good morning. hack attack. breaking overnight. new details of the russian hack in that the u.s. electrical grid. investigating into the vermont utility company after president obama issued sanctions for the russian interference. in the meantime, donald trump praising vladimir putin. and intense security as the nation and world prepares to welcome the new year. officials are working hard to keep revelers safe. cities across the country implementing tactics in response to terror attacks.

we are live in new york city where hundreds of thousands are expected to celebrate and watch the iconic crystal ball drop into 2017. return of rousey. >> tagged her again. >> the ufc champion back in the cage for the comeback fight. did herself imposed media blackout help her regain title? we'll break down the shocking results. and a look back at the fun we had this year on weekend "today" from babies to our fun team. today, saturday, december 31st, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning. welcome to "today" on saturday morning. i'm sheinelle jones along craig melvin. >> can you believe it is the last day of 2016? >> i woke up this morning and thought this is the last day. let's stick the landing.

we're not there yet. >> you have a theme for 2017? >> be clean in 2017. clean eating and mind set. >> we will look back at the year that was through the next hour and a half. let's get to the top story. tensions with the united states and russia increasing over new hacking scandal as malware associated with russian hackers found on a computer in the vermont utility. new evidence this may have gone deeper than first expected. we have hans nichols at the white house with more. >> reporter: craig, good morning to you. the sanctions that president obama announced on thursday, he announced protective measures for key u.s. institutions to take. as a result of that, vermont utility may have realized they were compromised. russian hackers may have been probing for weakness in a vermont utility according to a report in "the washington post."

once alerted, burlington electric scanned their system for the malicious code. there was an infection, but only on a single department laptop. the company saying we took immediate action to isolate the laptop and alerted officials of this finding. >> send a clear messages to russia. >> reporter: coming days after president obama announced sanctions against officials for alleged cyber interference with the u.s. presidential election. as part of the u.s. response, the department of homeland security and fbi shared information about the malware and its signature with key sectors. all part of the joint analysis report that accused russian groups of quote being part of the ongoing campaign of cyber enabled operations directed at the government and citizens. burlington electric says they notified of a possible malware

code associated with grizzly steppe. according to the post which first reported the story, they did not actively use the code to disrupt operations at the england utility. the very existence. malware raises fears in the united states government that russian hackers are trying to penetrate the grid to carry out potential attacks. with winter weather enveloping the northeast, residents hardly need a reminder of the power system. and overnight, the governor of vermont issued a statement saying they are in touch. state authorities working with federal authorities. he said all americans and vermonters should be outraged. >> hans, thank you. russian president vladimir putin will not retaliate against sanctions from president obama opening the door for better relaxes r relations in the future with donald trump.

nbc's kelly o'donnell is in palm beach, florida with more. >> reporter: good morning, sheinelle. happy new year. donald and melania trump will ring in the new year at a fancy party with dinner and celebrities dancing. part of the new year's eve bash at the mar-a-lago club. trump finds himself in the middle of the drama with russia and it is unclear where the president-elect stands. as obama and putin faceoff, trump tweeted on friday praising after he decided not to expel american diplomats. trump wrote, great move on delay by putin. i always knew he was very smart. trump's flattery toward putin issued a spy novel drama where

35 russian diplomats ordered out of the u.s. part of the punishment for russian hacking. >> the obama administration is expelling because of the things the russian government did. >> reporter: at consulates in san francisco and washington, d.c., russian staffers scrambled to get out quickly. the state defendapartment took control of compounds in maryland and long island, new york that many neighbors were not known russian hideaways for families and secure meetings. >> there has been a bit of of mystery. >> reporter: the president-elect has not said if he intends to keep or reverse the obama sanctions. earlier this week, trump and obama continue to speak. >> i did. he phoned me. >> reporter: trump's team is buying time to weigh options by saying he needs more information on the russian hacking. expected in a high level int intelligence briefing tuesday.

