50s today. we'll get a blast of cold air that races in for tomorrow morning. the windchills will be in the teens and 20s. >> thanks. that'll not keep you warm. the p this morning with a sudden friendier tone toward china. that was then. >> we can't continue to allow china to rape our country. >> this is now. >> i don't blame china. you're a very special man. >> will the diplomatic sweet talk help the u.s. get china's cooperation on trade to north korea? new video of the hero of the texas shooting telling police his story after the rampage. >> you think you may have shot him? >> as vice president pence comforts a community in mourning. cut. kevin spacey being replaced in his movie with another actor. an unprecedented move as the

release is in a couple of weeks. as the mother of an accuser speaks out to nbc news. >> it's more than a sex addiction. it's a criminal. >> will her son's charges lead to criminal charges? bundle up. the arctic blast expected to bring cold to millions. why facebook wants users to send in their most explicit photos. smashing start. the nation's first self-driving shuttle bus is unveiled and crashes almost immediately. crashes almost immediately. why officials are saying don't blame the bus today. thursday, november 9th, 2017. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning, everybody. welcome to "today." nice to have you along with us on a thursday morning. >> how about the picture of the self-driving shuttle? the truck driver gets out after the accident and has no one to

argue with afterward. that'll give fuel to the people that are anti-self-driving everything. a kinder, gentler president trump overnight when it came to dealing with china. we want to catch up with peter alexander who is traveling with the president. good morning to you. >> reporter: matt and savannah, good morning to you. president trump wrapping up his second and final day in china, trying to fortify his relationship with president xi. bridging the gap on key issues like trade and north korea. throughout the campaign, of course, he repeatedly attacked china. here in beijing, it was the no blame game from the president. outside beijing's hall of the people, a great tribute to president trump. china's president xi treating his guests to a dazzling

display. including the stars and stripes. a review of the troops. and dozens of chinese children wildly cheering the american commander in chief. first lady melania trump looking on. if the pagantry was an attempt to flatter, it worked. >> people from all parts of the world were watching. nothing you could see was more beautiful. >> reporter: his tough talk propelled candidate trump to the white house. >> we can't continue to allow china to rape our country. that's what they're doing. i don't blame china. after all, who can blame a country for being able to take advantage of another country for the benefit of its citizens? i give china great credit. >> reporter: instead, blaming

his predecessors for whatone-si relationship. >> it is too bad that past administrations allowed it to get so far out of kilter. but we'll make it fair, and it'll be tremendous for both of us. >> reporter: president trump lavishing praise on his host, touting their great chemistry. >> you're a very special man. >> reporter: even congratulating president xi for his consolidation of power in the ruling communist party. the two leaders exiting without taking questions. a break from precedent set by the last three presidents, who pressed the counterparts to allow exchanges with reporters. capping off the visit with an elaborate state dinner, featuring a video of trump's granddaughter, singing in mandarin chinese. today in the meetings, president trump pushed china to act faster, to pressure north korea

to denuclearize. rex tillerson said both the u.s. and china are on the same page. it'll be at the top of the agenda was the president is expected to meet tomorrow with russia's president vladimir putin at a conference in vietnam. back to you. >> peter alexander starting us off. thank you. at home, the president's party is playing the blame game in the election backlash of republicans coast to coast. kristen welker has that part of the story. >> reporter: democrats are still jubilant after their big wins this week, and republicans are trying to answer the critical question. is it better to embrace trumpism or run away from it? the president and his supporters say candidates distance themselves from mr. trump at their own peril. gearing up for a fight that got a lot fiercer, steve bannon delivered this tough message during a michigan event for republicans overnight. >> you can't fake the trump

agenda. you have to go all in. and this agenda is a winning agenda. >> reporter: in an interview on fox news, bannon rejected the notion that the democrats wins this week was a rebuke of president trump and, instead, pointed the finger at virginia's failed gubernatorial candidate ed gillespie. >> didn't try to embrace president trump or the trump program until very late. >> reporter: bannon tried to down play the losses in virginia and new jersey, arguing they're traditionally blue states. >> virginia, because of northern virginia, is really not a purple state. it is a blue state. >> reporter: still, many republicans are openly worried. the big democratic wins on tuesday could mean they're on their way out in 2018. >> i think it's important for republicans to self-reflect all the way, starting from the top, all the way down. >> was it a referendum on donald trump? >> i do believe so. >> reporter: at least half a already announced they w't run

for re-election. still, republican leaders are standing firm. >> we already made that choice. we're with trump. >> reporter: while democrats are celebrating. >> virginia has told us to end the divisiveness. >> reporter: they also acknowledge there are steep odds when it comes to taking back congress in the midterms. the vulnerable senate seats are largely in conservative states where president trump reigns supreme. former vice president joe biden slammed president trump, saying the election results reflect the frustration people have with events like charlottesville. >> did any one of you ever think that you would see in one of the historic cities of america folks coming out from under rocks and out of the fields with torches, carrying swastikas? i think what happened last night all across the country, including with republicans, is i'm tired of this. it is undermining the social fabric of the nation. >> reporter: all of it adding pressure on the gop to pass tax

reform. today, the senate is set to unveil its version of a tax plan that will have stark differences from the house version, all highlighting the tough road ahead for republicans. matt and savannah? >> kristen welter at the white house. thank you very much. new video taken moments after the texas church shooting. it shows police converging on the gunman's vehicle and the heros who chased him down. gabe gutierrez has more on that. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the vice president calling this the worst mass shooting inside a place of worship in american history. a federal source tells nbc news officials reviewed video from inside the church, and it shows the gunman methodically shooting people in the head. the new video reveals the moments after the awful rampage ended. >> what's your home address? >> reporter: new video released overnight shows police interviewing stephen willeford, one of the men who chased down texas shooter devin kelley after he killed 26 church goers sunday

in sutherland springs, texas. >> you think you may have shot him? >> i can't think of any other reason why he took that sign out and ended in the ditch. i put some well-placed ditches. i think they were welllaced shots. >> reporter: barefoot, emotional and visibly shaking. willeford recounts the ordeal to authorities. >> that's my house across from the church. i was home when i heard the shots. i didn't know what was going on. >> right. >> i had to -- god, i had to get into my safe. >> this guy was at a high rate of speed? >> he started slowing down this way. >> stopped momentarily. >> this man was on the corner. i chased him. this man, he was on the corner with his truck. i don't even know you, man. thank you so much. >> reporter: the video was shot by johnnie langendorff, who helped willeford chase the gunman ten miles after the massacre. >> that guy, jumped in the truck with him and we gave chase.

