throughout the morning and you can get rel-time news weather and traffic on the weather happen. thanks for watching. the "today" show starts right now. good morning. breaking news. deadly attacks in europe. the man suspected of plowing a truck into a crowded christmas market in berlin reportedly identified as a 23-year-old man from pakistan. at least 12 people killed, dozens injured, and authorities now believe it was most likely terrorism. while in turkey, investigators try to figure out what motivated a 22-year-old police officer to assassinate a russian ambassador in front of a crowd of terrified people. we have live reports this morning. exit interview. first lady michelle obama sits down with oprah for a revealing conversation about her eight years in the white house. >> knowing that we've made it

this far and we've survived and, in many ways i believe we've thrived, there is a weight that's lifted. >> what she's saying about the obama legacy, the 2016 race, and whether she would ever consider running for office. caught on tape. a never-before seen interrogation video of accused murderer robert durst. >> if i tell you what i know and that answers your questions, what can you possibly do for me? >> why his attorney is furious over its release. and the candid prince. prince harry opens up in a revealing new interview about the death of his mother, princess diana. >> i never really dealt with what had actually happened so there was a lot of buried emotion. >> why he says after years of grief, that tragedy brought new meaning to his life "today," tuesday, december 20th, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news,

this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a tuesday morning. hoda kotb joining us while savannah continues on maternity leave. good to have you here. let us get right to our top story this morning. security being stepped up across europe in the wake of those deadly attacks in germany and in turkey. we'll begin in berlin where a suspect deliberately rammed a truck into a crowd of holiday shoppers. investigators are still at that scene right now removing that truck overnight. nbc's anne thompson is in berlin for us. anne, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. it is a grey day here in berlin to match the city's mood. it's centuries' old tradition of a christmas market, apparently marred by a modern day act of terror. police this morning towing away

the truck that last night was a mass murder weapon when it was driven in a murderous rampage into a berlin christmas market. a suspect seen here with his head covered was arrested and is being questioned by police. local media identified him overnight as a 23-year-old migrant who arrived from pakistan via austria nearly a year ago and who was already known to police for minor offenses. those reports could not be immediately confirmed by nbc news. a passenger in the truck was pronounced dead at the scene. he is believed to be the original driver of the truck. police said the driver crashed into the crowd intentionally calling it a suspected terror attack. the truck hurled into the market at speed without warning and with deadly force, killing 12 people and injuring up to almost 50 more, barreling through the market at 40 miles per hour. amateur video at the scene showing chaos. onlookers horrified. >> it went just past me, past my girlfriend. i think it missed me by three

meters, missed her buy five. >> it was right in front of us. it was so close. crushing through people, crushing through pulling the lights down until it went dark. >> reporter: a happy christmas market turned into a nightmare. the deadly truck attack in nice last july apparently serving as a template for indiscriminate killing. german leader angela merkel addressing her country this morning saying this crime will be punished as harshly as the law allows. while on social media, message of condolence say pray for germany. there is a growing memorial -- makeshift memorial here and across the city of berlin, christmas markets are closed today out of respect for the victims. matt? >> anne thompson in berlin, thank you very much. sean henry is former executive assistant director with the fbi. sean, good to see you. good morning.

>> morning, matt. >> it is striking, the similarities between this attack in berlin and what we saw on july 14th in nice, france. and it appears that terrorists have settled on a formula that is very effective for them and yet a tactic that is very deadly for innocent civilians. >> that's right, matt. you know, the isis leadership have called for extremists to take up whatever weapon they can against the west. you don't have to come to the middle east, you don't have to come to syria or iraq. if you can't get your hands on a bomb or a weapon, use whatever you have at your disposal. these vehicles are ubiquitous. they are not illegal to have, easy access and anybody that can drive can potentially use this as a weapon to inflict mass casualties, matt. >> i think your point is a really good one because when we see sophisticated plots, sean, we're troubled by how any group of people could put something like that together. but it's almost the opposite

here. it's the simplicity of this that's so disturbing. >> no, that's exactly right. anybody who wants to support the cause can do it with relative ease. they don't need a lot of training. they don't need the ability to use a sophisticated weapon. and they can support the cause by using relatively simple tactics here. we also see the ease of which people can be radicalized with the use of social media, the ability to reach into people's living rooms wherever they are to touch those that may be disenfranchised and easily susceptible to the islamic rhetoric, matt. >> and shawn, it begs the question as we are in the middle of the holiday season in this country, and there are gatherings in cities and towns across the country, how do you even begin to protect against something like this here at home short of barricading every gathering or stationing heavily armed law enforcement officials at every time we bring together a group of celebrants?

>> you are exactly right. certainly that is not the society that we want to live in. but we saw what happened over thanksgiving in new york where there were concerns that there might be an attack similar to what we saw in nice. there were barricades that were put up. the nypd and the fbi, terrorism task force, they coordinated to have sanitation vehicles blocking certain intersections. we know terrorists are constantly looking for these mass gatherings, they are looking for symbolic celebrations. they're looking to hit soft targets where there's little to no security. this requires the abilities of law enforcement and intelligence communities to try to identify in advance so that they can intervene and mitigate the actors before they can launch these types of attacks because you're not going to be able to defend against every time of attack, particularly in an open society that we live in here, matt. >> shawn henry, thank you very much. appreciate it.

now to another shocking scene of terror caught on camera. we should warn you, the images are very graphic and disturbing. russia's ambassador to turkey assassinated by a gunman as he spoke at an art exhibition. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel has the latest on that investigation. good morning, richard. >> reporter: good morning, hoda. russia and turkey have agreed to cooperate, a team of russian investigators has arrived here in turkey to try and figure out if this assassin was working on his own or was part of a group. as flowers are placed by the russian embassy today, security has been tightened in ankara, especially in areas that are now seen as potential targets. including the u.s. embassy. last night an older man armed with a shotgun tried and failed to enter the american embassy firing the weapon in the air. his motives are unclear. he was arrested by turkish police and the state department said no staff was hurt.

that incident came just hours after, and only a couple of miles away from, the well-planned assassination of russia's ambassador to turkey. the ambassador, andrei karlov, was speaking at an art exhibit. that's the assassin behind him, about to shoot him in the back. with the ambassador down, the gunman shouted "god is great" in arabic and "we are those who profess loyalty to mohammed and the jihad." the gunman said the assassination was revenge for the russian and syrian military offensive in aleppo. the assassin, who was killed in a shoot-out by police, was later identified as a turkish policeman, off duty at the time. turkish authorities say he used his credentials to enter the russian-sponsored exhibit, blend in with security personnel and attack. the street where the russian ambassador was killed will be named after him. the u.s. embassy and the

american consulate are closed today for security reasons. matt? >> richard engel, thank you very much. also this morning, we have exclusive new information surrounding the u.s.' response to russia's involvement in the u.s. election. tension between the two nations allegedly came to a head just days before voters headed to the polls. nbc's senior investigative correspondent cynthia mcfadden is here to explain all of that. >> good morning. well, determined to stop any russian meddling on election day, at least one of president obama's senior advisors urged him to take a harder line with vladimir putin. according to intelligence officials, offering exclusive details to nbc news, the u.s. even contacted the kremlin directly with a method of communication traditionally used in times of crisis. this morning, nbc news has learned of a rare and highly classified event that occurred just days before the presidential election. two senior intelligence

officials, both non-partisan career officers, tell us on the morning of october 31st, the u.s. transmitted a message directly to the kremlin warning the russians that the u.s. would consider any interference on election day a grave matter. the method of communication, the so-called red phone system, an e-mail line directly linking moscow and washington via secure satellite. according to a senior u.s. official, part of the message reads, "international law, including the law for armed conflict, applies to actions in cyberspace. we will hold russia to those standards." officials say the transmission was prompted by the widespread internet attack on october 21st when millions of americans were blocked from accessing popular websites. though u.s. intelligence now believes the russians were not involved. back in october, it was viewed by some as a possible dry run for a massive attack on election day.

the outage spooked the white house enough to use the hotline reserved for moments of crisis. the system has evolved over the years, originally put in place 53 years ago in the wake of the cuban missile crisis when america and the russians were on the brink of nuclear war. several intelligence officials tell nbc news, using the so-called red phone system signifies just how serious the situation became. but one intelligence official tells nbc news he believes the message from the u.s. was "muddled" with no clear warning about what the consequences might be. and in their response, that same official says the russians were non-committal. senior intelligence officials tell nbc news, before the transmission was sent, president obama was urged by at least one senior advisor to issue the ultimate threat to vladimir putin putin, that the u.s. would consider meddling on election day an act of war. but mr. obama opted no the to

issue a warning that specific believing it would inflame an already-tense situation. what intelligence sources tell us is crystal clear, is that neither the russians, nor any foreign government, intervened in any way on election day. just to be clear, there is not now, nor has there of been an actual red phone. the system is called the nuclear risk reduction center, and the obama administration added a special cyber line back in 2013, and that is what was used here for the very first time. >> fascinating detail in that report, cynthia. thanks so much. the electoral college has made it official, confirming donald trump's election as the next president. this morning first lady michelle obama is opening up in a new interview with oprah winfrey about the presidential campaign, her family's years in the white house, and much more. nbc's kristen welker has that story. hi, kristen, good morning. >> reporter: hi, matt, good morning to you. first lady michelle obama has chosen her moments in the spotlight very carefully. but now in this new interview

she is unplugged, incredibly candid about her time at the white house, and what her future may hold. >> reporter: first lady michelle obama opening up like never before about her eight years at the white house. >> knowing that we've made it this far and we've survived and, in many ways, i believe we've thrived, there is a weight that's lifted. >> reporter: in a candid interview with oprah winfrey, the first lady revealing new details about going to bed early on election night, reading the results on her phone the next day. >> this past election was challenging for me as a citizen to watch and experience. it was painful. >> reporter: echoing her husband, mrs. obama stressed the need for a smooth transition now revealing she told the next first lady, melania trump, the door is open, and even looking back at some of her own challenging moments. >> when you were labeled that angry black woman, was that one

of the things that knocked you back a bit. >> that was one of those things that you just sort of thing -- dang! you don't even know me. >> reporter: her exit interview comes as president-elect trump is now one step closer to the white house. on monday, the electoral college voters in every state officially gave mr. trump the 270 votes needed to win, despite protesters who tried to stop it from happening. meanwhile, bill clinton is weighing in on all of it, telling a local new york paper, mr. trump doesn't know much. one thing he does know is how to get angry, white men to vote for him. and accusing fbi director james comey of costing his wife the election, . as democrats regroup, some are looking to michelle obama. >> would you ever run for office? >> no. no. >> i have to ask it. >> no. >> no kind of office. >> no. i don't make stuff up. i'm not coy. i have proven that. i am very direct. if i were interested in it, i would say it. i don't believe in playing games. >> reporter: as for president-elect trump, transition officials tell me he

will hold more meetings here at mar-a-lago as he continues to fill out his administration. he will remain here in palm beach through the holiday. matt? >> kristen welker, thank you very much. dave price is in again for mr. al roker. check of the weather. >> nice to see you guys. we've got some good news. we are finally beginning to see some warmer air makes its way into sections of the country which have been riddled with bitter cold conditions. that cold air now pushing through northern new england where it is 9 below in caribou. everywhere else we are seeing a nice warm-up. believe it or not, chicago at 19 degrees this morning feels a lot better than it did yesterday where temperatures were about 30 degrees below that number. now as we head through the next several days, this warm-up is going to take hold. tomorrow at 5:44 a.m. we'll say hello to winter officially. eastern standard time, that is. and while we do, we see numbers pop in to the 50s and that trend continues through wednesday. 53 degrees in little rock. that's five degrees above normal temperatures. 46 in louisville, at six degrees

above the normal average. when have we seen numbers like that? not very frequently over the past several weeks. new york city will get all the way up to 46 degrees. and that number is seven degrees above the normal high temperature. a cold start today through sections of the northeast. we are looking at stormy conditions in the pacific northwest and diminishing santa ana winds, but still upwards of 45 miles per hour as we head to southern california this morning. that is a quick look at the maps. we'll get to your

