good morning. trump versus the cia. the president-elect taking on the intelligence agency overnight after a new report about a secret cia meeting in september claiming the russians did intervene in the 2016 election to help him win. trump completely dismissing those claims. at happens when a president-elect goes to war with his own spies? we're live. chilling confession. for the first time, we're hearing shocking words from the gunman who killed nine people inside a historic church in charleston. >> i went to that church in charleston and i did it. >> that videotape shown for the first time to jurors inside a south carolina courtroom. what we're learning this morning about dylann roof's hateful motivation for the shooting.

bitter blast. most of the country stuck in a deep freeze. 42 states with colder than normal temperatures, from the dakotas all the way to the northeast. the winter storm wreaking havoc on the highways. pileups in ohio, michigan and pennsylvania. and with 25 million in the path of a winter storm today, it could go from bad to worse. dylan is tracking it all. and a charlie brown christmas. a small tree might be in your future as those lush, green, full christmas trees might be harder to come by this year. >> they're all kind of short and not very full, so we had to really look hard to find a good one. >> the reason behind the tiny trees today, saturday, december 10th, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today," live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning. welcome to "today" on this saturday morning. i'm sheinelle jones. >> glad to have you with us, i'm

craig melvin. dylan dreyer still here! >> still plugging along, but this -- i have been saying good-bye for the last week. this is my final show. >> here's the thing, because you're two days behind savannah. she and mike gave birth to baby charlie yesterday, of course. >> he's so adorable. >> since you're two days behind her, we decided to park an ambulance outside. just in case. >> so make sure you watch every moment just in case. >> should i stand in a kiddie pool or something? >> no, we hope it doesn't come to that. a developing story overnight as donald trump takes aim at the cia dismissing the intelligence agency's conclusion that the russians hacked the democrats, not just to cause confusion but to help him win the election. nbc's kasie hunt is in d.c. this morning with more. kasie, good morning. >> reporter: sheinelle, good morning. the election has been over for weeks, but this new report is raising questions about how the russian government may have interfered not just in general,

but specifically to help trump win this election. trump is fighting back overnight, but members of his own party are promising that they're going to keep digging into it. >> by the way, i don't need the hat either, right? who wants a hat. >> reporter: after victory laps in louisiana and michigan friday night, even calling off anti-hillary clinton protesters who chanted "lock her up" -- >> that plays great before the election. now we don't care. >> reporter: this morning president-elect donald trump is at war with the intelligence community. "the washington post" reported late friday the cia thinks the russian government interfered with the u.s. election to help trump win, by hacking e-mails from the democratic party and hillary clinton's campaign chairman. the trump campaign reacting within minutes, dismissing the claims saying, quote, these are the same people that said saddam hussein had weapons of mass destruction. the election ended a long time ago in one of the biggest electoral college victories in history. it's now time to move on. but members of trump's own party

believe russia did interfere. >> there's no doubt in m russians were behind that. every republican needs to understand this is not about the democratic party, this is about america as a whole. >> reporter: senator lindsey graham wants to impose personal sanctions against russian president vladimir putin next year, and the obama administration has demanded to know more about what happened before the inauguration. >> the president has directed the intelligence community to conduct a full review of what happened during the 2016 election. >> reporter: trump has praised putin. incoming national security advisor michael flynn once had denner with the former kgb officer but there's december sent among other contenders. mitt romney is still a potential pick of secretary of state and he once labeled russia america's number one geopolitical foe. exxon xceo rex tillerson is als in the mix and rudy giuliani has

taken himself out of the running. president-elect trump promising he'll make a decision for that critical post by the end of next week. more new details out this morning. "the new york times" is reporting the russian government also hacked the republican national committee, but that none of that information was released during the election season. you'll remember we heard a lot about democratic e-mails leaking out, hillary clinton campaign chairman john podesta's hacked e-mails leaking just in the weeks leading up to election day, sheinelle. >> kasie, we're used to the trump team going on the attack, but they're attacking an intelligence agency that will be explicitly serving the president for the next four years. how unusual is this? >> reporter: it's extraordinarily unusual, sheinelle. this is in many ways unprecedented. trump will be relying on the intelligence community to tell him how to interact with the many threats around the world.

