mainstream doesn't like to fight with their right flank. when the right flank wins and they fight these things out, they usually get their way. day counting. >> good morning. right now first look, heavy flooding and dangerous mudslides in california after months of drought. how is the golden state coping. >> bill cosby alleged with sexually assaulting a woman when she was just 15 years old. >> domestic violence in every community costs our great nation. a senate hearing on domestic violence in pro sports. plus, a shark photo bombs an australian surfing competition, and the latest installment of brian williams slow jamming the news. good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us today. i'm betty nguyen.

california set to get it again. a lot of rain. the third time this week. rain triggering new mudslides and new concerns. here's nbc's jay -- >> northern california was hit first and hit hard. the storm toppling trees and power lines, causing accidents and four-hour flight delays at sfo. >> in southern california -- >> it's coming. it's coming. >> this is more than just a storm for this man. >> the house could go. damage, severe lives are at stake here. it's a big deal. >> reporter: the last time a storm hit ed's home, it was buried. >> the last time -- our concern is it could be worse this time. all of the rain intensifies.

>> right now here it is. >> downed powerlines closed the pacific coast highway. the usually dry los angeles river actually became one. just north in camarillo sprankz the threat of mud flows has caused dozens to evacuate. crews struggling to keep water away from homes. east of los angeles in glendora. >> it's safer to be away from your home than at your home. it's not the steady rain we are worried about. it's that high volume of rain in a short amount of time. >> that was nbc's jacob ruscone reporting. bill karens will have more on the storm in a few minutes. bill cosby is facing yet another name on that growing list of sexual assault accusers. in a civil suit filed yesterday in l.a. judy huff claims it happened in 1974. she was just 15. she says cosby served her and a friend multiple alcoholic

beverages before leading them to another house that ened up being the play boy mansion. she says the actor and median then molested her. no response from cosby's attorney who has refuted all the previous allegations. cosby has never been charged with any crime. here's the words that we really didn't want to hear again. another person is being tested for ebola in the u.s. that is the announcement from massachusetts general hospital in boston. now, keep in mind this just means the person has some of the same symptoms. a spokesperson would not discuss what those are or their travel history. this news was revealed on the same day president obama suicide congress for more than $6 billion to fight the disease that has killed 6,000. it was an emotional moment on capitol hill. it happened during a hearing on domestic violence, but this t e time -- >> my brother and i watch helplessly numerous times as my mother was beaten.

we saw how she struggled to seek help and find the courage to say no more. i relate to the 20 million victims, survivors of domestic violence, abuse in every community costs our great nation. >> that is troy vincent. he is the vice president of the nfl's football operations. he said the nfl made a crucial mistake in its initial punishment. another closely watched grand jury decision involving a police officer is imminent. this time, though, all eyes are on new york city. a grand jury decision on whether to indict officer daniel andaleo in the death of aircraft gardener could come together when the grand jury needs to vote. the officer is seen taking gardener down in an apparent choke hold. his lawyer tells nbc the officer testified before the grand jury on november 21st for about two hours. the grand jury could consider charges that include first

degree manslaughter and negligent homicide. new york's police commissioner says regardless of the decision, extra police will be on hand when the announcement is made with some of them working 12-hour shifts. meanwhile, officials in st. louis are scaling back on extra security now that protests in ferguson have died down. there are roughly 1,200 national guardsmen in and around ferguson. that's down from 2,200 at the height of last week's violents protests. they are investigating the riots and looting. now they tell nbc that as part of that investigation they are looking into these comments michael brown's stepfather made shortly after the grand jury announcement. >> michael brown's mother told nbc that her husband was just being emotional. nbc is kicking off the

holiday season at 30 rock. it's dark outside right now, but tonight this 85-foot spruce tree will light up for the 82nd annual rockefeller christmas tree lighting ceremony. nbc sarah is live on the 30 rock plaza. sarah, what can we expect? >> well, betty, good morning. we can expect a long list of performances by a bunch of very well known household names, including tony bennett and mariah carey, but the real star of the show is the tree behind me. it has been on the radar several years, ever since the head gardener here saw it while he was driving on the intes. it needed more time to grow, but now it's ready for its turn in the spotlight. >> reporter: now a holiday guest of new york city, the rockefeller center christmas tree, 85-foot tall norway spruce sprinkled with 45,000 lights and ready to sparkle.