. dad morning. i'm meteorologist bill henley. a cold start this morning. sunshine we'll warm up nicely. 37 degrees for philadelphia, middle 30s for the suburbs and for the lehigh valley and in new jersey 38 degrees, just a little warmer at the shores. upper 30s in twar today. today is the last day of autumn. tomorrow winter arrives and it turns warmer and stays warmer through the end of the week and the weekend too when the temperatures will warm into the 50s. have a great day. >> and that's a quick look at were your weather picture. >> thanks, dave. coming up, a never-before seen recording of accused murderer robert durst being interrogated by a prosecutor. why his attorney is outraged over the release of that tape. and new privacy concerns over one of the season's best-selling holiday gifts. are voice activated virtual assistants always listening? alexa? but first, this is "today" on

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good morning. i'm rose mayry connors. it's a few minutes before 7:30 on this tuesday. definitely feeling a lot like winter today. let's get more on the forecast from meteorologist bill henley. >> tomorrow will be winter. this is the last morning of autumn and we've got a cold one. no chance that the ice is going anywhere this morning, not with temperatures in the teens and 20s. 21 degrees at philadelphia international. lots of neighborhoods are in the teens, 23 in center city. 37 this afternoon. not a good morning for the morning rush. let's get more from katy zachry. >> a lot to get to. there's a crash on 95 southbound

up in bucks county, near the new jersey state line. one on 76 near south street. there are also two issues, two vehicle fires on the blue root southbound, one that just happened is between the exhibits for the schuylkill expressway and st. david as you're making your way southbound. but the earlier one that's really causing a lot of headaches is this one on 47 # 6 southbound near route 3, near exit 9. it was a large truck fire in the shoulder and earlier it stopped traffic because the scene was active. now traffic is getting by very slowly one lane around this mess. here are the details. it is right knnear route 3. thanks for that. that's going to do it for us now. i'm rosemary connors. we'll see you back here in 25 minutes for another update.

7:30 now on this tuesday morning, the 20th of december, 2016. wow. as we pull back, we've got another big crowd out on the chilly plaza this morning. 24 degrees here in new york city. going to warm up slightly today. it's good news, and some more good news -- we've got the music of the legendary tony bennett. he's going to perform for us live in our next hour. we love tony. >> we certainly do. but first, let's get a check of today's headlines. flags are at half-staff across germany this morning after an apparent terror attack in berlin. a driver ran a truck into a crowded christmas market. a suspect was arrested near the

scene and is being questioned by police. russian officials are heading to turkey to join the investigation into monday's assassination of its ambassador there. he was shot by an off-duty turkish police officer. it happened in front of a crowd of stunned people attending a photo exhibit. the chilling moment captured on camera. that gunman was later killed in a shoot-out with the police. we've seen a new round of evacuations from aleppo. 25,000 people have fled the city in recent days. also this morning, an exclusive look at a taped interrogation of real estate heir and accused murderer robert durst. nbc's gadi schwartz is out in los angeles with the latest on this. gadi? >> reporter: good morning, matt. in this newly released videotape and corresponding audio recording we are getting a full picture of the interview between robert durst and a los angeles prosecutor. in these recordings, durst seems open to speaking with the

district attorney, even without his lawyer. after more than two and a half hours of questioning, a frail robert durst sitting across from the prosecutor now charging him with the murder of durst's long-time friend, susan ber plaplaberman. >> i think you want me to go through details of susan. >> i do. >> okay. so now what would i ask for? >> tell me. >> if i tell you those things, i'm blooding guilty. >> reporter: the video and audio of the interrogation were recorded separately and submitted to the court as two different pieces of evidence. nbc news is showing them together for this report. throughout the nearly three-hour interview, durst and the prosecutor go back and forth. the prosecutor asking why durst would agree to be interviewed for the hbo series "the jinx." a documentary that profiled the mysterious deaths of three people in the millionaire's life. >> when i did the interviews for "the jinx," i was on meth the

whole time. i was on meth. >> reporter: but when challenged by the prosecutor, durst said doing meth didn't affect the veracity of his interview. during the course of the interview, they held up a photo and a letter durst wrote to her years before confronting durst about the similarities. >> can you tell me which one you didn't write? >> no. >> reporter: shortly after -- >> there it is. you're caught. >> reporter: durst caught on a hot mike alone in the bathroom muttering to himself. taking a page from the documentary in the interrogation room, the prosecutor asks the same question. >> can you tell me which one of these you didn't write? >> i couldn't begin to. >> reporter: while denying they were identical, durst did acknowledge they were similar and when asked directly about the deaths of susan berman or his wife, kathleen durst who went missing in 1982, durst

responds with this. >> if you had killed kathie, would you tell me? >> no. >> if you had killed susan, would you tell me? >> no. >> reporter: prompted by the d.a. in texas, durst does discuss killing and dismembering his neighbor in texas, a case in which he was acquitted of murder. >> cutting up that body the way i was doing it was the hard way. cutting through a bone is not easy with anything. >> reporter: and then, before the interrogation ends, durst asks the prosecutor what's in it for him. >> what's going through my mind is, if i tell you what i know, and answer your questions, what can you possibly do for me? >> reporter: durst's attorney is outraged over the release of the interrogation. >> this could very easily affect the jury pool. >> durst denies killing susan, and even though he hasn't been charged in connection with his wife, kathie's murder, he also

denies killing her during the interview. whether these recordings will be allowed in court will now be argued in front of a judge during a hearing for durst tomorrow. hoda? matt? back to you. >> gadi, thank you very much. ari melber is nbc's chief legal correspondent. good morning. two things. does the defense attorney have a right to be outraged that this was released? and, yes, robert durst was read his rights, he was mirandized, so to speak. do you think it will be admissible in court? >> i think a large chunk, if not all, of this will be admissible. this is a good interrogation. that's why it had so much interesting, even salacious information in it, matt. they were arguing in prior motions in court about the veracity and whether he was constitutionally mirandized, did he get his rights. he did. so the lawyers here for mr. durst are arguing out of both sides of their mouth. this was released, in part, because of their old arguments that it wasn't fair. >> he also said in the interview that he was high on meth at the time that this happened. now does that factor in to the

things that he might have said in that room? >> clearly mr. durst shared that claim. we don't even know if it's true, for his own reasons, either to cast doubt in the court of public opinion for anyone who would see this, or for prosecutors trying to make it seem like whatever they saw in that documentary wasn't real. the other fascinating part of this is, what you were witnessing there on that video, a fascinatingly effective interrogation. that's why it's got so much in it. this was a prosecutor who said, well, maybe you didn't kill her. but if you did, how would that go. within an hour you're hearing hypothetical details about these alleged killings. >> at some point he says, if i tell you what happened, give you information about what happened to kathie, the wife, it would amount to pleading guilty. you talk about the skill of the prosecutor, you're left wondering whether robert durst is crazy or crazy like a fox. >> i think that's always been the big question. this is a repeat defendant, a man accused of multiple murders throughout his life who won't shut up.

he talks to documentary makers. he talks to prosecutors. i will say this, through most of his life he's been talking and not going to jail for these murders. >> we'll see what happens. ari, thank you very much. time to get another check of the weather from mr. dave price who is in for al. >> nice to see you guys. let's go out west and take a look at what's happening as we head through sections of oregon and washington. west central oregon, you are looking at heavy rains. that could stretch in to portland where you have flood watches in effect until about 4:00 today. there are avalanche warnings in the cascades. this is part of a really fast-moving system that's going to begin to work its way across. and as it does, we're going to see some high winds stretching all the way into the northern rockies as well. keep in mind, we are going to get a break, although by the time we get to thursday, another storm system begins to roll on through. now what's happening in the rest of the country? let's take a look together and see. a cold start here in the northeast, still brutal but things are going to warm up and we are going to see diminishing

santa ana winds as we head to southern california. better news for the end of the day. that's a quick lk aoot good morning. i'm meteorologist bill henley. a cold start this morning. but with sunshine we'll warm up nicely. 37 degrees for philadelphia. middle 30s for the suburbs and the lehigh valley and in new jersey 38 degrees, a little warmer at the shore. upper 30s at the shore. today is the last day of autumn, tomorrow winter arrives and it turns warmer saying warmer through the week and the weekend. temperatures warming into the 50s. have a great day. weather channel on cable. that's a quick look at your weather this morning. >> all right, dave. coming up you guys, on "trending," keeping the peace. why monopoly says it is opening a special christmas hotline. we're going to explain. >> because you cheat. that's why. >> what? and they are a popular holiday gift but are those voice

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anti-flu? go antiviral with tamiflu. we're back now, 7:43, with some privacy concerns surrounding some of this year's hottest selling gifts. we are talking about those home assistants sold by sam zamazon google. >> they can answer any question, even turn your lights off and on, and your stereo. turns out -- they are always on, always listening. nbc's tom costello has been looking into that story. >> good morning. they're really cool but they are selling so fast, we couldn't even buy an amazon echo. we had to borrow one. here's a google home. here's hey it works. hey, google, how far is it to the moon? >> the moon is 238,900 miles from earth. >> i think she's off by a mile, but you get the point. it is always on, always listening, no matter what you are saying or what you're doing.