we do know that trump had an intelligence briefing on wednesday, but he's getting fewer than many presidents-elect have in the past and fewer than his vice president-elect mike pence who is getting near daily briefings from this community that donald trump is now seeming to go to war with. sheinelle. >> kasie hunt, thank you. meanwhile a crisis was averted in washington overnight when the senate approved a spending bill at the last minute to keep the government from shutting down. that vote came less than an hour wheth before the midnight deadline. democrats had been holding out over long-term health benefits for coal miners. tens of millions of people are waking up this saturday morning with one thought on their mind. it is cold out there, a blist blistering chill blanketing much of the country leaving snow, icy roads and a deep freeze. kristen dahlgren is braving it all in erie, pennsylvania. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, sheinelle. yeah, a little break in the know

right here right now. it's beautiful out here until you try driving in on it. a lot of the roads here aren't plowed in erie. interstate 90 going about 5 miles an hour right now. couple that with these cold, cold temperatures and it could be a rough weekend ahead for millions. bitter cold is the story this morning with much of the country seeing temperatures well below average. >> it's like alaska. >> reporter: even bringing a rare snow event to places like texas, where it wreaked havoc on the roads. in seattle some football fans had a bit of fun. but for others in the northwest, it meant headaches when that snow soon froze over. >> it's a sheet of ice with a thin layer of water. >> it's pretty much impossible to get out. >> reporter: from slippery sidewalks in utah to whiteout conditions in north dakota. but for snow removal workers in iowa, there's an upside. >> as far as the snow removal

goes, it's 50% of our business. >> reporter: the great lakes region saw some of the worst of the storm, turning deadly on the roads in new york friday. one man died after losing control of his suv in whiteout conditions. earlier the same system caused a series of massive and deadly highway crashes in ohio, michigan and pennsylvania. >> we have a reported 10 to 15-car pileup. >> reporter: snow will continue to be a threat across the great lakes region this weekend. so around here they could see another 5 to 8 inches today before all is said and done. some places could see up to another foot of snow. guys, can i just say as excited as i am about dylan's baby, i have a feeling we are really going to miss her out here over the winter. >> what are you trying to say, kristen? >> kristen dahlgren. >> i should apologize to all the reporters and correspondents who will get stuck in the snow because i'm not out there. >> how much worse is this going to get?

>> the lake-effect snow is going to continue throughout the day today because the air is so cold and the lakes are frozen at this point. these bands of snow will continue through the day today with an additional perhaps 2 to 4, 4 to 6 inches of snow possible, but you get into those heavier bands and you can see closer to 8 to 10 inches. now, we also have another storm system that's already made its way onshore in the pacific northwest. it's going to bring most of the snow to the higher elevations which is where we have our winter storm warnings. the grand tetons could see up to 2 feet of snow possible. then it makes its way to the midwest. as we go through later today and throughout the day on sunday, we're looking for that to reinforce some of the lake-effect snow off of lake ontario and lake erie. here's this front moving eastward. by the time we get into the overnight hours, the snow starts to fill in across the midwest. then we'll get lake ens chancement and that will

reinforce the heaviest of the snow. then it will make it to the northeast and transition into rain. we could see up to 2 feet of snow in some of the highest elevations but we'll see a widespread 6 inches of snow through the great lakes and where those heavier bands of lake-effect snow set up, like where kristen is, we could see an additional 5 to 10, 12, 15 inches of snow. >> we'll get your national forecast in just a bit. it was an emotional day in a south carolina courtroom on friday as jurors and witnesses heard for the very first time the chilling confession from the gunman who shot nine people to death at a historic african-american church there, hoping to start a race war. here's nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> i do consider myself a white supremacist. >> reporter: dylann roof chuckled as he recalled the horror at charleston's emanuel ame church last year. >> well i killed him, i guess. >> reporter: now for the first time a look at what prosecutors

