do our nana p pding and about 80% of our recipes were my grandmother's and moy mom's. >> thanks. >> how about your husband? >> he enjoys eating sweets. he's moree of a barbecue kind of guy.

>> then we'll add the flour as well. whisk, whisk, whisk. the thing about eggs, whisksk with sugar and hot milk. don't want to poor the eggs into the hot milk because then we'll have scrambled eggs. >> ere's a technique. >> what kind of consistency? >> well ian onbe tempering. >> you can't do an electric mixer. >> no. >> temper the adds by doing that, exactly. >> just incorporated. >> getting tired yet? >> it's a process. >> need to do more stretches? >> talk amongst yourselves, folks. >> we're going to d d one more little ladle full of milk. >> i'm sorry, guys. >> how is that wrist, carson? >> going to be standing in for the 9:00 hour? >> almost there. >> you guys haveevoured your english trifle. >> and then it goes in there. >> so we're going to whisk, whisk, whisk. >> thank god it's over. >> you keep whisking. >> i'll relieve you of your dooltdies. >> you whisk, whisk, whisk until

>> what's the temperature of this custard? >> it was hot and then you let it the cool. >> you add vanilla extract is the last thing you add and you want it to cover a spoon like that. >> and you're probably wondering what is dental floss doing by our a ael foooo gate. >> could tut it? >> never want to squish the cake, you can either have a serrated bread knife and do little slices. i like to cut it into four pieces or dental floss, preferably not mint because it will get into your trifle or fishing lineend thread and cut this into the pieces so you can layer it. >> carson, here's the fun part. >> you cut off the top and cut it into pieces. >> whether or not you have a beautiful trifle dish like this, make it out of anything. this could be the base, have a regular bowl, as long as it's a deep glass well where you can

we have our lemon kurd. >> what did you do. >> cut this into thirds. >> we should do four, and this is a really f f recipe -- >> get your kids involved now layering. >> kids can do it. who doesn't want to buitd a tower outed of cake. >> i do. >> i dover day. >>nd we'll get going. >> first layer down and then lemon kurd. >> and then we're going to get our custard. >> i like to started base with custard so really, i an, it's just really nun and the whole time you're laying look how it is on the outside. >> have they tried it yeyeerday? >> iaste the booze. >> we've saved the best for last. >> i need your help. >> a little floater on the top. >> not a little floater. we're going to douse it. >> go big. >> mmm. >> you can make it really pretty like we did here or make it very

now and add the berries. >> a lot more fun than lasagna but a similar approach. >> where's the booze. >> it's going to come. the beauty of this recipe is you can honestly use anything. not into berries, use citrus. if you don't have blackberry jam, use strawberry. use red raspberry. >> angel food cake, custard, lemon kurd, another layer, more lemon. >> and kids love doing this. they love getting involved and can keep the kids away from the booze but start -- start them with this. >> we don't have much time left. >> build, build, build. >> and you're all about the booze. >> wanteddo see how it incorporates into all of this. >> for the viewers. >> we're going to pile all this in and now for the big reveal. >> what is it, carson, whoa? >> that's good. >> cherry.

>> sherry. >> you can use anything, sherry, brandy. >> that's going to be nice. >> the w wle thing. >> that explains why al is leap right now. >> so we've got to finish with some shipped cream. this is obviously not my prettiest trifle. >> this is good. >> peace you want to make. >> and top it off with the fruit and you have this beautiful grandma's english trifle. >> and then you t t to take a sip of the world's biggest trifle. elizabeth chambers, thank you so much. >> happy holidays to you. >> thank you very much. >> for more recipes go to today.com/food.

>> thank you, elizabeth. look who is here to guest host, john cena. "sisters." >> i thought you meant on the "today" shsh. >> named one of f e most interesting p pple in radio and tv. >> love it. >> john is going to help us out. we're talking about holiday decorations. i'm doing that, taking down all the dengrations. >> carson's alrlrdy doneit. >> we'll get some tips.