>> santa? this year, must-have for tech geeks and the rest of us. echo from amazon, nicknamed ale alexa. >> you have a dentist appointment at 2:00. >> your flight to portland is delayed by 30 minutes. >> reporter: and google home. >> hey, google, turn the lights out in kevin's room. >> reporter: but here is what you may not realize. that box of artificial intelligence is always listening, waiting for the wake-up words. >> okay, google. >> alexa. >> reporter: in california, the potter family is already hooked on alexa. >> alexa, what day is christmas? >> christmas day will be on sunday, december 25th. >> reporter: answering questions on demand, playing dance music, even singing a song. ♪ oh jingle bells jingle bells jingle all the way ♪ >> part of the family. >> reporter: here's how they work. both devices are always on. once online, they record your

voice print and keep track of your questions. every inquiry is transmitted to a google or amazon server to collect your answer. but all the conversations that don't include alexa or google are supposed to remain offline until you say those key "wake" words. >> alexa, what's the weather today? is. >> currently, in oakland, it is 53 degrees. >> reporter: david pierce writes about artificial intelligence for "wired." >> these companies promise over and over in various specific language that they're not sending any data anywhere until you say that "wake" word. >> reporter: still, once on, the devices are always listening to conversations that could be mundane, financial, or intimate. >> we have nothing really to hide there so i guess i don't really think about that too much. but now i will. >> reporter: both echo and google home light up when the wake word connects them to server. s you can always go and delete

previo queries or hit the mute button. amazon tells nbc news echond a alexa were designed with privacy and security as part of the design, not an afterthought. google says that only stores voice-based queries received immediately after recognizing one of the hot words. >> what a lot of these tech companies have figured out is consumers will pick cool, convenient features over privacy. that's been forever. >> reporter: they can become part of the family. look what happened when one family changed wake-up word from alexa to echo. >> their baby's first words. >> echo. echo. echo. >> echo. there is this incredible computer science behind these devices taking computing really to the next stage. it is an assistant always listening, always there. hey, google, who is matt lauer? >> don't do this. >> according to wikipedia,

matthew todd lauer is an american journalist and host of the "today" show. >> what is his address? >> what are you doing? tom? okay, we've got some questions for you later. >> yes, we do. >> we have one, by the way, in the make-up room. we use it basically as a juke box. >> yeah. we just crank up our tunes. by the way, when your baby's first word is echo, you got to reassess. coming up, why this conversation with hollywood legend jerry lewis is being called the most painfully awkward interview of the year. and carson shows us the surprise that drew that reaction from a college basketball team. right after th

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7:51. let's put some smiles on some faces. carson's over in the orange room. >> have you seen what i'm about to do? it's so good. matt farrell, junior guard on the notre dame basketball team, didn't expect his older brother bo to return home from the surface in afghanistan until february. after the fighting irish's victory over colgate monday night, entire team goes center court and puts their attention up on the jumbotron from a message from bo who's in full military gear. >> this is 1th lieutenant will ferrell wishing notre dame a very merry christmas. congrats on the win. go irish. it starts to pull out and what you really is he's actually not overseas at all. he's inside the arena. he goes on the court there. he is looking for his brother for a surprise. there's matt.

matt is already in tears. watch the embrace happen. i mean a picture says a thousand words. what you don't see, his mom and dad are also right there. the whole thing was set up by grandma. it was such a moment. people on social media absolutely freaking out. david writing these surprises never get old. great job by matt farrell's brother and notre dame setting it up. of course, asked by reporters afterwards if this was the best christmas present ever, matt wasted no time answering -- oh, yeah, by far. i always said this, if they had a channel on cable of military families reuniting, i would watch it 24/7. >> yes. kleenexes with be please, carson. that was beautiful! >> did you get a haircut? >> it does look like it. it is spikier in the front. >> looking sharp. >> thanks, guys. just ahead, prince harry talks about the impact losing his mother had on his life like never before. then, on our series "do you believe?" surprising results from new

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good morning. i'm katy zachry. a few minutes before 8:00 a.m. we want to bring you breaking traffic news. a boat load of problems for drivers on the blue route southbound. this is a live look right now at an improvement. there was an earlier truck fire in the shoulder right as you approached the exit for route 3. traffic was whittled down to one lane. but fortunate lit in the last little bit they've let traffic back on the main road. two lanes have opened up. let's go to video that a viewer who was driving by this truck fire shared with us a short time ago. you can see the smoke billowing from the truck right there. it was moved over to shoulder but still caused a huge mess that filled the entire stretch of 476 southbound. we also have an issue on 476 southbound. there's been another car fire

right near the exit for st. david. now let's get more on the neighborhood forecast with meteorologist bill henley. >> it's a cold one and the temperatures are not started to warm up yet. look at the lehigh valley, 12 degrees with bright sunshine and teens in the suburbs. 15 in king of prussia. just below freezing at 1:00. we'll peak in the middle to upper 30s later today. right now police in south jersey are looking for a man accused of murdering his estranged wife. take a look at the picture of jeremiah montrel. they found his estranged wife dead yesterday inside a house in cumberland county. he was last scene driving a 1994 blue chevy s-10 pick up. if you see him or his truck, give police a call. i'm rosemary connors.

now back to the "today" show.

it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, deadly attacks in europe. breaking overnight, new details about a suspect in berlin after a truck plowed into a christmas market killing at least 12 people, and injuring dozens more. while in turkey, a shocking scene caught on camera. russia's ambassador gunned down by an assassin in front of a crowd. we'll have the latest on both investigations. plus, do you believe? a look at the science behind what really happens to people during near-death experiences. >> a small group of them -- not everybody -- describes a sensation of actually separating from themselves and watching doctors and nurses trying to save their lives, except that

they're clinically dead. >> so does an afterlife really exist? >> i found myself flying through a star-filled realm. and, love, loss and legacy. prince harry opens up about the death of his mother, princess diana. >> i never really dealt with what had actually happened, so there was a lot off buried emotion. i just didn't even want to think about it. >> how he's living by her example and making a difference "today," tuesday, december 20th, 2016. ♪ go hokies! woo! >> hi to our friends and family in texas! >> hi to our friends in utah! >> celebrating my 19th birthday. >> i'm celebrating my sweet 16

in nyc. >> celebrating my 10th birthday on "today." >> woo! are you freezing? 8:00 now on this tuesday morning. it's december 20th, 2016. you know what? it's 24 degrees out here. let's get some camera time to these great people here who have been out since the wee hours of the morning. give yourselves a hand. >> y'all look awesome. by the way, did y'all hear that christmas song that's playing? "this christmas" by donny hathaway. that's one of my jams. speaking of great music, we've got some live holiday music coming up for you, a true legend, 90 years young, tony bennett. >> every time he steps into the studio he classes up the joint. there is no question about it.

>> especially here. >> that's true. first, tis time for some headlines of the morning. here's "the news at 8." we start with a horrifying attack here in berlin on a christmas market. i'm anne thompson where german authorities say no one has claimed responsibility for this murderous act. this morning, conflicting reports about a possible suspect in the deadly truck crash in berlin after a semi trailer plunged into a crowd of holiday shoppers monday, killing 12 people and injuring dozens of others. overnight, a suspect seen here with his head covered was arrested and is being detained. local media identifying him overnight as a 23-year-old. german officials confirm the suspect is from pakistan who entered germany in december 2015, turned up in berlin in february and applied for asylum. but those procedures had not been finalized. however, this morning a newspaper is quoting a senior

police chief as saying, "we have the wrong man, and therefore a new situation." german chancellor angela merkel saying this morning that the crash is believed to have been a terrorist attack. police this morning towing away the truck that last night was a mass murder weapon. police say the driver crashed in to the market intentionally, barreling through the crowds at 40 miles per hour without warning and with deadly force. amateur video at the scene showing chaos, onlookers horrified. >> it was right in front of us. it was so close. crushing through people, crushing through the huts. >> reporter: in a show of respect, christmas markets are closed across berlin today. now let's go to istanbul for the latest on the assassination of russia's ambassador to turkey and richard engel. >> reporter: thanks, anne. a team of investigators from russia has arrived here to try and find out more about this

22-year-old police officer who gunned down and killed the russian ambassador as journalists were in the room, a washing that some of the images we're going to show are disturbing. what happened today is that this german -- this russian team of investigators went to the crime scene. they visited the forensics bureau and they are trying to find out if the gunman was acting alone or was he part of a group. the street where the ambassador was killed is being renamed after him in his honor. the ambassador's body is expected to leave this country and be repatriated to russia today. we're finding out more about what motivated the attacker as he was hiding -- standing behind the ambassador, after he shot him, he started to scream, he said this was an act in order to carry out revenge for russia because of its involvement in the war in syria.

matt? back to you. >> richard engel, thank you very much. president-elect donald trump is a big step closer to the white house. on monday, the electoral college made it official ensuring that trump will become this nation's 45th president. he ended up with 304 electoral votes, more than the 270 needed to win. hillary clinton finished with 227 electoral votes. trump thanked his supporters in a tweet saying "we did it." and just ahead, this morning's rock & roll hall of fame inductees will be revealed. then prince harry gets very candid talking about his mother's death and how it helped him to find new purpose in life. and using science to prove that an afterlife exists on "do you believe?" surprising results of cutting-edge research. but firs

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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. 24 degrees out on this tuesday morning. we're back now with a new documentary on prince harry. it is getting a lot of attention. >> in it, he speaks candidly about how he was impacted by the death of his mother, princess diana, and how his grief led him to find a new purpose. britain's prince harry knows he lives a charmed life. >> lucky me that i've got the

prince bit so i'm able to make a difference. >> reporter: but in a new documentary on british television, harry admits facing the tragic death of his mother, princess diana, took a toll. he was just 12 the a the time. >> i never really dealt with what had actually happened so there was a lot of buried emotion and i just didn't even want to think about it. >> reporter: but seven years after his mother died, harry found himself thinking about his life. like a lot of teenagers, looking for meaning, he took some time away. >> i've got a year off, i want to do something really constructive with my life. i want to do something that makes my mother proud. >> reporter: he wound up in a small southern african country where a horrific aids epidemic is partly responsible for 1 in 3 children being orphaned and he set up a charity which means forget me not, building a village in his mother's honor to help children with hiv and aids. sir elton john, a friend of diana and harry. >> his mother would be so proud of him because he really cares.

