with a look at why democrats and republicans are focusing in on bernie sanders. brett: doctors out with a new drinks. these are details every parent will want to hear. >> you can look for news updates anytime inside the wesh 2 noble snow-m-g. the nation's capital gets ready for what could be one of its worst storms ever. this as an inch in washington last night brings the city to a stop. commuters stuck for hours. even the president delayed. how will they deal with the two feet that could be coming? another day, another drop. the dow plunged again, losing 550 points. will it rebound today? taking no prisoners. donald trump unloads on his rivals, from fellow republican ted cruz. >> he's two-faced.

>> and bernie sanders. >> he's a wacko. he's beating hillary clinton. >> palin piles on. is the one-two punch helping or hurting? mountain of trouble. a snowborder causes an avalanche. he makes it out alive but will he dip g himself out of the legal trouble he could be facing today, thursday, january 21st, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie live from studio 1a. >> good morning, everybody. when we played that video, with the sound up, it would have sounded like, beep, beep. preparations underway for what could be a historic storm.

taste of what's to come last night. if this was a trial run, its did not go well. here's a look at the traffic on i-270, outside d.c. this morning. our weather team, al and dylan, have it all covered. dylan, let's start with you. good morning. >> good morning, matt. you know, it's been 94 years since washington, d.c. has had a two foot snowstorm and we're waiting for it to come this weekend. the salt depot here says they're ready for it. this is what 22,000 tons of salt looks like. add that to dozens of trucks and more on standby, you think we're good to go as we await the weekend's potentially historic blizzard. last night, just one inch, shows d.c. has more preparing to do. >> reporter: call it the storm before the storm. a small taste of what's to come.

people stuck on d.c. high highways s highways for hours. >> cars are abandoned and everything. >> reporter: the traffic report sounding like rush hour into overnight. >> many drivers still caught up in the volume, which has come to a stop. >> reporter: not even president obama's motorcade could avoid the wintry mess. slipping and sliding with everyone else on the roads. hundreds of crashes reported in virginia. navigation systems showing a travel nightmare after an inch of snow. a historic storm is less than 48 hours away. >> could have top two, three of all time. >> if this is what a single inch does, how can we handle a blizzard? the mayor of d.c. asking drivers to stay off the roads. 2,000 volunteers ready to help those in need. >> we haven't had a forecast that stormed 24 inches in my memory. >> reporter: last time d.c. saw something this bad, 2010,

shutting down the city for days. bad memories for taylor of this hardware store. >> people were grabbing shovels. >> reporter: preparations already underway. >> home depot is out of everything. >> reporter: at a costco, shelves empty. lines ominously long. >> i need the eggs. >> we're picking up extra wine and beer. >> reporter: at reagan airport, travelers trying to escape early. several airplanes waving fees for passengers to switch flights. >> even the uber driver was like, get ready, man. >> reporter: residents along the east coast are bracing for the winter storm. >> get ready, everybody. >> yesterday at reagan national, it wasn't much better. we landed fine. we were delayed more than an hour for a gate. there's only one deicer, and it's at the gate. there was nowhere to go. people are happy this is hitting

on a saturday. maybe everybody stays home. >> thank you very much. >> al, what do you expect? >> we brought some accumulations down as you get north, but we still feel like it'll be a major deal for our friends in the washington area, virginia. 80 million people plus affected by some sort of winter storm watch, warning, blizzard watch. we have blizzard watches in the new york city area, washington and baltimore area. a blizzard basically means for three hours or more, you have sustained winds of 35 miles per hour or greater. falling snow and dropping the visibility to less than 1/4 mile. here's where we have the system now. it'll cause severe weather for florida, possibility of tornadoes, but snow from memphis all the way to washington, d.c. starting later today. as we get into early saturday, we're looking for blizzard conditioning dropping in the mid-atlantic. costal low will form. off the carolina, it'll move off the coast. saturday, it starts to strengthen. heavy snow from philadelphia to washington, d.c.

winds increase here in new york city. costal threats, we're looking at wind gusts of 60 miles per hour. that's going to cause costal flooding, and that'll be augmented by the fact there is an astronomical high tide. flooding from long island to new jersey. as far as accumulations, the big number is going to be somewhere in west virginia or western virginia. for example, harrisonburg, snow through saturday, 24 inches or more. we go to our nation's capital. we expect the snow to start sometime friday afternoon. there's blizzard watches that begin friday during the evening rush hour. 18 to 24 inches. philadelphia, city of brotherly love, the snow will begin sometime late friday through early saturday morning. heavy, wet snow. look for power lines coming down. there's going to be stress on roofs. the snowfall forecast, 10 to 16 inches. here in new york city, look for

about 5 to 8 inches of snow. wind gusts of 50 miles per hour, costal flooding. that'll also bring problems. blizzard watch saturday and sunday. then move to boston. boston, you lucked out. you're going to only see, maybe, two inches of snow through saturday afternoon into sunday morning. by sunday afternoon, it is out of here. but there's a lot of moving parts to this system, which we will continue to cover. >> after last year, the folks in boston could use a break. >> exactly. >> al, thanks very much. let's talk about the rough ride on wall street. the worst a start to a year in history. at one point in on wednesday, the dow dropped more than 550 points before a late rally to close down about 249 points. driving it all? plunge ing oil prices, at the lowest level since 2003. olivia sternss s is at the new york stock exchange. low oil prices are a good thing, generally speaking, but they're

falling so fast, they're sweeping up not only energy stocks. >> that's right, matt. good morning. this is because it's not just about chevron and exron xonexxon, it's because the energy industry overall is a big piece of the american economy. when these big energy companies have to slash their plans for spending and they have to lay off thousands of people, all the companies and communities that support these big oil majors suffer. that's exactly what we've seen already happening in places like north dakota and oklahoma. a few years ago, these boom towns on the back of shale oil, they're now hurting, matt. >> after what starts in the day, we go down 500 something points, were we seeing panic selling? >> indeed. wall street is a herd mentality, so momentum is in and of itself. in a selloff and a rally. the force of the selling seems to be stronger. people down here joke that wall street predicted nine of the

last five recessions. the truth is, we did go an unusually long period without a correction in the market. we went four years until last year. that's unusual. now, the fed raised rates and they don't come out every time the stock market starts to wobble and say, don't worry, we'll keep rates lower for longer. the truth is, matt, this is an economy that has been producing 200,000 jobs now for four straight years. we're still growing at about 2.5%. that is not an economy on the brink of recession. >> olivia stearns, thanks very much. i like that joke. >> me, too. little wall street humor for your day. let's talk politics. the presidential race, 11 days left before the iowa caucuses. the feud between republican rivals donald trump and ted cruz is really escalating. the candidates trying out new jabs as new trump backer sarah palin hits the campaign trail with jabs of her own. we have complete coverage, beginning with peter alexander. good morning. >> good morning to you.