hoverboard.track orthward. some freezing rain is beginning to track into our southern counties with mainly snow and some sleet to the north. iowa dot cameras are showing roads becoming snow covered in many areas. ice is coating roads, as well. these conditions will continue to deteriorate as snow,

freezing rain continue to track to the north. ice could be a quarter inch or so iowa city southward with the heaviest snow wawaerloo to elkader and northward and strong winds will create blowing snow and low visiilities. temms will cool into the teens for highs for the new year. 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. praised as one of america's best mayors who governed as a pragmatist. bernie sanders passed more amendments in a republican congress

cracked the gridlockck with john mccain to strengthen veterans' healthcare. bernie sanders. a consistent, principled, and effective leader. building a future to believe in. sanders: i'm bernie sanders and i approve this message. hey! this holiday, u.s. cellular's giving you 15 gigs of data for just $70! but i wanted a pony. [ gasps ] you're getting data. pony-sized data? u.s. cellular sized data.

because it works in the middle of anywhere. i'd like $1010 you're getting $400 in promo cards! yes! switch to u.s. cellular and get 15 gigs of data for just $70. plus $400 in promo cards. this morning on "today's take" we'll start ringing in the new year with wrestling superstar john cena joins us as plus, the popularar christmas gift that got people flipping out. hoverboard fails. and christmas cleanup. how to remove your tree without making a mess.

>> from nbc news, this is today's take with al roker, natalie morales and tamron hall lye from rockefeller plaza. >> all right. welcome to "today" on monday morning. yeah. december 28th, 2015. hope you had a great christmas. i'm al along with natalie, our good buddy john cena is back. >> i have no dance moss. >> missy elliott featuring pharrell. there you go. >> like it. even the puppetet dance better than i do in that video. >> you're becoming a regular for us. we love that. >> always good to hang out with you guys, talk about news and stuff. appreciate you having me back. >> we are all back from christmas break. you and your family. >> went skiing. we h h incredible weather.

i think there was 26 inches in like a three-day period. unbelievable snow. we had a great time. all the kiddos getting to be really goooo skiers. we were talking about some of the best gifts i think the kids could get this year. not the hoverboard which we will get to in a minute. this was one of my son's gifts from some family friends. pie face. remember this game? you click the dial, you never know when the whipped cream is going to hit you in the face? josh got hammered with the whipped cream. we had so much fun with this game. such fun concept. >> that's great. you can watch that forever. >> he was just laughing nonstop and of course eating all the whipped cream. that was a great gift. you had one. >> yeah. we got this, it's called on-key overdrive.

it's a regularar track but it actually scans the track and then the cars take off and you're racing them using your phone, tpe phone connects with the track. >> you can c cnge the track? >> you can change the track. it's really great. willie also sent me, speaking of hammereded a cocktail courier for moscow mule. a friend sent the mugs. i don't remember much of christmas, actually. >> that's a big mug. you probably don't. >> that's a good mug. that's all right. dylan was on a hoverboard. >> i was. it was not mine. my niece got a hoverboard. off of it. >> i was on it the first time and i rocked the hoverboard. i mean, look, hands on the hips. >> you'regood. aroundndhe staircase, the whole thing. >> you went up the stairs. stairs.

don't have on video i was so cocky with my skills i started spinning in c ccles and i went to get off it and i did what you see everybody else doing. i just landed flat on my butt, wrists like this, this wrist isn't really functioning all that well. >> good thing -- >> there's a trick to not falling. >> i think the trick is staying on it forever and never getting off of it. it's the getting off. >> when i tried it, when it was just coming out, i literally, my arm got twisted to the back bus i because i had the two guys helping me. nchlgs the >> the trick is to have two guys helping you. >> you need handsome guys helping you. >> when you find a handsome guy, maybe you will get help. come on. i had to do thth. >> it's not easy. >> what a handsome man.

singing "12 days of christmas"? >> yes. that's my sisterern-law. wewell get a part of the song. >> that's a cute tradition. >> we all sing it and after that the family's like we're done and they leave. >> john, do you have christmas traditions? >> i'm kind of adopting them frfr my better half. she has a big extensive family like that. they do a giant dinner celebration to the theme of the drummer boy every year. >> i love that soso. >> where's the video? >> it's a very important secretive celebration. now it's public. >> a lot of people -- >> in the future i'll bring the video. this is actually what i did on christmas. i had time to spend with my own family and of course the person i love the most. we had a beautiful day in massachusetts and the weather was exceptionana it's about to get a little rough. it was exceptional for christmas. we just enjoyed the crazy 65 gree --

>> that's where i'm from. >> how big is the pool? >> it's a pretty deep, big, tragic, horrible christmas banter filled pool. but she did great. i think we had a great christmas. the whole family was together. it was really, for the weather to be nice and everybody to be out and enjoy was really cool. >> it was unbelievable. people wer barbecuing o o christmas day. >> strange to be in massachusetts in shorts and a teeshirt. >> given that a year ago it was waist-deep in snow. >> it's coming. >> it's coming. >> hoverboards. >> we were talking about how many people actually got hurt. they were one of the hottest gifts of christmas this year, as you saw. you have probably seen lot of these videos on the internet. >> oh, man! >> is that how you looked? >> why did the camera not keep rolling is what we wanted?