>> reporter: add to that a budding romantic relationship with actress meghan markle from the usa network series "suits" in toronto yesterday after being spotted with harry in london last week. and there is a whole new prince charming. >> what is it that you're making? >> sconthose, obviously. >> reporter: some might say with a new child like outlook. >> so easy to get caught up in all the negativity that goes on in this world. so, yes, i want to encourage everyone to do good. good stories are what make people tick every day. it is fun to be good and boring to be bad. >> it's boring to be bad. i like that. prince harry also said you don't have to be a prince to make positive changes. he says no matter who you are, you can make a difference in the world by doing small good deeds. whenever you see him you are just in a better mood. aren't you? >> it's like our "share kindness" campaign. >> of course. let us turn now to some stories that are "trending" this

morning. >> ready! >> start with this study that's got a lot of people talking. it tried to answer the question who's more effective at being a doctor, a man or a woman? >> oh, boy. >> go ahead, carson. >> who's more effective? i have a female doctor who's very good. i've had men doctors. is there a right answer to this? >> yes, there is. >> according to researchers at harvard who recently studied elderly patients, they've come to the conclusion that female doctors are more effective. patients treated by women had lower mortality rates and were less likely to return to the hospital for more treatment. why? previous research has found that female doctors are better at following guidelines and communicating with their patients. one interesting stat from the harvard study, that all doctors performed as well as female physicians who were studied -- 32,000 lives might be saved. >> most of my doctors are women. i think i like a woman doctor

because i feel like they listen. you say something and they don't -- they're really paying attention a little more. >> when i read this, i was like, no, duh. i've had some good men doctors, too. >> standing up for the men. i have a male doctor who is incredibly attentive and listens. he's great. >> here is an update on a story we told you about on monday. remember ezekiel elliott, the rookie for the dallas cowboys who scored that touchdown sunday night, then he celebrated? remember? he jumped into the salvation army kettle. the cowboys were penalized 15 yards for excessive celebration but that move made a big impact beyond football. so after he jumped in that kettle, the salvation army said in the 12 hours after that moment, they raised $182,000. that was a spike of 61%. people went online and started donating because people remembered. ezekiel who wears the number 21 is himself donating $21,000. good news, the nfl says it is not going to fine ezekiel for

the celebration. >> oh, good. >> yes! >> i loved that move. >> it was great move. >> he knew he had it in his mind. he went right for. >> jumped right in. >> here is a common argument over the holidays. you ready? not politics. monopoly. as in the popular board game monopoly. a recent survey found that 51% of monopoly games end, jenna, in what? >> a fight. i myself have ended a game with my father in a fight. >> really? your dad cheats at monopoly? >> no, no, no. let's not rewrite the headlines. i didn't cheat. i just was very disappointed with the outcome and i wasn't a good loser in my childhood. >> all right. guess what? the makers of the game are taking action in the uk. they've set up a hotline. families can call during christmas to settle disputes. it is like the butterball hotline, but for a board game. an unbiased trained expert will weigh in on any disputes you might have. by the way, the top monopoly arguments are caused by -- people making up their own

rules. >> yes! >> someone being too cocky when they win. >> apparently your dad. >> and stealing from the bank. >> who steals from the monopoly bank? >> who is on the other end of this hotline? my dad just tried to put six hotels on park place. i'm going to punch him. >> i may use the hotline just for other disputes i have. like a therapist. i was just talking about the argument i got in with my mother. >> have you ever finished a game of monopoly? is. >> they're endless. >> carson, ready for "popstart!"? big music news hot off the presses. by just learned who will be inducted into the rock & roll hall of fame next year and there are plenty good names. take a listen. start with the great journey. finally earning a spot in the hall of fame. the legendary rockers winning the fan vote. also making it -- pearl jam.

finally. pearl jam, of course, not known for that one but they're known for -- didn't sound like it. congratulations to pearl jam. those guys got plenty of hits. also elo. they've got plenty of hits as well. "hold on tight." other inductees include tupac, joan baez and the band yes. >> the crew is so happy about yes, they can't handle it. >> i was happy about pearl jam. pearl jam. but jeremy, that was my first concert. pearl jam. >> great, great, great group. >> sixth grade. here is a great story. amy schumer had a big holiday surprise for her dad. apparently when amy was younger her family owned a farm. she posted this instagram video showed her walking through the corn fields. apparently they lost the farm through a bankruptcy. thanks to her success, amy bought the farm back and posted this screen shot of her dad's

emotional reaction. we have that or not? bought the farm back, gave it to dad. it was moved by that. finally jerry lewis, legendary comedian is 90. apparently he is known to be a very difficult interview. this may prove it. the hollywood reporter calling this the most painfully awkward interview of 2016. >> have you ever thought about retiring? >> why? >> was there a never a moment that you thought it might be time to retire or you would -- >> why? >> you have a favorite story about like dean or frank sinatra or somebody that you worked with over the years that you'd like to share? >> no. >> not at all? >> none. >> do you have an unfavorite story you'd like? >> nope. not for this. >> how long did that go on? >> we've all been there. that interview lasted seven minutes. i'm sure the reporter felt like

a lifetime. >> then he had a snicker bar and he was just a laugh riot. >> there you go. that's your "popstart!" for today. can i just say, he's been nice when he's been on the show. must not have been his day. carson, thanks very much. let's send it over to dave price who's in for the weather with al. >> i watched that seven-minute interview. it was spectacular. you've got to see it. we'll get through the weather quickly today because there's not a lot significant going on unless you're in the pacific northwest where you have some rough weather. mountain snows in portland. this is a very stark comparison to what we saw earlier in the week when most of the country was covered in a large storm system stretching all the way from the west coast to sections of the northeast. as far as what we're going to expect as we head through the rest of the day, still some strong winds threatening the northern rockies, diminishing

santa ana winds as you head to southern california. still up to 45 miles per hour, at least for the first piece of the day. a warm-up as we head to the northeast. good morning i'm meteorologist bill henley. a cold start this morning. with sunshine, we'll warm up nicely this afternoon. 37 for philadelphia, middle 30s for the suburbs. lehigh valley, and in new jersey, 38. just a little bit warmer at the shore. upper 30s in delaware today. today is the last day of autumn. tomorrow winter arrives and it turns warmer and stays warmer through the end of the week, and the weekend, too, where temperatures will warm into the 50s. have a great day. >> that's a look at your weather. don't forget, if you are heading out, you can tak you can take " you on our sirius xm channel 108. guys? >> all right, dave, thank you so much. it is day two of our special series "do you believe?" touching the afterlife. >> this morning, using science to explore near-death

experiences, i neglected to say that jenna was joining us for "trending" so now i will just introduce her as part of this series. >> thanks. good morning, guys. imagine having a near-death experience where you leave your physical body but remain conscious. is this the afterlife? thanks to cutting-edge science there are some tools to measure those accounts and there are some stunning consistencies. >> i found myself flying through a star-filled realm. >> reporter: it is a glimmer of heaven, many say. >> its rapture is beyond description. >> i just felt absolutely ecstatic. >> reporter: transformative, miraculous, even magical. but are they actually real? what happens during these experiences? >> people who come close to death for any reason typically describe a sensation of being profoundly peaceful and comfortable. some of them describe a tunnel and a bright warm welcoming light.

>> reporter: dr. sam, author of "erasing death" conducts cutting-edge research. >> probably the most interesting aspect of this is that a small group of them -- not everybody -- describes a sensation of actually separating from themselves and watching doctors and nurses trying to save their lives, except that they're clinically dead. >> reporter: in the aware a study, the doctor looked at 2,000 cases using auditory tests, they timed consciousness for up to five minutes after the brain had shut down. >> 40% of people had a perception of having had awareness which was phenomenally high. 10% of them had a classical near-death experience, and about 3% of them actually had full consciousness and awareness and could describe things. >> reporter: in one man's case, with verifiable accuracy. >> he was able to record details for up to five minutes events that were charted as had exactly occurred, even though the brain shuts down within 2 to 20 seconds. >> that was five minutes while he was flat-lined. >> he was clinically dead.

that's right. while he was dead. his brain would not have been functioning. >> millions of people have had near-death experiences. there is a tremendous amount of science. >> reporter: dr. jeffrey long is a radiation oncologist and author of "god and the afterlife." >> i've studied over 4,000. you see a very consistent pattern of elements. >> reporter: long says he observes remarkable parallels. >> there may be a life review where they see part or all of their prior life. they may encounter deceased relatives. these are joyous reunions. the two most common words used to describe a near-death experience are "peace" and "love." >> reporter: after people survive, he seems dramatic lifestyle changes. >> this includes an increased believe in the afterlife and decreased fear of death. >> reporter: but not everybody believes the accounts, and some completely dismiss the near-death concept. people are skeptical about it. >> people who are skeptical about them often think that these are simply hallucinations.

>> reporter: the doctor is conducting a new study giving specific sounds through an earpiece to patients in cardiac arrest, unusual images will also be placed high and facing the ceiling so they're only visible to somebody looking down from above. in theory, to a soul separated from a physical body. >> if you come back and say you saw dr. smith or dr. jones and what they were doing, the question is, you also see the image that's in the room that is independent and that you would not have been able to guess because it is not something you would expect to see on tv. >> so this connects up here. >> this exactly. >> reporter: now he hopes to enroll other hospitals. >> i hope we'll inspire other doctors to start thinking about how they should be measuring what's happening in the brain. >> reporter: ultimately, not only will research help patients survive and recover, it will also shed light on the enduring mystery of what really happens after we die. >> there's a vast amount that we can learn from near-death experiences. >> while the research is ongoing, members in the near-death community believe that science and medical professionals are becoming more

accepting of the concept. and i have to say, if anything, it gives us hope that there's this peace. and he also says that it is not a religious thing necessarily. you know? that this is a medical study to see what people hear and see, and the images are put in places where you'd have to be on top of the room, not laying in the bed. >> it's interesting to see the science. we talked about what you feel inside, but it is interesting when you see how the brain operates. great. thanks, jenna. just ahead, we're going o celebrate 90 years of tony bennett with a live performance from the man himself.

good morning, i'm rosemary connors. it is a cold one out there. let's get more on the neighborhood forecast from meteorologist bill henley. >> that wind is not helping much. just a little buys breeze but temperatures are in the between and 20s will make it feel even colder. sunshine is nice and bright. temperatures will be climbing. right now it's 12 degrees in lehigh valley, 20 in delaware. south jersey 20 and most of the suburbs are still in the teens. 17 degrees. 12 in collegeville and bed mincetminc minster. quite a few problems on the

road. >> we'll focus on the blue route. a lot of problems north and southbound at st. david's. this is the northbound lane. in just the last two minutes, there was an early crash. that has been cleared. we move over to the south bound side. you can see all of that backup. look at that traffic. totally stopped at st. david's because of a vehicle fire around st. david's southbound. let's go to video though. another thing that's hampering the southbound commute is an even earlier car fire that happened blue route southbound at route 3, exit 4. this is video a viewer sent us as he woos going by the scene. >> thanks for that. we'll have another update in just about 25 minutes. you can always get the latest news and weather with the nbc10 app. have a good one.