now that meeting i'm told by sources will not be with professional level briefers. typical kind of intelligence briefing. instead, i'm told it is expected intelligence chiefs. tops of the agencies meeting with the president-elect. separately, as he continues to fill out plans for the administrati administration, sources tell me trump is considering the solicitor general as george conway. the husband of kellyanne conway. who served as campaign manager and will be counselor to president trump when they take office. >> kelly, thank you. as he tends to do, donald trump breaking precedent and being vocal about foreign policy before stepping into office. joining us now to talk about the trump foreign policy. katelyn burns. >> happy new year. >> happy new year. let's circle back to the news that there is now russian

malware detected on a laptop on a vermont utility. so far the trump team viewed the russian hacking scandal through a political lens. are the stakes higher now that we are looking at the u.s. electrical grid? >> i think so. especially for a couple reasons. one, it brings a certain amount of accessibility to the story. this is something that will affect every day americans going about their formal routine. it also keeps the story in the news. this is not a one-off event. not just related to the elections. i think for donald trump it could raise the stakes and put pressure on those in capitol hill. >> let's talk about trump's tweet about last night. he always knew putin was smart and not expelling u.s. diplomats from russia. put that tweet into context. he is clearly going in opposition against the obama administration. frankly many in his own party. >> exactly.

a fascinating dynamic to watch democrats and republicans on capitol hill at odds with the incoming president. what is significant about this tweet is it is not really a ventura we away from the campai trail. what is surprising about it is it is at odds with the current u.s. policy. i would note that recent presidents have tried to reset relations with putin and really to no effect. remember george bush did. president obama had the famous reset with russia. the difference though is donald trump does not quite, critics say, acknowledge the possible liabilities to this. of course, after that reset that obama set up with annexation of crimea and hacking and so forth. >> let's talk about the idea of being a long standing tradition in the country that the president-elect by and large remains underground until

january 20th. inauguration day. donald trump deciding not to do that. the tweets. a few nights ago telling reporters to move on with the russian hacking scandal. on a larger scale how does this complicate foreign policy moving forward? >> it is really significant because traditionally presidents-elect take the back-stage approach. donald trump has not done that. he has been vocal as a president-elect, particularly on twitter. particularly when it comes to foreign policy. he has been vocal about the u.n. resolution for example. earlier in the month, the taiwan call and again here with russia at odds with his own party. what is significant about it, though, is he has not acknowledged the russian hacking existed at all. he has been having difficulty separating the reality and implications of this from the political lens of this.

>> i'm glad you brought that up. we have in all 17 u.s. intelligence agencies that agree russia was behind this. do you think once he takes office he will shift his views? especially once he gets the information? >> he will have a security briefing next week and he says he will reevaluate at that moment. that does give him an opportunity to say, look, they made a compelling case. i changed my mind. however, they have been briefed on this several times presumably similar information if not old information. the obama administration said they have been studying this since the summer which leaves the trump allies and transition team to say the obama administration is boxing them in. they had opportunities to go after this, but didn't and are doing it now. they see this as an aggressive approach to them from the balls administration side. >> caitlyn burns, thank you. on to the big story of the day, preparations for new year's eve celebrations are under way

and for cities across the country, security is the top of mind. anne thompson is live with the latest. anne, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, sheinelle. new york police say as many as 2 million people will ring in the new year in times square. all eyes looking up at the 11,000 pound ball to watch it drop amid tight security. what a way to say good-bye. the waterford crystal ball with color at dress rehearsal. the journey down the flag pole marking the end of 2016 and beginning of 2017. making memories for a lifetime. >> we always said on our 40th, if we didn't make it before then, we are going on our 50th. the year we turned 50, that was the plan. >> reporter: police say there is no direct terror threat. security is plentiful and visible. the new york city police department with 7,000 officers

in the area. building what it hopes is a perimeter. with 65 sand trucks and 100 other blocker vehicles to stop deadly truck attacks that ruined holiday celebrations in nice, france and berlin. along with bomb-detecting k-9 understand units, there will be police officers watching the crowd as well as rooftop. efforts repeated around the united states and around the world. from sydney's harbor to terror scarred paris and brussels. celebrations in the windy city, buffered by concrete barriers. here in new york, revelers confined to pens stretching 17 blocks from times square. sharing the moment with 3,000 people in each pen. bags to be expected.

no large bags or backpacks will be allowed. partiers will be draped with 100 tons of confetti. sheinelle. >> happy new year to you. anne, thank you. tens of thousands in new england waking up in the dark and cold this new year's eve. digging out from the most powerful nor'easter in two years. the power and speed of the falling snow surprised forecasters. maine hit with 2 feet of snow in cases. nearly 100,000 people without power at the height of the storm. it could be days before electricity is restored. dramatic rescue overnight at the amusement park. many children trapped 125 feet in the air in orange county, california. firefighters called in to rescue them from the stuck sky cabin farm at nottsberry farm.