with that friendship now giving way to a feud, it is the head to head matchup that could decide the next republican nominee. donald trump still on the offensive. ted cruz aggressively trying to unify conservatives, arguing that supporting trump means siding with the washington establishment. >> reporter: donald trump zeroing in on his number one target, ted cruz. >> he's two-faced. >> reporter: railing at his rival with the ultimate insult for any republican. >> worse than hillary. >> reporter: cruz casting himself as the true conservative. >> we're seeing the washington establishment abandoning marco rubio and unifying behind donald trump. mr. trump's pitch to the washington establishment is he's a deal maker. >> reporter: that rebuttal after bob dole told the "new york times" the gop would suffer losses if cruz becomes its nominee. sarah palin talking for trump got personal.

>> reporter: the former vice presidential pick addressing headlines about her son, arrested on monday for domestic violence against his girlfriend. >> my son, like so many others, they come back a bit different. they come back hardened. it starts from the top. the question though, it comes from our own president, where they have to look at him and wonder, do you know what we go through? do you know what we're trained to do? to secure america. >> reporter: cruz securing his own reality tv star power, with an endorsement from "duck dynasty." >> they kill a duck and make a good duck gumbo. >> reporter: with trump and cruz slugging it out, the establishment candidates eyeing an opening. >> new this morning, jfk's grandson is diving into the debate. ted cruz is no jack kennedy. pouncing on cruz's claim that kennedy would be a republican today. he wriets, tes, i find this

up my grandfather's mantle absurd absurd. >> peter, thank you. let's look at the democrats now with bernie sanders surging. hillary clinton's campaign is pulling out all the stops to try to slow his growing momentum. nbc's andrea mitchell is in iowa with more on that. hi, andrea. good morning. >> good morning, matt. hillary clinton is crisscrossing iowa today, trying to prevent bernie sanders from sweeping both iowa and his neighboring new hampshire. >> thank you. >> reporter: hillary clinton in iowa, fighting off a bernie sanders surge. >> it's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get back up. i've gotten back up time and time and time again. >> reporter: touting her experience in a new ad, invoking 9/11. >> the senator who helped a city rise again. the secretary of state who stood up for america. >> reporter: sanders unleashed his own ad, showcasing his vote against the iraq war, which she supported. >> i voted against the war in iraq, and that was the right vote. >> reporter: clinton is relying

on her husband to make her case. >> this has turned into an interesting election. >> reporter: for the first time, criticizing sanders without naming him. >> her opponent says, hillary's opponent says, the one place she disagrees with her opponent is -- are the clin >> reporter: the clinton campaign says they want to run against a socialist. >> they want to use the term socialist to frighten people away from bernie sanders. i'm not saying it would be fair. i'm saying it would be a reality. >> reporter: clinton's fear, losing iowa and new hampshire, where one poll shows sanders 27 points ahead. even sanders' aides think it's closer than that. 14,000 volunteers. a new bus to get to rural areas. enough money to go the distance. >> bernie sanders understands how to win build build winning campaigns. he'll bring people in who

wouldn't be there unless he's the nominee of the party. >> sanders is in new hampshire today, and clinton heads there tomorrow before both come back to iowa, where the critical caucuses are a week from monday. matt and savannah? >> andrea, thanks. chuck todd is here, "mod moderator of "meet the press." i wonder why it took so long for the socialism argument to take so long to be front and center. you can imagine republicans running a hammer ad. is this a winning strategy for clinton's campaign? >> right now, i don't know. i think in the long run, when you start getting more states involved, yes, it's possible, when you focus the electorate on that. the iowa democratic caucus, a poll asked democrats whether the word "socialist" or "capitalist" described them. 43% said they're identified as socialist. 38% identified as capitalist. this isn't a winning argument in iowa right now. >> let's go to the republican

side. ted cruz is trying outs ing ing out a new strategy. after months of running against donald trump as the outsiders, splitting the vote, he said, wait a minute, the establishment of the republican party is starting to come around to donald trump. he's now the establishment candidate. is it effective? >> i don't know yet. i think it's hard to sit there and say that donald trump, and his new pal sarah palin, are part of the establishment. ted cruz is partially right. the establishment is going, if you're going to make us pick between trump and cruz, we'll take trump over cruz. but i think that to sit here and say he can somehow make the connection to voters to say, donald trump is part of the establishment, i don't know if believe that. >> meanwhile, one of the polls i saw in new hampshire had cruz coming in second. usually, new hampshire is the place where moderates and mainstream candidates have their chance to do well. what do you make of cruz making a run in new hampshire? >> cruz is on his own.

we talk about the lanes. the trump lane, the establishment lane. no one is fighting for the cruz vote, the libertarian, evangelical vote. it's not the dominant electorate in new hampshire, but if he's the only guy going for it -- look, if cruz wins iowa, i think he will be second. we're looking at trump-cruz. i don't know how the establishment breaks through, if they don't take cruz down in iowa. >> chuck todd, thank you very much. in other news, the obama administration could announce today new visa requirements for some european travelers. federal officials want to make it harder for europeans who have fought for isis to enter the united states. the new rules would affect europeans who are dual nationals of iran, iraq, sudan or syria, who visited those countries in the last five years. on capitol hill, senate democrats blocked a bill that would crack down on syrian

the flint water crisis in michigan, rick snyder is asking president obama to reconsider the federal aid. he says it's an imminent and long-term threat to residents there. $28 million be pay for more bottled bottled water, nurses and testing. the buffalo bills made history on wednesday, hiring the league's first full-time female assistant coach. catherine smith was named quality control special teams coached. previously served as an administration assistant to rex ryan during his days at the jets. ryan said smith has proven she's ready for the next step. back to the video we showed you, the california snowborder who could be facing criminal charges for his alleged role in triggering an avalanche last year.

wearing a body camera when he boarded down a steep run in northern california. the video shows him buried under do the cascading snow. he was in an active avalanche area, closed to the public. they say he put himself, friends, ski patrol and skiing public at risk. >> good news is, you survived. bad news, you may have committed a criminal offense. >> you know why there are so many expletives on the tape. mr. roker, you're busy these days. >> in the pacific northwest, heavy rain, strong winds from the pacific northwest into california. look for an icy mix in the central part of the country. memphis may see a blizzard warning for them out of the storm. severe risk of strong storms

we'll get to your local eric: waking up to nice, cool temperatures. a bit milder than yesterday. this afternoon, we climb about 30 degrees. we are under a mix >> that's your latest weather. savannah? >> al, thanks. just ahead, was it approved

by vladimir putin? the bombshell report out this morning on the death of a former russian spy, poisoned with a cup of tea. the navy seal who helped kill osama bin laden is under investigation. did he take an unauthorized souvenir from the raid? first, this is "today" on nbc. find your sweet spot today with dunkin's chicken apple sausage sandwich. enjoy sweet apple and savory sausage together for under 400 calories.