show jurors on the third day of roof's federal trial where he's accused of 33 counts, including hate crimes. >> i think we all know i'm guilty. >> reporter: he told agents the trayvon martin case woke him up and prompted him to research black on white crime. >> what i did is so minuscule to what they're doing to white people every day. >> reporter: this is security tape of roof entering. minutes before the massacre, prosecutors said roof could be seen in this snapchat video. when the bloodshed was over, he quietly walked out, gun in hand. >> i was in absolute awe that there was nobody out there. >> reporter: adding that if officers had been waiting for him, he would have shot himself. police arrested him during a traffic stop the next day, and he seemed surprised when he was told nine church members had died. >> you were under the assumption you killed four or five people? >> right. yes, that's true. >> but your numbers were

doubled. it was nine. >> reporter: investigators found a journal in his car with a swastika scrawled inside and this entry. i would love for there to be a race war. the fbi agents asked him what he would tell the families of the victims. >> i probably couldn't even look at them. >> reporter: roof's defense team is not disputing the facts of the case. their goal is to avoid the death penalty. on the witness stand an investigator said after roof's confession he told the then 21-year-old that his plan to start a race war did not work, and the people of charleston were coming together. his last words to roof, you failed. for "today," gabe gutierrez, nbc news. turning overseas now, a humanitarian disaster is looming today in syria where the city of aleppo is close to falling to government forces. this as u.s. diplomats try desperately today to find a way to stop the bloodshed. matt bradley is in london with more. matt, good morning to you. >> good morning, craig.

russian officials saying today that 50,000 civilians have fled eastern aleppo in just the past two days. it's not enclosure clear if thas true but many of those civilians will be jumping from the pan into the fire. take a look. syria's largest city is about to fall. government forces say they have retaken more than 90% of aleppo. an ancient city now nearly levelled by years of war. just this week tens of thousands of civilians fled the rebel-held east to the relatively calm of the government-held west. their nightmare isn't over. the united nations has reported claims that hundreds of men and boys disappeared once they crossed into west aleppo. human rights workers warn that the harsh treatment of civilians could get worse. >> what is the worry among human rights workers once aleppo falls completely? >> you would have a huge number of people who may be exposed to

reprisals of different kinds, including being picked up and held in detention centers, interrogated and tortured. >> reporter: far from syria's horror, negotiations continue. they're struggling to save the estimated 100,000 civilians still trapped in the city's east. >> what is happening in aleppo is the worst catastrophe, what's happening in syria is the worst catastrophe since world war ii itself. it's unacceptable. it's horrible. >> reporter: so far talking has accomplished little. syria's government and its russian allies say they're determined to see a full military victory in aleppo. that victory will come at an even greater human cost. aleppo is a problem that donald trump will inherit when he takes office next month and it's one in which u.s. troops have been increasingly involved. the outgoing secretary of defense announced today that he's nearly doubling the number of american soldiers fighting

isis on the ground near the syrian city of raqqah to 500 special operations troops. >> matt bradley for us this morning in london. matt, thanks. breaking overnight, at least five people were killed today when a tanker train derailed and exploded. it happened in bulgaria. 150 firefighters raced to the scene to search for survivors. 20 buildings have also been destroyed. police say the train was carrying propane and butane. the pilot of a hot air balloon that crashed in texas last july was taking medications that should have disqualified him from flying. that's according to federal investigators. the balloon crashed into power lines near lockhart, texas, killing the pilot and 15 passengers. the ntsb that pilot, alfred "skip" nichols had at least a half dozen prescription drugs, including oxycodone, in his system at the time of the crash. he also had four convictions for drunk driving and served time in prison twice. high drama is playing out in

