during the game on saturday. >> i hope so. i think so. we'll have updates throughout the morning. you can get news, waeather and traffic on the nbc 10 app. good morning. chilling video. >> get out of here! go! >> the moment those devastating mudslides in california started caught on tape. at least 17 people killed. nearly 20 missing. more than 100 homes destroyed. the massive cleanup just getting underway. here it comes. another monster winter storm marching across the country. snow and freezing rain set to impact tens of millions, from the midwest to the south to new england. al has the very latest. not so fast? president trump changing his tune on possibly speaking with special counsel robert mueller in the russia investigation. >> it seems unlikely that you'd even have an interview. >> so what changed, and can he be compelled to talk?

all that plus shocking scandal. missouri's governor admits to an affair amid allegations he tried to blackmail his mistress. the teacher who was handcuffed and arrested at a school board meeting speaks exclusively to nbc news. and construction site catastrophe. >> holy crap. >> a crane being used to lift a massive wall suddenly snaps. workers run for their lives. no one was seriously hurt, but that crane is out of commission today, thursday, january 11th, 2018. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hey, everybody. welcome to "today." thank you for joining us on this thursday morning. >> it is so january.

we're about to get another hit of cold weather, wet weather. al will have the forecast in a bit. first, our top story. the death toll from the devastating mudslides that buried homes and cars in southern california morning, th people still trapped in debris is growing more by the minute. miguel almaguer is there with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning. the scenes of destruction here are just jaw dropping. at least 17 people are dead, and at least 17 people are still missing. both those numbers could rise. so many families were inside homes like the one behind me when the storm struck, and they had no time to run. >> the flash flood is right there! get out of here! go! >> reporter: this is the moment a relentless torrent of muddy earth swept through santa barbara. >> close the door. >> reporter: marco farrell and his family managed to escape

what so many others could not outrun. >> when i looked up at the house and see it get s night. >> reporter: for hours, haden gower searched for his mother, josie. >> i don't know how anyone could survive this. >> reporter: her body was found late wednesday. the family says they're devastated. neighbors are so desperate to find loved ones, they're forming their own search teams. diane brewer waiting for any sign of her best friend. >> we'd go find her but, honest to god, i never could imagine such a scene. >> reporter: among the missing, children, mothers and fathers. the torrent of mud so powerful, drivers were washed down roads. james and alice mitchell were killed in their home when it crumbled. >> the place looks like a war zone. they seemed to be in the epicenter of it. >> reporter: just down the

street from the mitchells, inga gilbar was carried out of her home by firefighters. >> i saw this raging river coming down with cars and rocks. >> reporter: more than 100 people were rescued by first responders. 14-year-old lauren canton is recovering in the hospital after her dramatic rescue. her brother and father are missing and feared dead. one of southern california's most iconic coastlines now completely transformed. >> hey, oprah. how are you? >> reporter: ellen degeneres, who has been forced from her own home because of the mudslides, facetiming on her show with neighbor oprah winfrey, who was surveying the damage in her own backyard. >> i love montecito so much. it is the greatest community. >> it is. you know what is devastating? we've lost so many lives. it is a tiny little community. >> reporter: now as the massive

cleanup begins, those desperate to find loved ones trying to keep hope amid so much heartbreak. rescue teams say they have searched about 75% of the debris field. the problem is, inside so many homes, the mud is several feet deep. there is real concern that families may be buried inside their own homes. guys, back to you. >> such a heartbreaking story, miguel. thank you. >> and to see those rivers of debris coming toward people so quickly. al, now this storm is moving east. >> that's right. that's the one. you can't outrun these things. they can go anywhere from 35 to 60 miles per hour. >> wow. >> so it is pretty rough. now, as we look at this storm system, here's what's happening. we right now have winter weathe storm warnings and blizzards for 72 million people from new england to texas and out into the plains. plus, we've got flood watches in effect here in the northeast for 20 million people.

here's what we're looking for. these are the winter storm impacts. this morning, travel delays from kansas city up to chicago. this expanding area of mixed precipitation. tonight, the cold front moves eastward. we'll see rain change over to ice and snow. st. louis on up to chicago. we move into tomorrow morning, a significant area of freezing rain and sleet. a narrow band of snow behind this from memphis back to chicago. dangerous travel from detroit to memphis. now, we move to friday evening. we're looking at snow and ice from nashville all the way to buffalo. travel delays from atlanta to boston. and an increase in flood threat because of heavy rain here in the northeast. saturday, heavy rain early in the day in new england. flash freeze is possible. arctic air is going to be coming in behind this. this ice accumulation, anywhere from 1/10th inch to 1/2 inch from kentucky to new england by saturday. snowfall amounts, generally about 4 to 6 inches from parts

of kansas up to the u.p. of michigan. look at this, we're talking about a wide swath of 9 to 12 inches of snow from caribou, maine, to jamestown, new york. behind this, temperatures are going to drop 20 to 40 degrees from the central plains into the northeast. so this is a dangerous, dangerous storm. >> all right, al. thank you so much. >> okay, guys. also ahead on a busy thursday morning, we're hearing directly from president trump about the possibility he could be interviewed by robert muller in the russia investigation. the president now saying it may not be necessary. nbc white house correspondent kristen welker has the latest on all of this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. did president trump go off script on the critical issue of russia? that is the question looming over the white house this morning after mr. trump said it seems unlikely he'll be interviewed by special counsel robert mueller. even though according to multiple sources familiar with the negotiations, talks about a potential interview are well

underway. this morning, the russia probe in the spotlight yet again after the president repeated his familiar defense on the subject seven times in 90 seconds during a white house news conference wednesday with the prime minister of norway. >> there has been no collusion. there is no collusion. there's no collusion. >> reporter: but it's what the president didn't say that is sparking confusion. refusing to directly answer whether he would agree to an interview with special counsel robert mueller. >> we'll see what happens. i mean, certainly, i'll see what happens. when they have no collusion, nobody has found any collusion at any level, it seems unlikely that you'd even have an interview. >> reporter: and last summer, the president definitive he would have a face-to-face. >> 100%. >> reporter: an official familiar with the negotiations tells nbc news, the logistics and scope of an interview with the president are under discussion and being worked out. overnight, top adviserplaying c >> will the president sit down

with the special counsel? >> the president and his lawyers made very clear from the beginning that this white house is cooperating with requests for information. that hasn't changed. >> reporter: it all comes as the fight over immigration heats up. overnight, vice president mike pence insisting any deal has to include funding for a border wall. >> make no mistake about it, there will be no deal on daca unless there's funding for a wall. >> reporter: hence, reinforcing the president's commitment to the wall, after mr. trump signalled a willingness to compromise on immigration. the president also saying he wants to deal with d.r.e.a.m.ers, the nearly 800,000 young undocumented immigrants who came to the u.s. as children. >> we want to see something happen with daca. it's been spoken of for years. >> reporter: and one day after hosting a unique, televised meeting with congressional leaders at the white house, the president flexing his former reality tv muscles, jokingly giving the cabinet room a new nick name. >> welcome back to the studio.