>> reporter: he hit kelley in the leg and torso before the gunman fled the church. as he peeled off, kelley fired rounds through his window. the video released as vice president mike pence was visiting the area, offering condolences and meeting with first responders. >> no act of violence will ever break our spirit or diminish the faith of the american people. >> reporter: the vice president also meeting with the family of peggy ward, who shielded her grandson. he survived. she did not. >> didn't matter what the consequence was. >> reporter: her grandson was shot six times and is recovering in the hospital. this community is so resilient. despite losing much of their congregation, church members plan to hold sunday services again this weekend. >> gabe, thank you very much. we move to concerns about airport security as we head into the busy holiday travel season. the tsa is under fire as

undercover agents were able to smuggle test weapons and explosives through airport checkpoints. tom costello covers aviation and is at reagan national. unfortunately, we've heard this story before. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. we've been reporting for years how homeland security inspection teams try to smuggle through these weapons or fake explosives, and all too often, they're successful. well, it has happened again. just two weeks till the thanksgiving travel rush, and the this morning, the tsa is on the defensive after undercover inspectors were again able to smuggle weapons or explosive components through checkpoints at multiple airports. the good news, screeners did a better job than in 2015, when they failed to detect 95% of the inspectors' weapons. the latest failure rate is still said to be unacceptably high. >> we found that briefing disturbing. >> reporter: the new tsa chief provided congress with a

classified briefing wednesday. >> our aviation sector remains the crown jewel of terrorist targets. >> reporter: two years ago, an explosive brought down a russian jet liner over egypt, killing 224. last year, a bomb ripped a hole in the side of this somali jet liner, forcing an emergency landing. >> has a huge effect, taking down a commercial airliner, that you can kill a large number of people in a relatively short time. and that is what they're aiming to do. >> reporter: in a statement, the tsa says, we take the inspector general's findings very seriously and are implementing measures that will improve screening effectiveness at checkpoints. >> it is very important we invest in training our security officers to be expert at the jobs they're asked to do which are, as you said, very difficult jobs. under a lot of pressure. >> reporter: while homeland security required tougher security procedures for all passengers flying into the u.s. from overseas airports, this morning, there is renewed concern about the security here

at home. the tsa insists security is not limited to the checkpoints. in fact, they've got the pre-check going on. they've also got the terror watch list. police and canine teams and these viper teams, tsa tactical units that are in airports and stations. it's been proposed to cut the viper team by 75%. >> thank you. the moment former major leaguer roy halladay crashed his plane into the gulf of mexico. just before the accident, halladay was flying extremely low, quickly climbing and diving before banking sharply into the water. boaters rushed to the upside down plane but it was too late. >> i can tell you that it looked like a high energy impact, but all the pieces were there. most everything was aattached, but it was a high energy impact.

>> the ntsb has hopes the plane's flight data recorders have clues to how the 40-year-old baseball legend died. this morning, there are new developments in the violent attack on kentucky senator rand paul. he is revealing more about his injury as his alleged attacker and neighbor is heading to court today. blake mccoy is in bowling green again for us with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. neither of these men have been seen publicly since last friday, but i'm told the neighbor, rene boucher, will appear in person here in court this morning to enter a plea on the attack on a united states senator, that we're learning resulted in six broken ribs. >> we're in the midst of another spending frenzy. >> reporter: kentucky senator rand paul is recovering out of the spotlight from an assault in his own front yard. while this morning, his neighbor, rene boucher, will make a first court appearance for arraignment. charged with fourth degree misdemeanor assault, boucher, a

retired anesthesiologist, is accused of attacking paul while he mowed his lawn. paul's attorney saying it was trivial and had nothing to do with politics. >> a personal disagreement between the two gentlemen. >> reporter: neighbors tell us there has long been frustration over senator paul's unkept yard. paul and boucher have lived next door to each other for 17 years. >> there must be something else. you just don't think something that small could cause something this big. >> reporter: senator paul tweeting wednesday, i appreciate all of the support from everyone. a medical update, final report indicates six broken ribs and new x-rays show a buildup of fluid around the lungs. injuries more severe than initially thought, which could lead to more serious charges. >> given the seriousness of the senator's injuries, i think it is very possible this could get upgraded to a felony.

and in kentucky, this kind of felony assault carries with it a minimum of five years and a maximum of ten years incarceration. >> reporter: decision on whether or not to upgrade the charges will come later, once the investigation is complete. state police are waiting on the senator's medical records. even that misdemeanor assault charge could carry up to a year in prison if convicted. matt and savannah? >> blake, thank you very much for the update. >> for a second, i thought somebody said it would get down to the teens and 20s this weekend. but that's crazy. >> it was me. >> i knew somebody said that. >> that somebody was me. okay. big area of high pressure coming in out of canada. arctic high. it is going to drop temperatures. look at this. today, only 21 in bismarck. duluth, 22 degrees below average at 16 degrees. des moines is going to be 36 degrees today. by friday, new york city, going below average at 37. cincinnati and chicago, 21 to 18

degrees below average. look at the record lows in new england. could set a record in boston, atlanta, washington, d.c. and pittsburgh rk, but temperatures moderate on into the weekend we're going to get to

good morning, i am meteorologist bill henley. temperatures will warm up in the upper 50s this afternoon. 55 in the suburbs. we could see some isolated showers late in the afternoon. for the suburbs. that's a possibility for the lehigh valley. 50s is in the lehigh valley, upper 50s at new jersey, 57 degrees and mostly cloudy day. dry for delaware, up at 56. conve n wi mother coming forward on her teenage son's behalf with disturbing, new allegations against the oscar winner. would you share nude photos of yourself with facebook? the story behind the unusual and controversial request from the social network. first on a thursday morning, this is "today" on nbc.

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so, on november 25th get up, get out, and shop small. good thursday morning, coming up at 7:30. lets get to bill henley. he has your most accurate forecast. >> cloudy and chilly. sunshine is limited. temperatures will be warming up. you will have bundle um if you are hading o heading out to the and hely valley. 46 degrees in philadelphia. right now 30 drooegrees in al

allentown. lets check a look with katy with traffic. >> no delays in this picture booin behind me. ke we cannot say the same thing for 95. >> drivers are experiencing significant delays, speeds are in the mid-20s. tracy. >> right now philadelphia police are looking for a gunman after finding a man shot dead in the sheets just a block from his home. the shooting happened after midnight at 30th and page in strawberry mansion. new jersey mob menenedez will return for a third day of deliberations. >> starting tomorrow morning at a.m., we wrap up our series on community safety of ways to stay safe on the sufficient way. join us from 4:00 to 7:00 a.m. >> i am christie davidson, today

cea 's continues in just a couple of minutes.