>> it's like america's funniest. >> it looks like -- >> when skateboards first came out, this was the same type of -- >> the difference is the skateboard wasn't self-propelled. gravity kind of helped you with that. this is -- >> like you said, it's a segway but without the handles. not being able to hold on to something, you're completely off center. >> my niece is very good at it. she always wears the helmet. >> the helmet is the thing you don't seem to hit. how about that florida congressman? >> the florida congressman tweeted this, captioning it confirmed, hash tag hoverboard is for kids. i wound up in southern baptist, south florida. a lot of people spending time at the emergency room that they were not planning during the holiday.

>> if they don't explode you end up beneath them. >> john, can we embarrass you a little more? we love to say how great you are. apparently buzzfeed thinks you are topnotch. top 13 list of the year's biggest breakout stars in film, tv and movies. >> that just proves they got the check. thank you, guys at buzzfeed. i appreciate it. >> we can keep going. aren't those your safe words? >> oh, my goodness. yes. >> like how i worked that one in? >> we had trara wreck, sisters, the cast was on late night with seth meyers last week. >> i'm the designated mom tonight. >> john cena very funny in the film. he's a super-funny guy. >> can i say something about him? when i saw him i had feelings that i have never felt before.

i like a skinny weird-looking nerd. mplgts >> you wanted to be held in his two hands like a tiny tea cup dog. >> i would never confuse you for a tiny tea cup. >> she wanted to be held like -- >> i understand. >> i don't even know what to say. >> what is the reaction when you are sitting home on the couch and they start talking about you in that way? >> i would say these two hands are only for touching someone's body and that's this guy right here. no, i kid. i totally kid. >> excuse me? >> i will admit, it's hard to see you now in the suit after seeing "train wreck." >> i have a feeling the folks who saw "train wreck" make it difficult to see me, period. we had a good time making the movie. it was a funny movie. everybody laughed. but everybody seems to have that comment.

okay. >> or it is, and -- >> or it is. >> literally seeing a different side of you. >> just making everybody laugh. just doing my best. put a smile on everybody's face. >> you sell it like no one else. i got to tell you. >> that's right. i understand bed, bath and beyond has a new brand of john cena towel racks. >> it's a small rack. small. oh, boy. >> if you haven't seen "train wreck," you will get the joke. >> talk about the weather or something. >> what a segue! you are a handsome man. so handsome. >> oh, man. >> let's show you what we have going on. look what else we got going on. we got a big crowd in here today. are we charging now? what's going on? we have a tornado watch, we have right now, tornado warnings throughout parts of central alabama and southern alabama and

we are watching this line, very strong line of storms. that's going to be tracking to the east. so we have got eight million people at risk for severe weather, damaging winds, isolated tornadoes possible as this front pushes east, we are looking today, tomorrow, flooding rains, storms possible in the south, going to be very severe. on the back side of this system, we have got a lot of wet snowy weather to talk about. look right now, we could see flooding, three to five inches of rain from central alabama into northern georgia. 33 million people in the path of wintry weather. chicago, detroit, okc, kc, boston, all possible looking at strong storms and looking at that blizzard-like conditions. a wintry mix, heavy snow reducing visibilities. look at the snowfall totals. this swath of snow. we are talking anywhere from six to ten inches or more as you get into parts of illinois, indiana and michigan, and we also have freezing rain to talk about. could be an inch or more in

so a real mess. that swath actually stretches all the way back into new england by tomorrow. look at that.the kwwl viewing area today... a winter storm warning is posted for all of us through tonight. system. roads are deteriorating from the south to the north as sleet and freezing rain continue to track into the state. stormtrack7 live weather network cameras will show all forms of frozen precip today. temperatures are in the nw iowa. winds are strong... ne 15-30 mph already gusting higher and will be mainly 20-30 mph gusting to 40 to 50 mph today... which will reduce visibilities and cause blowing and mainly snowing. the storm is tracking to the north and will continue to pump in moisture over our cold surface. this some snow showers possible tomorrow. we and that is your latest weather. coming up next, we undeck the halls. some tips for removing all your festive decor. already? right after this.stive systems handle a lot over the holidays. 20 hours of anxiously fighting crowds to find the perfect gifts. cooking for family meals