nice to have you. >> reporter: and another headline we're tracking this morning, during a wednesday phone call with the president of south korea, president trump expressed a new openness to holding talks between the u.s. and north korea under the right circumstances, according to the white house. that after north and south korea held their first diplomatic talks in two years ahead of the winter olympics. as for today, the president will try to put the focus on prison reform, hosting a listening session here at the white house. hoda? savannah? >> kristen, one question before we let you know. this issue of immigration, we heard the vice president talking about no deal on immigration unless there's funding for the border wall. i'm sure a lot of people are saying, wait a minute, i thought mexico was paying for the wall. how do we get here? >> reporter: that is a good question. savannah, remember, the president of mexico has been defiant. his country won't pay for the wall. when the president was asked in recent days if mexico would pay, his response, mexico will pay in some form. to your question, savannah, what

does all of that mean? the reality is, american taxpayers will likely foot the bill first. in fact, the white house is requesting some $18 million from congress to start construction. the idea is that mexico will wind up paying through some form of a tax, possibly on goods coming in from mexico. for the president's core supporters, this could be seen as a softening of a key campaign pledge. you can bet the democrats are going to pounce on all of it, getting ready for the 2018 mid-term elections. >> they'll be on the hook for some period of time, if not forever. >> that's right. >> appreciate it. breaking overnight, the governor of missouri landing at the center of a shocking affair and blackmail scandal. willie is here with that story. hey, willie. >> good to see you both. last night, missouri governor eric greitens admitted to being unfaithful in his marriage but he denied allegations he attempted to keep his mistress quiet about the affair. >> i'm eric greitens, a navy

s.e.a. s.e.a.l., a business man, native missourian but, importantly, i am a proud husband and father. >> reporter: hours after giving his state of the state address on wednesday, missouri governor eric greitens delivered a different message, issuing a statement with his wife, where he admitted to an extramarital affair in 2015 while exploring a run for governor. the couple saying, in part, a few years ago, before eric was elected governor, there was a time when he was unfaithful in our marriage. this was a deeply personal mistake. eric took responsibility and we dealt with this together honestly and privately. the statement comes after a local news report featured an interview with a man who says he's the ex-husband of greitens' one-time mistress. the man who was not identified says he secretly recorded a conversation where his then-wife confessed to an affair. in the recording, which has not been verified by nbc news, the woman says she had a sexual encounter with greitens, and that greitens threatened to

blackmail her with an explicit photo in order to keep the alleged affair a secret. overnight, greitens' attorney released a statement, saying the station declined to provide the tape or transcript in advance of running the story, which he said contained allegations. quote, there was no blackmail and that claim is false. this personal matter has been addressed by the governor and mrs. greitens privately, years ago, when it happened. while admitting he has been unfaithful, the governor does not verify any of the details in the allegations made by the anonymous ex-husband, nor confirm a relationship with that particular woman. >> we give our kids the future they deserve. >> reporter: greitens' wife releasing an additional statement on her own. we have a loving marriage and awesome family. anything beyond that is between us and god. i want the media and those who wish to peddle gossip to stay away from me and my children. as for the blackmail allegations, any possible legal action, governor greitens'

attorney said the claim this three-year-old story should garner law enforcement interest is false. eric gartereitens is a rising political star. navy s.e.a.l., served three tours, and viewed favorable by republicans for the future of the party. >> thank you, willie. new developments this morning in one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries. malaysia airlines flight mh-370 vanished in 2014 and, of course, the official search was called off last year. now, an american company claims it can find the missing plane in just three months. nbc's tom costello has been covering this story from the start. good morning. how about this? >> reporter: yeah, absolutely. it'll be four years in march since all 239 people on board this flight went missing on a red eye from kuala lumpur to beijing. now that u.s. company, ocean infinity, has accepted the malaysian government's offer, up to $70 million, to find the

remains of the plane. there's a catch. the company won't get a penny of the reward unless it finds the full wreckage of the plane or its black boxes. the company says it can do it all with just one ship. this morning, an american ship is on its way to the indian ocean, hoping to solve the mystery of mh-370. the commercial jet missing since march 2014. investigators in both the u.s. and asia are simply baffled. satellite transmission showed the plane made an unexpected u-turn and flew south, leading to the largest search in aviation history. taking three years and $160 million. so now, what makes a texas company, ocean infinity, think it can find the remains of the plane in just 90 days with only one ship? >> drones if you like. >> reporter: eight of them launching beneath the ship will dive down more than three miles, able to stay underwater for 48

hours at a time. and taking just two to three weeks to map an area which once took six months. >> they should be able to search an awful lot of terrain in a short amount of time. >> reporter: and the clock is ticking. under an agreement with the malaysian government signed wednesday, if ocean infinity doesn't find mh-370 in 90 days, it won't get paid. >> they cannot take forever. >> reporter: starting next week, a crew of 65 will search an area the size of vermont. at stake, $20 million if the plane is found and the first 3,000 square miles. up to $70 million for a search area much bigger. >> it has to be the plane. the aircraft and/or the flight recorder. >> reporter: it won't be easy. so far, only 18 pieces of the plane have washed ashore, including this part of a wing on reunion island in the western indian ocean. but nothing from inside the plane itself. no bodies. no luggage.

>> the lack of debris has been one of the great mysteries of this accident. it is something to this day we as accident investigators do not understand. >> reporter: still, for one man whose wife was a flight attendant on mh-370, new hope. >> i'm hopeful it can be found. >> reporter: so the new search gets underway in about a week. already, they're racing the clock before the seas get rough in the southern hemisphere. the ceo of the search company thinks there is a realistic prospect they'll find the remains of the plane and put to rest one of the world's most enduring mysteries. the question will remain, why? back to you. >> absolutely. tom, fascinating. thank you. al roker is back because the weather is a big story today. >> that's right. let's take a quick look and show you nationally what's going on. big storm coming into the pacific northwest with heavy rain and snow. we're going to be watching that. sunshine through the southwest. warming up here in the northeast. we've got more rain coming, as

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>> and that's your latest weather. guys? >> all right, al. thanks. thanks. coming up, david letterman's big return to television and why it's stirring up a new controversy. and an nbc news exclusive. the teacher who spoke her mind at a school board meeting and wound up in handcuffs opens up in her first interview about what happened. first, this is "today" on nbc. we just moved in about four months ago, but the living room's pretty blank. it's really nice when clients come in and have done some of their own research. working with a bassett designer was really easy. just kind of ties in very well. we love it!

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straight ahead, the first-hand look at how drones could one day help save your life. and then a boy who is going to change the world. the 8-year-old dubbed the next einste einstein. you're going to meet him. first, a check hope you know your before people invite something new into their homes, they want to know who you are and where you come from. we're almond breeze. and we only use california-grown

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that's why we're heeing that string of read headed toward belmont. a crash on route 130's southbound side. >> we continue to follow breaking news. police are now talking by phone to an armed suspect who is barricaded in a home. that person fired shots at police hitting an armored swat vehicle. police want neighbors to stay indoors and schools in the gloucester school district has closed as a precautionary measure. we'll have another update in 25 minutes. i'm tracy davidson. "today" show continues in just minutes have a great day.