an entire city block in new york devastated by a monster five--alarm blaze. flames spread from building to building wiping out 14 businesses in queens. in all, it took 175 firefighters to douse the fire. every time they thought they had the situation under control, stubborn flames shot back up. investigators and crews still on the scene this morning. three firefighters have been hurt. one of them seriously. no civilians have been hurt. michael skakel could be headed back to prison in the new year. the connecticut supreme court reinstated his murder conviction. skakel found guilty in 2002 of murdering martha moxley. it took place in 1975. he was sentenced 20 years to life. three years ago, a judge ruled his attorney made mistakes and skakel didn't get a fair trial. skakel is the nephew of ethel

ken. ronda rousey returned to the cage friday night. it didn't last long. the whole fight ending in less than a minute. nbc's gadi schwartz with details. >> ronda rousey! >> reporter: it was supposed to be her cage fighting comeback. >> ronda. >> reporter: it only lasted a savage 48 seconds. >> she walking ronda down. >> reporter: leaving some pay-per-view wapeople waiting t see if they got their money's worth. ronda could not put up a fight against brazil's amanda nunes. official stepping in less than a minute. >> she lit ronda up like a christmas tree. >> reporter: elevating female cage fighting to popularity.

for years, rousey was undefeated while destroying opponents and dabbled in hollywood. a pop culture icon with confidence and sharp tongue. >> that's parties bore me to death. >> reporter: but last year in one of the biggest upsets in the ufc's history, rousey kicked unconscious by holly holm. breaking down on "ellen" as she broke down on her loss. >> what am i? >> reporter: the belt was passed from fighter to fighter. choked out by amanda nunes and challenged by rousey. leading up to the fight, rousey refusing to talk to the press in a full media blackout. >> it is intense. your identity is an at stake when you are involved in a fight like this. >> reporter: rousey was paid at

least $3 million, win, lose or draw. that is $62,000 for every second of the fight. nunes coming away with $200,000 for victory and her title belt that she plans to defend saying rousey's time in the cage is over. >> forget about ronda rousey. >> reporter: gadi schwartz, nbc news, los angeles. >> you had the chance to get to know her and talk to her? >> she's good people. it will be interesting to see if she decides to comeback for another fight or does decide to retire. she has done a fair amount of acting and other stuff outside the cage. >> still looks strong to me with that arm around your neck. >> i'm glad she didn't make me tap-out. i would like to see her at least give it one more go. with dylan on maternity

leave, andra peterson is here. >> did you see the snow yesterday? >> i'm glad it did not stick. >> we have the northeast looking better. maybe the big storm down to the southeast. look at all this moisture that we're talking about. so much so we're going to consider some flooding concerns. closer to baton rouge and new orleans, we see heavy rain there. the set up is simple. we have a warm front pulling in moisture here off the gulf. as we go to new year's eve and new orleans, keep in mind, it will be wet. as we go in through tomorrow. new year's day, this system will stick around. the good news is we are talking about alabama and georgia. exceptional drought conditions there. that is the one place that wants the rain if it is new year's eve. the one concern here the threat for severe weather. keep that in mind for new near's day. austin and houston on the border there with the threat for that severe weather. as we head to new year's day and

monday. tell your friends. flooding concerns are high there as much as 5 inches of rn poaiss gspad mopowinn am a seefiftt alert meteorologi krystal klei. e er tis the new year's e,e ãwisorecast. today temperatures peak in the midice 0s in philade fahicat 41 by ar00 for the first fireworks show. omy midnigpow ,es.ind of co. 3terdebutees for the temperatur and clouds hanging in the arecat tempera38res in neighht,rhspapon the upper 30s and low 40s. omy arher , all in the uar. the par o ve monday, the temperatures will be mid to ndeper 201fefor fiftt day of th new year. r midnight forecast as if i'm going out. this is the most dressed up. >> you are celebrating right now. >> go big or go home. >> sparkles on a saturday morning. still to come, our look at the top stories of the week. including the escalating tensions with israel and russia. and ahead with the world

reeling from the deaths of debbie reynolds and carrie fisher. todd fisher with plans to remember his mother and sister. but first this is "today" on nbc.

♪ less than a week after the sudden losses of george michael and carrie fisher and debbie reynolds, fans are still reeling. >> lot of folks wondering was 2016 the worst year ever for celebrity deaths. steve paterson with more on why we lost so many idols. ♪ purple rain >> reporter: 2016, the year we lost so many famous figures, including a number of beloved icons. ♪ ground control to major tom ♪ >> reporter: said good-bye to

david bowie after the new year. lost prince in the spring. >> i am the greatest. >> reporter: mourned muhammad ali in the summer. ♪ hallelujah >> reporter: and look back at the life of leonard cohen in the fall. now with the back-to-back deaths of george michael and carrie fisher and debbie reynolds on the heels of the loss of tv dad alan thicke. grieving fans fed up. tweeting enough 2016. >> in living color on nbc. >> reporter: seven decades after televisions brought celebrity culture and dawn of rock 'n' roll in the living roomins, we feel a loss of people we grew up with. >> more dcelebrity deaths. >> reporter: studying celebrity death culture. >> what made 2016 different is the caliber of celebrity dying was the a-list.