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>> this is a wesh 2 news update. michelle: good morning. brett: it is 7:26. sanford police are investigating an overnight shooting in kensington oaks apartments off mellon bill avenue. police -- mellon ville avenue. we will update the story as we learn more. michelle: the man accused of hitting a security guard in orlando is planning to go to court. luis lopez garduno drove into the golf cart and ran away. the guard is in great condition. ted: i-4 westbound really slow this morning. a crash involving a semi-was blocking two lanes at one time. now moved off to the residual, but you still have a backup. give yourself extra times. in marion county 75 southbound

remains blocked off. get off county road 484, take 475 south down to 44 back onto 75. roadway debris blocking a lane slowing things down. eric: in the world of whether it is gorgeous. as we head towards cocoa this is a mix of clouds and sunshine early on your thursday. 44 degrees current temperature, not much wind. 36 in ocala, 41 degrees in daytona beach. as we get into the afternoon, high temperatures are not going to be building around town. 74 degrees are high temperature. 72 degrees in daytona beach and it is 71 in melbourne. first alert futurecast showing just a few clouds around but all in all a beautiful thursday. central florida seven-day forecast shows rain chances coming in for friday and we turned chilly saturday and

7:30 on a thursday. it's the 21st day of january, 2016. chilly morning here in new york city. lots of parts of the country, especially here in the east coast, getting ready for some nasty ready over the next couple days. >> good morning to you. >> on that happy note, let's look at the headlines. the weather is the story. up and down the east coast, people getting ready for the monster storm that's expected to hammer this region in the coming days. the nation's capital is in the cross hairs with up to two feet

last night, d.c. got a little taste of what's to come, a thin coating. it tripled traffic. president obama's motorcade got caught up in the gridlock. the affluenza teen could return to texas. ethan couch has been fighting deportation from mexico, where he fled after missing a meeting with his parol officer. couch's u.s. attorneys say paperwork has been filed to end the ongoing immigration proceeding. oregon's governor calling on federal authorities to stop the ongoing siege by armed protesters at a wildlife refuge. the tense situation that began on january 2nd is causing fear among local residents and must end. let's start with explosive new allegations tied to the fatal poisoning of a former russian spy. nbc's chief global correspondent bill neely has the story. good morning. >> good morning, matt. vladimir putin, as we know, is a former spy himself, and a man

with a grudge. that's according to a british judge, who accused him of probably approving the murder of another former russian spy, a defector here in london. it's a report and allegation that threatens to sour relations even more between russia and the west. >> reporter: alexander lit litvinenko's tea has been poisoned by two russians he met at a hotel. today's report named the men as the likely killers, accused a russian state of ordering the hit, and accused russia's president. >> the operation to kill mr. litvinenko was probably approved by head of the fsb, and also by president putin. >> reporter: litvinenko was a

former russian spy with explosive allegations about putin's links to the russian mafia. he switched sides to work for british intel yens ligence made enemies. two russians, the report says, were sent to london to kill him. they met litvinenko at this hotel and poured him tea, which he drank. it contained a radioactive liquid that likely came from a nuclear reactor in russia. he took three weeks to die. they left a trail of clues but again, today, denied they were the killers. litvinenko accused putin of ordering his murder. the kremlin denies involvement. his wife calls his killing an act of nuclear terrorism. britain wants the suspects extradited to face trial. putin already refused. one of the men is now a lawmaker.

the culprits are still free. >> russia this morning called this report political and rejected its conclusions. the british government said this was a state sponsored murder. this won't help the already strained relations between russia and the west over syria and other issues. but the murder case itself almost certainly ends here. with no one ever likely to face trial for litvinenko's death. >> bill on this bizarre story. thanks very much. now to two investigations connected to the killing of osama bin laden and one of the former navy seals who played a key role in the raid. stephanie gosk is here with the story. >> good morning. best-selling book, former navy seal matthew bissonnette claims he not only shot bin laden, but he also took pictures of the body. a new report alleges bissonnette kept one of the photos for himself.

infamous raid that left osama bin laden dead, a top pentagon official ordered all photos of the body destroyed or turned over, amid concerns the images might be used as anti-u.s. propaganda. a new report says there might have been one photo still out there until recently. according to an article that sites who unnamed sources close to the probe, matthew bissonnette kept an image of bin laden's remains. >> the idea that there are no photos of bin laden running outside of government control is a silly notion. >> reporter: following the release of his best-selling account of the raid "no easy day," and this interview on "60 minutes," while in disguise, bissonnette was under investigation for revealing classified information. investigate ors suspected he may have a photo on his hard drive and struck a deal, guaranteeing they wouldn't arrest bissonnette if he voluntarily turned it over.

>> what we don't know is whether this was a particular one of a close up of his head or body. we do know it was unauthorized. >> reporter: that hard drive may have stirred up more trouble for the former seal. the report said information on the drive triggered a separate investigation, saying bissonnette may have been using his position as a navy seal to illegally steer business to his privately owned companies. >> though those businesses in theory were okayed by the command, it's not clear that the command had a full understanding of what he was doing on his side businesses. >> nbc news did not independently verify the details of the report, but bissonnette's lawyer did tell nbc the investigation into the alleged release of classified information ended last august. he would not comment on the existence of a photo. >> so many stories coming out of that raid. stephanie, thank you very much. let's turn to mr. roker for

a check of the weather. >> we have weather to talk about as far as the west coast. they are seeing more el nino fueled storms coming in to the pacific northwest and northern california. going to get hit hard over the next several days. today, another system stretching from seattle all the way into san francisco. heavy rain and costal gale. a lot of wind coming on in there. saturday morning you'll get a short break and the next system adds to the total. the snow in the sierra will increase, great news for the snow pack. four to five inches of snow. locally, could be six inches in the olympics. the snowfall, we're looking to the sierra, two eric: waking up to nice, cool temperatures. a bit milder than yesterday.

we are under a mix >> the latest on the forecast including the storm head to the weather channel and weather.com, guys. coming up, not so funny. amy schumer under fire for allegedly stealing jokes. what she is saying about the controversy.