♪ i'll be home for christmas if only in my dreams ♪ 8:30 on a tuesday morning. it is the 20th day of december, 2016. look what we've got? we've got kind of a double-header going. that's janelle monet. she's one of our elves for our holiday toy drive this morning. now flip over to the other side of the plaza. wait. what's going on over there?

jonathan scott doing the same thing. it is the toys for the children. by the way, the scott brothers are going to be co-hosting our next hour here on "today." >> i'm a little afraid of that. >> dave price in for al roker this morning. hoda's here while savannah continues on maternity leave. >> we're having a nice little party on the plaza. just ahead, tony bennett is here ahead of his prime time special tonight. we'll celebrate his incredible life. he's turning 90 years old. he's going to have a live performance. look being forward to that. plus, we'll help spread some kindness and holiday cheer in a hard-hit community down in louisiana. and from the holiday guest who tries way too hard or the one who manages to spill everything, we'll get a little help on managing the stickiest etiquette situations over the holidays this time of year. but first, may we bring back one of our elves, the lovely janelle monet is here. how are you?

she's in that terrific movie called "hidden figures." how much did you love working on that? >> oh, it is such an honor to portray these brilliant-minded women. these are the women who helped get our first americans into space, and nobody, including me, knew anything about them. so i'm so happy that we get to learn about american history. >> it's getting great reviews. congratulations on that. are you an over-the-top holiday person or are you an under-the-radar? had. >> you know, holidays for me, i get to relax, i sleep. i unplug. i'm a low-key. i'm giving quietly. i'm like leave me alone, i need a rest. >> can we talk about everything that's happening here. we've got the spots. we've got the eyes. we've got it all. one of my favorite songs is "tight rope." it is one of yours. we love you for everything that you do. >> thank so much for having me. as we mentioned, janelle will be back in our next hour along with the scott brothers. mr. price, check of the weather? >> we got cold conditions here but no one here seems to be bothered by that at all.

let's see what's happening as we go to the maps and take a look at the holiday outlook and head into the weekend. looks like we'll have some scattered snow showers through sections of the upper middest with, pushing into the great lakes. mountain snow as you head to the pacific northwest and heavy rains for sections of northern california. christmas eve, unseasonably mild as we head through let's say the tennessee valley, into the southeast and up through sections of the northeast, windy conditions will prevail christmas eve for santa as he makes his journey in the west. for christmas day, lots of sunshine returns for the west. warm weather stays up and down the eastern seaboard. and we are looking at rain as we head through the midwest and mountain snow, a white christmas, as you head through northern rocks. that'sie good morning i'm meteorologist bill henley. a cold start this morning. with sunshine, we'll warm up nicely this afternoon. 37 for philadelphia, middle 30s for the suburbs. lehigh valley, and in new

jersey, 38. just a little bit warmer at the shore. upper 30s in delaware today. today is the last day of autumn. tomorrow winter arrives and it turns warmer and stays warmer through the end of the week, and the weekend, too, where temperatures will warm into the 50s. have a great day. >> announcer: getting to the heart of christmas is brought to you by walmart. find gifts, groceries, and more this season. we love bringing back our series "getting to the heart of christmas" focusing on remarkable people who are in need this holiday season. >> "today" national correspondent craig melvin just got back from louisiana. what story did you bring sfus. >> good to see you guys. good morning. the louisiana flooding, the worst u.s. natural disaster since hurricane sandy. that area is still very much in major recovery mode. the baton rouge food bank needs food now more than ever. sadly, their facility was

decimated during the flooding but some very special employees made sure food bank was back up and running within days of the disaster. >> well, hello. welcome to the greater baton rouge food bank. that's me, sugar bear. come on in. >> reporter: it is amazing to watch a food bank at work. >> greater baton rouge food bank, this is wendy. >> reporter: the complexity of organizing hundreds of thousands of pounds of food. >> gentlemen, it's christmas time. it is a rush. >> reporter: incoming. >> so just have them double check this bin. >> reporter: and outgoing. for those members of a community most in need. >> i know it pretty well saved my life for a while. >> reporter: but this particular food bank, the greater baton rouge food bank, has been doing it all for months facing incredible hardship because this was the baton rouge food bank in august during louisiana's catastrophic flooding. five feet of water decimated the facility. over half a million pounds of food destroyed overnight. and right at the moment when the

community needed them the most. >> overnight it was devastating. it was devastating. >> i mean that's our mission. to help the less fortunate. if we can't be there for them in their time of need, then what's the point? >> reporter: but this small food bank staff, which they call a family, rallied to rebuild what was lost and were operational in makeshift space within days. >> it's a whole family at the food bank. it's like everybody just stepped into motion. >> we making it happen. it is the greater baton rouge food bank. we got a mission. let's get the job done. >> reporter: and the mutual devotion between the food bank and the community it serves is apparent. hugs after a a delivery are common. >> good job. thank you so much! >> reporter: however, there is something that makes this story even more special because these five food bank employees, costello robinson, wendy nelms, yvette thomas, and johnny fur

man, will all dealing with their own heartbreak, their homes either destroyed by the flooding or unlivable and most, like johnny, a father of seven, losing everything they owned. >> i didn't have much anyway but it was mine. i didn't have much anyway, but it was mine. >> wendy and her family trapped by the floodwaters had to be rescued. >> it is just so strange to think that everything you own is on the road. >> costello caring for his ill mother struggled to find higher ground. >> i had to carry her out through the water. we barely made it out. >> reporter: yvonne's entire home had to be demolished. nothing was valuageable. >> it's not like you've been saving for years, pllike when y first get married. >> and fred refusing to be swallowed up by the darkness after losing his home. >> i'm looking for the light in the storm. >> reporter: none of these dedicated food bank employees missing a single day of work since the flooding. while trying to rebuild their own lives. >> it wasn't even a choice,

actually. the food bank needed me. >> i believe if you do good, something good going to come to you. >> reporter: and today was that day. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: the good folks at walmart wanted to say thank you. but wait. there's more. bring in the carts! ten carts packed to the rim with home goods to help replace what was lost. but wait, there's more! >> a hug? >> yes! a hug! sure. a hug. absolutely. >> reporter: ten more walmart carts overflowing with gifts and toys for the children. >> each of your families will also be getting a $2,500 gift

card, as well. and of course, walmart also wanted to help the mission of the baton rouge food bank to continue with ten more carts furnished with food to help restock their shelves for the holidays. and, yes, ten more carts full of desperately needed office supplies for the food bank. so, most of you know that after the floods hit, walmart wrote you guys a big check for $100,000 to help you guys get back on your feet. they have another check for $100,000. [ cheers and applause ] >> you guys don't realize how much good you do for this community. >> i love the mission. it is all about giving. it is all about taking care of people in need. >> and today they take care of you. >> taking care of me. >> yeah. >> a big thanks to sugar bear and the rest of the gang. by the way, you can learn more about those families and how you can help the greater baton rouge

food bank on our today show facebook page. >> after that story, we're going to start calling you sugar bear. that was pretty good. >> by the way, the hearts of those louisianans just makes your heartache. beautiful, craig. a beautiful story. >> they've got a good ways to go in terms of rebuilding. >> but can i tell you how good i feel right now after that piece? >> nice hearing you say -- ten more carts. ten more carts. >> thank you. special thanks to our friends at walmart. >> absolutely. and to you. up next, help for those awkward moments in arguments that pop up when families gets together over the holidays? we've got mr. manners. . but first, this is "today" on nbc .

we're back now, 8:42 with our stress-free holiday. as you prepare for gatherings with your family and friends, it might be wise to prepare for

some potential awkwardness. >> you know it is going to happen. mr. manners himself, thomas farley, is here with etiquette advice to help us deal with certain pesky personalities. thomas, good morning. >> good news is the holidays, you bring your family together. the bad news is the holidays, you bring your family together. . let's start with some personality types. okay? scenarios. tell us what to do. your daughter over the holidays brings home her brand-new boyfriend. >> yes. >> let's call him off-the-mark mark. all right? he tries too hard. he is not your cup of tea and he tries to win over the family by going over the top. >> this is the first time the family is meeting him. he's really giving it his "a" game but it is not going so well. maybe telling off-colored jokes. doing everything he can to keep people entertained. it is up to the host to make him feel at ease. maybe give a toast. say lovely to have you here. maybe engage with him one-on-one. give him a task, make him feel

trusted, make him feel involved. >> you don't go to your daughter and say, this guy's not making it. >> after the holiday. >> what if let's say kelly shows up, she has a glass of red wine, she trips, she falls, it stains the carpet. she breaks some christmas lights. just things that happen. how do you approach her? >> so the key is, she wants to be able to admit what she's done wrong. she has to fess up very quickly. then she has to clean up very quickly. then she also wants to offer to pay for the item if she can or somehow make it up to the host. the host for his or her part needs to refuse and defuse. you refuse the offer of paying, and you want to defuse it by making her feel better. have those household cleaning items ready to go. you know there will be an accident at a party. >> what if she's sauced? then you have trouble. >> then carson goes. >> let's talk about braggy bob.

say a kid gets -- does quite well and with an xbox, iphone, goes to school the next day, around kids that maybe weren't as lucky as him. he starts bragging about his toys. >> this is awkward. not everybody will get the same number of gifts. whatever adult is nearby wants to defoo us that situation by redirecting the conversation immediately. as soon as that bragging starts, the adults will say i have a holiday story i need to share with all of you. before i forget, let me bring that up. you've taken the needle off the record. his parents if they learn about this need to tell him this is not the way we act around other children. not everybody gets the same amounts of gifts you do. >> give advice to last minute larry. the guy who wants until christmas morning to buy his secret santa gifts and the other thing open is the convenience store. what do you do if you're about to get beer in under the circumstances for christmas? >> larry needs to stop the a the convenience store. first, seek out the best card he

can find. pickens will probably be slim. buy a couple lottery tickets. buy a small gift card. then in the card itself write a lovely message describing what the gift is going to be. maybe a dinner for the two of you out at a time of the gift recipient's choosing. this way it does not seem like an afterthought. secret santa has something to enjoy. >> that's smart. thomas, you're good. you're on it. just ahead, the one, the only, tony bennett performs live in studio 1a. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

man: this is our son christopher lewis. woman: this is our brother john anthony gracie. man: this is my daughter natalie. we lost her to opioid addiction. woman: pennsylvania's fighting this crisis so more lives are not lost. woman: call 1-800-662-help for treatment options. visit pa.gov/opioids for resources and information on substance abuse. paid for with pennsylvania taxpayer dollars. >> announcer: the citi concert series on "today" is proudly presented to you by citi. here's something we don't say every day. we are with a living legend. tony bennett has sold more than 50 million albums, picked up 19 grammys during his career that spanned more than six decades. >> that's right. at the age of 90, he is certainly still going strong.

in fact, we'll be celebrating him tonight. we join you to watch two-hour prime time special right here on nbc called "tony bennett celebrates 90, the best is yet to come." >> by the way, he's also out with a companion cd to that special. can we talk about the special? stevie wonder, bill dylan, billy joel, lady gaga. >> let me tell you what happened. the most wonderful contemporary artists celebrated my 90th birthday at radio city. and that's the show. >> what did it feel like to be the recipient of all that love? >> i just loved it. i haven't gotten over it yet. >> i love watching you and gaga together. >> thank you! >> what is about her that makes your collaboration so special? >> she has so much talent. she's going to be around for a long, long time. she's very bright. >> you know what i like, tony? you've been singing that song "the best is yet to come kwo" f long time, and in your life, it's true. the best is always yet to come.