>> reporter: in a year where screens filled with violence and heated political rhetoric. >> would you tell the boys to come in and straighten their room. >> reporter: we lost calming voice of america's mom. ♪ no life i know to compare with pure imagination ♪ >> reporter: and wished willy wonka well. >> we live in disturbing times. when a celebrity dies and it is a source of stability t, it is feeling everything is falling to pieces. >> reporter: they may no longer be with us, the songs and characters and moments they gave us will never been forgotten. >> may the force be with you. >> reporter: steve patterson, nbc news, los angeles. >> it sure feels like it. >> it wasn't just celebrities. gwen ifill. still to come on "today" the best sales to get your hands on right now and which ones should

you wait for? and we challenge ourselves to a pop culture to >>les. mod mopowinn am am rthsemary connors. it is a few minutes before 7:30 on this saturday. metng rologist krystal klei is tracking the forecast for the ne, >> hi, rosemary, good morning, everyone. here are the tempera38res w tir tracking outside. 22 degrees in millosille. a chilly start. 27 in atlantic city. also 27 in allentown and re o ving, lancaster. mount pocono, 16 degrees. philadelphia is 3pocdebutees currentear. amf you're going to be in philadelphia, penns landinures e ãwisirewor, arher , 44 is the temperature. midnight show will be in the ndeper rtes. we are following a developing story out o trcentral pennsylvanihourustrere a state trooper was shot and killed. police are searching for

f2-year-old jason robison, the suspect in the case. they released this be bis b th say they believe his hair is now dyed riarple. e e is con2 dered armed and dangerous. according to investigatorpth readspaper lanitin weaver was s and killed an rural area of entontington county near altspa. ou'ffic7.ls say responding to a call for itimestic i>>lident when hit by gunfire at 6:30 last night. weaver-2oined the state police in december last year. we will keep you posted on the search for the suspeday on air and online and also the nbc10 app will have ndedates throughot the morning. we are hours away from start o trthe fun for new yeaags eve. let's t wee a live look at t blue cross river rink at penns landinn kll is suiet now, later on it will be packed. ãwisirewor, arher and t idnight. you can watch the 6:00 fireworks pfive here on nbue0. >>lesthat's it for now. i am rosemary connors.

obe will have another u15at 25 minutes. have a good one. h

good morning. i am first alert meteorologist krystal klei. here's the new year's eve forecast. today temperatures peak in the mid 40s in philadelphia. 41 by 6:00 for the first fireworks show. by midnight, kind of cold. 38 degrees for the temperature and clouds hanging in the area. temperatures in neighborhoods in the upper 30s and low 40s. by 6:00, all in the 30s. the parade monday, the temperatures will be mid to upper 40s for first day of the new year. always important, do not shoot the mess e mess owneeveme.

>> you and dylan both. just ahead, good news for anybody still looking for a new year's kiss. the biggest dating day of the year ahead. and plus if you are looking for deals instead of dates, we have everything you need to know about the year-end sales right now and which are worth shelling out for right now? out for right now? but first these me well this here's a load-bearing wall. we'll go ahead and rip that out. that'll cause a lot of problems. hmm. totally unnecessary and it triples the budget. we'll be totally behind schedule, right? (laughschedules. schedules. great, okay. wouldn't it be great if everyone said what they meant? the citi® double cash card does. it lets you earn double cash back: 1% when you buy, and 1% as you pay. the citi double cash card. double means double.