a florida courtroom in the retrial of a woman who was accused of hiring a hit man to kill her husband. at the center of it all, this hidden camera video of an undercover officer trying to catch her setting up the hit. but was she the victim of a police department looking to make a big splash on tv? nbc's scott cohen has more. >> all right, counsel, you may be seated. >> reporter: it's a case that's testing the line between reality and reality tv. >> how soon could you do it? >> i could do it wednesday morning. wednesday morning at the house. >> reporter: police have dahlia dippolito on video seemingly casually taking out a hit on her new husband with an undercover cop. >> i was going to get $3,000 from you today. >> reporter: so juicy, boynton beach, florida, police shared the story with the tv show "cops" and staged this crime scene to make her think her husband really was killed. her lawyers say the police department's quest for publicity, including posting the

videos on youtube compromised her rights. the department's public information officer grilled on the stand friday. >> do you believe that is good police practices, yes or no? >> i can't answer that. >> reporter: the defense says the police set dippolito up to make the department famous and that she never really intended to have her husband killed. >> i'm positive. >> reporter: they accused the police department of corruption. >> this case is bigger than dahlia dippolito. it's about holding law enforcement nationwide accountable for following the rules. >> reporter: but prosecutors say the undercover video speaks for itself. >> what's great about this case is it is based 100% on miss dippolito's words, her actions and her intent. >> reporter: this is dahlia dippolito's second trial. convicted in 2011 and sentenced to 20 years, the verdict thrown out on appeal. as soon as monday she'll have to

decide whether to take the witness stand or leave the jury to decide the tale of the tapes. for "today," scott cohn, nbc news, miami. at this hour nobel prizes are being awarded in oslo, norway. the peace prize is going to colombian president for his efforts to end that country's civil war. the prize for literature, you might remember it's being awarded to bob dylan, a songwriter, but dylan won't be there. he says he has, quote, pre-existing commitments. >> what would that be? >> it's bob dylan. it's bob dylan. i would have been stunned if bob dylan ld been there. >> all right. let's talk about the forecast. >> the northern half of the country is dealing with most of the snow and miserable weather. heavy rain falling through northern california. you can see the dividing line south of the center of the united states. we are enjoying lots of sunshine. temperatures, though, are going to continue to cool off the next couple of days. this morning it is bitterly cold with windchills down to 25 to 30

degrees below zero across the dakotas. it's only 13 for a high in minneapolis/st. paul today, 20s across chicago but the coldest is still to come. next week the siberian express is moving in and that's going to bring us the coldest e'mperatures w good morning, i am first alert meteorologist krystal klei. here's a look at the weekend forecast into monday. big changes. cold for philadelphia. sunday, cloudy most of the day. moving into the night, we'll see snow in the lehigh valley valley, berks county, maybe a mix stretching close to philadelphia, more likely near the suburbs. that will change to rain into the overnight hours into monday. we stay cold through sunday. temperatures will be up a bit for monday afternoon. your latest latest forecast. >> dylan, thank you. still to come, our look back on the week's most talked-about stories, including one dad's ingenious idea to make sure he never loses his daughter in a

crowd. >> that's really creative. and up next, why so many comes trees look like they should be in a charlie brown holiday special. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

back now on a saturday morning with the towering rockefeller center christmas tree, that's beautiful behind us. if your weekend plans including a trip to pick up your family's tree, be forewarned. >> a lot of them look smaller this season. jolene kent is here with more on why this season's crop doesn't appear to be as nice. >> we've got in beautiful tree behind us but you they may look a little like a charlie brown christmas tree. those drought conditions plaguing tree farmers everywhere, killing off a centerpiece of the holiday season.

it's a family tradition for millions of americans, buying the perfect christmas tree. >> i want this one. >> reporter: but a punishing drought across the country is making it a lot more difficult to find one that will look good for santa. >> they're all kind of short and not very full, so we had to really look hard to find a good one. >> there's quite a few trees out there that look like charlie brown christmas trees. >> what kind of a tree is that? >> you were supposed to get a good tree. >> can't you even tell a good tree from a poor tree? >> reporter: it's no joke at miracle acres tree farm in milford, new hampshire. owner dave wheeler is bracing for a ten-year impact on his 65-acre f farm. >> we planted 1,000 trees this spring and 1,000 trees are dead. >> what's the financial impact for your family? >> we're talking from the baby trees and losing years of growth here and there, we're talking $60,000, $70,000 loss of crop. >> reporter: tree farms across the country are suffering too. in california, prices are going