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christmas has come christmas has come and gone. now it's the season to start thinking about taking down your decorations. >> lori deiner is here with tips on how to store all the fragile items. love christmas but don't love the cleanup. >> so much work, i know. chances are by now your christmas tree is pretty dry. i will show you a quick way to get it to the curb without a lot of pine needles. what i do first, pluck off the ornaments. as you do that, tons of pine needles drop. i put bath towels at the bottom to catch all the pine needles. when you are done doing that, john, if i can borrow you, take the tree, put it on its side. first you take the water out. of course, we have a fake tree here so that doesn't count. >> you are not putting the stand with the tree, obviously. >> that's right.

we will take this and just as if we are folding sheets together. >> the drop cloth allows you to protect your floor. >> exactly. with a friend or a few friends, drag it to the curb. make sure to go trunk first so you don't meet with resistance in the doorway. let's talk ornaments. >> tree's taken care of. what about the ornaments? >> a lot of people know you can put your ornaments in egg cartons to protect them but there is random stuff, hooks, extra lights, that kind of thing. then these things are from warehouse club, like a costco or sam's club. >> perfect for ornaments. >> protects them and works just as well for irregular sized ornaments. it doesn't have to be just the round ornaments. >> keeping them from breaking. >> here's another great idea. this is to go trays from a coffee shop. put your ornaments in there. again, perfect for irregular ornaments.

put it in a box. the idea is to protect everything so it doesn't get smashed. here's another great idea. party cups. >> this looks like a party game i play. >> a little bit. >> what what? >> i don't know if it's the same sort of concept. i would be drinking ornaments, it seems like. >> you line a box with cups and there's a cardboard insert you kind of stack the cups on top. >> good idea. what about the lights? this is the part i hate. tell me about it. they always end up tangled. >> not only that, you don't know which lights go where. actually, i will let one of you do this. wrap it right around. use a plain hanger. i like this because it has ridges on it. also, the cardboard is a great idea. this is just a flap from the top of a cardboard box. any piece of cardboard will do. i put a little tab on here to remind myself for next year where it goes. >> if i can do this, anyone can

>> so handy. >> this is good. >> what about wrapping paper? you want to keep it fresh for next year. >> it gets mushed so easily. this is a plain wine box i found. it has a cardboard grid inside. >> i got a few of those lying around the house. >> candles get banged up so easily. they are so fragile. we will each do this. everybody take a candle. super easy. >> just the paper towel holders? >> all i need is paper towel and paper towel cardboard insert. roll up the paper towel. >> blow out the candle. that's it. lay it in a box. happens to be the perfect side for a tapered candle. lay it in a box, a drawer. really easy. >> good ideas. what about wreaths? >> what have we got here? >> really good idea for wreaths and garlands is to go vertical because it can get destroyed so easily. i hung this wreath on a standard garden hose hanger.

this is a standard garden hose hanger from my local hardware store. if you don't mind helping me wrap this. go ahead, wrap the garland around. this guy's pretty skinny but it works for really thick garland as well. at the very end, you can throw a plastic bag over it if you would like to protect it from dust. stuff you have around the house, you can use. >> i determined what we all need is john cena to help us. >> cue the christmas fiasco. these will help even me. thank you so much. coming up next, go big before you go hungry on your new year's diet. we will cook up the ultimate

jay knows how to keep his wheels spinning. nice shorts, dad... this is what the pros wear. uhhh... that's why he starts his day with those two scoops in heart healthy kellogg's raisin bran. ready to eat my dust? too bad i already filled up on raisins. kellogg's raisin bran. deliciously heart healthy. only kraft natural cheese has a touch of philadelphia cream cheese, so whatever you make, is creamier than ever. the citi double cash card comes in very handy with cash back twice on purchases. earn once when you buy, and again as you pay.

it's cash back d\j vu. the citi double cash card. the only card that lets you earn cash back twice on every purchase with 1% when you buy and 1% as you pay. with two ways to earn, it makes a lot of other cards seem one sided. inside every overweight woman, is a woman she knows she can be. many times you look in the mirror and you don't even recognize your own self, because you got lost, buried, in the weight that you carry. nothing you've ever been through is wasted. so every time i tried and failed, and every time i tried again, and every time i tried again, has brought me to this most powerful moment.