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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. earlier back on this new year's eve morning with "today's take away." now your holiday shopping is done, this is the time of year we see big discounts in stores. there are some items you should actually wait to buy. here to help us walk through it is janette pavey. >> good to see you. >> let's start with carpeting

and flooring. spring is the highest inventory of houses. i would guess you would want to buy now. >> you are -- see, last time you got four out of five. you are correct. high five. >> starting the new year off right. >> carpeting and flooring. spring, summer and fall. people are using carpeting to perk up the sale. january is slow. great deals. you can get great deals on carpeting. >> that's good to know. spa services, brutal winter for a lot of folks. holiday travel. spent a lot of time with family. a lot of people could use pampering. i imagine the winter time is the best time to do that. i would say buy now. >> well, that's okay. it's not. >> i can tell by your face. >> mother's day. the month of may. great deals on packages. you don't have to be a mother to take advantage of the deals. i also want to say that massage schools in your area. you have got to check those out.

you could get deals on massages. an hour for $35. >> televisions. black friday long gone. i thought i remember from years ago that the best time to buy a television was around presideth bowl. i would say wait. >> we're kind of close to super bowl. >> true. buy now. >> i gave you a hint. >> you did. >> it is a buy now. black friday has great deals on tvs, but high quality tvs, you can get significant savings. also, people have returned tvs. from the holidays. ask for an open box. you can get better deals. if you are buying online, look for coupon codes. you could save more. >> gift cards. a wildly popular holiday gift. >> yes. >> wait later? >> no. sorry. craig, you are doing so well. >> with gift cards, sites have resale for cards. we give gift cards we're not

excited about. you can sell them for a little bit less than face value you and people buy them. after the holidays, people are selling. you can get them up 35% off face value you. the average is 11%. >> i did not know that. last but not least, bikes. new year. new me. making resolutions. get out and exercise. i would think there would be a lot of discounts on bikes. i saw buy now. >> it is buy later. you were close. a 50/50 there. in the month of july into august because the new models come out in september. so it is just like a car dealership. they want to clear the floor for bikes. no matter when you buy. right now, the first of the year, you get great deals. save your receipts and ask if they give a price adjustment for these things. if it goes on sale, usually within a 14-day period, you get

the difference between what you paid and the sale. >> janette. thank you. happy new year. we are bac this piece is so you. i saw it and i was just like "oh, i have to have it..." state farm knows that every one those moments, there's one of these... this piece is so you. i saw it and i was just like "i have to have it..." from renters insurance... ...to rewards credit cards, state farm is here to help life go right. [cellphone ring] uh oh, should have put that phone on silent. luckily, jay chews trident to help clean and protect his teeth, so he can hide his guilt with a convincing grin.

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lift the burden of getting a home loan with rocket mortgage by quicken loans. (whisper) rocket we are back on a saturday morning with a little game to ring in the new year. you can play at home. our producers want to see how well we remember the biggest pop culture moments of 2016. we will bring down on the white boar boards. this celebrity -- >> have you been cheating? >> no. this celebrity brought down the house at the vmas with the 15-month plus medley. rihanna? beyonce? >> b for beyonce. >> beyonce. beyonce it is. >> "hamilton" an american musical may have premiered in

new york, but the next home was l.a. or chicago? >> i think it will be chicago. >> the next home after new york. >> chicago, c. >> what's the answer? >> chicago, c. melvin's up. i have never won one of these. >> this movie based on a comic book series brought home the most at box office in 2016. "captain america" or "batman" or "suicide squad?" >> i keep putting the same letter on all. you know i'm wrong. >> you just looked at my board. >> i said c. >> i said b. >> it's over here. >> oh, "captain america." we were all wrong. how about this? the wizarding world made a comeback in 2016.

"fantastic beasts" is where to find harry potter? >> i'm going to guess c for clue. >> you said c for clue? >> i said a. >> why are your letters so small? it's a. >> i got it right. nice. here is the last one. after years of buzz, this leading man finally took home an oscar. leo? >> we all had leo. >> do we have time for more? >> is there a tie? >> that's all we have, folks. >> where are your hats? >> cheers. you probably did better than we did. >> cheers. >> you did well. >> pop culture.

not bad. still ahead here on "today." a look at some of the fun we had. some of the laughs we shared over the course of the year. there's a lot of dancing, a lot of twirling. >> limbo. >> i lost my mind in rio. but first this is "today" on nbc.

still to come on "today," the big security push with nearly 2 million people expected to ring in the new year in times square. and the mannequin challenge literally going out of this world. the astronauts that just took things to stratopheric