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good morning, everody morni. 7:30. the 11th of january, 2018. >> we have a busy morning. let's get to today's headlines. starting with chilly, new images of the tragic mudslides in california. >> the flash flood is right there! get out of here! go! >> disaster area. >> the place looks like aar>> t overnight in those devastating mudslides in southern california, as crews and residents desperately search for those still missing. >> for those that were able to escape their homes, this is what they face, a massive debris field. rocks and boulders the size ofc. reversing course. >> there has been no collusion. >> president trump now saying it's unlikely he'll be intervwe robert mueller, despite saying

he would absolutely sit down with the special counsel. >> 100%. close lower and pulls up, ms a left turn, goes around. >> a packed passenger jet nearly lands on the wrong runway at san francisco international airport. the third near airport in the past nine months. the faa now investigating. brazen heist. armed thieves rob the paris, st more than $5 million worth of jewels. guests forced to hide and take cover. the suspects still on the loose. and look out below. a massive crane topples over at a texas construction site, narrowly missing workers on the ground. somehow, everyone escapes without serious injury. today, thursday, january 11th, 2018. >> worth repeating, no one was hurt. >> scary shot.

we'll start this half hour with a comeback for david letterman. the late night legend starting a new show, but it's not without controversy. stephanie gosk has more of that. >> good morning. after 33 years and more than 6,000 shows, david letterman hung up his hat for late night in 2015. retirement didn't last long. he's back with a new show on netflix. it launches with the me too movement sweeping the country, raising questions about misconduct he's long since admitted to and apologized for. >> i had a show for a long time, then i didn't have a show for a long time. >> reporter: he's keeping the beard, but david letterman's retirement is over. >> how great it is to be out of the damn house. >> reporter: his new show on netflix is called "my next guest needs no introduction." up first, barack obama, the former president's first tv interview since leaving office. he shared a photo of himself and daughter sasha on stage with prince. >> this was probably three or four months before he died. >> reporter: obama jokes about

his own terrible dancing. >> i think the key is what we call staying in the pocket. >> sure. >> i think everybody here knows, dads who get out of the pocket and they're trying stuff they can't pull off. they start doing like karate kicks and all kinds of stuff. >> really, karate kicks? >> is that one of the things you do? >> reporter: letterman says the interview-based show is what he wants to do at this point in his life. george clooney, tina fey, jay-z and malala among those he'll profile. late night, he recently told tom brokaw, is over. >> i damaged other aspects of my life. it's good not to have that. >> stop the violence. >> reporter: the series launches as the me too movement reaches fever pitch, bringing back memories of this moment in 2009, when letterman revealed he was being blackmailed and had gone to police. >> the creepy stuff was that i

have had sex with women who work for me on this show. now, my response to that is, yes, i have. i have had sex with women who work on this show. >> reporter: striking on-air admission with a live audience clearly in his corner. the popular show host kept his job at cbs. a month after his admission, the writer of late night in 1990 and was not sexually involved with letterman, said the behavior created a toxic environment. did that make me feel demeaned? completely, she wrote. did i say anything at the time? sadly, no. two years ago, letterman told the "new york times," looking at it now, yes, i think they would have had good reason to fire me. at the time, i was ignorant as to what really i had done. in 2013, letterman spoke with oprah. >> have you forgiven you?

>> no. no. i don't have that luxury. i have to figure out what i did, why i did it and live with it, but i can't forgive that behavior. i'm at the top of the flowchart. it's my fault, everything. >> reporter: letterman stayed on the show another six years. the public forgiving the behavior. his new show on netflix launching right now admits this public reckoning. it's going to test how deeply the forgiveness goes, guys. >> fascinating. thank you so much. >> appreciate it, steph. >> premiere episode is available on netflix tomorrow, i think. we'll head over to mr. roker for a check of the weather. hey, al. >> that's right. here's a look at what the temperatures are going to be doing over the next couple of days. big divide behind the front and ahead of the front. chicago, 60 degrees. st. louis, 61. memphis, 67. behind the front, 16 for minneapolis, seven degrees below average. as the front pushes in on friday, temperatures will crash behind it. chicago after getting near 60,

you'll be 25. memphis, 30. des moines, 13 degrees. new york city tomorrow, we hit 60 degrees. raleigh, 71. atlanta, 62. then boom, front moves through. boston on saturday, 53. 27 on sunday. washington, 40. 31 on sunday. cincinnati, you're going to be down into the 20s. cleveland and buffalo into the mid good morning. i'm bill henley. a mild morning and look at the warmup for the afternoon. a few breaks of sunshine in the suburbs and philadelphia 53 degrees. and at the shore we'll oosee a lot of melting during the day today. lehigh valley, stayed above freezing all night long. 50 this afternoon and delaware, we'll see a few breaks in the clouds, up to 51 degrees. rain late tonight. have a great day. >> get that full forecast any time you need it with our friends at the weather cha weat on cable. guys? >> al, thanks so much.

there's a lot more to get to this morning. police in california have located the body of a university of pennsylvania student who mysteriously disappeared while he was home for winter break. nbc's joe fryer is in los angeles with the latest on this story. joe, good morning. >> reporter: hey, hoda. good morning. the death of sophomore blaze bernstein, originally a missing persons case. investigators say it's become a homicide investigation. so far, no one is in custody, and his parents are in mourning. >> we started off this journey a week ago, looking for our son and asking for everyone to help us. we just have learned that the oc sheriff's department and coroner's office confirmed our true. >> reporter: blaze bernstein was home for the holidays on winter break from the university of pennsylvania. the 19-year-old premed sophomore at the ivy league school was last seen more than a week ago. on tuesday, his body was found near a park in orange county, california, where he lived.

for the es, family and friends missing teen. celebrities, including retired lakers' kobe bryant, kareem abdul jabar, and housewives cast members were posting on social media, hoping for a better result. >> it is obviously not the outcome we were hoping for. >> reporter: authorities say bernstein was last seen nine days ago entering the park late at night. he was driven there by a high school friend and was supposed teet up with a third person. bernstein apparently went into the park and never returned. he was reported missing the next day. >> at this time, we believe that blaze was in the park since the time of his disappearance. based on what we know, i believe blaze was probably killed that night. >> reporter: the university of pennsylvania released a statement that read in part, i came to know blaze and i grieve his missing. >> blaze was a brilliant, colorful, charismatic man who

shined light on all the lives, people and communities he touched. as this investigation moves from search and rescue to a homicide investigation, we ask for your continued support in providing tips and information to the orange county sheriff's department. >> reporter: overnight, friends toginher at a vigil to remember a young life that ended far too soon. >> we never have had anything like this happen in our community. it breaks my heart. >> reporter: authorities say they've interviewed bernstein's friends several times. authorities have declined to release additional information about his cause of death, saying their investigation is ongoing. hoda and savannah? >> joe, thanks so much. coming up, an nbc news exclusive. the teacher who is arrested at a school board meeting sparked outrage and opens up for the first time about what happened. also ahead, prince harry popped the question to meghan markle, but you may be surprised by what he hasn't asked his brother. and then on boys changing the world, a young einstein. 8 years old. he will blow your mind. first, search and rescue.

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back now with a new and potentially life-saving use for drones. >> nbc's keir simmons is here. you put it to the test. good morning. >> yes, i did. great to be here. this is one of these technology is changing your world segments. you may remember last year, we showed you drones able to search for an injured victim in a dangerous building. there it is. well, now in the uk, they're developing drones that can search for you if you're lost at sea. >> reporter: alone. adrift on the ocean. this is just an exercise, but it is pretty realistic. it is quite out here. the seas are getti inting roughd rougher. it is getting darker. it is not very much fun to be on your own.

just an hour earlier, i headed out with this search and rescue team on the uk's fastest lifeboat. and it's me who is going to be rescued. okay. here we go. there we go. >> bye, keir! >> reporter: adrift with the current out into the cold waters off the english coast. just a little dinghy, about four foot by six foot. not much space. someone in the water at this time of year would survive just minutes. time is critical. so today, this crew is trialing. >> launching. >> reporter: drones.