its owners self-prolamed christmas elves bought the house in part when they learned it was in the running to take the main spot on the plaza. >> he was, like, wow, great name, great tree. this is going to be perfect. >> a 150 mile plus journey later, it was hoisted up by crane. energy-efficient l.e.d. lights were sprung on its branches, and then the crowning jewel. a star adorn with 25,000 swarovski crystals. on the ground a star-studded line-up is set leading up to the lighting, including performances by tony bennett, mariah carey, cindy lauper and leann rimes. now it's like to be on the stage and a part of the whole lighting, it's very exciting. >> reporter: a sem bol of the holiday season for people across the country set to shine when that switch is flipped tonight. >> the tree stays lit until january 7th, giving millions of people the chance to come see it

in person. after that it will be recycled, and the search for 2015's tree begins immediately. >> the process continues. all right. still looking forward to tonight. thank you. you don't want to miss tonight's light festivities hosted by "today's" matt lauer, al roker, natalie morales. the nbc's reigning mvp made his return to the court last night. kevin durant suited up after undergoing foot surgery. he scored 27 points in his debut. but they fell 112-104. the college football playoff committee released its sixth set of rankings. alabama is number one. oregon number two. the surprise came in at number three with one loss. t.c.u. leapfrogging undefeated florida state who dropped to

four. the final selections for the playoff will be on sunday. alabama birmingham is shutting down its football program because it was losing too much money to football. university ray watts said it was for the greater good of the athletic department and uab. at 6-6 they became bowl eligible for the first time since 2004, and only the second time in school history. tiger woods says he is ready to play again. he will tee off high pressures in his annual tournament, the hero world challenge. woods hasn't played competitively since the pga championship back in august. he has been dealing with back issues, but now he says his body is back. >> feels great. it feels fantastic. i have done the proper rehab. i have gotten stronger. i have gotten more explosive, gotten faster. all the things. now i just need to hit more balls. one of the cuddliest traditions in minor league hock where i continues. it's the annual teddy bear toss. 7,000 bears were tossed on to

the ice. it is a 16-year tradition. all the bears are being donated to different nonprofits throughout california, just in time for the holidays. let's get down to business with cnbc landon downey. good morning to you. >> good morning to you. futures are slightly lower. stocks rallied on tuesday with the dow closing at a record high on the back of strong november auto sales, and better than expected numbers on construction spending. look for data today on private sector jobs, productivity, and the services sector. the house has a hearing on the takata airbag crisis. executives from the japanese company and several automakers will testify. they say they will leave it up to emakers whether to expabd a recall nationwide. how prepared are you for your future? 80% of older americans fail the basics when it comes to financial literacy. they were asked about social security, ira's, and how bonds work. only one in four have written a financial plan, and many others have never even tried to calculate how much they'll need

to retire securely. back to you. >> that could be a big surprise. thank you. well, still ahead, the latest on that 13-year-old rescued after four years of being held prisoner. hear what he has to say. plus, caught on camera. a surfing competition gets a surprise visitor, and how you can always have pizza in bed. details next. [ narrator ] mama sherman and the legion of super fans. wow! [ narrator ] on a mission to get richard to his campbell's chunky soup. it's new chunky beer-n-cheese with beef and bacon soup. i love it. and mama loves you. ♪