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good morning. i am rosemary connors. it is a few minutes before 8:00 on this saturday, new year's eve. meteorologist krystal klei is tracking the first alert neighborhood forecast. krystal? >> hi, rosemary. looking at the forecast for new year's eve, it will be a pretty good one if getting out there. 6:00, 41 degrees in philadelphia. 38 by midnight. temperatures are cooler in the lehigh valley, 39 and still looking like a dry forecast. take a live look at the blue cross river rink as we get ready to welcome in the new year. it is quiet at this hour. it will be busy in a few hours. the first fireworks show is 6:00

this evening. we went behind the scenes yesterday to look at one of the barges they shoot off from. a laptop will indicate when each shell will be lit. this is the view of fireworks from last year's show. the producers say they're using special fireworks that go into the water, light up the river. there are more bigger shells this year meaning bigger fireworks. nbc10 is your home for the best new year's eve coverage. we will bring you the first fireworks show at 6:00 this evening, and there's a second fireworks show at midnight. new year's day, mummers take over. they'll spend today practicing their moves. the parade kicks off at city hall tomorrow at 9:00. that's it for now. i am rosemary connors. krystal klei and i will be back at 8:30 for a full hour of news. see you then.

good morning. hack attack. new evidence this morning that russian hackers infiltrated a vermont electric company looking for weaknesses. federal officials are now scrambling to prevent any further attempts. intense security. an unprecedented operation under way in new york city ahead of new year's eve with 2 million expected to watch that ball drop in the big apple. revelers surrounded by a perimeter with 7,000 police officers standing by. ♪ can't stop >> the fun we had. babies and puppies and lots of

dance moves from studio 1a and the super bowl and beyond. what a weekend it has been on "today." saturday, december 31st, 2016. ♪ singing melody ♪ that's you looking at me >> 2016. >> all the way from texas! >> we left our families at home to be on the "today" show. >> happy birthday, grandpa! >> we love you. >> honey, you should have gotten out of bed. i'm on the "today" show. >> hey, look at us! >> happy new year! >> and a happy new year to you. good morning. welcome back to "today" on saturday morning. our crowd counting down to 2017. we are so very happy that they decided to spend the last morning of 2016 with us here.

a little corner of rockefeller plaza. can you believe it? >> guess what? >> what? >> i know people watching in sydney, australia. they were watching weekend "today." guess what? >> it's new year. 2017. there they are in sydney. >> it is weird. >> i'm ready. it is time to push the reset button. >> always. >> what is your slogan? >> clean in 2017. >> that implies you are dirty. >> clean eating. all of the positive. we have a lot to talk about on saturday morning. we begin this hour with the unprecedented security preparations ahead on new year's eve. let's check in with anne thompson live in times square. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, sheinelle. happy new year. a record number of police officers will join the crowd here in times square to ring in 2017 tonight. 7,000 will be on patrol. some undercover, some in

tactical gear all looking out for trouble and keep the revelers safe. officials say there is no direct terror threat associated with the celebration here, but they certainly aren't taking chances. learning from the truck attacks in nice, france and earlier in berlin, they setting up a perimeter of 65 sand trucks and 100 blocker vehicles to make sure no one can drive their way through the crowds. there will be police and choppers above and on rooftops and bomb-sniffing dogs down on the ground all to make sure that 2017 begins on a happy and safe note. sheinelle, back to you. >> cheers to that. anne, thank you. we have been talking about this morning and we are learning more about the russian hacking into the vermont electric computer. burlington electric has found malicious computer code on a laptop not connected to the

power grid. vermont authorities checked systems after a federal warning of russian malware. the vermont governor said all americans should be alarmed. a new twist on the north carolina power struggle. a judge blocked a new law aimed at limiting the power at north carolina's incoming governor. roy cooper is set to take over from republican pat mckrory at midnight. republicans in control of the statehouse have taken steps to limit his power and including the blocked measure to prevent him from controlling the state elections board. dylan is continuing on maternity leave. we have indra here with us. >> i want to hear you scream on new year's eve. are you out on new year's eve outside? brave souls. let's talk about the temperatures. what you are expecting as you go through the overnight. you are looking at 41 degrees. yesterday, we had snow.

this is a boost. this is good news. maybe a couple breezes at 15 miles an hour. when you wake up on new year's day. keep in mind the rose parade is not on sunday. a tradition. they only have it on mondays. if it falls on a sunday. there will not be rain that you typically would see on sunday. midnight forecast for all of our brave souls. flurries in boston and seattle. you could see a couple inches of snow. rain, los angeles, rain showers. louisiana looking for showers. sorry. th good morning. i am first alert meteorologist krystal klei. here's the new year's eve forecast. today temperatures peak in the mid 40s in philadelphia. 41 by 6:00 for the first fireworks show. by midnight, kind of cold. 38 degrees for the temperature and clouds hanging in the area. temperatures in neighborhoods in the upper 30s and low 40s. by 6:00, all in the 30s. the parade monday, the

temperatures will be mid to upper 40s for first day of the new year. all right. we have an exciting announcement for viewers in new england. your new nbc station in boston launches tomorrow. if you are looking for the "today" show or other nbc programs, you can find us on channel 10. ting on new on starting on new year's day. same times. just a new channel. everyone here says happy new year. craig and sheinelle, back to you. >> coming up, love is in the air. why tomorrow is the biggest day for dating all year. and speaking of romance, are they or aren't they? everything we know about drake and jlo. >> they are not. >> you don't know yet. come back after the break. >> that looks like a prom