we're back now. 7:30 on a thursday morning. it's the 9th day of november, 2017. about 24 hours now, it'll feel like the 9th day of december or january. it is going to get cold in the northeast and other places, too. >> absolutely. we'll get the weather just ahead. let's get a check of the headlines. surprising shift from president trump overnight. ♪ >> kinder and gentler. president trump tones down his rhetoric during a lavish state visit to china. noting the great chemistry between the two superpowers and calling on the nation and its leaders to help put more pressure on north korea. >> the entire civilized world must unite to confront the north korean menace. gop blame game. republicans pointing fingers in the wake of key election day losses, as former white house

strategist steve bannon lashes out at members of his own party who refused to embrace president trump. >> you can't fake the president agenda. you have to go all in. and this agenda is a winning agenda. sidelined. the three ucla basketball players accused of shoplifting in china are released on bail but unable to leave their hotel, as the team prepares to play its next game without them. and busted. the nation's first self-driving shuttle bus crashes less than an hour later. the officials are blaming the other driver today, thursday, november 9th, 2017. >> take a page out of your play book, blaming the other guy. >> exactly. >> we have disturbing, new accusations leveled this morning against kevin spacey. a massachusetts mother claiming her teenage son was sexually assaulted by the actor last year.

nbc's senior national correspondent kate snow sat down with her for a candid and emotional conversation. kate, good morning. >> good morning. heather unruh used to be a tv anchor in boston but she's speaking out now as a mom. her son is a sophomore in college, in the middle of exams, nervous about being on camera, so she told his story with his permission. overnight, kevin spacey dropped from his upcoming must've cere"acere -- mover ce movie "all the money in the world." he'll be replaced by veteran actor christopher plumber. yet another blow for spacey on his quick fall from the top of hollywood's a-list. >> shame on you for what you did to my son. >> a mother's emotional message, accusing the actor of sexually assaulting her son, then sitting down for a candid interview. >> it is more than a sex addiction. he's a predator. >> heather unruh said her son

was a busboy at the club car in 2016. at the end of the shift one night, someone introduced him to the two-time oscar winner. >> my son was star struck. >> he told spacey he was 21 but actually, he was just 18. >> my son was underage and kevin spacey was buying him drinks. a lot of drinks. >> with her teenage daughter sitting next to her for support, unruh recounted what she said happened. >> there were a few red flags that, in hindsight, he can see probably should have raised his suspicion and set off alarms. but it wasn't until kevin spacey put his hand inside his pants that he really knew he was in trouble. >> he didn't consent to that? >> absolutely not.

absolutely, there was no consent. it made him incredibly uncomfortable. he did try to shift his body because that's the only thing he knew might help. but kevin spacey continued to put his hands back in his pants. >> it didn't just happen once? >> no. and he was frozen. he just -- he just panicked. >> unruh said spacey was insisting his son go with him to a private party. when spacey went to the bathroom, a woman in the restaurant intervened. >> i'm forever grateful to her. we'd be having a whole other conversation if she hadn't stepped in. >> she says the stranger told her son to run. he ran a mile to his grandmother's and woke his sister, telling her everything. >> your phone rings. >> my phone rings. >> what time, the middle of the night? >> he says to me, mom, kevin

spacey tried to rape me. that's the hardest phone call i've ever taken. >> unruh's son is one of more than ten who accused spacey of sexual harassment, misconduct or assault. >> it is a tough question but did you want to report it? >> i did. >> but your son wasn't ready to do that? >> he wasn't ready. he was definitely very embarrassed about it. >> spacey's attorneys have not responded to nbc news's repeated requests for comment. last week, a representative said, kevin spacey is taking the time necessary to seek evaluation and treatment. what does your family want to see happen? >> we want kevin spacey to be stopped, especially my son. he doesn't want another young man to be injured. >> police in nantucket would not

comment or confirm any investigation involving kevin spacey. nbc news separately learned london police are investigating an allegation against spacey where he served as artistic director at a theater for 11 years. >> the woman who intervened on behalf of this 18-year-old boy, does heather know who that is? >> no. in fact, she said yesterday, please come forward. she said, we want to know who you are. of course, they'd love for her to talk to authorities, as well. she's a mystery woman who just stepped in and, in heather's words, stepped in and did the right thing and said, are you okay? she could tell something was wrong. she told him to run. >> kate, thank you. >> thanks, kate. we will shift gears now. al is at the weather map. what's going on? >> as cold as it is going to be, interestingly enough, according to the national oceanic, we've had the second warmest year for

five states, and all 50 states are above average. when it comes to precipitation, drier than average states, three of them. 37 states had wetter than average normals. it is the second wettest year on record. michigan had the wettest year on record. north dakota, on the other hand, its top ten driest year. today, a wet and snowy day in the pacific northwest. arctic blast coming into the plai. coolns

>> you'll always get the forecast you need. check out our friends at the weather channel on cable. >> al, thanks so much. a lot more ahead. including this, why why is face asking people to share their explicit photos? then on pop start, some big news from lynn min-manuel miran that "hamilton" fans are slipping out over. charlie was born for this moment. he is going to meet the veteran that he's being matched with for the very first time. >> pan to the left.

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the australian government for a pretty unusual pilot program. one that could eventually expand here to the u.s. the idea, to prevent potentially embarra embarrassing, naked images from being shared on the social media platform, perhaps by an angry ex, without the subject's permission. first, you'd have to voluntarily share a nude or explicit photo of yourself with facebook. something not many may be eager to do. would you willingly send facebook a naked photo of yourself to make sure it never shows up publicly on the social network? >> i would never trust that that would be in a safe space. >> i don't know if it could really protect anyone. >> if you don't want someone to see it, don't take the photo. period. >> facebook is testing such a program in australia. here's how it works. people who are concerned their intimate images might be shared by someone else on social media can use facebook messenger to send the explicit pictures to

themselves. then fill out an online form with australia's e-safety office which notifies facebook. facebook says its operations team reviews the photos and pictures that violate facebook's policies are given a digital fingerprint. if another user tries to upload those images on facebook or instagram, technology would recognize the fingerprint and the photo won't be posted. >> this is a real threat for a number of people. my firm has helped hundreds of people. we've removed 18,000 nude images and videos from the internet. >> attorneys who deal with the cases say facebook's program could make a big difference for those living in fear. >> it is very common, for jilted exes to threaten to distribute naked images of the partner. >> once reviewed by facebook, the digital fingerprint is created, users are told to

delete the picture. >> in the world of cyber, delete almost never really means delete. it is out there. there are people that make very good livings recovering all of the data that people believed was deleted. >> a study by data and society found that 4% of americans have been victims of non-consensual image sharing. 2014, celebrities including jennifer lawrence, had their private pictures stolen and posted online. earlier this year, facebook shut down a secret page called marines united, where thousands of current and former marines shared nude pictures of female colleagues. facebook says it's having conversations to expand this pilot program to the u.s., uk and canada, but it is unclear when that might happen. bottom line, this is not for everyone but could be helpful for some people. >> not for everyone is an understatement. >> understatement of the year. >> i'm not a trusting person. that would not happen. >> for so many reasons.

let's go to carson. >> up next from the orange room -- that was good right there. why the pope wants you to put your phone because the ones you need to be strong for...