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enjoy the go with charmin. i am testing each and every one of you. quit right now and i will give you $40,000. the doc is in. some major medical breakthroughs on the horizon will help you live longer. >> and we have a beefed-up casserole recipe full of short ribs and all sorts of deliciousness to begin our week-long series, one last

before you ring in the new you in 2016 and start that diet. >> fantastic. and have you seen it? a pop culture challenge featuring the most famous images of the year. with the pop culture icon himself, john cena. we will take on the champion. first, your local news and weather. but first the local news and weather. to the couple wondering what a good deal looks like... no. seriously? we'll give it a 6 for composition. scary. wow, what about just putting a fair, no haggle price on the window? not zany enough? sometimes the best deals

track northward. some freezing rain is beginning to track into our southern counties with mainly snow and some sleet

becoming snow covered in many areas. ice is coating roads, as well. these conditions will continue to deteriorate as snow, sleet and freezing rain continue to track to the north. ice could be a quarter inch or so iowa city southward with the heaviest snow waterloo to elkader and northward and strong and low into the teens for highs for the new year. 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. track northward. some freezing rain is beginning to track into our southern counties with mainly snow and some sleet to the north. iowa dot cameras are showing

taking a look at the headlines, the weather in much of the country making a mess of air travel today. more than 1400 flights have been delayed or canceled largely because of snow and ice from texas to the midwest. on sunday, more than 9,000 flights in the u.s. were disrupted. delays and cancellations are making it tough as people try to get home after christmas or trying to get away for the new year. christmas may be over but the holiday shopping season

a survey by the national retail federation finds nearly half of consumers plan to shop this week which can account for about 15% of retailers' holiday sales. people will be searching for deals, cashing in with the gift cards and making returns. experts say about 15% of holiday gifts will be returned. famed denver broncos quarterback peyton manning is firing back against allegations that he used performance-enhancing drugs. over the weekend, al-jazeera's investigative unit released a documentary alleging that manning is one of several nfl players to have used banned substances. manning tells espn that the story is garbage and completely fabricated, and that he is disgusted. he tells nbc sports that he may sue al-jazeera. the intern who made the claims is now retracting all his statements saying they are false. if you are thinking about a new year's resolution here's another reason to start hitting the gym. scientists say exercise may help

a new study finds that people who do moderate exercise going to the gym three to four times a week for about 20 to 30 minutes have stronger immune systems. researchers say that any amount of fitness will provide some benefit. "star wars" held on to the top spot once again, set another record over the weekend. it took in more than $153 million over the weekend pushing it past the $1 billion mark globally. reaching that mark faster than any other film ever. "daddy's home" second and "joy" was third. al roker has the weather. >> thank you very much. as we transition, look at the week's precipitation. we got a mess. the eastern two-thirds of the country, snow out west, great for the skiers and snowpack. midweek we have wet weather and severe weather along the southeastern atlantic coast, snow around the great lakes and snow in the cascades. as we get to the latter part of

down. a few problems in southern texas. out west, gorgeous, sunny, snow in the upper great lakes. temperature wise, below average for the western two-thirds of the u.s., above average throughout the midwest on into the midatlantic states. by the midweek period, that moves east. you can see that cooler air spreading east as well. by the latter part of the week, much of the country starting to get either close to normal or below average. today

we do have a true pop culture superstar in john cena, ladies and gentlemen. we decided to mayplay cena-it? i'm going to show you about some of the most famous images from 2015. i want you guys to buzz in when you have the answer. let's see. if you ladies can defeat john cena. number one. we will start off by revisiting one of the most buzzed about celebrity feuds of 2015. we will show you a pop star, i want you to name the other pop star that she's confronted. all right. natalie? >> oh, wait. is it taylor swift? >> no. anybody else? >> i thought i knew. >> katy perry? >> no. john? >> queen elizabeth. >> no. that was very close. >> our buzzers don't work. >> it's miley cyrus.

>> off to a slow start. >> for this one we want to slowly reveal the most liked photo on instagram this year. first person to identify the user of instagram gets the point. all right. >> khloe kardashian. >> no. >> kendall jenner. >> yes. >> i get them confused. i knew it was one of them. >> all right. next, we will show you a screen grab from a famous 2015 movie. >> "star wars." >> you did not buzz in. >> "star wars." >> yes, that's correct. this one a little different. we will show you the chalk outline. >> chalk outline? what? >> from a famous character from television in 2015. we will slowly fill it in. you name the character. >> is this person dead or alive? >> the fall guy. >> they are alive. >> no it's not. >> i never watched this show.