>> the drones are in the air. we have a search going. >> reporter: how do the drones tell the guys where to go? >> it's a high-speed communication system. all the drones talk to each other and back to a control system, which is mounted on board the lifeboat. >> reporter: a crucial intevatioinvasion, the drones will communication through a computer program, enabling them to search every inch of water more efficiently. >> with the height of these drones, it's another 50 meters up. you expand your search area. they will be the eyes in the sky. certainly will. >> reporter: with nearly 20,000 callouts and 3,500 rescues a year by the u.s. coast guard, technology like this could one day make the difference between life and death at sea. are there conditions they don't work? >> up to 60 to 70-mile-per-hour winds, realistically. >> reporter: it needs to be pretty stormy for them to stop

working? >> absolutely. >> reporter: at night, can they search at night? >> absolutely. that's the whole point. >> reporter: these prototype rescue drones evolved from a project last year by the same team, funded by a british insurance agency, direct line. an app controlled drones with floodlights to follow a person home at night and light their way. it is being tested at night now over the ocean. feel like i can hear something. wait, hold on. that's a drone. i can see it in the distance there. a drone is just heading toward me. >> spotted him now on the monitor. a bearing of 249 degrees. >> reporter: here! looks like i've been found. that is a relief. people saved from the sea owe their lives to brave search and rescue teams like these around the world. dry land. well, kind of dry land.

in the future, they may be grateful to these little guys, too. >> hey, hey! >> reporter: it's great. full disclosure, one of the drones did drop into the sea while we were filming. you know, it is early days. you'd be a little disappointed if you're in the boat and you're looking and suddenly, oh, there goes the drone. >> luckily they had a backup or you still could have been floating out there, keir. glad you came back. fascinating. >> that was great. >> thank you. i know carson was riveted by that. we love drones, don't we? >> oh, my gosh, you have no idea, savannah. we've got the day the lights went out. the world's largest tech show ♪ ♪

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welcome back. so this is a good one for carson. a power outage at the tech show. >> uh-oh. >> lighting up social media, my friend. >> it is. the consumer electronic show is where the world's biggest innovators gather to demo the most cutting-edge developments in technology. this year, they were without the most basic development of all, power. lights went out at the las vegas convention center for nearly two hours, if you can imagine, on wednesday, leaving lg, panasonic, along with technology's brightest minds, to wander in the dark. attendants did what they do best, documenting things on social media. greg writing, daylight will win every major tech award at cse. this innovator demoed his light up juggling. that came in handy. the doors were locked, officials attempting to restore power. here's a techie's personal nightmare. they were left without their phones for hours. they were stuck in charging stations that could only be

opened with power-operated touch screens. the lights would come back. we have confirmation, that cse 2018 is indeed lit. parents, look that up. officials say it was a result of the rainstorm that hit the coast on tuesday. it's scheduled to go through tomorrow. can you imagine how scary that probably was, the lights went out? imagine if that happened here. wait, what? >> oh! >> that's comedy. >> wait, what? >> where are you guys? >> over here. >> oh, my gosh. >> i can't see you. where are you? hoda? savannah? back to you. >> we're right here. >> my golly. >> luckily, we have windows. >> i love it. >> thank you, carson. awesome, as usual. still ahead -- >> at least the prompter is still working. we're good, right? >> who will be prince harry's best man. i'm on the new weight watchers freestyle program, and this is how i freestyle! ♪ ♪ this is how i freestyle!

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coming up on 8:00. good morning. let's check with bill henley. he has your most accurate neighborhood forecast. >> lots of clouds around. we won't see any rain until late tonight. during the day the temperatures will climb in spite of those clouds. upper 30s in new jersey and look at delaware at 41 degrees and slowly climbing. they'll continue to climb, 48 degrees with some breaks of sunshine at noontime, then mostly cloudy afternoon, but we will still manage to see afternoon temperatures into the low 50s. heavy rainfall on tap for later tomorrow and early saturday morning. >> thanks for the head's up. now a head's up on what's happening on the road. jessica has that. >> starting on 95, big delays right now. our camera showing that right around the betsy ross bridge. drive time now almost an hour at

54 minutes and typically at this time a 25 minute trip. speeds are down in the teens. out in montgomeryville we're watching a crash on bethlehem pike. we continue to follow breaking news for you in gloucester township. police are talking by phone to an armed suspect barricaded in a home there. that person fired multiple shots at police last night. police want neighbors to stay in door. schools in the gloucester school district are closed as a precaution. also fire destroyed a diner about ten minutes away in berlin camden county. take a look at the flames shooting up. no one was hurt. and there is still time to get on board the eagles' road to victory bus or at least seen it. plenty of fans were there at the first stop this morning.

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it is 8:00 on "today." coming up, desperate search. rescue teams in california digging through dirt and debris after those devastating mudslides. >> get out of here! go! >> at least 17 people dead. nearly 20 missing. family members still holding out hope. >> the place looks like a war zone. they seemed to be in the epicenter of it. plus, nbc news exclusive. >> are you kidding me? >> the louisiana teacher handcuffed after questioning a superintendent's raise at a school board meeting speaks out. >> i just kept thinking, this is really happening. this is really happening. he is really doing this. >> what she's now saying about that situation, the school and her students.

and will it be him? with harry and meghan's wedding five months away, prince william weighs in on his prospects of being best man. today, thursday, january 11th, 2018. ♪ in the middle of the night, in my dreams ♪ >> shoutout to my family in massachusetts. my friends in kentucky. i'm on the "today" show. >> today is a great day to be on the plaza. >> buffalo loves hoda and savannah! ♪ in the middle of the night in my dreams ♪ >> it's been on my bucket list my whole life, and i finally made it to the "today" show. >> 69th birthday. >> i'm celebrating on "today"! >> awe! >> thank you for the baby shot, control room. good morning and thank you so much for being with us. nice to have you with us on a

thursday morning. >> the weather is nice outside. we'll see you there in a bit. we have a lot to get to this half hour, beginning with your news at 8:00. rescue teams are urgently trying to find more survivors after the death toll from the california mudslides rose overnight. nbc's gadi schwartz joins us with the latest there. hey, gadi. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, hoda. this morning, today, much of the search focus will shift into homes like this one, can rescuers going from house to house to make sure no one may be trapped inside. you can see the markings there. this morning, we have a firsthand look at the terrifying moments where this wall of mud swept through. >> oh, my god, mom! close the door. >> reporter: this video shows the force and speed of deadly floodwaters tearing through montecito monday night. a wall of water so powerful, it mangled cars, tossing some into the nearby pacific ocean. >> all around the house was like roaring rapids with rocks and cars. we saw my mom's car get lifted