up. in maine and north carolina, a shortage. in louisiana and alabama, dry weather slowing growth. and in new york, connecticut, massachusetts and florida, there's concerns about trees planted this year making it to next. >> i haven't seen a drought this bad in my lifetime. we've had some droughts, but not this extreme. >> reporter: so you just think even though you hit this rough patch, it's still worth it financially to go forward? >> yeah. i mean we have to. this is our retirement plan. >> reporter: as you go shopping for your tree, no matter how scrubby it might look -- >> it's not bad at all really. maybe it just needs a little love. >> reporter: the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. >> now, if you already purchased your christmas tree, the tree may be drier than usual and tree farmers say make sure you water it and keep it away from those heating vents. if you're about to go get your tree this weekend, experts recommend buying a more mature ever grown that has been less

vulnerable to those drought conditions in its early days, so a lot to think about as you head out to go tree shopping. >> it's all about how you love the tree and how you take care of it. >> exactly. >> do you have a tree yet? >> we're doing it today. >> did you just lie on television? >> mine is in the basement, prelit, i just have to set it up. still ahead here on "today," holiday gifts and decorations that won't break the bank. they're all 50 bucks or less. plus it's one of the hottest toys of the hall days, the hatchimal. how can you get your hands on one? stay tuned to find out, but first these messages.

good morning. i am rosemary connors. it is just a few minutes before 7:30 on this saturday. we have frigid weather outside. bundle up. more on the forecast with meteorologist krystal klei. >> starting with a look at camelback mountain in the poconos. they're making snow. beautiful sunrise out there. won't need to make snow, they'll have snow in the forecast by sunday night into early monday. that's the first alert. not for these conditions but tomorrow. this morning is very cold. 19 degrees the feels like in philadelphia. 15 in lancaster. only 10 in mount pocono. we are under that first alert for rain, snow potential. snow in lehigh valley, berks and the suburbs, looking at that from sunday evening into early monday morning. we could see accumulating snow change to a wintry mix for the morning commute. today in wilmington, loved

ones and comrades bid fair well to ardy hope. a public viewing at the chase center begins at 10:00, followed by the funeral at 1:00. here's a look outside chase center from earlier this morning. firefighters and their engines arrived overnight for the final tribute to their fallen comrade. ardy hope passed away after months in the icu. she was one of three firefighters that died battling a row home fire in department. captain christopher leech and jerry fickes died at the scene. to catch a peeping tom, that's what philadelphia police are trying to do. they need your help. look at the man in this surveillance video. he snapped a photo of a student outside her apartment bedroom near temple university monday night. the young woman told us her boyfriend chased after the man but he got away. that's it for now. i am rosemary connors. we will send it back to the "today" show. we will see you for another update in about 25 minutes.

king of president bush awe.

♪ >> we are back on a saturday morning, december 10th, 2016. you've got to love shaq finding his inner beyonce. a little lip sync action there. much more coming up in popstart. meanwhile, check out this fantastic crowd. a lot of folks came to town just to see the tree and to see if dylan was going to give birth during the actual broadcast. let's give you a look at what's making headlines today. donald trump is taking on the intelligence communities. the president-elect responding to a "washington post" report about a secret cia meeting back in september claiming the russians were working to help

trump win the election. trump's campaign completely dismissing those claims, even though other members of the republican party believe that russia was involved. in tennessee, some welcome news to visitors of the resort town of gatlinburg. they're just now being allowed in two weeks after those devastating wildfires in the area. most of this resort area was spared from the fires, but 14 people died, about 2500 homes and structures were destroyed nearby. and how's this for an early christmas present. an anonymous secret santa paid off $46,000 worth of they could just pick up what they had on layaway without having to pay for it. in all 194 people had their gifts paid for. it has been a busy week since the aftermath have the warehouse fire and the battle regarding sofia vergara's kbree yoes. those are just some of the stories in this week's download.