>> can't think of his name. >> what's he laying in? >> blood. >> his name is john snow. we will show you one of the most famous -- you guys are pathetic. one of the most famous portraits of 2015. you tell us the super star who is pictured. >> tom brady. >> yes. all right. when it comes to memes in 2015, none were bigger than this. we will zoom in and slowly pull out. you name the famous critter. >> it's a critter? >> i know who it is. pizza wrap. >> absolutely. all right. that's disgusting. another cinematic screen grab. name the summer blockbuster that featured the following. >> hey, wait! >> "train wreck." >> yes! >> you have to be faster with your buzzer. >> we are actually taking a

all right. speaking of memes, and we weren't, no video spawned more than this one. name the artist you see dancing here. >> oh, i forgot. >> luther vandross. >> drake. >> i forgot. you didn't know. >> i was giving him a chance to get it. >> do i get the point? >> you got the point. one of the most buzzed-about scenes in all of tv was the last scene ever of this show. >> "seinfeld." >> here's a picture. >> this year. >> "mad men." >> let's see. what's the score? >> john, did you get a point? >> it's a tie. >> it's not a wwe match. >> i'm just warming up for my next round.

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jay knows how to keep his wheels spinning. nice shorts, dad... this is what the pros wear. uhhh... that's why he starts his day with those two scoops in heart healthy kellogg's raisin bran. ready to eat my dust? too bad i already filled up on raisins. kellogg's raisin bran. deliciously heart healthy. [elf] here's one of our best elves, hard at work... [kid] what's back there? [elf] nothing... [santa] touchdown. come on... [elf] santa, the davidson's are here to see our workshop... [santa] oh... well...hello! uh, this is my sleigh! it's how i deliver all the presents by myself! [team member] santa, you got anything else going to albany? [santa] by myself! [santa](muffled noises) [vo] ship with fedex ground at fedex office. it's how the holidays arrive.

you by sensodyne toothpaste, the number one dentist recommended brand for sensitive teeth. >> better screenings and treatment for the deadliest forms of cancer, more effective vaccine to protect us from the flu virus are some of the advances being developed to help us live longer lives. here is the deputy editor for "more" magazine and nbc news natalie. good morning, ladies. these are some great medical breakthroughs that are on the horizon or if not happening right now. let's talk first about the universal flu vaccine. tell me what this is and what's being developed. >> what's great about this is normally the flu vaccine is developed before flu season hits and by the time it hits, the strain of the vaccine that you're protected against has mutated. with the universal flu vaccine, what you would be able to do is get inoculated against the part of the flu that doesn't mutate. >> it seems like a great idea

right? >> it is. it's also a couple years away from really being implemented into practice. primarily because even though that one part of the virus that doesn't change, when it's on its own is actually a pretty flimsy unstable molecule, let's say. they are still trying to figure out how we can really capitalize on that fact that the virus can stay the same from year to year. ideally the universal flu vaccine would need to be given once in a lifetime, certainly not yearly. >> for now, continue to get the flu vaccine. it's still out and available. next, this seems like something that could really help, using your own immune cells to fight or kill cancer. how are scientists actually doing this? >> okay. this is another example of something that we call immunotherapy that we talked about a couple weeks ago. this is a little different. this is also, though, sort of taking what we know about a person's immune system and really exploiting what we can about our body's own ability to kill cancer cells.

called a t-cell, we are taking it out of a person, putting it back in, genetically modified. the t-cell will find cancer cells and destroy it. currently this is used for treating lymphoma, although solid tumors are obviously also on the horizon. very optimistic studies. >> it's great. it's turning your own body into a cancer-killing machine. you are basically taking your immune cells, t-cells, and they are calling this designer t-cells, right, and manufacturing them so that they can actually fight the cancer on their own. >> let's talk heart health as we move over to the next panel here. here we are treating, again, through the personalized approach, using people's own dna to help their hearts. how does this work? >> this one has been studied through tissue and blood samples to -- this is really advances in genomics. they can tell what kind of

respond to, what kind of medicines you won't respond to. so you are not wasting your time waiting for treatments you won't respond to or taking treatments that won't be effective for you. >> so it's getting the right medication for your heart. >> exactly. the idea here is trying to predict which patients will respond to which medicines rather than the one size fits all approach which we use for a lot of different fields, of course. this actually came out of some research which showed that a drug they had hoped would help people with cardiovascular disease didn't have a great benefit, but they found some people responded incredibly well after studying their genomics. you might have something that would work for more people. >> lots to get to but we are short on time. pick up the issue of "more" magazine on stands right now. up next, billy deck on deck.