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we're back. we take our cell phones just about everywhere, right? >> just about everywhere. >> one person not happy about that. carson over in the orange room. >> one important person, matt. in his weekly address in st. peters square on wednesday, pope francis took issue with the use of phones during mass. he said, in part, it makes me sad when i celebrate mass here and i see so many cell phones held up. not only by the faithful but also by some priests and even briti bishops. please, the mass is not a show. you can see the phones held up in this photograph. as the pope arrives. the pope requested no cell phones be used during mass. the comments struck a chord online. jenny said, he's right. it is disturbing for many people who want to hear the mass. milena writes, i can understand why believers pictures. my advice, wait u the end of the mass. it is a good idea to disconnect during a worship service. how many of us actually do that? see who told the truth here.

65% of you saying, no, you do not use your phone during a service. 35% saying, yes. i'm sure it is he pope, ,as to interesting to see how his comments now affect the crowds during next week's address. guys? >> carson, we actually had this dilemma. we had the great honor of meeting the pope over at st. patrick's last year, and we talked about whether we were going to take a picture as he approached us. >> what did we do? >> decided not to. well, it was a professional photographer. >> yes. >> we also decided as he approached us coming down the center aisle of the cathedral, we did not pull out the cell pope, i understand why people are taking pictures, but in your normal churchout. straight ahead, the performances from last night's cma awards that have people tain sparking a

big debate. our beloved charlie getting ready to m ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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od thursday morning, i am tracy davidson. lets get outside to our meteorologist, bill henley. >> the outside, you will see a lot of clouds and temperatures are chilly with temperatures starting to come up a little bit right now. a few breaks in spots, comple43 degrees and we'll warm up to the lower and upper 50s this afternoon. new jersey 58 degrees. a little bit more sunshine at the shore and the high of 57. remember you can meet the most accurate weather team in town withur s.

we'll continue our tour around the area. today we'll be at the lehigh valley mall. if you are heading out right now lets check your road with katy zach zachry. >> it is slow going on the express way. >> average speed in the 30s right now. major delays we are seeing is 95. 34 minutes ago. arge spe average speeds right now. pennsylvania state police corporal kelly is shot. he's expected to have another surgery today. >> tonight philadelphia's opening night for the holiday festival featuring count down to the annual electric light show

which runs through new year's eve. tomorrow morning, on commuter state, a way to stay safe, join us on weekday mornings at 4:00 to 7:00.

it's 8:00 on "today." playing nice. >> i don't blame china. >> president trump taking a very different tone with china after months of tough talk on the campaign trail. why is he now praising the country's leader? >> you're a very special man. >> we're live in beijing. ♪ who is the man plus, charlie's big day. after more than a year of intense training, our puppy with a purpose will finally meet the veteran he was born to help. star-studded morning. michelle pfeiffer stops by studio 1a to talk about her mysterious, new role.

from kermit to kids book. jason segel tells us about his latest advantage today, thursday, november 9th, 2017. ♪ turn it up, it's your favorite song ♪ >> we have a huge crowd here today because -- >> we love charlie! >> guess who is represented on the plaza. hey, guys. hallie is celebrating her 16th birthday. >> on "today." ♪ turn it up, it's your favorite song ♪ ♪ dance, dance, dance >> marty is celebrating a big birthday today. >> i'm 65 today. hello, medicare. >> we have students here from all over the globe. >> ukraine. >> kazakhstan. >> romania. >> iowa. >> iowa is represented. >> right? good morning, everybody. welcome back to "today." nice to have you with us. about to get real, real cold out there. >> we're going to head out in in a half hour.

we also have something special for you next week on "today." mr. roker, tell us about it. >> i'm really excited. thanksgiving, just two weeks away. next week, we're going to be delivering early thank yous to hurricane victims who really deserve it. we're going to visit the hardest hit areas to celebrate the folks who selflessly stepped up to help their neighbors. of course, we'll have a ton of surprises in store. be sure to join us as we lend a hand today all next week, all across the zones that were hit by these hurricanes. >> that'll be awesome. >> perfect, al. >> lend a hand is great every year, and it seems it has more meaning this year. >> we're really excited. >> cool, al. thank you. let's do your news at 8:00. chinese leaders searing a different side of president trump as he turns his earlier criticism of the beijing government into praise now. nbc's peter alexander is traveling with the president. peter, good morning. >> reporter: hey, savannah. good morning to you from here in beijing. president trump now wrapping up his second and final day of this china trip. you know, that tough talking

donald trump that we saw throughout the course of the campaign, nowhere to be seen here in china. you'll remember as a candidate, the president accused china of, in his records, raping the u.s. economy. we'll hear a kinder, gentler tone. he says he doesn't blame china for, in his words, taking advantage of another country to benefit its own citizens. he said, in fact, he gives china great credit. president trump showering praise on his host, president xi jinpi jinping, calling him a great person, a special man. saying that the people of china really are proud of him. the president, well, he also did enjoy what was a dazzling display. a grand tribute to the stars and strieb stripes, review of the troops. chinese children were waving chinese and american flags, celebrating the arrival of the american president here. president trump will head to vietnam tomorrow for an economic conference, where he is expected to focus on, among other things, north korea, when he sits down for what is supposed to be a

short visit with russia's president vladimir putin. >> thank you. there are major new developments this morning with an $85 billion media deal that could shake up how americans watch television. the justice department now saying at&t may have to sell turner broadcasting, which houses channels such as cnn, as a requirement for gaining government approval. or at&t could be forced to sell off directv. the deal's holdup raised suspicions of political retaliation. as a candidate, donald trump vowed to block the merger because it put too much power in the hands of too few. president trump has often blasted cnn, calling the network fake news. newly released court documents suggest legend basketball coach may have been more involved in a scandal than previous thought. they indicate an unnamed coach, who is thought to be patino,

knew about an alleged scheme to funnel adidas money to the recruits, and they'd commit to playing with him in louisville and sign with adidas when they get to the nba. court documents suggest he played an active role. he denied knowledge of the plot. he was fired by louisville last month. however, he's not charged so far in the case. good time for hoda's morning boost. >> this is about a wedding. i love this one. a pennsylvania bride was the perfect example of grace when she got married and welcomed her new stepchild into her life. kate musser didn't always get along with her husband's ex-wife, casey, but in the middle of the ceremony, she thanked casey for welcoming her into the family. then she did this. she knelt and made a vow to her new 4-year-old stepson. >> i love you more than you will ever know. i promise to stand by you, listen to you and love you every day. i promise to love daddy with all

my heart. >> here's the kicker, it wasn't the bride who posted the video but the ex-wife, casey. she posted that online as an example of how people can put differences aside and put together a family. come on. >> i love it. put your differences aside for a really good reason, which that little boy is. >> absolutely. >> very nice. >> thank you. lots more to get to, including a big win and some controversy for garth brooks at the cmas. then charlie is about to meet his veteran that he'll be matched with for the first time. first, let's see what's coming up on "megyn kelly today." >> hey, guys. so a woman decides to flip off the presidential motorcade in a moment of spontaneous protest and gets fired. fired for doing it. it was on her personal time. she's here to talk about it and i'll ask her, is this still america? every day, on every street,