>> thank you very much. >> what are you looking forward to for the holidays? >> we're going to have a little vacation out west with my wife's family. i'm looking forward to enjoying the whole holiday season. >> we can't wait to hear you sing. what are you going to sing for us right now? >> i don't know. >> i think "i'll be home for christmas." i hope. >> ladies and gentlemen, tony bennett. >> love you, honey. ♪ ♪ i'll be home for christmas you can plan on me ♪ ♪ please have snow and mistletoe and presents on the tree ♪

♪ christmas eve will find me where the love light gleams ♪ ♪ i'll be home for christmas if only in my dreams ♪ ♪ >> that's sergeant on the guitar. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ christmas eve will find me where the love light gleams ♪ ♪ i'll be home for christmas if only in my dreams ♪ if only in my dreams ♪

>> yeah! woo-hoo hoo! >> thank you. >> happy birthday. merry christmas. >> that's how the pros do it. >> he'll be back with more music later. "tony bennett celebrates 90, the best is yet to come," tonight, 9:00, 8:00 central, right here on nbc. happy birthday. we're back in a moment. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

welcome back, everyone. carson headed back into the orange room for an update on our "share kindness" campaign. >> thanks, matt. all month long we have been sharing your stories of generosity to inspire 1 million acts of kindness. we're nearing the end and have less than 200,000 acts to go. let's get to a couple here. kim in illinois does something very cool by leaving a surprise for fellow movie renters at her local rent box. lana in ohio made a refreshments basket complete with chips and water bottles for the delivery drivers in her area. very nice as well. we are on track to meet our goal. keep the kindness coming. share your stories of generosity this holiday season using the #sharekindness. guys, back to you. >> so easy to do. all right, carson. just ahead, drew and jonathan scott are going to join jenna for entire hour at 9:00. plus, janelle monet is back. they got a lot going on.

and you know what el good morning, i'm tracy davidson. let's get to your chilly first alert neighborhood forecast with meteorologist bill henley. >> fortunately, it's sunny. sunshine will warm things up ever so slowly this morning. nice sunny view. those flags are barely moving. there's not much wind which is part of why it was so cold overnight and this morning and with a little light breeze,

we'll see temperatures climbing. they are already starting to move up. 24 in philadelphia. that's up six degrees in the lehigh valley. now in the middle 20s in delaware and south jersey, as well. temperatures are going to peak in the 30s this afternoon. >> check on the roads. what are you seeing? >> the blue route is finally clear of car fires and crashes we were plagued with over the last few hours. this is a live look right at st. david's. this is southbound traffic. you are seeing some delays because southbound we typically see more volume and there may be residual delays from the two car fires. we are following septa delays. the kinwood line. these two trains are canceled. deadlines are here for packages to make it in time for christmas and hanukkah. the post office made it through its busiest mailing day of the year yesterday. postal carriers are trying to get everything delivered ontime. for the postal service, today is

the last day for first class mail. friday is the deadline for priority express. ups for second day air. today is the last day for express save shipment. you can wait up to christmas for same day shipments. today, expected in federal court to face charges for the shootout with police in north jersey and accused of setting off bombs in new york and new jersey and a pipe bomb in seaside park.

this morning on "today's take" -- a living legend, tony bennett, takes our stage with a live performance. then, two hot properties, drew and jonathan scott, as our celebrity co-host. plus, the best stocking stuffer ever. the surprise holiday giveaway, so tune in to win from home. coming up now. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today's take," live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. hi, guys. welcome to "today" on this freezing tuesday morning, december 20th. 2016. i'm jenna bush hager. tamron and al are off. so guess who i've got with me today. a double dose of trouble. all i've got to say is twin powers unite, drew and jonathan scott are here. so i'm excited. >> i'm excited.

you called me hot property. >> he's a hot property. >> you're really the hot property. we're just your body guards. >> oh, thank you. i love that. i loved to have a bodyguard. haven't had any in a few years. >> i will be your kevin costner. >> i love it. if you need extra spending money for holiday shopping, tune in to our big giveaway in just a few minutes. you've got to watch from home. >> people are standing outside in the freezing cold. >> because it is freebie tuesday. >> they are also giving us gifts, too. >> you actually put a child in the gift bag? had. >> i thought it was a doll and it wasn't. it was a child. i didn't put him in the bag. >> i think that breaks at least ten new york laws. you can't shove a kid in a sack. >> wait a minute. i think you're trying to get us diverted from what we really want to talk about today. >> what? >> right? >> he's engaged. >> he is engaged. >> i am officially off the market -- i've been off the market for six years. we've been dating for six years.

there's linda. hold on. linda, are you here? you're here. did linda say yes or did she think about it? >> what did you say, linda? >> i said yes. >> did you think about it? how long did you think about it? >> i'm still in shock. >> she thought about it for a long time. >> okay. i was being sneaky. >> we want to hear all the details. >> i was trying to be really stealthy. i didn't want her to know anything. i didn't want her to see techs or anything about it. i was going through jonathan. >> drew got a fake e-mail address to use while this was all happening. he snuck off to record a song. guaranteed she either thought he was having an affair already or that something was going on for the holidays. >> we can see a little bit of this music video that you actually -- >> so i recorded a song. but i posted it -- i put some pictures to it as well. if you guys have a copy of the song, it is "marry me" by train.

>> so that is me singing my heart out. >> are you a musician! can we turn that up? i want to hear this voice. ♪ marry me if i ever -- >> funny thing is, so drew had this playing in a restaurant. he had this whole beautiful dinner set up, all of this going on. this was playing in the background. he's like waiting for it to recognize. she thought it was the actual song. >> the singer from train. it is one of our favorite songs. she loves dr. seuss. i created this cake, her favorite book is "oh the places you'll go." i helped with a friend of mine at a bakery in toronto, we designed this cake to look just like the actual book. it says "oh the places we'll go." and the ring is balancing on the top. when i was down on my knee, linda was so confused. after she said yes, i took her a few doors down. i flew in my family and her

family. all of her old high school friends and family together to celebrate. >> if that's the engagement, what's the wedding going to be like? >> i'm going to have to go big. >> i would like to point out one problem i have with this whole scenario. now everybody who walks over to us, everyone says, so what are you going to do? >> you have a girlfriend? >> i'm madly in love with this fantastic woman. >> is this breaking news? >> no. it broke a while ago. >> last time we hung out -- >> i was single. >> our brother j.d. has been together for his girlfriend for three years now. the pressure's on him, too. . come on, j.d. >> you could have a brother wedding where you both walk down the aisle statement. listen, the property brothers need a brother wedding. >> no woman out there wants to share their special day with the brothers. >> the head table could be bunk beds. drew's in one, i'm in another. >> terrible idea. >> i always as a little girl wanted a twin wedding with my sister.

>> really? you and your sister are weird. >> listen, property brother. >> you don't give wedding advice or how to name our children because we were -- >> they thought -- my daughter's name is poppy. and what did you say? >> papi. >> or it was biggie-biggie. >> mila, my older daughter says that. mila will go, i love it when you call me big poppy. >> we get nothing done here. >> have you guys finished your christmas shopping? you know what i'm going to get for the people i love nearest and dearest to my heart? and it could be signed by these two? they have a new book out which i was told is the best holiday gift of the season. >> who told you that? >> you! >> i told you that. >> "dream home." >> is that weird to give that to everyone we know? >> it's like a signed autograph. >> i give it to them with a renovation of their kitchen by jonathan. >> we hit "the new york times"

best seller list which is amazi amazing. this is the step by step if you can't have us there for the renovation. >> last year drew gave everyone a signed picture of himself. >> that's worth at least $35 on ebay. >> 35 cents. >> i even hesitate going to this because when somebody shows you a picture of their child, what goes through your mind? >> you always say, they're beautiful! and then if you have children, you're judging if they're more beautiful than your children. >> i'm afraid, what if it is an ugly kid? >> my kids aren't. but yesterday on the show this is a very typical thing for me. i tried to show a video of my daughter, mila, and it did not go so well because i showed the wrong video. so now we have the video. let's see it. >> the right video. >> take two. okay. that's vail, savannah's baby. and mila, my beautiful -- both are beautiful children. mila does something in front of

whole church which really is a show stopper. she lifts her skirt. and -- >> haven't we all done that? >> well, yes. it reminded me a little bit -- look, the teacher ha is to come and pull it down. i actually did that, too. i'm not sure if we have the picture but on the stage -- there i am. >> that's you? >> me in the bowl cut. and that is my grandpa giving some sort of speech and i guess i wasn't interested or i thought there needed to be some sort of entertainment. >> i actually did some research. i read that that action is hereditary. it is passed down to your children. >> do we have the picture of jonathan lifting his skirt? >> no, no, don't show that. >> then you do it, too. as twins, it must be in your dna. then the conversation led -- you guys are on tv all the time. do you have a boundary about how much you share? unfortunately, i decided to share the fact that after being with these kids that i love so much, i want another one. but my husband didn't know that.

>> did you know that? >> i forgot that i said it. it just kind of came out. so henry wrote me this. my wife also thought two funny to tell nation that she wants another baby this morning. and then somebody wrote, and all i wrote back is, what? it says -- do not share this text. what are you doing right now? >> then henry wrote, i saw the clip, honey. you and al conspiring against hank. >> al's into that sort of conspiring. >> here's the thing. my husband doesn't normally watch the show. so let's just see if this gets around. does he find out today? yes or no. >> your house doesn't watch the show and he also doesn't use friend finder to find out where you are at all times. >> it won't be your husband who watches the show. all of his friends will now text him, "she did it again." >> well, i do want a baby. it leads me to you. well, that doesn't really make sense. that's not what i meant. very sorry over there. to your fiance. are you interested in children? >> oh, yeah, one day.

now i'm getting all emotional here. oh, gosh. >> you okay? >> yes. one day. we haven't talked about it but we will definitely have kids one day and you'll be the first one i tell before i tell my wife. >> a new survey is out of the most misquoted holiday lyrics. we'll test ourselves. we are going to see who -- y'all are musicians. we're going to see who could complete the lyrics to the three most often misquoted songs. here we go. song one. ♪ chestnuts roasting on an open fire ♪ ♪ jack frost nipping at your nose ♪ ♪ jack frost nipping at your nose. ♪ >> i wouldn't have gotten that. >> what would you have said? >> jack frost nipping at your toes. >> that works. >> that was the justin bieber remake. >> let's hear it.