up and floated down. my car is in the roof of the house over there. >> reporter: among the dead, roy rohter, founder of the st. augustine catholic academy, swept out of his home. >> it is a massive operation we have underway. still in the search and rescue mode. >> reporter: hayden gower was looking for his mother, josie. >> i don't know how anyone could survive this. >> reporter: her body was later found on wednesday. her family says they're devastated. alex is searching for his sister and her son. what kind of mom was she? >> the best mom i know. >> reporter: hundreds have been successfully rescued. many by air. including a newborn baby. others remain trapped inside their own homes. roads, impassable, blocked by mud, debris, downed power lines and trees. just weeks after wildfires devastated this same area. >> it was paradise. until this fire and this rain. >> reporter: oprah winfrey

surveying the devastation on her own property. >> there used to be a fence right here. that's my neighbor's house. devastated. >> reporter: and facebook timinh ellen degeneres, who had to evacuate her montecito home. >> i love montecito so much. it is the greatest community. >> it is. you know what is devastating? we've lost so many lives and it is such a tiny, little community. >> reporter: a tight-knit community digging out from tragedy. >> we have quite a few fun rera to go to now, and it is really hard. i'm so grateful that all of our family got out. >> reporter: and so many loved ones holding on to hope for a miracle. it has been more than 48 hours since this mudslide happened. the recovery here expected to take months. hoda, back to you. >> gadi schwartz, thank you. a new poll is giving the president mixed reviews. he tweeted about it this morning. because 66% of respondents said

the economy is excellent or good, and mr. trump was quick to point out it is the highest number ever recorded by the poll. however, the same poll had the president with an approval rating of just 36% and a disapproval rating of 59%. in addition, 69% said he is not level-headed. 63% said he isn't honest. 57% said he is not fit to serve as president. a mixed bag in the poll. baltimore hospital is under fire over a viral video that appears to show people in uniform leaving a disoriented patient alone at a bus stop. she was wearing nothing but socks and a hospital gown on a cold night. >> wait, you are all going to leave this lady out here with no clothes on? that is not okay. why don't you go and sit down, ma'am. you don't look well. come and sit down. >> bystander recorded that scene tuesday night outside the

university of maryland medical center. hospital officials say they were shocked and disappointed by what they saw in the video and have launched an investigation. however, they do say the video does not show the quality of care the woman received while she was in the hospital. they add that there are circumstances of her case that cannot be addressed publicly. >> that is a disturbing video. hoda, let's do our morning boost. >> let's warm it up. a warm-warming moment in quincy, massachusetts. a third grader returned to school after she was gone for 15 months, undergoing cancer treatments and stem cell replacement. 8-year-old bridget kelly came back to school. she was greeted by hundreds of students and teachers and parents and police officers. they all welcomed her back to school. there was a little boy in her class, by the way, who launched a facebook page that helped organize the special return. everybody wanted bridget to know she was missed. bridg bridget's mom said she felt so special after a long and hard road. >> that's a good one. thank you so much. much more ahead today, including our exclusive

interview with the teacher who was handcuffed and arrested for speaking her mind at a public meeting. what she wants you to take away from that story. then could there be a surprise best man at the royal wedding of prince harry and meghan markle? first, a look ahead at megyn's show. what's coming up? >> actor james franco accused this morning by at least five women of sexual misconduct. this as michael douglas speaks out, preemptively defending a suspected allegation about him. we'll have the latest on all of it top of the hour. >> thanks. coming up, we think you'll be blown away when you meet this 8-year-old boy some are calling the next einstein. wait till you check him out. wait till you check him out. you can now reserve a car online and carmax will hold it for you up to seven days, for free. you come in when it's convenient i know this because i'm from seven days in the future. now don't be frightened, seven days in the future is a glorious place. after all you had two good hair days in a row... perfect. right out of bed. and this car you reserved on carmax.com

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over a controversial rep we told you about on wednesday. >> a louisiana teacher was forcibly removed and handcuffed after raising concerns at a school board meeting about the superintendent's pay raise. this morning, she's speaking out in an exclusive interview with nbc's tammy leitner. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, guys. deyshia hargrave is back at school teaching again today. she tells me she has no regrets about speaking out, and if given the opportunity, she would do it again. >> what are you doing? >> reporter: this morning, deyshia hargrave is having a hard time making sense of what happened. >> stop resisting. >> reporter: being thrown out of a school board meeting, slapped in handcuffs and arrested. >> i just kept thinking, this is really happening. this is really happening. he's really doing this. >> reporter: speaking exclusively to nbc news, the young middle schoolteacher is now known by millions across the country. >> it's sad that a woman has to be forcibly, violently removed from a board meeting for people to start caring.

i feel like it is a slap in the face. >> reporter: many are calling hargrave a hero for standing up and questioning her superintendent's $30,000 raise, when she and her fellow teachers have not seen a pay increase in almost a decade. >> how are you going to take that money? it's basically taking it out of our pockets as teachers. >> stop right now. >> i don't support our people getting arrested. i do not. however, a person has to follow the rules. >> reporter: the superintendent telling his side of the story. saying his district ranks sixth in performance. while among the superintendents, his salary is 57th. >> she was questioning if you deserve a raise. can't you use it better in the classroom? you can always use more money in the classroom. but when is a good time for a superintendent to get a raise? >> reporter: since the contentious meeting, he said him, his family and staff have been bombarded with death threats and obscenities.

>> my sisters, family, we're all educators. for the threats against them, more people were hurt. it is not fair to our families, anyone's families, anyone. >> reporter: hargrave says she's only seen the video of her arrest twice, finding it too disturbing to watch. >> the realization that my students were going to see the video and i had to go to work the next day, and i teach fifth and sixth graders, so i wasn't sure how they'd feel about it. >> reporter: she said they were okay. >> they're fine. i'm fine. >> reporter: a teachable moment. >> i'm hoping for teachers, people outside of education, to have a voice. show up. you don't have to say anything. just show up. just do something. >> reporter: deyshia tells us she'd like an apology from the superintendent and the deputy who arrested her. we're told the school district will not be pressing charges. hoda, savannah? >> all right. tammy, interesting one.

thank you. let's move over and talk to mr. roker about the weather. >> got a lot going on. we have a big storm system making its way into the pacific northwest, with rain, heavy rain, snow, possible flooding. we have a snowy, icy conditions through the upper plains and mississippi river valley ahead of it. warmth and heavy rain. warming up in the northeast. we're seeing the changes coming up into the weend withke good morning. i'm meteorologist bill henley. a mild morning. this afternoon, mostly cloudy skies, a few breaks of sunshine in the suburbs. philadelphia, 53 degrees this afternoon. 50s in new jersey and at the shore we'll see a lot of melting during the day today. lehigh valley stayed above freezing all night long, 50 this afternoon. delaware will see a few breaks in the clouds, up to 51 degrees. rain late tonight. have a great day. >> don't forget, check check usn sirius xm channel 108 as you

leave your house. hoda? all right. willie is here. time to trend. >> let's do it. >> ready? >> yeah. >> a big trend right now, parenting books are flying off the shelves. not just parenting or american parenting but parenting in other countries of the world. we're fascinated by how other people learn their children. we could learn things from them maybe. the "new york post" scanned these and came up with take aways. in china, according to some of the books, a lot of parents expect perfection, resulting in high-achieving children. of course, that reminds us about the book "the tiger mom," which we've heard of. a lot of japanese parents say they don't stress about screen time. they say, you know, enjoy your screen time. >> sky is the limit, as much as you want? >> yeah. >> okay. >> in france, they say they don't have those helicopter parents. they try to encourage their kids to be independent. in fact, they had settings where the parents were eating at this table and a children were at a