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we're back on saturday mortgag morning. it's time to trend. you ready? >> i'm waiting for your trending dance. >> calling all the single ladies and gentlemen. if you are single at midnight, listen up. the busiest day for online dating is new year's day. on january 1st 2016, hinges reported a 35% spike in new users. >> you want the date for new year's. >> hinge found the response date is 36% higher on sundays. of course, this year, new year's day falls on a sunday. if you are looking for love in the new year. get the profiles updated. stat. >> make the picture look good. >> the perfect storm. >> tomorrow is the day. >> sounds like you have done. >> never. >> the mannequin challenge.

one of the biggest viral sensations of 2016. now it made it to the final frontier. space. astronauts on the international space station got in on the action. check this out. the space crew tweeting that they took the challenge to new heights. the original version did not have the trademark song "black beetles." tweeting back this version we are playing for you. >> that is cool. >> that is really cool. >> can you suspend? >> let's see your mannequin. >> i got nothing. nothing on the astronauts. >> it will be fun to see what the trend will be. hello, joelle. >> good to see you. >> i just appeared. >> let's do pop start. >> more on the heartbreaking loss of carrie fisher and debbie reynolds. todd fisher, reynolds' son says plans are in progress. they will have a joint funeral and buried together. a date has yet to be set.

guys, any silver lining, their work lives on forever. this weekend, you will watch plenty of it on tv. logo saluting with "will & grace" and "golden girls" and then hbo has pushed up the premiere of the document sdldoc the mother/daughter duo on january 7th. switching gears to craig's favorite topic. he is rolling his eyes. jlo and drake. the two sent the internet into a frenzy after they both posted their picture to the internet accounts leaving us speculating if they are together. >> not all of us. >> fuelling that theory, videos of them partying together have surfaced showing them smooching

on the dance floor. the party they were at was prom themed. they were crowned king and queen. they stopped by for a proper program picture. prom picture. is this the real deal? >> no. >> it looks like the girl is fake laughing. >> i don't know. >> you think it is? >> i'm not sure. the kiss. i analyzed the kiss. it is not a romantic kiss. it is a friends. >> business kiss? >> is that a romantic kiss? >> it makes for a great fodder. >> there is one more thing we forgot trending this week. did you see this? it was everywhere. >> no. don't you do this. don't end 2016 this way. >> can you make the same face? >> i can't make the same face. >> that is good.

>> these are joelle's. >> things on the internet should stay on the internet. i still have that shirt. >> that's the face you were making. >> my instagram picture. >> drake and jlo. that's the face craig was making. >> thanks, mom. >> cute. when we come back, we'll take a look back at the top moments of 2016 here on weekend "today." we have a special appearance from our new mom dylan dreyer and the baby boy calvin. but first this is "today" on nbc. about bassett.

you really can custom make your furniture exactly how you want. it's all about customization. the possibilities are endless. calvin, i can't wait for you to meet my friends. sheinelle and craig. >> i'm excited. we have to see dylan's baby. >> let's go.

>> what should we bring? >> how about the story? "twas the night before new year's in studio 1a, we can't wait to tell you about the fun we had on weekend" today. >> welcome to "today" on saturday morning. i'm sheinelle jones. >> i'm craig melvin alongside dylan dreyer. >> time to start our day. >> count to three. don't touch me back. >> one, two, three. >> we are interning with rascal fl flatts. this is their opening night. >> shoot. >> show time. ♪ i like the sound of that ♪ >> now is time to take in the nfl experience. here you can run, kick and

throw. >> so close. >> well. >> can i slap? >> and we were only on the hudson. these people are traveling around the world. >> clock starts now. >> would you rather go about your normal day naked -- seriously? or fall asleep for a year. >> i would rather go about my normal day -- i have to suck it up. you have to see me. >> if you come to work naked, don't do that to me. >> hello. >> my turn. super bowl super bowl 50. what is the roman numeral? >> guess. >> b. >> space movies. >> test. >> that's my other favorite. >> 2001 space odyssey. >> "wall-e."