♪ dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh ♪ ♪ on the field we go laughing all the way ♪ >> tails on bobtail sing making spirits bright -- >> tails on bobsie's squeezing? what does that mean? >> y'all haven't lost yet. >> obviously we're awesome at this game. >> that's one for the scott brothers, zero for you. >> two for us. ish. >> one and a half. song three. ♪ on the fourth day of christmas my true love sent to me ♪ ♪ a partridge in a pear tree ♪ i want a bentley >> no. four maids a milking. >> four birds a bathing. >> this is the weirdest song -- can you imagine writing session? oh, maids a milking. maids a milking. >> also, what family wants to

spend five hours singing one song? >> my daughter really loves that song. so we lost. point is we lost. guess what? >> "joy to the world." >> i haven't lost because these guys are here with me all morning. coming up be with the must-see video of the morning. an aprmazing military homecomin that will warm ♪ what are you doing right now? making a cake! uh oh. i don't see cake, i just see mess. it's like awful. it feels like am not actually cleaning it up. what's that make mommy do?

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i was in shock when my to me the acidity dentiof foods andining what they can do to your teeth. thinning of the teeth and leading to being extremely yellow would probably gross me out! my dentist recommended pronamel. it can help protect enamel from acid erosion. my mouth feels really fresh and clean and i stuck with it. i really like it. it gives me a lot of confidence. pronamel is all about your enamel. helping to protect your enamel. back with more of "today's take." my guest co-hosts, drew and jonathan scott. guess what? we're here on the best day

because we are going to be some of the first people in the entire world to try out girl scout cookie cereal! isn't it amazing? these are two flavors. >> we're talking cereal and drew requested chilled almond milk. >> no. room temperature almond milk. >> listen, boys. these are some thin mint flavored cereal. right here. you are eating the caramel crunch. >> this is not how i eat my cereal. >> this is heavenly. >> it does not get any better than this. >> first people in the world to try it! thin mint cereal. >> oh, my god! >> that's how i do it. >> you eat the whole box? i was going to take that home. >> you know you're not going to stop. >> i'm taking the thin mints home. this is exactly how you do it. >> i apologize. can i have a rag over here from the kitchen? >> you can't really take the

properties brotherfully whes an. >> this somebody heavenly. this is christmas in a box. >> i like the size of these. because you could eat more than just one or two cookies. guys, can we talk about christmas movies? yes or no. >> oh, my gosh. i start watching them in november. >> cabletv.com put out a state by state breakdown of christmas movies. see if you guys match the general population of your state. drew and jonathan, you guys live in nevada. i've been to their house before. what do you think is the favorite holiday movie of nevada? >> nation"national lampoon's chs vacatio vacation". >> that could work. >> do you guys always have the same answers for everything? >> no. we discuss it internally. >> the answer was "nightmare before christmas." maybe because you leave las vegas and it seems like you could have been a nightmare because you're terribly hung over. >> what's your favorite? >> my favorite holiday movie is "love actually."

>> that is my favorite but i wouldn't think that is a texas thing. >> no. from texas, the most popular? >> "red rider bb gun." >> what is it? anybody know? "home alone." "love actually" is my favorite but texans love to laugh and "home alone" is hilarious. >> "love actually" and "elf." "it's a wonderful life." >> hey, don't i get to answer? the time. >> sorry. sorry. it is really hard to be with these twins. so listen, now a little something to get those tear ducts working. matt farrell, a gathered on the notre dame basketball team didn't expect his older brother bo to return home from afghanistan until february. after the fighting irish's victory over colgate monday night the team turned their attention to the jumbotron for a message from bo in full military gear. take a look. >> you've always followed your hopes and always followed your dreams. i just want you to know how proud i am of you. i love you and i miss you very

much. for us, home is wherever we're together. i look forward to being home with you soon. really. really soon. >> oh, my gosh. i love this so much. that's so sweet. by the way, his grandmother knew about this. their grandmother. and set the whole thing up. >> that's amazing. >> i love that. a great christmas gift. are you teenk uaring up? good morning i'm meteorologist bill henley. a cold start this morning. with sunshine, we'll warm up nicely this afternoon. 37 for philadelphia, middle 30s for the suburbs. lehigh valley, and in new jersey, 38. just a little bit warmer at the shore. upper 30s in delaware today.

today is the last day of autumn. tomorrow winter arrives and it turns warmer and stays warmer through the end of the week, and the weekend, too, where temperatures will warm into the 50s. have a great day. >> do you want tou want to try again? >> in your neck of the woods. up next, an early gift for you out on our plaza. and for you at home. and for you at home. it is freebie tuesday. ♪ i said i really can't stay ♪ baby it's cold outside ♪ i have to go away ♪ baby it's cold outside ♪ i really can't stay ♪ baby it's cold outside! you never know who you'll meet at barnes & noble.

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sure, you could sit around all night waiting for a pizza to be delivered. but wouldn't making it yourself be a lot more fun? it's baking season. warm up with pillsbury. and there are some people should give undeyouashouldn't .oliday. people you should. shouldn't. janice! should. shouldn't. yes. no. should. no way. should. no. definitely not. ha ha, nay. you shouldn't give underwear to everybody. but for those you do, give them fruit of the loom.

'tis the season of giving so we're surprising our fans on the plaza with a freebie tuesday giveaway. >> thanks o our friends at jachlt c penny, we're going to be giving our stockings filled with secret goodies. >> let's do this! >> me first! >> this is going to be good. i just love giving free stuff away. >> by the way, people aren't finished with their stocking stuffers, they can have these. >> this is the best. >> are y'all done shopping? >> i haven't done any shopping yet. >> drew will take half of this stuff. key keep an eye on drew. >> hey, guys! >> who wants free stuff? who wants a little bit of free stuff? >> have you done any of your shopping yet? >> not a lot.

>> this is for you. nice. that's not all we have for these people. guess what we have? a $500 gift card for jcpenney. >> $500 gift card. >> for your last-minute shopping this holiday season. merry christmas. >> if you're at home, we were's giving out two more $500 gift cards. to find out how to win one, visit our facebook page at facebook.com/today's take. don't forget to like us. coming up, tony bennett. are you excited or what? >> i am! >> it's cold out here. >> what's your name? >> alice. >> we're dressing you up. >> does anybody want a kitchen

renovation? anybody? >> we want one. all right, coming up, tony bennett sings one of his most famous tunes. after your local news. ♪ i love you so much. that's why i bought six of you... for when you stretch out. i want you to stay this bright blue forever... that's why you will stay in this drawer... forever. i can't live without you. and that's why i will never, ever wash you. protect your clothes from the damage of the wash

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good tuesday morning, just about 9:30. i'm tracy davidson. let's get to your first alert forecast with meteorologist bill henley. >> nice and sunny and we are making progress. the teens are slowly but surely disappearing. 21 in the suburbs. still in the teens for now in the lehigh valley. warm into the 20s and big warm-up by 3:00 this afternoon, 33. we'll find up above freezing up to 37 in philadelphia. just shy of 40 degrees in new jersey and delaware. >> if you're getting ready to head out, let's check the roads. what are you seeing? >> we are done with the blue route. there's only good news coming from there right now traffic is back to running smoothly. this is a live look at 95. you can see the southbound side

definitely a lot of volume. things are stacked as you make your way southbound into center city. police across south jersey are looking for a man accused of murdering his estranged wife. they found his estranged wife dead yesterday. he was last seen driving a 1994 blue chevy f-10 pick-up with tags x 91-gjv. if you see him or his truck, call police. more details on holiday security concerns in philadelphia. city police commissioner richard ross told the city -- told us the city is enhancing security between now and the new year's after the deadly market attack in berlin, new jersey. other people might be involved, as well. we'll have another update in about 25 minutes. stay updated with the nbc10 app.

back now with the scott brothers and our share kindness campaign rolls on. today's story comes from the generosity of holly and peter and their organization sunshine on a rainy day which gives home makeovers for children with long-term ill nelss. >> what started as a hobby for the couple became a calling as they put their backgrounds in design and construction to good news. >> they have hae helped some families by giving them wheelchair accessible rooms, dream bedrooms, and more. >> take a look. >> reporter: at atlanta children's hospital of eggleston, many gather to see the grand reveal of the new parent sleep rooms. and with that, the organization's sunshine on a ranney day has transformed what was once a hospital looking annex that a spa-like room for parents of children with

long-term illnesses. sta stacy's son stayed in the hospital for five months following a severe brain injury. for founders holly and peter ranne yechl ranney, it's a labor of love. >> we do wheelchair ramps. >> with her background in marketing and design, mine in construction, we use our skills full time and help children. >> we have amazing designers meet with the child and determine their needs and what the child's interests are. we heard about one story, i think a lot of people related to it. >> reporter: while at his daycare center, a tree limb fell on tripp, crushing his head. >> it was just the most heart breaking thing we had ever seen. they had him completely hooked up to all the monitors and all the tubes and he looked so small. he was only 2 years old. >> reporter: after a life saving operation, tripp recovered at the hospital. >> so the hospital became our home. we ate here, we bathed here, we

slept here. you want to be able to cry and break down and you can't in front of your child. it's just not acceptable. you have to stay strong. >> reporter: one place of respite for the halsteads was the sleep rooms. >> it was a place where you could just be yourself. but when you were in there, you still knew you were at the hospital. and today, getting to see what they've done to the sleep rooms, it just touches my heart to think about families like us that spent so many nights here. >> being able to give them a space where they can comen in and take an escape. even if it is to put a pillow over your face and cry. if they can just be down the hall and feel like they've gone home or gone to a hotel, this is going to be so rewarding. >> it will help thousands of families. i'm just so proud to be a part of it today. >> reporter: stacy's joy stems from having had her own home completely renovated. >> we told them, you guys focus on tripp and his health.

let us take on your home. >> and they completely transformed our house into a complete handicap accessible perfect home. >> hundreds of people came out for his reveal. millions of people watched it on live stream. >> you don't think about the little things at home like having a bathroom that we can bathe him in and they provided all of that for us. instead of looking around and seeing all of tripp's limitations, we look around and we see all of the possibilities. >> peter and i discovered that this was our mission in life and our hope is that we can inspire other people to share their kindness. >> share kindness, to me, is using your god-given talents and the skills that you have for the benefit of other people. >> no one wants to be at the hospital. to have these rooms to just be able to escape is so important. it's just kind people like this that make the world a better place.