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joe fryer takes a look. >> sarah palin has not run for political office on any level in more than seven years, yet she remains a political force. ers and an ability to fundraise. also, no shortage of drama. >> are you ready to make america great again? >> reporter: as sarah palin endorses donald trump, a personal problem surfaces in the shadow of her political life. her son track, an iraq war veteran, charged with misdemeanors after arrested on domestic violence charges. >> my son like others come back a bit different. they come back hardened. >> reporter: it's nothing new for palin, blending the personal and the political. palin resigned as alaska's governor, eventually signing on as a fox news commentator. >> they look at our president as one who wears mom jeans.

>> reporter: me has books and started reality shows like "sarah palin's alaska" on tlc. >> pull. >> good shot. >> reporter: yet, she remains a conservative fire brand, funding like-minded candidates through her political action committee, and lending her voice to the tea party movement. >> these are the front lines in the battle for the future of our country. >> reporter: during the health care debate, palin coined the term, death panel, which was 2009's lie of the year. her reach is great, with millions of followers on facebook and twitter. >> hello and welcome to a new project. >> reporter: palin had to pull the plug on her online channel. >> next question, yes, tina? >> no, it's sarah palin. >> sorry. >> reporter: through it all, she still can't shake her "snl" doable doppelganger. >> looks like i went through time and space again. >> reporter: the timeline follows her family. in 2014, they attended a party that police say turned into a

brawl. no one was arrested. >> what would he be doing pushing girls around though? >> reporter: her daughter, a finalist on "dancing with the stars," called off her wedding last year, then gave birth to her second child last month. >> now, sarah palin is back in the spotlight. it's unclear how much she's going to stump for trump in the coming days. wednesday, she appeared at one rally in oklahoma with trump, but not at one in iowa. >> joe fryer, thank you very much. just ahead, a rare reunion for all four members of savannah's favorite group. >> abba. >> what they're saying about the again. >> you say abba, i say abba. hands. carson has the photo. weight watchers has changed. weight watchers all-new beyond the scale program puts the focus on you and not just the number on the scale. lose weight while eating healthier, with all new smartpoints.

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we are back. 7:49. carson is in the orange room with a sweet moment, and it's going viral this morning. >> it is. these twins were born in australia earlier this month. they were born premature, under 29 weeks. they weighed about 2 pounds. they did require immediate medical attention. when their father was finally able to hold them for the first time, that bond was quite clear. take a look at this video here. see in the center, they're holding hands. heartwarming video. the twins latched on to each other. the couple shared this moment on their facebook page, and the video has been viewed 10 million times. their bond didn't break there. when mom held the babies, as well. they were still holding hands

>> she hesitated to share the video at first because she was worried people might be disturbed, with the babies, seeing their breathing tubes, but she thought it might be helpful. she said, i googled like crazy looking for hope when we were told we might be premature. her story is touching many this morning and both babies are doing very, very well. >> you don't notice the breathing tubes. you just see the little hands. >> really cute. >> so tiny. >> thank you. coming up, is it the death of department stores? major retailers closing dozens of locations. some popular chains are trying to win back your business. on consumer confidential, the inside secrets of hotels. thousands of people came out today to run the race for retirement. so we asked them... are you completely prepared for retirement? okay, mostly prepared? could you save 1% more

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>> this is a wes two news update.

in apopka, officials are trying to figure out if there are more victims in a sex crimes case involving a former elementary school teacher. donald sharp was a third grade teacher when police say he secluded cool hallway. the coyote hunt in indian off. officials were hoping trappers could remove the coyotes. officials say they are not considered a nuisance and cannot be tracked in the park. brett: on i 75 southbound, 75 southbound is shut down. it was a crash involving a semi-and a van and the crash happened just after 6:00 this morning. you are going to have to get out county -- county road 484. i-4 westbound still crawling through volusia county. eric: well it is busy in the

tropic world, the weather world is just about as perfect as can be. filtered sunshine, we will call it, for your thursday. 48 degrees in orlando. still in the 30' s for ocala, 43 degrees in daytona beach. forecast for central florida, east-southeasterly wind. temperatures climbing in the villages, 74 in orlando.

thunderstorms.de it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, death of the department store. how some major retailers are shifting strategy to win back your business. hotel tell-all. an insider reveals secrets of the hotel industry. everything you need to know before you check in. viva j.lo. jenny is on the strip, and hoda is live in las vegas after her spectacular new show. >> it's a fantasy, to have a show in vegas.

21st, 2016. >> we came from alaska to see al. >> celebrating my sweet 16 at the today show. >> hello to friends and family. >> georgia. >> and alabama. >> good morning. >> mother-daughter trip from oklahoma. good morning, everybody. it's thursday, january 21st, 2016. nice day out on our plaza. this is the calm before the storm. the snow is coming to the east, and we're getting ready. we have everybody out on the plaza, present and accounted for. natalie, good job on the throwback thursday song. another win for natalie. blondie, "one way or another." >> finally. >> after that glee selection.

coming up, as we said, we're going to check in with hoda, who was partying it up in las vegas. >> jennifer lopez. >> she was auditioning to be a backup dancer. how did it go, hoda? >> oh, my gosh. it was like a dream. hurry up and get to the spot! it's so fun. >> did you go to sleep, hoda? >> i had an hour, and that's all you need. one hour. >> you wear it well, sister. we'll talk to you soon. also coming up on today's food, we're making lasagna the lighter and easier way, thanks to our slow cooker. >> that's the lighter way? sign me up. first, let's go to natalie for the top stories. we're talking about the east coast bracing for the massive snowstorm expected this weekend. the washington, d.c. area already dealing with an early taste of what's to come. dylan dreyer is there. good morning. >> good morning, natalie. yes, we are awaiting a potentially historic blizzard

that will arrive this weekend. it's been 94 years since washington, d.c. has been hit by two feet of snow. are they ready? yesterday, we had 0.7 inches of snow in washington, d.c. and it wasn't the most successful test run. cars were spinning out. hundreds of accidents were reported. even the president's motorcade was slipping and sliding along with everyone else. this morning, we are still dealing with the residual effects of that. cars are still stuck on the side of the road. there are backups more than five miles long into and out of the city. several school districts are closed this morning. it's a good thing this weekend storm arrives late friday and lasts through saturday. most folks will be home. they are preparing, clearing out the shelves, stocking up. we have thousands of tons of salt here, ready to go. new trucks on standby. we'll see how it plays out when the main event starts tomorrow. >> fingers crossed. dylan dreyer, thanks. al will have the complete forecast in a little bit.