restaurant at that table, having fun and enjoying themselves. argentina, they say, don't worry about bedtimes. one book says they let their kids go to bed when they want. >> interesting. >> then they say they're more well rested. do you have any little parenting hacks that you would -- >> set bedtime and stick to it. >> ground them until they're 18. >> i don't know. >> i got my daughter an ipad for christmas this year. lucy got an ipad. haven't seen her since. the screen time thing resonates with me and a lot of parents. you have to manage. we've set apart the 30 minutes. you can go all in for the 30 minutes, then it is going away. it is after the homework. >> then it goes to the two screen things. she's on the ipad and then the tv is on behind it. >> i can remember in junior tal phone. >> yes. >> my parents would be like, annie gets a half hour on the telephone. savannah gets a half hour hon te

telephon telephone. you wanted to talk to your friends. >> one lady told me this is something to do with your kids. when i talk to haley, i often talk over here and don't hear what she's saying. listen. your kids tell you things, even if it's not words. i remembered that. >> the lady from gejeremgermany kids run with scissors. >> play with matches. >> play on this side of the wall. pop startstart, carson. >> princess charlotte started preschool in style this week. how is she doing? a source told "people" she's confident, energetic and always chatting. adding she has beautiful manners. we expect that. another surprising talent, she speaks a little spanish. her nanny is from spain and picked up some of the language from her. prince william is sharing details about the upcoming royal wedding. harry and meghan markle.

>> may 19. >> he joked, well, he hasn't asked him to be the best man, to clear that up. could be a sensitive subject. margot robbie, the actress stopped by ellen. chatted about the first time they met. margot was on her honeymoon to tahiti and her husband, tom, wore short shorts at the hotel gym with nothing underneath. he thought they weren't going to ran into anybody. they ran into ellen on the treadmill. >> tom's face has gone white. you're like, hi, hi. i was like, oh, my gosh, ellen. lovely to meet you. this is my wife. lovely to meet you. i was star struck. then you were like, have you met obama? we were like, what? >> standing next to them is former president barack obama. >> apparently, there was some stretching classes involved, which included a lot of lunges.

her husband, tom, said it was the worst day of his life. though people who had to witness it, may have been the worst day of their lives. what's next, anybody? >> i bet al roker. >> already did me. >> special series, boys changing the world. we did the girls changing the world not long ago. >> we've been waiting for the boys. >> we headed over to the intrepid sea, air and space museum to meet this 8-year-old. it's clear for him, the sky is the limit. >> i had the idea that i wanted to make a star. >> you want to make a star? >> yes, i did. i said i wanted to put it in the galaxy. >> why? why do you want to make a star? >> i just had the idea when i was 4. >> do you think it is possible to make a real star? >> i do. >> how are you going to do that? >> i'm going to have to make a new physics. >> yes, you heard right. rom

romanieo, only 8, wants to invest a new physics and a new star. >> he had a great interest in understanding more about the elements, how they worked, and how the universe is in us and we are in the universe. that was conversations we started having probably around 2 1/2. >> what's that? >> very good. >> he knows his stuff, like electron configuration. >> challenge me all you want. i know the electron con fir rati -- configuration of all the elements. >> n? >> nitrogen. 1s2, 2s2, 2p3. this is easy for me. >> i heard you like the big words. >> i know. >> keeping up with him wasn't easy. >> the electron was upgraded. now it is 9.10938356. >> how do you keep all the numbers in your head? that's amazing. >> well, because as i said, once

you master it, it's child's play. >> you ready? >> his playground includes trips to museums like the intrepid. >> that's an impeding storm. >> and the national gallery of art in washington, d.c. all part of his homeschool curriculum. >> we'll go up and study a painting. >> he's been referred to as the next einstein. he keeps his dad on his toes. you have a science background, but he is probably surpassing that already. >> he is. he is. we focus on the creative scientist in him, which is why playground play is essential for his development. it's essential for his mind. >> i was going to ask you, because people might see this and think, does he get to be a kid? >> we do a mean scooter, you know. yeah? >> romanioes parents say he

builds with legos but is a science superstar. >> let's look at the rocket. >> how many kids get a vip pass to a rocket launch at nasa's goddard space flight center? >> come on. what is this? >> one-on-ones can nasa engineers and their space-bound experiments. could you show me organic chemistry? >> of course. >> it's not exactly rocket science, but using french fries and popcorn, he showed me how to build hydrocarbon. >> methane, ch4, the simplest hydrocarb hydrocarbon. >> do you ever eat your hydrogens? >> those are carbons. >> oh. i'll never learn. >> you will. trust me, this is easy. unless you want to eat the element of life, this is carbon. this is perfect. >> the element of life. cheers. >> okay. >> this kid is incredible.

he also has perfect pitch. you play a note, and he's incredible. i've said it all week long, the kids are amazing. it is an example of parents pouring themselves into their kids. >> i feel like a slacker. >> you did? i was the dope of the show. >> you've never looked more confused than in that interview when he was rattling off the elements. >> what? >> will you have a cheeseburger and carbons for lunch today? >> exactly. oh, french fries, yay. >> that was awesome. >> like a trained seal. coming up next, get ready

nbc 10 news starts now. 8:26 i'm tracy davidson. clouds to start your day. >> we'll see clouds for most of the day, but we won't get my ra rain for most of the day. the temperatures slowly climb. it really didn't get all that cold overnight. philadelphia in the low 40s. at the shore, it's close to 50 degrees for wildwood and atlantic city. it's warmer in the mountains, 44 degrees. we'll warm into the 50s today. jessica boyington has a look at the roads. >> we're watching 95 right now on the betsy ross bridge. still some delay on the

southbound side, 36 minutes from wo woodhaven road to the vine street expressway. wood lane road, a little slow there. we're even seeing some northbound delay. we continue to follow breaking news in camden county gloucester township where a standoff with an armed man is now in its 12th hour. police are talking by phone to the suspect. the person fired shots at police around 8:00 last night, hitting an armored swat vers to stay indoors. closed in the area are closed. the doctor hired with hiring a hit man to kill his wife is scheduled to appear in court. more news in 25 minutes. always stay updated with our nbc 10 app. ,000 deaths in america last year.

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8:30. it is a thursday morning as we walk out on the plaza and see what's going on outside. feeling nice and warm. we've got a good crowd going on. we're bringing up the rear. >> it's warm out here. >> i know. why are we so late today? i don't know. here we are. >> we're all together. >> yes. >> all right. we have a big, beautiful crowd. we have a very talented crowd, you guys. i don't know if you know how talented our crowd is. we found this lovely lady. what is your name? >> lydia waldrop. >> lydia wants to be a singer. where are you from? >> memphis, tennessee. >> i think this should be a good audition.

what do you all think? you want to sing something for us? >> of course. >> i hear you like a little martina mcbride. >> oh, yes. "broken wing." >> take it away, sweetie. ♪ with a broken wing she carries her dreams ♪ ♪ man, you ought to see her fly ♪ >> carson? >> nailed it. >> wish somebody worked at the "voice." >> beautiful. >> we'll get you an audition. >> wow. >> that's exciting. >> absolutely. >> carson is passing it on. he turned his chair. coming up, are you suffering regret now that the holiday credit card bills are rolling on in? jean chatzky is here and will help us pay off our debt. secret cash. she has the tips. plus, creative ways to clear the clutter piling up,

especially after hoda's junk draw drawer. >> embarrassed by that. >> megyn? >> we have news on james franco. also a women with an addiction to not drugs, alcohol or food but something else. she is coming clean on the show today. and then a quiz on best lines from '70s and '80s tv. >> al roker! >> i'll give you one. i haven't seen the quiz, but i'll give you one i'm thinking of. who said this, i was -- >> the fonz. how about this, we can rebuild him. >> "six mon >> al can do this all day. >> coach, i'll have another beer. who said this?