>> i love that. today sunshine on a ranney has created over 40 projects with help from numerous donors and hopes to expand in the new year. >> just go to today.com and use hsh h #sharekind in es. he . >> i love working with organizations likes that. >> you guys have to do this! >> we will. up next, singer around actress janelle monet tells us what it is like to star in not one, but two films getting a lot of buzz this awards to the after party -

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suave three fragrances preferred over bath and body works. janelle monae made a name for herself with a funky and fresh tune called "tight rope." >> these days janelle's taking her talents to the big screen in the golden globe nominated film "hidden figures." >> it is based on the true story of three african-american women who played a role in nasa aerospace in the '60s. >> i'm a negro woman. i'm not going to entertain the impossible. >>nd a i am a polish jew whose parents died in a nazi prison camp. now i am standing beneath a spaceship that's going to carry an astronaut to the stars. let me ask you, if you were a white man, would you wish to be an engineer? >> i wouldn't have to. i'd already be one.

>> janelle, good morning. we can't wait to see this movie. tell us what you knew of mary jackson before taking this film. >> well, sadly, jenna, i had no clue who miss mary jackson was, who katherine johnson was, dorothy vaughn. any of the human computers. that's what they called them during that era because they would compute and do the math to get our first americans into space. i didn't know anything about these women until i read the script. when i read the script, i said, i absolutely must be a part of this. i took it on as a personal responsibility to make sure no other young girl, or boy -- any american -- didn't go through life not knowing about these true american heroes. >> they are the absolute heroes. the vibe on social -- i was on last night looking at social media -- the buzz about the movie is amazing. i hear you did a screener at the white house as well? >> yeah. the first lady hosted it. our president came as well. it was incredible to have their support. you know he's big on s.t.e.m.

and especially women in s.t.e.m. he awarded katherine johnson who was directly responsible for doing the math for john glenn -- god rest his spirit -- when he orbited the earth. katherine wcat he is a huge adv women in s.t.e.m. >> you had your leg up over -- that one photo i saw? >> down the banisters of the white house. >> our president is so funny. i've been to the white house a lot and he -- >> you've been there more than any other performer. can we put that into the gin in te "guinness book of world records"? >> i performed there quite a lot. i humbly say this, i feel so thankful. it never gets old. these people worked so hard to help push this country forward, the first lady and the president. i'm always happy to be there. i think the photo you are talking about, i had on these flats. >> can we see this photo?

>> he told me to bring my dance -- they're going to have one just small blowout and he said, janelle? don't wear any heels. i told him i already had my flats on. >> any time i see a rail, i have to do a ballet stretch. >> i was stretching. i'm ready. they know how to party. >> i think they keep having you back because you are the most fun -- you are a joy to be around. even talking before the cameras or even seeing some of the interviews, i notice that you settled into the role in the film so easily. but is there a background in math? were you even good at math? you felt so natural. >> something tells me you were good at it. >> listen. i was actually in honors math. >> of course she was. >> but you see, with math, you have to study that. when i got involved in the arts, i was theater student, internationalen thespian, a capella choir. i kind of got dusty. i realized that was not my career path.

but i had the opportunity to work with an incredible mathematician. we filmed in atlanta, georgia. i wanted to learn the elliptical equation. that's one of the equations that katherine and all the mathematicians there used to help get our astronauts into space. i did challenge myself to do that. >> you sing, you dance, you're a brain. i've seen you live. you have energy. >> we're doing a test right now. what is it? >> four divided by -- two. >> we'll think about it. >> the twins. >> thank you so much. you are such an inspiration. "hidden figures" opens in select theaters on christmas day and nationwide -- >> it is out in select cities december 25th. >> now for a check of the weather in your neck the woods. good morning i'm meteorologist bill henley. a cold start this morning. with sunshine, we'll warm up nicely this afternoon. 37 for philadelphia, middle 30s for the suburbs. lehigh valley, and in new

jersey, 38. just a little bit warmer at the shore. upper 30s in delaware today. today is the last day of autumn. tomorrow winter arrives and it turns warmer and stays warmer through the end of the week, and the weekend, too, where temperatures will warm into the 50s. have a great day. is yet to come for the great tonyt early christmas gift with a live performance right afte walgreens presents, a holiday mini miracle. hey! hey! ♪ this is for you. did you really? didn't have too! ♪ getting the gift you almost kept for yourself? now that's a holiday mini miracle. and it's easy to create your own at walgreens... with 50 percent off the gifts of the week, just around the corner. walgreens. at the corner of happy and healthy.

...ad, and my sweethearts handsome,gone sayonara.rance... this scarf, all that's left to remember. what! she washed this like a month ago! how's a guy supposed to move on! the long lasting scent of gain flings. ♪ as soon as i became a parent i changed as a person, drastically. ♪ i tried hard to quit smoking. ♪ but when we brought our daughter home that was it. ♪ now i have nicoderm cq. the nicoderm cq patch with unique extended release technology helps prevent your urge to smoke all day. it's the best thing that ever happened to me. can you say thanks nicoderm cq? every great why needs a great how. ♪ who's the genius who puts a girl in heels on a subway grate? miss monroe, eat a snickers.

why? you get a little cranky when you're hungry. better? much better. this scene will never make the cut. ♪holidjan.usic jan. whoa. (all chanting) jan.jan.jan.jan... edible arrangements brings everyone together. stop in or order online. it's just a cough.our cough, sfx: woman coughing you'd see how often you cough all day. and so would everyone else. robitussin 12 hour delivers fast, powerful cough relief that lasts up to 12 hours. robitussin 12 hour cough relief, because it's never just a cough. the holidays don't officialy begin, until it's time to make: flaky, delicious, piping hot things.

golden brown and sticky things. fresh out of the oven, why can't they cool things? new things, old things. and blink and they're gone, those went fast things. make the oven one of the things they're most excited to open. it's baking season. warm up the holidays with pillsbury. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> announcer: the citi concert

series on "today" is proudly presented to you by citi. we've been honored to have the legendary tony bennett spending time with us this morning. the 19-time grammy winner released 95 albums and still going during his career. tonight he is being honored with a two-hour prime time special called "tony bennett celebrates 90. the best is yet to come." he's also out with a companion cd called "tony bennett celebrates 90." good morning! >> good morning. >> when they called you and said we're going to do a two-hour full-length film to celebrate your 90th birthday -- >> thank you very much. >> that's a present. >> you liked it? it's got so many great stars on it, too. everybody from, of course, lady gaga who adores you. >> all great performers. >> bob dylan to michael bouble. what about you brings these great collaborations? people just long to be with you. >> i'm thrilled about it. every great entertainer that's very popular today is on that show. >> also, you know it is amazing

when you have an entire category on jeopardy that last night on jeopardy, you had a tony bennett category. how did that feel? >> felt great. >> could you have answered all the questions yourself? >> i guess the big thing, too, you are the master of duets, to even the specials. how do you choose the duets or is there somebody that tough's always wanted to work with and you have yet to work with? >> someone i always wanted to work with. >> who is it? tell us? >> lady gaga. >> but who have you not worked with that's on your bucket list? >> not yet. >> not yet? what about beyonce? i heard beyonce, you would love to work with her. >> she's too good. >> she's too good. nobody is too good for tony bennett. and i can't wait, we're about to hear you perform. what are you going to sing for us? >> i don't know yet. >> okay. well's let's surprise -- >> how about "the best is yet to come"? >> it's my favorite! let's do it. take it away, tony. ♪

♪ out of the tree of life i just picked me a plum ♪ you came along and everything's startin' to hum ♪ still it's a real good bet the best is yet to come ♪ the best is yet to come and babe won't that be fine ♪ you think you've seen the sun but you ain't seen it shine ♪ wait till the warm-up's under way ♪ wait till our lips have met ♪ wait till you see that sunshine day you ain't seen nothing yet ♪ the best is yet to come and babe won't that be fine ♪

the best is yet to come come the day you're mine ♪ come the day you're mine ♪ i'm gonna teach you to fly ♪ we've only tasted the wine we're gonna drain the cup dry ♪ wait till your charm's are right for these arms to surround ♪ you think you've flown before but you ain't left the ground ♪ ♪ wait till you're locked in my embrace ♪ wait till i draw you near wait till you see that sunshine place ♪ ain't nothing like it here ♪ ♪ the best is yet to come and babe won't it be fine ♪ the best is yet to come come the

day you're mine ♪ ♪ out of the tree of life i just picked me a plum ♪ >> woo! >> thank you. >> thank you so much! that was so great! and you can watch tony bennett celebrates 90, the best is yet to come, tonight at 9:00, 8:00 central, here on nbc. we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

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sara, good morning! >> happy to be here. >> thank you. what are y'all going to be donating for us? >> for the 11th year of participating in the toy drive, we're donating $200,000 worth of breakfast, lunch and dinner protein foods to food banks around the country. >> why is it so important? this is one of the only food elements for this drive that we're doing. why is that such an important part for families? >> protein is really tough to get in the food banks. we're in the protein business. 1 out of 8 americans doesn't know where their next meal's coming from. we'd like to help take some stress off their plate by putting something on their plate. >> you've been doing it many, many years. what other philanthropy efforts does tyson have? >> disaster relief. we also work on stable agriculture. >> when you think about the fact that kids are going to bed hungry and 1 out of 8, it is just not acceptable. >> no, not at all. >> kids perform better at school

when they're not hungry, especially when they're eating protein. that's kind of a brain food. >> thank you so much for making holidays for so many people. you have until friday to donate to our toy drive on the plaza or online at sam zamazon.com/today. >> i had so much fun! these brothers are the bomb. jonathan and scott. >> tell which is your favorite. >> he's single.

good tuesday morning, just about 10:00. i'm tracy davidson. right to your first alert neighborhood forecast with meteorologist bill henley. >> winds are light, sunshine is bright and temperatures are slowly but surely climbing. 26 in the suburbs. look at the sunshine for the lehigh valley and delaware. afternoon high temperatures will stay in the 30s this afternoon. 35 for the suburbs, up to 36 in lehigh valley. just shy of 40 in delaware. at the shore, 39 degrees this

afternoon. >> delaware's largest city is cracking down on dog owners. dover city council members passed an ordinance making it illegal for dogs to be off their leash. you could be fined at least $50 and the dog impounded, as well. or in the case of an attack, they could be killed. the so-called toe attack will take place after a judge threw out a lawsuit to file that. the beverage industry will appeal this moving. he rejected the argument it doubles down on an existing state sales tax. beverage distributors will pay an extra 1.5 cents per ounce starting after new year's day. american heart association commended the ruling releasing a statement that says "the aha believes the tax has the potential to positively impact public health by reducing consumption of unhealthy sugary beverages, in addition to raising revenue for education

and health programs." stay updated with the nbc10 app and free download.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. hello, everybody! it's booze day tuesday. so known at one of hoda's favorite days. >> what day? >> spanky tuesday. >> no! >> we have the toy drive. you have to wait for that. ♪ i'll be home for christmas >> gentlemen, he will. tony bennett. with us, too. singing another song for us later. >> his 90th birthday is honored with an nbc special. that's tonight. >> yep. >> he's going to sing a bunch of great songs, but also does all kinds of duets on this