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[ laughter ] [ male announcer ] for tim and richard smucker, giving a gift of their family's delicious jam always made the holidays just a little bit sweeter. we forgot to put our names on them! richard, i think they'll know who it's from. thank you boys. you're welcome. you're welcome. [ male announcer ] happy holidays from our family to yours. i love christmas! we are back now with today food as we begin our week-long series. the last hurrah. >> billy deck is here with one monster of a dish before you get back on the diet. what's up? >> good to be back. >> especially when you come with something like this. >> this is huge. this is going to be kind of healthy, right? >> totally. lot of things to get to.

salt and pepper, bay leaves, thyme, of course, truffle paste, tater tots, tomato paste. there's a lot of love going into this dish. you will taste it. it's incredibly explosive in taste. first we will start searing the short rib. >> cut them off the bone? >> yep. cut them off the bone. do about an inch cubes. i have seasoned it, salt and pepper. there's a ton here. this casserole is huge. you want to go for it? what we're doing is searing it in high heat. >> this is why it's great to do this with al. >> he knows his way. who cares if it's all over the counter? after that we will cook vegetables. what's great about browning the meat, it also browns the pan. there's all sorts of goodness on the bottom. cook the tomato paste for two minutes, let that sort of mingle in there with what's left from

then you can help me throw in all the vegetables, carrots, onions, celery. right in front of you, you have stout. you can pour all that stout in. how is it? >> good. >> yeah. big, bold savory flavors to go with this. >> much like john cena. >> he's big, bold and savory. >> yes, he is. >> your new tag line. >> this has not been my morning, guys. >> and then, you did such a good job with the short rib, we are ready to pour it right back in. >> with a couple herbs? >> thyme and bay leaves. since we are br ashgsaising this, we put it in the oven until it's tender at 325. we have beef stock to add to this. you can add the other one. yeah. then we just cover that up and let it go slow and low until it's tender and wonderful. then we will make the sauce.

after it's absorbed all that amazing flavor. we have corn starch, always mix it with cold water. you don't want to pour it straight in. it will clump up on you. then you can sort of whisk away at that. that gets nice and thick. if you want, you can actually put this in the fridge at this point, the meat and sauce if you want to cook it later, fast for dinner. >> which helps because the fat rises to the top, you can skim that off. >> it's delicious after a couple days. you will get rid of the fat? that's the good part. >> just a little bit. >> go ahead and drop in everything you see in front of you. you have all the short rib, some great mushrooms to add to it, some pearl onions which are a little more mild than regular onions. they have a little sweetness to go with the savioryory. then heavy cream. then my favorite, truffle paste.

i love it so much. >> you were concerned about trimming some of the fat off of this thing. >> smell that. you will love it. you like truffles? >> i do. >> you can use truffle oil. >> i'm sorry, you heard me? >> your inside voice again coming out. truffle oil. then you know what? we are ready to go. why don't you grab that, pour this right in here. what al and i are going to do when you're done -- >> this is going to be crazy. >> good job. then we throw the truffles, tater tots on top, rebake. this went in at 350 for like 20 minutes. cheese on top. you can use any cheese you want. this is definitely a great melting cheese. throw it in the oven. it gets as beautiful as this, enjoy. >> thank you so much. love it. happy new year. today.com for our recipes.

this is "today" on nbc. >> big, big bold and savory, john cena, thank you so much. >> thank you. i appreciate that.

rain is beginning to track into our southern counties with mainly snow and some sleet to the north. iowa dot cameras are showing roads becoming snow covered in many areas. ice is coating roads, as well. these conditions will continue to deteriorate as snow, sleet and freezing rain continue to track to the north. ice could be a quarter inch or so iowa city southward with the heaviest snow waterloo to elkader and northward and strong winds will create blowing snow and low visibilities. temps will cool into the teens for highs for the new year. we'll be back in 30 minutes, be sure to check kwwl dot com for the latest news

got you

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. all right, everybody.