all eyes on the stock market today after another turbulent day. at one point on wednesday, the dow was down 550 points before it closed with a drop of half that much. the dow is down about 9.5% this year. analysts blame falling oil prices and a cooling economy in china. republican donald trump is holding a rally today in las vegas after doubling down on all of his opponents. on wednesday, he called democrat bernie sanders a wacko and called ted cruz two-faced. sarah palin, speaking for trump, spoke about her son, accused of domestic violence. >> my son, like so many others, they come back a bit different. they come back hardened. it starts from the top. the question though, it comes from our own president, where they have to look at him and wonder, do you know what we go through? >> jfk's grandson is jumping into the debate, responding the

ted cruz's claim that kennedy would be a republican today. jack kennedy called that absurd. among democrats, hillary clinton is crisscrossing iowa today, hoping to fight off a surge by bernie sanders. she holds a slim lead in iowa polls and is hoping to prevent sanders from sweeping iowa and new hampshire. where sanders has a big lead in the polls. she criticized sanders, saying he wants to start over again on health care. the iowa caucuses take place in 11 days. two people are recovering after a frightening crash on wednesday when a fire truck smashed into a dairy queen northeast of dallas. the fire truck had been in a repair truck and was being driven back by a repair worker when it slammed into the building. one person inside the dairy queen was hurt, along with the driver. the world of high school basketball. take a look. the pass goes into the player

the ball hits and we see it, on the temple. yes, it's good for two points. probably not a shot you want to try when playing a game. it can hurt the temple. >> didn't drill for the head shot, huh in. >> no. do you loathe a trip to the mall? >> yeah. >> sometimes. >> parking is an issue. >> with the rise of online shopping, we're witnessing the death of department stores as we know them. sheinelle jones has more on that story. good morning. >> good morning. since the start of 2016, a number of major retailers have announced plans to close hundreds of stores. experts say traditional department stores aren't about to go away entirely, but they are changing. >> reporter: this is the way more and more of us shop now. we click up more than $300 billion in sales every year, and that number is growing. for many shoppers, driving to the mall and fighting the crowds

>> i no longer find department store shopping satisfying. >> online shopping is the way of the future. >> reporter: two traditional department stores already struggling with declining sales, the attitudes are chilling. >> the past 10 to 15 years, we've seen fewer department stores. >> reporter: macy's plans to c. jcpenney closed the doors of 31 and plan on 7 more this year. >> we have to make it more productive. >> reporter: macy's plans to put some of the backstage discount stores in locations to compete with tj max. penney is hoping customers who buy their clothes will think about washing and drying them. >> department stores reinvented themselves multiple times and that's what we're seeing.

media may not be easy to convince. >> it takes 47 seconds in a department store for me to remember why i don't often go to department stores. another, i still hate malls and large department stores. #2 items took 2 hours. on cnbc, macy's cea o says, don't count out the big guys yet. >> has the death of the department store been exaggerated at this point? >> i sure do. grossly exaggerated. >> reporter: experts agree, traditional department stores are not going away. >> i think we will still have department stores, and i think they're going to get better over time. because as the millenials age, they're learning how to service that new demographic. >> it's no longer just about shopping. it's now about the experience. they're offering restaurants, fashion shows, concerts, even massages, things you can't get online. all designed to bring you and your money back into the store. >> we were reminisce ing. what would junior high have been

>> my mom would drop me off, and i'd be there all day. >> getting ourselves in trouble at the arcade. >> like still like walking into a great department store. >> they're fighting back. how amy schumer is reacting to allegations she's stealing jokes from other comedians. plus, the force delayed? why you'll wait longer than you thought for the next "star wars" movie. on consumer account shl what you need to know from booking a hotel room to the bedding in the room.

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about much. except when we've got chapped lips or a small cut. but for people living in areas of crisis, simple skin conditions can turn into serious issues. so we created the vaseline healing project a partnership with direct relief to help millions in need heal their skin. so they can go back to work. or school. and that ordinary jar can make an extraordinary difference. 8:12. we're back with what's trending today. this first story is a little bit more proof that pluto is the system. several years ago, it was downgraded, no longer a planet. >> right. >> now, we get this news. scientists say they have evidence of a ninth planet at the edge of our solar system. no, it is not pluto.

it's nicknamed planet nine. it's believed to be ten times bigger than earth. it's closest point is about 20 billion miles away from us. get this, one orbit around the sun would take somewhere from 10,000 to 20,000 years. which is, as natalie pointed out, a wide span of time. you might want to narrow that down. on twitter, someone wrote, quote, breaking. pluto spotted driving slowly past planet nine's home, still unable to get over the past. >> bad sci-fi movie. >> exactly. >> i love it. people are posting pictures of the death star, calling that planet nine. hilarious. what is the strangest thing you buy? i'm going to suggest the "washington post" did a new article and said perhaps it is the q-tip. >> why? >> the article points out, the strange life of q-tips, it is the one thing that you buy where

you buy it for is prohibited. use it for makeup, household cleaning, but let's be honest, don't you use it to clean your ears? >> it says, don't insert it in your ear canal. in other words, isn't that deep? >> isn't that what most of us do? that's where the wax is. >> the near part of the ear. >> then you use it to polish. >> i use it for arts and crafts all the time. >> do you use q-tips? >> yes. >> every day? >> i dive right in there. i know you're not supposed to, but i'm like, get in there. >> i'll modify my answer. i use it more after i get out of the shower to soak up the water with it, as opposed to diving in there. >> why not a towel? >> the terry cloth towel in your ear. >> i put it in like this. >> exactly. >> doesn't run into anything, so it's fine. have you ever had this happen to you?