"bad news bears." >> "cheers." >> of course. >> norman cliff. >> i'm worrying about my chances. let's get a chance of the forecast. >> norm, how is life treating you? like a dog eat dog world and i'm wearing milkbone underwear. >> that's good. >> thank you. out west, we have a big storm coming in. unsettled weather. we're looking at rain and snow. could be some flooding. we're going to watch this very carefully. the heavy rain moves west, into western washington. the snow levels in the cass 4,0 anywhere from 2 to 3 inches of rain. could be some flooding on the skokomish river. snowfall, 10 to0 2 good morning. i'm meteorologist bill henley. a mild morning. this afternoon, mostly cloudy skies, a few breaks of sunshine in the suburbs.

philadelphia, 53 degrees this afternoon. 50s in new jersey and at the shore we'll see a lot of melting during the day today. lehigh valley stayed above freezing all night long, 50 this afternoon. delaware will see a few breaks in the clouds, up to 51 degrees. rain late tonight. have a great day. >> don't forget, get that weather any time you need it. check out our friends at the weather channel on cable. hoda? >> al, thank you so much. we have a new start today deal of the day for you now. today contributor jill martin is joining us every day, all month long, with items that'll help you tackle your resolutions. jill, what's on tap for today? >> who doesn't want to feel and look thinner? this is how to get slimmer in seconds. the retail, $44.99 to $49.99. there are four styles. you can see all the different ones here. on today.com, you can really see what each do. >> right. >> we use these all the time for ambush makeovers. >> yes. >> there's a lot of ways to wear these, with all outfits you're

wearing. we all need them, no matter your size or fans include julia styles. the retail, $44.99 to 49. 99 and the deal, up to off. >> these are awesome. it's like a girdle. head to today.com with my questions. enjoying the holiday season is one thing. paying it off is another. according to a recent survey by magnify money, americans racked up $1,054 in debt, up 5% since 2016. it's a problem for a few reasons. 64% of people with the debt didn't plan for it, and only half say they will be out of debt in the next three months. that's the hard news. here's the good news, gene chat st -- jean chatzky is here. you have ways to get out of debt for free, kind of. >> we'll take assets you're not using and throw them against the

pricey credit card debt. >> if you have credit cards, you might have points or miles. >> you may be able to turn the points into actual cash. a lot of cards allow you to take the cash bonuses and throw them directly against the debt. in some cases, there's a formula you have to follow. dollars per point. >> yes. >> look at your agreement of your card and see how it translates. it's a good idea even if you were thinking of saving the miles for some sort of trip down the road because just paying the interest charges is really expensive. >> maybe not exciting to use the points in that way but might make sense. you can turn your stuff into cash, right? >> right. if you have unused tech or clothing or furniture, you can just sell it largely online. you know, you have an iphone 6 sitting around. you're waiting to turn it into an iphone 8 or iphone x. it's worth $200. clothing, luxury

is clothing. letgo is an app you can sell things you don't use. >> gift cards. >> you're not going to get full straig freight but you'll get close. j. crew gift card, amazon at $50, you'll get about $43. it's not bad. again, you just throw it right against your debt. >> one of my favorite things, the unclaimed money site. >> we've talked about this before. check it again. i did this on the car on the way in. i didn't find money for me, unfortunately, but i found money for members of my family. missingmoney.org and unclaimed.org are the websites. easy to claim it if you are owed it. it's like utility deposits and money you forgot that you had. >> i love that. your insurance company. riddle me this one. i don't get it. >> a lot of insurance companies are mutual companies. they're owned by their shareholders. they pay you a check or dividend at the end of the year around

$100 or $200, which is great. there are other things, too. if you're an allstate customer and you get a good driver discount, that could be 5% of your premium. you get it twice a year. it is amazing. some health insurance companies are actually paying you like $1 a day for every day that you do your 10,000 steps. oscar is one such company. >> really? >> up to $240 this year. it's not bad. >> you just walk it off. walk off your debt. >> you do. >> but you have to have a plan. that's the main thing. >> right. okay. so unbury.me is a website you can go into the website, type in, this is how much debt i have, these are the cards and the interest rates. it'llvalanche, which is quicker and cheaper. or qoins is a new app. it throws savings against your debt and it is free. >> thank you.

now, let's focus on your home. coming up next, simple solutions to help you organize those messy bedrooms. first, this is "today" on nbc.

welcome back. this morning on get organized today, we're taking things into the bedroom. is your floor covered in clutter? is your night stand full of crazy knickknacks? a neater, cleaner, organized bedroom is on the way. elizabeth is a lifestyle expert. savannah told me this wasn't a segment but an intervention on my life. i'm all ready to play. let's start with the night stand. a lot of times, and i know mine has a lot of junk and extra stuff on it. i have cables ask thi s and thi. what should one do? >> you need to know what type of person you are. i'm a reader and mine is covered with books. fine. limit it. you want one drawer to put your stuff in. you don't want it cluttered with

stuff. one of the great things now, the new techn y this little night stand from ikea charges your phone. if you are a person who keeps your phone, you want it on silent but put it down here and it charges without plugs. >> without any cables.ch i real. but because of our phones, we don't have to have the alarm clock and everything. do away with it and keep it to a minimum. >> clean. you have to have spaces to put things. this is genius. >> we think about spreading horizontally. you want to maximize vertal spa -- vertical spac otherwise, you have a headboard behind a bed. >> what's the point? >> bookshelves you can get from ikea for not a lot. i just filled them with a color coordinated box. these are from container store. again, if you coordinate it, if you look organized, you're going to feel organized. >> something a lot of us forget about, it's the space underneath the bed where you can cram a lot

of stuff. >> unbelievable. >> yeah. >> there's all different kinds of storages. go to the container store or rubbermaid. they have all kinds of bins that pull out. >> winter coats, stuff like that. >> this is where to put stuff that's out of season. and even like these are great because they're lined. if you' they zip up so you won't get the dust bunnies. >> this is a great storage area for pillows and sheets or whatever. >> great looking. it's from world market. you can get anything, it comes in a bunch of colors. maximize every bit of space in your house because it is, again, going to build up if you don't. >> some people do work in their bedroom. they have a work space. it can get to be a big mess. what do you do? >> this can be a clog on your sleep time because it stresses you. you really want something that closes up. i love this one. >> oh. >> tah-dah. >> you see? >> i can go to sleep and rest now. that is a really useful thing. >> a lot of people do work and they have a bunch of paperwork

and things like that that they have in the bedroom. what do you think is a good way to deal with that? >> i suggest a little caddy that you can carry from room to room. put your files, pens, whatever it is. that way, they're not going to stack and sit one place. >> all sprawled out. >> it can go where you go. the truth is, hoda, you don't want this stuff to creep into your life. i say, get rid of the mail when you're at the garbage. you're going through it. don't bring the catalogs and all that into your house. the magazines are stacking up and you're not reading them, you might want to think about going digital. >> one last great storage thing, if you want a place to sit but also a smart place to put cool things. >> $50 from target. >> so good. >> so easy. >> elizabeth, you did it again. >> thank you. >> that's what you do. by the way, we have even more tips on our facebook page at today.com/facebook or something like that. anyway, just ahead -- you'll find the page if you want it. hardy soups to warm you up. three tasty and comfortable

reci recips.