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never. what happens if i squeeze it? try it. google pixel 2: "hi, i'm your google assistant." "how can i help?" hello. so...it's a phone? well it's a phone by google. ♪ we're back at 8:10. the music says one thing, trending. >> about time. >> we've opened up our mailbox to find the exclusive invitation. yes, the one for jury duty. >> yes. >> one potential juror got a lot of attention on wednesday. he was trending just about everywhere. his name is former president barack obama. yup. >> wow. >> even former presidents have to serve their civic duty. he arrived in chicago court with lo lots of fanfare, cameras and was eventually dismissed. he was not chosen for the jury. but he is not the only big name we've ever seen called for jury duty. tayl taylor swift, madonna, oprah,

president george w. bush. do some look forward to it and wish they could serve? >> yes! i was bummed out i didn't just picked. >> why didn't they pick you? >> last time i got in trouble for taking a picture. >> oh, yeah, you made the papers. i remember that. >> quite the scandal. >> the al roker rule. >> when it goes back to president obama for a second, if he got on a jury, is almost by default he get elected chairpers chairperson? >> that's why you don't actually pick him. it ends up being a jury of one. if you're a fellow jury, you're like, i don't know. what do you think? >> his final days of president, he has the ability to pardon but he can't get out of jury duty. >> let's say one of us here was a criminal departmefendant. who would be the best juror? >> who is most likely to be a criminal defendant here? >> wow. >> whoa. >> absolutely. >> what? >> i want al. >> al is one of the most fair

people i know. >> yeah. >> i'd love it if i saw al on the jury. >> i don't know. i would want someone who would let me off. >> there you go. >> i'd go with al, too. >> who can be bought? >> that's me. >> oh, gosh. >> carson, what's shaking in pop start? >> lot going on today. we'll get to it. big night last night. the cma awards. nashville's huge night. the biggest names in country music came together for the annual award show. carrie underwood and brad paisley do a nice job. the song of the year went to taylor swift. she didn't sing the song but wrote it. little big town's hit "better man." the band accepting it on taylor's behalf. i think she's in new york rehearsing for "snl." she tweeted this video of her watching the show. entertainer of the year went to garth brooks. his sixth time taking home the top prize. >> our silly little songs because this year's show is -- >> taylor swift. ♪ better man >> not sure the audio is insyncg up here. garth does a ventriloquism act

now. >> carson, were you -- >> if you watched garth's performance, there was a lip syncing issue. he said backstage, it is true, he totally owned it and said he's done 12 shows. few days his voice wasn't there and wanted to represent country music. >> glad he said that. >> lynn min-manuel miranda will bringing the wildly successful "hamilton" to puerto rico. >> wow. >> told playbill, i made a commitment to not only bring the show to puerto rico but also return again in the title role. >> wow. >> in the aftermath of "maria," we decided to expedite the message of the project. puerto rico will recover and be back in business stronger than ever. miranda is the creator and original star of the musical. its three-week run in san juan kicks off -- put it on the calendar" january 2019. but amazing thing he's doing. >> already sold out probably.

celine dion known for this "my heart will go on," made famous by "titanic." the song is getting a remix. going tech knno. have a listen ♪ my heart will go on and on >> make some noise for celine dion. >> i'm in! >> she can feel the music. dancing, busting her move and breaking it down. that's your pop start today. >> do you have a click? >> i do. it is a good one today. i'll put my screen up here. this is steve scalise. he's been riding around, using his scooter to get around, recovering from being shot in the congressional baseball practice in june. it's not kept him from having a little fun. he challenge ed texas congressm and fellow scooter user johnson

to a race around the capitol. see how that played out. got it? got it. good. >> if rascal would use this as a viral video, they'd sell out in no problem. >> like that "seinfeld" episode. >> 87-year-old johnson winning the race. scalise shared the video online and has been liked thousands of times and going strong. thought that was fun for the daily click today. >> so cute. al, what's going on? >> where did matt go? >> it is a segment coming up. >> oh, okay. there you go. let's see what we've got going on for today. storm system coming into the pacific northwest with rain and mountain knows. lake-effect snow coming across the central great lakes. more wet weather through the southeast pushing through. first, we have this low pressure moving off the coast.

late day rain with the second system coming in for the northeast. then the snowfall amounts. u.p. of michigan could see upwards of a foot of snow. the pacific northwest, heavy rain, mountain snow, late into friday and saturday. one to three inches in the pacificnorthwest. good morning. i'm bill henley. a chill yy and cloudy start. temperatures warm into the upper 50s this afternoon for philadelphia. 55 degrees in the suburbs. we could see some isolated late showers late in the afternoon for the suburbs and the lehigh valley. 50s for new jersey. some breaks of sunshine possible at the shore, 57 degrees and a mostly cloudy day. dry for delaware up to 56. >> don't forget if you're heading out the door, check us out on siris xm channel 108.

we have a special edition of today puppy for you this morning. so special, in fact, the westpoiwes westpoint band is here. ladies and gentlemen, take it away. ♪ ♪ >> nice job. so you're saying, well, wait a minute, why are they here? you may remember the west point band was also here on the very first day we met our puppy with a purpose, charlie. take a look.

it's time to meet our puppy. let's have a drum roll, please. >> hey, puppy. >> come on. >> oh! >> hi, buddy. >> more than 14 months later, that adorable puppy has grown into a remarkable service dog in training thanks to his america's vet dog trainer olivia powell. she worked with him diligently every day. charlie is about to give a veteran the ultimate gift in time for veterans day. before they meet, let's get to know who charlie will serve. for stacy, there was never a question of whether she would enlist in the military, only a question of how she would serve her country. >> the military was a family tradition, all the way back to the revolutionary war on my father's side. when i enlisted, i wanted to do something in the arts and photography was it. >> as a photographer in the air

force, she traveled to more than 40 countries, documenting service members and their everyday lives. >> what was wonderful was being able to capture the stories of the american men and women in service doing some extraordinary things. >> after four years, pearsal rose through the ranks to become combat photographer, a coveted opportunity that took her to iraq, where she covered the army's infantry operations. it was everything she had worked for, yet nothing she expected. >> there's nothing that can ever fully prepare you for what you see. my contribution was really to make sure that people understood that there are human beings in the uniforms. that they are not invincible. that they love each other. >> in 2004, tragedy struck. her convoy was struck by a bomb.