your pocket, go to pick it up ask you realize it's not vibrating at all. >> yes. all the time. >> or you don't even have your phone in your pocket. if you felt that, you're not alone. scientists call this -- there's a name -- phantom vibration syndrome. it happens because phones become so integrated in our lives. you can read more about this at today.com. yes, sometimes -- i thought it was like an electrical thing with my heart. i got nervous. is that a rhythm? >> do you have a heart? >> oh, man! >> first the brain, now the heart. >> he started it! >> new you. >> you're right. >> oh, not inserted in your ear canal. >> this is a tough room, man. >> i think for parents, i hear my -- i hear london crying sometimes but she's not at all.

it's a phantom baby cry. >> sometimes savannah hears a wine bottle open. >> wishful thinks. news fans of "star wars" will dread hearing and why amy schumer is ready to take a lie detecter test. fans have to wait longer for the next installment of "star wars" wars". episode episode episode viii will come out on december 15th of 2017. it'll set up an epic battle at the box office. "avatar 2" will be released the following week. this might be having to do with the script rewrite. many argue that episode vii has done so well in the holiday release, they want to push the next one to that window. >> everything was on schedule.

>> i have to see "star wars" i by then. >> start with four. amy schumer is accused of stealing jokes from other comedians. she set the record straight with jim norton. >> i would never do that, and i never have. i'm literally going to take a polygraph test and put it on my show this season. i promise, whatever the results are, i won't let them cut. >> there you go. amy said this happens when you find success. people tend to try to tear you down. >> she's so funny. i can't imagine she stole it. >> i agree. rare reunion of a beloved band. abba hasn't been together in the same room in seven years. that changed wednesday night. all four members of the swedish pop group turned up to celebrate the opening of a dinner theater event called mama me

ma mia the party. they rejected pleas from fans to perform together. >> can't do that to me. >> abba. >> abba. >> i used to say abba, but i don't know. carson is my guru on music and he went with abba. >> mr. roker? >> let's show you what's going on. again, we're talking about this monster storm. over 80 million people under some sort of winter weather advisory. stretches from arkansas to new york. we're going to be watching this. we, in fact, have a blizzard watch in effect for the washington area, up into baltimore. we also have one for the new york city area, as well. blizzard defined as a sustained winds of over 35 miles or greater for three hours or more. visibility less than 1/4 mile. boston to nashville into saturday night. harrisonburg, virginia, you'll

see snowfall 24 inches plus. could be three feet. heaviest snow, friday through saturday. then we move to washington, d.c. this is the biggest city that will see the most amount of snow. up to two feet of snow. snow begins friday during your afternoon rush hour. city of brotherly love, we're looking for philadelphia seeing snow late friday through early sunday morning. 10 to 16 inches of snow. new york city and new jersey, all going to be looking, basically, at about five to eight inches of snow. with wind gusts of 50 miles per hour, plus costal flooding along the jersey shoreline. boston, you deserve a break and you get one. you may see two inches of snow but you'll have strong winds eric: waking up to nice, cool temperatures. a bit milder than yesterday. this afternoon, we climb about

we are under a mix >> top three snowstorms for washington, d.c. january 27th, in 1922, 28 inches of snow. we will come very, very close to that, guys. back to you. >> al, thanks so much. we are wrapping up our consumer confidential series this morning. with an inside look at hotels. >> jacob is the man who is the author of "heads and beds." good morning to you. >> good morning. >> separate rooms, please. >> no problem. >> separate floors, if you can. >> ends of the hotel. >> what are some of the weirdest things you've seen in the industry? >> takes a lot to explain it.

newlyweds, recent divorcees, death, kids running around, celebrities. >> perhaps because of the weird things people do in rooms, a study found there is a lot of bacteria, germs in hotels. >> absolutely. >> even four and five-star hotels. >> certainly. >> what are the dirtiest places? >> one of the things i point out immediately is the remote control. they're difficult to clean. you can't spray it. it's difficult to clean, those things. one thing i'd recommend, usually there is a shower cap. you can wrap it in that. be a little safer. avoid the drinking glasses. if it's wrapped in plastic, it's fine. if it's one of the solid glasses, housekeepers don't have the tools to clean it so they use what is available, shampoo or sometimes furniture polish. it takes the spots off. >> we're checking out. >> bye. peace out. >> please, stay. >> my wife gets to a hotel, she grabs the bedspread and takes it

off and puts it in the corner of the room. smart? >> absolutely. weird pillows. it goes on the floor and housekeeping picks it up. >> you know it's a fancy hotel when you're in the bathroom and the toilet paper is arranged in a triangle. >> watch out. that's usually one of the last things the housekeeper does before they leave the room. they're today lg fondling the tissue paper. it's been touched, compromised. get rid of that. >> if it looks like it's been arranged, pull that out and throw it away. start fresh. >> speaking of the bathroom, they have the lovely products in there. >> do you steal them? >> am i supposed to steal them? >> absolutely. these are for you. it's a memory. you remember your stay, use them later. there's a lot of things you can get at hotels people don't know. slippers. if they don't put it in the room, the shoe shine kits. >> people try to steal it

though, right? >> it's for the guests. >> what if you are walking down the hall and see the cart with the stuff and load it in your bag? >> if a housekeeper catches you, you're ruining her supply. just call and ask for what you want and they'll bring it up. >> does the way i book my room impact the way i'll be treated by the hotel? >> absolutely. almost everything does. i book third party, like a lot of people, you save. if you book at the hotel, they'll take more priority with your suite. call two or three days before, speak to the front desk and say, i booked my reservation. is my room ready? now there's a connection between two human beings. when you're checking in, it's a busy job, offer a gratuity sometimes. >> you feel like the front desk agent is kind of the key to the city. be nice to him or her, and your stay could change for the better. tip them or what? >> just courteous is good.

>> yeah. we check in 250 people a day. this is for you, whatever you can do for me, i appreciate it. it's an underrated job. all the typing means something. hotel. maybe we're not upgrading you but i can give you a late checkup. >> the housekeeper, you say it's appropriate to tip the housekeeper. how much? >> i usually do $5 a night or $20 for the stay. it's a difficult job, as a housekeeping manager. it's thankless. you never see them. it's a magic trip. you always put it in a envelope. there are a lot of people that come in and out of the room and, sadly, the money doesn't always go to them. put it in an envelope, write housekeeping on it, and even bring it to the front desk. >> how not to get the cancellation fee if you call. >> not if it's prepaid but if it is a regular reservation, say i want to move the reservation until next week. call the next day to cancel and you're within the bounds.