the city of oakland still grappling with the aftermatht r what's known as the ghost ship. >> i looked over and could see an orange glow coming through the window. >> the death toll now stands at 36. >> the man who leased the warehouse and has been blamed by some to allowing it to become a fire trap speaks out exclusively on "today." >> i'm only here to say one thing, i am incredibly sorry. i didn't do anything ever in my life that would lead me up to this moment. >> meanwhile survivors in a devastated community try to cope. >> hundreds paying their respects. unlit candles and flashlights. >> its man who shot former nfl player joe mcknight to death in an alleged case of road rage was arrested this week. >> ronald gasser now charged with manslaughter after initially being released this week. >> he was somebody's son. >> a decision that sparked public outcry. >> shame on these folks. >> as the sheriff of louisiana's

jefferson parish lashes out on those criticizing his handling of the case. >> i can't believe it. >> mcknight's family spoke to nbc over the weekend. >> my child is gone. president-elect donald trump struggling to walk the line of real estate mogul and soon-to-be president. >> he's promised to put a wall between his business interests and the country's interests, but this morning "the new york times" reporting donald trump may not fully divest. >> meanwhile the transition picks keep coming, scott pruitt for epa. >> trump's choice to lead the epa is currently suing that agency. general john kelly for homeland security. >> i think he's got a real knowledge of the issues. >> and linda mcmahon for the small business administration. >> it's the battle of the billionaire. >> she's the former wwe head behind wrestle mania. a bizarre legal twist. sofia vergara's own embryos are suing her as part of an ongoing

battle with nick lobe. >> the suit sasks for lobe to receive full custody. a trust was created for the fertilized eggs in louisiana which has laws that allow an embryo to sue a person. >> a louisiana judge could very well say i'm going to protect the lives of these two embryos. one dad shared his holiday parent hat for keeping track of his daughter at the mall. >> he ties a red balloon to her belt loop so when she wanders off, he knows exactly where she's going. he's posting all kinds of parenting solutions. >> an nbc production of "hairspray live" had viewers everywhere shaking and shimmying along with the star-studded cast. >> everyone is talking about the powerhouse duet between jennifer hudson and arianna grande. ♪ >> i loved it. >> they are so talented.

are you going to -- when you have junior here, are you going to put a balloon on him to keep track of him? >> i do think the balloon idea, it's genius. but his thumbs up were the best. >> one of our producers said what if everybody starts doing that? >> i parents used to use one of those little kid leashes for my brother, my younger brother. >> really? i don't know how i feel about those. it makes sense to me -- >> are you saying my mom is a bad mom. >> not at all. you are a wonderful person. >> he turned out okay. >> well, the jury is still out. let's get another check on that forecast, please, ma'am. >> let's talk about the cold because it is going to get so cold as we go into next week. this morning we're starting off with windchills well below zero but look at our highs. windchill in bismarck later today, 12 below zero. chicago only hits 25 but that wind will make it feel like it's 19 degrees. tomorrow morning it's going to be chilly, but again the coldest is still yet to come. tomorrow morning we're bottoming

out in the single digits and 20s. it's all about the siberian express. why is it called that? well, the cold air originates from siberia and settles in across the northeast and even back through the midwest. so watch as it turns around and pours into the continental united states. this area of low pressure keeps it pumping in here and thursday will be the coldest day we'll see next week. bismarck a high of only 3 degrees below zero. chicago makes it up to 5 degrees. nashville only hits 35 by thursday. even in new york temperatures won't get would haabove freezin certainly is some of the coldest air this season. dallas will only hit a high of 50 degrees. today we're looking at another storm system making its way into the pacific northwest. this will blanket the midwest with more snow and the lake-effect snow will continue with some areas picking up alert meteorologist krystal klei. here's a look at the weekend forecast into monday. big changes. today cloud and sun mix.