nbc cameras were there. miraculously, the service members survived the blast. three years later, her convoy was hit again. this time, her injuries would prove too much to bear. >> that is pretty much what sealed my fate, in terms of the end of my career. >> today, she still deals with the effects of those attacks. she has a traumatic brain injury and suffers from seizures, migraines and nerve pain. >> every day i wake up and i don't know if i'm going to have a seizure or not, so living with that is often tough. >> though it took time, pearsal knew she wanted to get back behind the lens. in 2008, the veterans portrait project was born. an effort to photograph and share stories of veterans from all walks of life. >> it gave me the strength i needed to kind of pull up my bootstraps and to press on and kind of push through the pain. >> pain that she'll now have a

little more help coping with, thanks to charlie. >> good job. >> when i have veterans who are waiting on me and relying on me, i don't stop. and i believe that charlie is going to be just the right teammate to give me the motivation to keep going. >> stacy is here now along with charlie's trainer, olivia. stacy, thank you so much for your service. >> thank you. >> we are so thrilled to have you here. >> thank you. >> this will be your first service dog. you've been waiting about two years. how are you feeling? >> i am overwhelmed and absolutely excited to meet charlie. >> you know charlie a little bit because you've been watching the show. you saw when he had his first day. >> i was sitting there with a cup of coffee, and i saw charlie run out. i looked at my husband and i was like, america's vet dog. i should apply for that. in the back of my mind, i was thinking, there is no chance charlie would be mine, and i got the call. so overwhelmed. very excited. >> can we look at your shirt,

s sweetie, for one second? you're already in love with charlie. what will it be, meeting him, you think? >> i think it'll be like meeting a new family member because that's what he is going to be for us. not only my teammate but part of the family. >> he is used to celebrities. do you live near any? >> i am amongst several right now. >> we'll visit. >> olivia, how are you feeling? >> whenever people hear that this is my job, they always say, oh, i could never give up that dog because they focus on the loss. but i hope today, everyone can see that this is just the beginning. and this is what we worked collectively so hard for. i'm thrilled. >> stacy, are you ready? >> yes. >> why don't you -- you tell her where to stand, olivia. >> come on over. >> let's just say, here comes charlie. charlie? >> charlie, come. charlie, that's it. >> oh!

>> good. >> oh. >> stacy, what's he look like in person? >> i have no words. >> can we talk a little bit about what you need from charlie, what the tasks are that charlie can help you with? >> well, charlie is going to join me on the road as i continue my journey with the veterans portrait project. for this whole time, i've been reluctant to ask for help. i've been relying on a lot of my friends around me. charlie just means a lot more independence and empowerment. so it's going to be really important. >> we know, stacy, this little dog is good for the soul. he's good for your heart. we're so happy he is going to be with you. really happy. thank you, olivia. >> olivia, we love you.

>> this is the moment that makes it all worth it. >> charlie isn't leaving today. >> not today. he'll be here a little while longer. >> that's right. >> stacy, what a pleasure to meet you. again, thank you for your service. you two are going to make a wonderful pair. you really are. olivia, what home are you going to? >> olivia has to stay. >> we'll stay a little longer. >> another thanks to the west point band, as well. >> love it. coming up, we're going to be seeing stars, just like charlie likes, all the celebrities. we've got michelle pfeiffer stopping by and jason segel is here. first, your local news and weather.

coming up on 8:30. let's get right to first alert meteorologist bill henley with his most accurate neighborhood forecast. >> we're seeing some breaks of sunshine, just a few in the area. the clouds have been thinning out a little bit. they're not going to clear out completely. still in the 30s in the lehigh valley, 40 in the suburbs and 4 48 in philadelphia, warming into the 50s later today. you can meet the most accurate weather team at the

lehigh valley mall from 11:00 until 5:00 today. things are looking pretty good on route 309 and the pennsylvania turnpike. this is a shot of where the two interchanges meet. things are looking pretty good on both. any of that early morning construction on the turnpike has lifted. 76, we're seeing some volume. average speeds on 76 into center city philadelphia in the 30s. 95, we are still seeing a lot of volume there, which is slowing things between woodhaven and the vine. in the lehigh valley the kor nor has identified the man shot and killed across from the allentown police department. juries in the trial of new jersey senator bob then thme th

return for their third day of deliberations.

♪ we're back now. 8:30 on a thursday morning. chilly morning here in the northeast. getting even colder for the weekend. but a nice group of people out on the plaza. including stacy pearsall and her new buddy, charlie. they've just been matched as part of america's vet dogs. >> it's love. >> we're still all with tissues, trying to take care of our tears. but we're so happy. >> i know. >> not to remind you to start planning your trip to the plaza, but next friday, the 17th of november, tim mcgraw and faith hill will be here for a special live concert. you can get fan passes at

today.com. we have a lot of great people on the plaza. we have a young man who happens to be celebrating his 70th birthday. he came with this awesome crew and these perfect signs. jimmy, how does 70 feel? >> good, good. >> feels really good? >> feels old. >> why is it important for you guys to celebrate him today? >> he's the oldest in the family, and he's just a rock for us. >> jimmy, happy birthday. enjoy your day. you have a beautiful family. >> happy birthday! >> yay, jimmy. >> watch your head. coming up, michelle pfeiffer is starring in one of the most highly anticipated movies this fall with an a-list cast and she's at the top of it. she'll tell us about the one co-star she was nervous to meet. also, jason segel is in the building. we're going to chat with him. he's diving into a different creative project. look forward to chatting with

jason in a minute. miss megyn kelly is here. >> you know the woman who flipped the bird to the president? she's coming to talk about it. and a national tv reporter suffers a brain an yurism. she'll talk about the warning signs and how you can be aware. >> good one. looking ahead to the weekend. first for friday, tomorrow, strong winds northern new england. a frigid blast in the great lakes. look for rain in the pacific northwest. saturday, record lows in the northeast and new england. warm and sunny in the southwest. snow left over in the pacific northwest. sunday, sunday. milder along the eastern seaboard. it's going to stay wet in the pacific northwest. some showers down through stntral and we good morning. i'm bill henley. a chilly and cloudy start. clouds will be with us most of