>> sneaky. >> thank you very much. >> freesht it appreciate it. jennifer lopez kicks off her las vegas residency and hoda has the backstage pass.

>> this is a wesh 2 news update. brett: it is now 8:26 on this thursday morning and we are following breaking news of the serious crash on i-75 and marion county. a van carrying employees of the coleman correctional institute has crashed in the southbound lane of marion oaks. a truck hauling lumber was also involved. we know there were some serious injuries. we have a crew heading to that seen. ted: this is causing a big . looking at a three mile backup approaching the accident scene. consider getting off the county road 434, taking that to 475. camera. eric: a beautiful start to the

day, looking over our daytona day, looking over our daytona skycam. high cloudiness overhead. starting off at 48 degrees, in orlando, 36 in ocala and 43 daytona beach. chile to start, but look at these rebounding temperatures. 74 degrees in orlando, 70 in palm coast and 71 in titusville. the search is still quite chilly.

back now, 8:30 on this thursday morning. it's the 21st day of january, 2016. say hi to some of the people who have come on down to rockefeller plaza on a chilly morning.

not a lot of wind, blue sky. welcome back, everybody. >> hear a little j.lo? >> little j.lo music to get us going. >> she had a big night in las vegas last night. her show -- hoda is lucky -- she went behind the scenes. saw how it came together and did some numbers with hoda's backup dancers -- sorry, i mean j.lo's dancers. hoda thinks it's her dancers. we'll help you find the beauty underneath it all. the fashions you wear beneath your clothes, including what is a one size fits off bra. >> i'm wearing one right now. it's fantastic. on our today food week, we're cooking up a classic. a luscious and lazy lasagna. first, let's get a check of the weather. >> let's look at your weekend outlook. tomorrow, we've got a mess in the southeast. mid-atlantic states, snow, ice,

sunshine, middle of the country. saturday, the storm system makes its way up the mid-atlantic and to the northeast and expands in the northwest and the rockies. coast. east. we have sunshine for the eastern two thirds of the country. look for snow in the plains down to the rockies. more wet weather moves into the pacific north or eric: waking up to nice, cool temperatures. a bit milder than yesterday. this afternoon, we climb about 30 degrees. we are under a mix >> that's your latest weather. when you need your weather, go to the weather channel on cable

and weather.com online. arizona. our pal savannah's hometown. what school are you from? >> junior high. >> did you wear the hats in tuscan or the trips? >> trip. >> going home tomorrow? >> beat the snowstorm. >> let's head back inside to everybody. >> yay, tuscan. >> al, thanks very much. huge event in las vegas. >> jennifer lopez premiered her show on the strip last night. hoda was on the red carpet. got to meet the stars turning out. hoda, was it the night of your life? >> oh, my gosh, you guys, it was so much fun. i'm losing my voice. i slept for an hour. all i can think of is -- i'm still, i'm still jenny from the block you know her from "american idol" and "shades of blue." somehow, she managed to find time to channel old hollywood and bring new life to her

greatest hits. it was a spectacular night. guess what? we hit the jackpot with a behind the scenes look. >> reporter: viva miss lopez. jenny from the block has moved to the stock. don't stop, keep it moving >> reporter: all bets on j.lo as the pop star tries her luck in las vegas. with her first residency show called "all i have." a 90 minute, high-energy sceptical, sizzling on stage and planet hollywood's theater. jennifer says she spent her entire life waiting for tonight. >> it's like a fantasy, to have a show in vegas. you know, the name of the show is "all i have." i wanted to give everything that people know about me. >> reporter: the show is packed with an intimate display of masterful set design, along with

electrifying choreography. on opening night, a surprise appearance by mr. worldwide himself, pitbull, unleashing even more excitement on the crowd. >> got flowers. i want to leave her a note. >> reporter: hours before the show, a much quieter scene, when jennifer granted us an all access backstage pass. >> check it out. look right here. matt lauer. i'm still jenny from the block used to have a little, now i have a lot i know where i came from >> j.lo's dressing room, i heard a rumor, is that one there. let me touch everything because she's been in here. i'm still jenny from the block >> reporter: you never know who you'll run into backstage. enter j.lo's vocal coach. la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la

>> reporter: it could be worse, right? the answer is yes. they want me to learn the moves, too. how hard could it be? after all, i have experience. >> get over here. bring it back. dance the night away >> reporter: time to get on the floor. a quick lesson before giving it all i have on center stage. la, la, la, la tonight we gonna be hit on the floor >> reporter: not bad, but i guess what happens in vegas will have to stay in vegas. i think i'll leave this to the pros. the 46-year-old age-defi ying beauty, perhaps finding the fountain of youth by balancing her personal life with a career that shows no signs of slowing down. >> when the confetti was falling, the end of the show,

what were you feeling inside? >> so good. amazing. i feel like i've been doing an hour and a half of cardio. it's a high. it's a great moment. >> it was a great moment. by the way, jennifer is going to perform 40 shows a year for the next three years. get your tickets because i have a feeling they're going to sell back. >> i'm coming back. >> we're doing the 10:00 show from here. i'll show you one picture that was weird from last night. kelly osborne was there and rebel wilson and justin bieber. look at the photo. >> somebody else. >> look at the photo bomb. >> i see you. >> wait, you guys. i can do one better. this is a little taste of what jenna and i have coming up in our show. >> nice. >> you lost a tooth in vegas? >> that's great. >> remember the "hangover"? >> the tattoo. >> lucky, i went to an emergency

dental appointment, but everything is fine. there was a moment of panic. >> where's the tiger? in the bathroom. >> you'll see. don't you worry. >> he's here. >> i love the dance moves, hoda. >> yeah. >> inside, i felt like j.lo. >> if j.lo needs the night off, they're lucky to have you. >> you add the enthusiasm, hoda. >> can you do that? >> i've forgotten it now. it's gone away. >> we'll see you in a little bit. >> all right. bye, guys. up next, investing the right way. how to put your hard earned money to work for your future. first, this is "today" on

we're back at 8:40 with more start today's solutions, to help you achieve your goals in 2016. last week, today financial editor told us how to spend

less. this morning, it's all about investing for tomorrow. we're taking the money we're saving. >> that's right. >> by spending less and investing it for our future. before we go any further, does anything you're going to recommend today get impacted by what's been happening on the markets over the last two weeks? >> absolutely not. >> no? >> this is your long-term investment strategy. long-term, not short-term. we'll talk about the difference. >> let's talk about 401(k)s. company plan. >> other way. >> there you go. sign on to their company plan. if your employer doesn't offer a company plan, what do you do? >> if your employer doesn't offer it -- we like 401(k)s dollars. but iras are available to everybody. or the new myra. it's a starter roth ira. it. no minimums, no fees. you're not going to lose money because the money is in treasury. >> how do you figure out what money should go into savings and