cold. upper 30s for philadelphia. sunday, cloudy most of the day. moving into the night, we'll see snow in the lehigh valley valley, berks county, maybe a mix stretching close to philadelphia, more likely near the suburbs. that will change to rain into the overnight hours into monday. we stay cold through sunday. temperatures will be up a bit for monday afternoon. and that's your latest forecast. >> the siberian express is officially my favorite map. >> there were swirls and dips. wait until you're freezing on thursday. >> i don't want to feel it, i just want to look at the map. when we come back, do you have trouble saying no? this is something you both struggle with. >> true. >> well, we've got some help for you. and up next, holiday gifts i have asthma... ...one of many pieces in my life. so when my asthma symptoms kept coming back on my long-term control medicine. i talked to my doctor and found a missing piece in my asthma treatment with breo. once-daily breo prevents asthma symptoms. breo is for adults with asthma not well controlled

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takeaway" christmas and hannukah are just a few days away. if you don't want to overspend, we have some great gifts for under $50. dana johnson, good morning for you. >> good morning. >> we have some good stuff. let's squeeze this in. i like this, a personalized rolling pin. >> that's one of the great things about working with independent makers is that you can customize as much or as little as you need. >> this is cute. >> this seller here, the humble elephant made this especially for you guys here at the "today" show. >> it says the "today" show. >> so it's a great way to personalize your pie crust and your cookies. >> and you'll see it, obviously. >> that's right. >> and then this mobile mug. look at this. when you put your cookies on it. >> this is great for the soup lover, you can put crackers on the side or it's great for cookies and milk. i think it's a great option to leave out for santa christmas eve with the cookies and milk. >> this is cute for adult

beverages. mixology, a dice set. >> this is made my two sisters with a shop named two tumble weeds. this is great for holiday interviente entertaini entertaining. you shake it up and figure out what the cocktail will be. it's 1.5 million different cocktail combinations that can come from this. >> this is rum and thyme. >> yes. >> this is awe huge trend right now, decorate your bottles. this is just one example to make your bottle a little more festive while you're holiday entertaining with your guests. >> when i think of personalized gifts, let's talk about this. >> this is from wood life prints. this is super special because you're able to send the seller your picture and also a customized message like shown here on the bottom. >> oh, that's cute. >> and i think it's a great way to elevate that old school family portrait. >> and you can print whatever you want? >> print whatever and it's ready to hang. >> another good one that's

popular, the customized ornament. >> this is from paper case studios. really, really fabulous because, again, you can work directly with the seller and figure out how to personalize it. i think this is great for newlyweds. you can get mr. and mrs. smith, 2016, or even a new baby. >> dylan, are you listening? you can get a personal i sized ornament. >> so tell me about this chalk. >> this is the great alternative for apartment dwellers in case you don't have extra space. >> what do you do? >> you shade in the christmas tree. you can color in the bulbs. great way to get the kids involved. >> where do you put it? >> you can hang it on the wall. and what are we, 15 days until christmas? >> is it 15? i haven't started. >> so you can have the kids involved to do the countdown. if you're celebrating hannukah,

you can ask the kids to shade in the flame each day for hannukah. >> that's nice. dana, thank you so much. coming up next, the crowd has spoken. we'll answer their questions. you'll have to see this, that's you'll have to see this, that's coming up after these me well this here's a load-bearing wall. we'll go ahead and rip that out. that'll cause a lot of problems. hmm. totally unnecessary and it triples the budget. we'll be totally behind schedule, right? (laughschedules. schedules. great, okay. wouldn't it be great if everyone said what they meant? the citi® double cash card does. it lets you earn double cash back: 1% when you buy, and 1% as you pay. the citi double cash card. double means double.