the day, but the temperatures warm into the upper 50s this afternoon for philadelphia. 55 degrees in the suburbs. we could see some isolated late showers late in the afternoon for the suburbs and the lehigh valley. 50 the high in the lehigh valley. upper 50s for new jersey. some breaks of sunshine possible at the shore, 57 degrees and a mostly cloudy day. dry for delaware up to 56. >> guess what? your thursday just got a whole lot better. why? because it's it's thursday nigh football night, in america! the seattle seahawks face off with the arizona cardinals. the university of phoenix stadium. it's inside. it's clear. it's warm. it's 83. it's thursday night football on nbc! the way it's meant to be. savannah? we are here with one of the most recognizable stars in

hollywood. oscar nominee and golden globe winner michelle pfeiffer. she's part of the all-star cast in the new movie "murder on the orient express," a who dun it based on a famous novel. michelle plays a glamorous widow with plenty of secrets. >> eyes linger longer, i'll have to charge rent. >> i'll pay. >> have another drink. >> are you insulted? >> disappointed. some men have a good look. all they have to do is keep their mouth shut, and they can take home any prize they want. still the mouth opens. >> good line. michelle pfeiffer, good morning. good to see you. >> thank you. you, too. >> this is a famous book, a famous film. were you a fan of it? were you intimidated by taking it on? >> well, i was a little intimidated. i hadn't really seen any of the earlier adaptations.

actually, i'm not that particular with agatha christie. it is not a genre i gravitate toward. but i loved the script. i thought this character was, you know, challenging and not like anything i'd ever done. and it was such a fantastic cast. kenneth brana was directing it. >> kind of checks all the boxes. >> yeah. >> kenneth who stars in it but is also the director, as you mentioned, said that when he got the cast together that first time, all of you, famous, impressive actors, that it was like the first day of school and you guys were all nervous. >> i was really nervous. and i was intimidated the first few days. it was such a massive amount of talent. all people who i have admired over the years. >> it's funny because i think i read that when you met judy dench, you got teary. >> i got weepy. >> she was here the other day, and i was flipping out over her.

i was like, it's such an honor. >> yeah. >> she must have reaction -- everybody has that reaction. >> must be sickening, right? >> she's probably like, ladies. calm down. it is just me. >> she's kind of like that. >> she's cool. >> so cool, yeah. >> tell me about the role. what attracted you about it? >> well, she's very extroverted, which i'm not. like a world traveler and really courageo courageous. a little bit annoying at times. i don't know. it was just all things that i found very challenging. and i also think it had to do with just being a part of this extraordinary cast. >> a lot of people are calling this your comeback year, that 2017, suddenly, you're everywhere. i know you feel it is just a little accident of timing. everything is coming out at the

same time. >> yeah. >> but you did take time to raise your kids and kind of step away. that seems so sane and healthy and wonderful. >> you know, i wish i could really take credit for making this big sort of sacrifice and choice, but it sort of just evolved, you know. sort of, i guess my priorities maybe shifted and, you know, we moved out of los angeles. it just became the -- the older the kids got, it became more and more difficult to say yes. i became pickier and pickier. well, where does it shoot? when does it shoot? how long will i be away? at some point, i became unhirable. that was really the reason i hadn't worked. and then time just went, kind of flew by. it was actually my -- one of my children who said to me one day, mom, are you ever going to go back to work, which kind of hurt my feelings. >> oh. you're like, what have i been doing this whole time?

>> what do you mean? 'm home? they were like, well, you know, maybe it's time. then when they started applying for colleges, i thought, okay, it is time. >> does it feel good? is it like putting on an old pair of jeans? >> it feels really good. i don't feel that guilt anymore, you know. it's what all working moms feel. you can relate. >> yes. >> no matter what profession you're in, there's that tug. it doesn't even matter if you're just not even a working mom, if you're out getting, you know -- doing something with your friends, you sort of -- >> it's so true. >> -- feel this guilt that you should always be with them. so i'm relieved of that. in some ways, it is more fun. >> it's fun to have you back on our screens. so happy to see you. michelle, thank you very much. >> you're welcome. >> and the movie, of course, is "murder on the orient express," hits theaters tomorrow. matt? up next, we are heading to other world with this guy right here, jason segel. he is going to explain his

brand-new book for young adults. first, this is "today" on nbc. last time you were here --

honey, what are you doing? watching a cow...? what's it doing? impressions start your day with the new hash brown scramble bowl from chick-fil-a.

we're back now. three years ago, we sat down with a first-time author. you may have heard of him from his side job, starring in block busters like "forgetting sarah marshall" and the "mug ppets." four books later, jason segel is a bona fide best seller. his new world is "other world," set in the world of virtual reality. how are you? >> doing great. >> they give us information on guys like you and something jumped out when i was reading about you last night. >> yeah. >> i think you've co-authored five books, is that right? >> yeah, with kiersten miller. she's amazing. >> until a late stage in your life, you are not even a great reader. >> i started writing very young, so most of my time was spent writing. a few years ago, i did "end of

the tour," and i had to read of his david foster wallace's works. that's when i became interested in reading. >> it ignited a passion in you. >> i realized we're given entertainment as a sedative. they say, binge watch this show. there's no other context where binge is a positivage e agae ad. i nailed it tonight. i watched ten hours of tv. but every time i finished a book and sat it down, i know it sounds stupid, but i felt smarter. wow, i did it. and i decided i wanted to help do that with kids. >> this one is set in the world of virtual reality. >> yeah. >> gaming. were you a gamer at all? >> i was when i was younger, yeah. >> what was your go-to? >> a game called mist that i loved. it was one of the first open world games. that's sort of the world i translated to the "other world." >> the story here, "other

world," is these people get stuck in the game. >> yeah. >> i think it is fascinating because the more people play these things, i do think there is a fear that the lines get blurred, between virtual reality and good, old fashioned reality. >> yeah. well, if a giant corporation, which already provides a lot of our needs, and you have companies like amazon who are taking care of everything you need so you don't have to leave your house, what if a company like that came up with a virtual world, just a little bit better than the one you're living in, why would you ever leave? >> you write in the book, you led into it perfectly, that's how "other world" traps you. introduces you to sensations you'd never feel in real life. you discover what is missing because it is taboo or legal or lack the guts to do it for real. when you find out what is missing, it is almost impossible to let it go again. >> yeah. well, i use that literally. virtual reality is right around the corner. but i also use virtual reality as a metaphor for where we are

now. we're living in some version of virtual reality. the question of what is real has never been more applicable. you have this phenomenon of fake news and twitter accounts that belong potentially to russian bots. this instagram life we live, where we say, look how happy i am. here's a picture of beautiful breakfast. you know, that's not representative of our actual life. i think you have a lot of people who are comparing their insides to other people's outsides. why don't i feel like breakfast? >> exactly. for people who may not be -- who may think gaming is not for me, this is really also sci-fi. >> yeah. >> it is a love story. >> yeah. >> it kind of touches in a lot of different areas. >> yeah. well, there was a movie when i was young called "the last star fighter," about a guy who finds out the video game he loves is a test by aliens to become a real star fighter. so there is a little of that in it. there is a little of "goonies,"

like it is not this mundane life but magic is over this way. i always liked that. really, i want to get at the point in the book of reality is right in front of you. it's this, you know. it's not into your phone. i think it is so easy to think, you know, you type something smart, i've done my good job for the day and put your phone down, but it is into a void. this is reality. >> we have to live in the present. >> yeah. >> jason, always nice to have you here. >> likewise, thank you. >> appreciate it. i'll tell people that "other world" is available now. you can find more about it at today.com/shop. up next, planning a get away? what you should consider, some destinations like the caribbean and california's wine country, that have been hit hard by mother nature but are ready for you. first, this is "today" on nbc.