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are. welcome back to first look. the storm that hit california haze couple of consequences as it goes across the country. it won't be a big storm that goes coast-to-coast. it knocks down the drought a little bit. we need, like, ten of these big storms. the other thing it does is it brings mild pacific air across the country. instead of the air coming straight down from canada, like it did all of november, the storm itself is now driving all the warm air straight across the country. it's a pacific air mass, and that means a lot of december, at least the first half of it, is actually going to be pretty mild across the country. as far as the rainfall, about an

inch and a half in san francisco, that's great. sacramento, still pouring, and almost up to an inch. also be careful in northern new england. i'm sure you have ice scraping to do in your car. vermont, new hampshire, and interior sec sections of maine. that's improving during the day today. the forecast for today is still cold and chilly from minnesota to wisconsin. southern half of the country is not bad. get ready for rain in oklahoma and texas over the next couple of days. even looking ahead towards the weekend, no snow. that's good. >> thanks to that zonal flow. that's my new friend. >> pacific air. not arctic air. >> big difference, right? some stories making news this morning. hackers got their hands on several unreleased mefz like "annie" and now they might have stolen other employee information like social security numbers and home addresses. the fbi has been working with sony since monday when the hacking was discovered. the 13-year-old florida boy rescued this past weekend is speaking for the first time about the abuse he endured for nearly four years. in an interview with "the daily

mail" he said i felt like a maid. i had to clean the house and yard, and if there was even a leaf out of place my step-mom would beat me with a stick. but he told the paper that he does not want his step mom or dad to go to jail. police say the stepmother is on probation for child cruelty charges. in australia, heck this out. an amateur photographer got this really cool picture of a jumping shark. looks more like the shark is photo bombing a surfing competition. surfers were called out of the water, but not for long. for those who always seem to go to bed hungry, an artist in brooklyn started a kick starter campaign to start a pepperoni pizza bedding set. it includes tomato sauce sheets, crust pillow cases, and a cheese and pepperoni duvet cover. we dare you not to dream of pizza while sleeping in this bed. coming up, president obama goes 3d. plus, the link between a boy band and a potential new defense

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president obama found a nominee to replace defense secretary chuck hagel. his name is ashton carter. it sounds like a boy band. i love ashton. he is my favorite. he has juicy juice lips, and he is just -- he is just so complicated. >> jimmy fallon starting off with scrambled politics.

now with the news. a new cnn-orc poll is out. everyone, act surprised because hillary clinton and mitt romney lead the 2016 pack. romney is at 20%. ben carson 10%, jeb bush 9%. hillary clinton at -- >> the new york daily news, president obama and mitch mcconnell, the two have a white house meeting. it is happening today. it is the first one-on-one since the midterms. no word if bourbon will be involved. the white house can't explain why soap opera producer just became ambassador to hungary. colleen bell works on "the bold and the beautiful." take a listen. >> well, let me say it this way, ambassador bell has the president's confidence. >> where does the president get that confidence? in her confirmation hearing, she couldn't even name a single strategic interest the united states had. >> she certainly is somebody, again, that has had her own distinguished private sector

career. >> as a soap opera producer. >> president obama goes 3-d. the smithsonian is behind it. it is the first ever 3-d printed presidential bust. look at that. how is it done? by using 50 custom built l.e.d. lights and eight sports photography cameras. that is cool. and you are. u.s. presidents are actually forgotten in 50 years. that's a word from the journal of science, and that means by 2016 most won't remember ronald reagan or jimmy carter. really? how do they stay memorable? by doing something historic. i thought becoming president was pretty historic. that is your morning dish of scrambled politics. i'm joined now by politico reporter lee huntsel. good morning, lee. >> good morning. >> it's being reported that president obama and mitch mcconnell will have that one-on-one today how awkward is that going to be? >> it might be a little bit awkward. it's really the first time they've sat down since the elections and since there was a