we're back with today food. we're warming you up with winter soups. we have not one but three hot and delicious recipes that are perfect for the season. john waite is a british chef with a cooking school across the pond. we walked in and said, wow, smells amazing. what are we doing? >> all the soups in a world. spice lentil soup. ham and kale soup. gorgeous and delicious. a also here. >> french onion. i have all the stuffed onions, brie, cheddar cheese, onion. we'll get to that. the key to onion soup is, obviously, the onions. >> red or white? >> usually, you use pink onions. they're elusive and you can't get them here. use white and red. >> a mixture.

>> cook these at least 50 minutes. low and slow. if you don't, you don't get the caramelization. little butter and oil. some onions. to that, i'll add the flour. that just helps to thicken the soup. you stir it up. >> after that, you add the flour? >> almost an hour, then add the flour. just plain, regular, all-purpose flour. a good bit of white wine. oh, look at the sizzle. >> we're off to a good start. >> usually, let this boil but we don't have time for that. just put it in. in with beef stock. all i do is bring this to a simmer. cautiously cover it so it doesn't evaporate and go too thick. leave it another 50 minutes or so, until it is ready, one would say. when it's ready, it's ready. >> when does the cheese come into it? >> hold your horses. we're nearly there. not quite. so what i do is after about 50 minutes, i put this in.

if it's not in your scupboard, you don't need it. >> makes it sweeter? >> sweeter and thicker. ladle it into a bowl. now it is time for the cheesy croutons. why don't you pop them on top? >> like a big, old crusty -- >> huge pile. >> love that. >> then i got a mixture of cheeses. i've got some brie. lay it on. go on. you can help. >> classic cheese, all brie? >> and also cheddar. >> i'm going crazy on this. >> how do you melt it? >> we have to keep going. >> under the broiler. >> i'll be here with the cheese. >> are you eating already? >> by the way, this lentil soup is on fire. >> this is lentil. spice lentil soup. these have been rinsed and drained. simply into a pan with vegetable stock. took for 30 minutes. >> cover it and boil it up?

>> don't cover, just simmer gently. leave it to do its thing for 30 minutes. all the ingredients are there. spice paste here which has an array of aromatics so it is really healthy. onion, tomato, ginger, garlic. >> complex, this soup. >> it is complex but simple. ingredients are complex but it is easy to make. >> love lentil soup. >> mush them down with a potato masher. i'll put in the gorgeous -- >> oh, dump this stuff? >> right in there. >> awesome. >> you've already got on it. >> i've got on it. carson, here. get on that. >> try that. >> that one is yours. >> uncle al, what do you have? >> double ham, kale and pasta. >> smoked bacon is better, as well as onions. add some garlic because you can't have an italian soup without garlic. >> absolutely. >> kale. you can use spinach, whatever you want to use. >> sure. >> amazing. >> throw it in. you like it?

>> yes. is soups your thing? >> one of my things. >> you're an amazing chef. >> thank you. >> it is one of his many things. >> so good. >> thank you. so warming and healthy. >> john campbell, apparently. >> let it simmer ten minutes. throw in some pasta. you could use rice if you wanted. >> so good. >> that's the second pan? >> enjoy it, yeah. >> more ham if you want. give it a stir, al. to serve it, i use parmesan cheese. i'll grate a little cheese. >> not on this one. this is for hoda. she doesn't eat cheese. >> you don't do cheese? >> thank you. >> i eat cheese. >> trade your italian for lentil. >> have you had all three? >> this french onion is my favorite. the flavor of the lentil is really off the chain, too. >> this is awesome. >> who doesn't love soup? >> this is the time of year for it, too. >> it is. thank you so much. if you want to get any of these recipes, go to today.com/food.

we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. >> make this for dinner and have >> make this for dinner and have it theel: broke, homeless, r selling my body to get high, locked up, a slave to heroin - that was my life. married, a homeowner, a professional, recovering and thriving - that's my life now. i got help. you can too. new years means a new day for those struggling with addiction. don't suffer. don't wait. choose help. call 844 reachnj or visit reachnj.gov

chef made three deliver soups. the french onion, this is magic. >> i'm in a coma now. >> so good. >> i think we have a little extra time. i reconstituted the daly click for this portion of the program. this happened to me. this time of the year, commuting can be tough, but the challenges for this virginia dad, it started long before he got in his car. this is tim. he hits the black ice. >> whoa! >> hold on. doing good. wait for it. >> oh! wow. >> going down his driveway. look at that. incredible balance. >> that's amazing. >> could be an olympian. >> plays for the islanders now, apparently. >> he'll be in a remake of "home

alone." >> people are writing, who is taking the video? it is from his security camera. his daughter pulled it up. >> his wife, yeah. oh, honey, that looks terrible. >> you survived the black ice fall. for the fourth our, jack black is going to sing for us. >> whoa! >> you might want to come downstairs and take a peek. we also have bernadette peters. it'll be a good show. >> i can't stop eating this soup. john, what have you put in it? >> love. >> sorry. >> love. >> recipes on today.com. >> the lentil is the healthy one but

. nbc 10 news starts now. just a couple minutes before 9:00. let's check with meteorologist bill henley with your most accurate neighborhood forecast. >> we've got lots of clouds, but temperatures are slowly climbing, now up to 43 in philadelphia, 41 in the suburbs and 41 in new jersey. a lot of the snow is disappearing. you see just a little bit of snow there. we'll see a lot of that disappear during the day as the

temperatures climb into the low 50s in wilmington. everybody is going to see low 50s this afternoon. rain moves in late tonight. now let's check on the roads with jessica boyington. >> on the southbound side of 95 traffic approaching the bridge, seeing huge delays southbound because of a crash up ahead. they're barely moving at all in comparison to the northbound side. the schuylkill expressway is seeing pretty slow drive times too. the eastbound side, 33 minutes right now. almost the same on the westbound side from the blue route to the vine, speeds in the 20s in both directions. we continue to follow breaking news in camden county gloucester township. police are talking with the suspect by phone. the person fired shots at police around 8:00 last night, hitting an armored swat vehicle at one point. police want neighbors to stay

indoors. schools in the area are closed as a precaution. there's still time on the get on the eagles' road to victory bus and leave the team a message of support. fans were there this morning getting cool swag and signing the side of the bus. at 11:00 a.m. the bus travels to cherry hill, then back to philadelphia.

morning, everybody. good morning, everyone. i'm megyn kelly. this morning, the me too movement is heating up. as actor james franco now stands accused by at least five women of sexual misconduct. the "l.a. times" printing a lengthyeport on him today, alleging sexual misconduct by franco at his acting school and with several aspiring, young actors, charges franco denies. he was at the golden globes previously with a pin of time's up. we're seeing fallout. again, he is denying misconduct. but these accusers, so you know, do not