welcome back to "today." mother nature has wreaked havoc

on the caribbean, florida and california's wine country. if that has you debating whether or not you should visit there, misty is here with things you should consider. >> good morning. >> i think there's a little part inside of all of us that even if you want to go on a vacation or a destination and enjoy yourself, you think, ouch, i don't know if it is a good idea to go to a place that went through such a difficult time and to be, like, enjoying life there. what's yur answour answer to th? >> if you're afraid to go because you're worried you may use up their resources, water or generator power, keep in mind, tourism is the life blood for these areas. people's livelihoods depend on it. tourism is a significant part of their path to recovery. >> if you look on the news, a lot of times you look at places and say, oh, my gosh, i could never go to those places. it is either underwater, it's on fire, all those things. how do you know if the place is ready for tourists? >> make sure the infrastructure is back in place. you want open airports, open ports, open roads and to know the hospital is operational, as

well. >> we're going to go through some spots. we think of the caribbean. we think of what's going on there. we wonder how many islands were affected. there wasn't just one but two hurricanes that blew through. >> right. >> what islands are affected and which are okay to visit? >> 25% of the caribbean was impacted. keep in mind how large the area is. out of the 700 islands, only seven were severely impacted. u.s. virgin islands, british virgin islands, st. martin, they'll take longer to recover but the islands are in various states of recovery. turks and caicos rebounded quickly. puerto rico sustained a great deal of damage, but san juan is the epitome of recovery. for the traveler who wants to give back, it is a great opportunity for helping to rebuild. jamaica, bahamas, dominican republic had no damage at all. >> you don't want to lump it in, we can't go there, because they need your tourism dollars, too.

>> if you're looking to go this holiday, book now. there is less inventory. always high demand. the rates are not going to come down. they're probably going to go up. >> let's go to the florida keys. i remember the images of how devastated key west looked. what is it like going there now? >> all of florida has rebounded nicely, with the keys, the airports are open, key west, key largo, attractions are open, most of the hotels are open. the lower keys sustained the most damage so you may want to avoid that. now, there is great seasonal rates to be had. whether those hold in the high season, december 26th, remains to be seen. >> book soon. >> exactly. >> texas, houston, those areas got hit hard, too. what about people who want to go there? >> houston is open for business, as is galveston. still basking in the glow of the world series win. >> yeah. >> of the 700 hotels in the houston area, 98% weren't impacted at all. it is a great time to go to

houston. in december when the rates go down, it is the perfect time to visit. >> again, a lot of people were watching the news and we had so many days where it looked like parts of california were just burning. you wonder, napa valley. everyone was saying that was affected. >> it was. actually, napa and sonoma themselves really weren't that impacted. you'll be happy to know all the wineries are open now except for one. all the hotels are open. it's actually a great time to go to napa because there is unprecedented availability in some of the world's best restaurants there. also, they're coming into what's called cabernet season, which is low season. you'll see rates come down. they'll be 10% to 40% less than they normally are. hotels are offering second, third, fourth night free. air fares are down so it is a perfect time to visit napa. >> when katrina hit new orleans, people didn't go back. i kept saying, they need you. you can go back. >> that's the message.

>> we'll have more information including how to plan your next trip at today.com/travel. we will be back in a moment. first, this is "today" on nbc. >> thank yo for mild-to-moderate eczema? it can be everywhere on almost everybody. the face of a fisherman?

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8:53 on a thursday. we're back with jascojacob, the 11-year-old star of "wonder." >> he has facial differences and visits mainstream school for the first time. >> you're a young man but you have a lot of different opportunities and scripts coming your way. >> yeah. >> why did you like this one? >> well, i really liked -- the main reason i liked this one was because of the message. i thought that that was just really important. and also, i usually don't work with kids. i think it'd be fun to work with kids, yeah, to make friends and stuff like that. i made so much friends, as well. >> what do you hope, honey, kids will learn if they watch this

film? >> i hope kids will learn to choose kind, mainly, but that means to do whatever you can to make someone else's day better. but to also be true to yourself and be proud of yourself. >> wow. kids can't see it in the movie theater, they can see it in their classrooms? >> i think -- >> yes, i think that might be the case. >> i think that might be the case, maybe. >> that's good. >> it's all right. >> sometimes mr. daly just makes things up. >> just say yes. >> okay, yes. yeah. >> how do you define kindness? what do you do for that? >> i'll just include everybody. i'll be respectful. and i'll smile. >> oh, man. >> don't you love jacob. >> jacob, i have an 11-year-old son who is now grounded for the whole weekend for doing nothing. what do you have next?

what's your next project? >> well, i actually have two movies coming out. "predator" and "the death and life of john f jonathan." >> this young man has a lot going on. you'll talk with hoda and kathie lee later on. >> that's me. >> thank you, jacob, for the kind words today. >> first, we have nbc 10 news starts now. coming up on 9:00. let's get right to first alert meteorologist bill henley with your most accurate neighborhood forecast. >> the temperatures are slowly coming up. we're seeing some breaks in the clouds in the suburbs. in delaware, now 51 degrees with

a little bit of sunshine breaking through the clouds. that is temporary. the clouds are still going to be with us into this afternoon. today, 55 degrees for delaware, the 57 in philadelphia, upper 50s for new jersey. the cold air blasts into the area tonight. you'll feel the difference tomorrow morning. let's check on traffic. >> things are improving, especially on 95 southbound between woodhaven and the vine. still moderate to heavy volume but no break lights. take a look at the improvements. 76 east, 25 minutes between the blue route and the vine street express way. 95 southbound, t7 odn t kelly who was shot and critically wounded in a traffic

stop on tuesday is expected to have another surgery today. investigators say kelly used a tourniquet he carried on hisppl a career fair is at the crowne plaza on route 70. the new iphone is expected to break records. tonight we'll have a report. join us after the seahawks and the cardinals.

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