big republican wave that swept through and took control of the senate, so at this point they're really going to have the first sitdown discussion that they've had since then. mitch mcconnell yesterday, at a ceo event, said he was perplexed by the president's decisions since the election because he apparently hadn't kind of taken what voters wanted him to do from the midterm elections and applied that to his decision making process. he has already been pretty critical of what the president has been doing in recent weeks, and so they're going to have a hands to kind of sit face-to-face and hash that out. >> any idea what they're going to discuss specifically? >> well, the biggest thing and the first thing on the agenda is avoiding a government shutdown on december 11th. coming up with a budget bill, and working that out. it's kind of the first thing that needs to get done. after that they may have time to kind of get into what that tier is going to look like and what the senate kind of bargaining positions will be, what they want to do, and what the white

house wants to do and accomplish, so they might start talking about immigration and other things that republicans have been frustrated with and may want to kind of push back on in the next year. >> well, despite what swrimy fallon says about ashton carter's boy band sounding name, it looks like he will be the nominee for defense secretary. what do you know about him, and can he make it through the selection process? >> well, he is a name that's been on the list since we've been talking about potential defense secretary nominees. he is one of the ones that's kind of a legacy. a pentagon candidate. he was the number one and number three. he did a lot of the kind of over arching budget stuff, organization of the pentagon, and so that is kind of his background, and so he had a fairly good response yesterday. we were asking lawmakers on the senate and house sides kind of what their reaction was to his name being floated, and it was all fairly positive, which is surprising because straight out of the gate we heard that there was going to be resist wrans to

no matter who was picked, but ash carter has a lot of respect on capitol hill from republicans and democrats, and he may have an easier time getting confirmed than maybe another candidate would have. >> all right. lee huntsel, thank you for the insight today. we appreciate it. >> thank you. up next, the best brian williams slow jam ever. >> my prez obama don't want none, hon, until you pass bills hon.

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27 minutes past the hour. entertainment news. it turns out bert reynolds isn't broke after all. >> i knew it. >> at accountor started selling over 600 of his prized possessions, bril, and then rumors circulated that he was in

financial trouble. reynolds says he really just wanted to clear out some space. >> anyone that did cannonball run cannot be broke. >> angels descended on london last night. it's the first time the city hosted the victoria secret fashion show. >> was it brought up in a dvr? is it wrong? >> just tell your wife. taylor swift and ed sheeran also strutted their stuff. last night brian williams stopped by the tonight show to slow jam the news with jimmy fallon, but he couldn't leave without plugging his own show. >> for more on all of this, join us on "nbc nightly news" where just tonight i celebrated my ten-year anniversary. >> it's your anniversary on "nightly news." from all of us here at nbc, we want to say congratulations on ten years of hosting the 16th hour of the "today" show. >> oh, excuse me, jimmy. how long have you been behind your desk? >> ten months. plus five years if you count

late night. >> no one counts late night. >> is that so, peter pan sr.? >> oh. >> oh, take that. i'm betty ngyuen. way too early with thomas roberts starts right now. >> this is a serious breach of our constitution. it's a serious threat to our system of government, and, frankly, we have limited options and limited abilities to deal with it directly, but that's why we're continuing to talk to our members who have not made decisions about how we're going to proceed, but we are, in fact, going to proceed. >> proceed with action on immigration or a true gop showdown. john boehner tried to keep the government from shutting down. now, a new allegation against bill cosby. a woman claims that he molested her at age 15 in the 1970s, and is now filing a civil suit

against the comedian, and then on a much, much lighter note. way way too early" call wednesday is back. the blue phone has returned, and are you glad to know this morning's surprise guest recently graced the cover of time magazine. this is "way too early." >> that 230e7b could take out an eye. it's wednesday, december 3rd. welcome to way too early. it is a big day here. you know why? this evening the iconic 30 rock christmas tree is going to be lit. there it is. a little dark. if i had my way, members of the "way too early" team will be lit later this morning at our christmas party. i have an app for them, and it plays music. let's get to our top story this morning, and it concerns with taking place with washington. republican leaders in congress are doing whatever they can to avoid another government shutdown, which damaged the party brand, and