>> hidden talents? >> what is it? >> i don't know. >> you're amazing dancer. >> that is not hidden. >> that is known to the world. >> the puppy bowl. they put a smile on everybody's faces. >> i think we should segue to weather. here we go. >> that is a well tied bowtie. i'm impressed. >> shall we dance? ♪ hands clap ♪ >> do it. >> i don't know what this is. >> do it for me. >> yeah. ♪ >> my go-to karaoke song is "we didn't start the fire." >> really? >> yeah. >> give us a sample. ♪ red china

>> we have that video, by the way, of dylan? remember this. >> you remember this? >> dylan's in the pink pants. you would not know that because she's a brunette there. >> let's limbo. >> this should be higher. >> as for the fun, it went on. >> so tell me how you would shower. >> i start with the hair. >> oh, no. >> i do the arms. >> really? >> i'm more of -- i do -- i'm kind of a -- >> this is how i get up. delicious. >> it came out her nose. >> you're not a beer guy? >> i was being a good sport. dylan can't drink. >> this follows a charming news anchor who is about to be a father for the second time. >> oh, that's clever. that's cute. that's cute. >> really?

are you pregnant? yes, i am! >> shut the front door! >> yeah. a boy. >> that is so awesome. >> a newborn should be given a sponge bath until what happens? >> until the baby blows the bubbles. >> really? >> congratulations to craig melvin and his wife lindsey welcoming a baby girl on saturday. >> go! >> all right some droppings. >> you got to go over there. you have to run. obstacle course. no, no, no. >> call child services. >> we have lost control. >> before the story ends, let's thank everyone who makes it happen. ♪

♪ >> here's to more adventures as the team rings in the new year, may we always continue laughing. >> that's sweet. >> so, that's what i did this year. and i can't wait to see what next year has in store. >> nineither can we. >> it was a good year. a special thank you to joelle and britney for putting that together. that does it for us on saturday morning. tonight, start off new year's eve with kathie lee and hoda. it airs tonight at 8:00. tomorrow on sunday "today" willie looks back at the famous

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i just bought a book. and while i was telling you about the book, i downloaded a song. oh, and full disclosure, when we were just chatting about that song thing, someone arranged a date. guilty. the point is, life is digital. so, carmax, created a site where you can reserve a car online. come in when it's convenient, your car will be waiting. just another thing to make buying a car better for you... reads this tweet that i just posted. oh, that appears to be trending. lol. ...another anti-wrinkle cream in no hurry to make anything happen. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair works... ...in one week. with the... fastest retinol formula available. it's clinically proven to work on fine lines and... ...even deep wrinkles. "one week? that definitely works!" rapid wrinkle repair. and for dark spots, rapid tone repair. neutrogena®. "see what's possible."

so, how much longer do you think this will take? i'll over-explain the process, then give you an unrealistic timeline. i'll nod in agreement so my wife thinks i understand what you're saying. i look forward to questioning your every move. okay, well i'll leave your house in shambles and disappear for six months. 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. good morning. just ahead on nbc10 news today, the search is on for a man wanted in the death of a state trooper. what we are learning about his unique appearance. temperatures this morning, the 20s and low 30s. clouds are starting to move in.

what does that mean for your new year's eve forecast. we will get to that coming up. we are counting down to 2017. we are live at penns landing as philadelphia gets ready for two fireworks shows to ring in the new year. new this morning, two people are dead, following the concert of a famed philadelphia rapper. we will have details next. those stories and more coming up on nbc10 today at 8:30.

shot and killed in the line of duty. the search is on for the man that killed a pennsylvania trooper. the suspect is armed and has purple hair. getting ready to ring in the new year. nbc10 bringing you not one but two fireworks shows. we have a preview of the action on the waterfront.

it is already 2017. we will show you who celebrated first. good morning. this is nbc10 news today. i am rosemary connors. it is 8:30 on this saturday, new years is almost here. we will start off 2017 with cool, dry weather. here's a live look. waking up to cloudy skies. meteorologist krystal klei is tracking it in the first alert neighborhood forecast. krystal? >> good morning. the forecast is pretty good going through new year's eve day and new year's day. but it is going to kickoff with 31 in philadelphia. mid to upper 20s across town. allentown, 27 degrees. lancaster 28. chilly start out there, especially if you head farther north. mount pocono at 20 degrees. winds likely seen yesterday will pick up. not as strong as yesterday. looking at the breezy category through the afternoo