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impressive linda. it seems age isn't slowing you down. but your immune system weakens as you get older increasing the risk for me, the shingles virus. i've been lurking inside you since you had chickenpox. i could surface anytime as a painful, blistering rash. one in three people get me in their lifetime, linda. will it be you? and that's why linda got me zostavax, a single shot vaccine. i'm working to boost linda's immune system to help protect her against you, shingles. zostavax is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults fifty years of age and older. zostavax does not protect everyone and cannot be used to treat shingles or the nerve pain that may follow it. you should not get zostavax if you are allergic to gelatin or neomycin, have a weakened immune system or take high doses of steroids are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. the most common side effects include redness, pain, itching, swelling, hard lump warmth or bruising at the injection site and headache. it's important to talk to your doctor about what situations you may need to avoid

since zostavax contains a weakened chickenpox virus. remember one in three people get shingles in their lifetime, will it be you? talk you to your doctor or pharmacist about me, single shot zostavax. you've got a shot against shingles. ♪ back now with one of our favorite parts of the show, he says with sarcasm. ask an anchor. we have a fish bowl here, we have questions from the plaza, we have 90 seconds on the clock. ladies, you ready? >> these are giant note cards. >> let's see, my question here is what is the strangest thing that has happened to you since

you started at "today"? i hear from people who claim that we're friends. that i've never known before. >> they want to visit. >> how late will you sleep in on your time off, more sleep or less? >> i would i deally like more sleep, but i have a feeling it's going to be less. >> a lot less. >> who was your idol when you were a kid? two people probably. janet jackson, i used to have the key on my ear and then a news anchor in chicago named allison payne. never met her but if you're watching, i love you. >> janet jackson, huh? >> oh, my gosh. >> miss nasty. >> i have the whole thing. >> if you could be any animal, what animal would you be and why? >> i've always loved the giraffe. which make that face. >> i niefind that so random. >> you have a great view. >> i'd want to fly. what is the worst thing you were

ever dared to do? >> keep it clean, network television. >> probably skydiving. >> did you do it? >> i did it twice. >> oh, this is hard. name one thing that you cannot live without. my kids? >> don't make that face when you say it. >> that's such a cheesy answer. i don't know what else to say. >> what is your pet peeve? oh, we're out of time. >> what is it? >> oh, i hope it's not something we do. >> i have a list. still ahead on this saturday morning, a hot gift this holiday season y these backpacks are becoming so popular these days. first, this is "today" on nbc. >> no, really what's your pet peeve?

still to come on "today," donald trump taking on the cia. why he says he doesn't believe a report that the russians tried to help him win. also ahead this morning,

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7:56 this saturday. good morning, i am rosemary connors. let's get a check of the forecast from meteorologist krystal klei, she's tracking cold air and wintry mix for start of the week. krystal? >> that's right, rosemary. tracking a double whammy. very cold conditions. camelback mountain, a live look where they're making snow, won't need to do that much longer. getting the real deal by end of the weekend. low 40s the shore and delaware. tomorrow, cloudy most of the day across neighborhoods. late day into the night we start with snow mixing near the lehigh valley, possibly the suburbs. that could stretch to philadelphia briefly before shifting to rain overnight and look at the temperatures sunday. also only in the 30s. cold weather certainly didn't do firefighters any favors putting out a house fire in philadelphia's overbrook

area. flames broke out in the basement of melbourne avenue before midnight. those inside were able to get out safely. investigators will be looking for the cause of the fire later today. the funeral for trooper frankie williams is set for thursday. all flags will fly half staff monday. the viewing begins at 8:00 monday at boardwalk hall. his funeral at noon. officials expect a large turnout from officers across the state. trooper williams died monday when a driver going the wrong way crossed over the median and crashed into the trooper's cruiser in melville. the other driver also died in the collision. that's it for now. i am rosemary connors. we will be back for a full hour of news at 8:30. see you then.

good morning. donald trump versus the cia. the president-elect taking on his own spies after a new report about a secret cia meeting in september claiming the russians did interfere in this year's election to help him win. but this morning, trump is dismissing those claims and taking a shot at the spy agency. plus, bitter blast. another morning of freezing temperatures shocking millions from the dakotas into the northeast. and with the cold comes snow. 25 million people in the midwest under a winter storm watch this weekend. dylan has the latest forecast. and hatchimals for sale. some great news this morning for parents who have yet to find the elusive toy. the hottest holiday item