>> any money you're going to need in the next three years to live on in retirement that's not covered by social security, to make a down payment on a house, pay for college tuition, does not belong in the market. it never did. >> let's say i want to rebalance. maybe i have too much in the market and i should be saving more. given what's happening in the markets, should i sell some stocks now, even if i'm going to take a loss? >> yeah. if you need that money in the next three years, you want to get it out of there. things could get worse before they get better. you don't want to put your living expenses, the money you need, at risk. >> what's the best way to do theal the al theal allocation? >> it should get less riskier as you're older or closer to your goal. if we're talking about retirement, take 100, subtract your age, that's act the percentage you should have in stocks. you want to rebalance that every year. >> you look at this and you make

it look real simple, with these graphics. but it can feel complicated for a lot of people. how do you get help? if i don't have you sitting across from me, how do i get help? >> so many solutions to help you. you can basically put your money in a target date retirement day fund. every 401(k) and ira has one. it will keep you focused on the retirement date. a managed account is another option retirement accounts have these days. you're paying somebody to do the managing for you. people who have these save more. robo advisers is new. it's a computerized solution. >> do you like these? >> they put together your portfolio. i like them. a lot of millenials love them. they're less expensive than your own. >> when people are going to start making investments, they're going to find there are fees involved with those investments. how do you keep the fee down, so it's your money not going to

>> in a general way, there's a difference between a passive investment and an active investment. a passive investment is an index fund, or etf. where a computer is tracking an index. it's less expensive than paying a fund mass jer to do nager to do it for you. passive investments beat ak ty in -- active investments consistently because the fees are lower. any money not going to fees goes to your pocket. >> that's what you want. >> and you want to save, save, save. >> 15% of everything you earn. hard for a lot of people but it's your target. >> it's your target. if you're not there, ratchet it up by 1% or 2% a year. >> thank you very much. as always, more start today's strategies on our website. today.com. up next, beauty underneath. how to make your clothes fit and feel better from the inside out. first, this is "today" on nbc.

we're back. it's 8:46. we'll help you find the beauty underneath it all. the latest bras, underwear and robes. we have a beauty and lifestyle expert with us. a whole segment about unmentionables. >> yes. >> how do you care for you bra? i throw mine into the washing machine. is that a no-no? >> it is. especially if it's made from a delicate material like lace. hand wash with a mild detergent and let it hang dry, air dry. don't put it in the washing machine. >> we'll talk about the trends in bra. the first is getting rid of the back bulge and the side fat. how do you do that? >> there are bras that combat back bulge and side fat. one is from playtex. if you look at the side, they have panelling. it's from the inside. this panelling is really going to help, again, to smooth out the underarm area and to smooth out your back so your clothes fit nicely.

>> you don't want it to tight, your skin is hanging over it. what about this one? >> no side effects, so there's an elastic band. it gets rid of under armpit bulge. it helps you not feel paranoid. >> this next bra is a one size fits off, which we're going to demonstrate in a minute. anybody can wear this? >> yes. it's one size fits most. 32a to 36d can wear this. it's seamless, no clasps. we have models demonstrating. >> we do. on the right, we have an a. on the left, we have a d. they're wearing the exact same bra over in the orange room. >> isn't that fabulous? >> it is. i notice carson is in the orange room, too. >> he has a good view. >> yeah. >> models, thank you so much. what about this one over here? >> this is from gap. this has moisture wicked properties, meaning it'll keep you cool and dry if you sweat.

it's great for the active girl who is on the go. >> let us talk about underwear. this sh a this, apparently, is all the rage. the brand is called commando. >> it almost feels like you're going commando. look at the lace. it's airy, breathable, sexy. what's wonderful is it gives you good coverage but a little bit of glamour, too. >> spanx has a version of this. >> it gets rid of muffin tops and makes you look more slender. >> is it all the same? >> what's fun is you're not getting the visible panty lines, which is a no-no. >> out here, we have the shaper outside the brief. how does this work? >> this is basically a thong, but it has median compression shape wear built in. if you want your waist to look smooth, or your tummy to look you. >> okay.

over here, you call this the woman on the go panty. >> yes. >> i don't know what that means. >> not that kind of on the go. this is made for moisture wicking. it's for people who are athletic, keeping you nice and dry. it has a built-in panty liner, which you know what it helps you. it keeps you dry in the active moments, as well. >> men in the control room having a heart attack right now. let's talk about robes. >> these are my favorite robes at the moment. the one i'm wearing is from eberjey. it's soft. >> very light, too, in case you get hot when you're blow drying your hair. >> yours is from splendid. >> cozy, perfect for the cold, winter mornings and nights. mine, i think, is versatile and perfect for day time and nighttime. >> looks good with your outfit now. you can wear that as a cardigan. if you want to check out more options, go to today.com/style. coming up next, we're

calling it lazy lasagna. how to use your slow cooker to whip up an italian favorite. first, this is "today" on

giving people options based on their budget is pretty edgy... kind of like this look. i'm calling it the "name your price tool" phase. whatever. we're back at 8:52 with more of our slow cooker week on "today food." knew nutritionist wendy is here.

>> good to be with you. >> we're making it lasagna in a slow cooker. we're using a traditional recipe or something different? >> it's classic and traditional. very familiar. i call it lazy lasagna. mostly because it's easy. but it's significantly lighter. >> how do you get some of the calories out? >> well, we use classic ingredients. we have all our classics. we have the noodles, the cheese, the sauce. then we add layers with the nutrient rich veggies and lighten it up. >> get me started. by the way, we have our tasters downstairs. who i think have been lining up for 40 minutes to get their say on this one. >> very good. >> how is it going? >> delicious. >> right on. >> wendy, let's go. >> this recipe is upwards of 50% less calories than a traditional lasagna. you'll make a tomato mixture and cheese mixture. >> canned totomatoes? >> yes. you can save time by using a tomato sauce, as well. you can add the garlic.

>> into the tomatoes? >> yes. traditional ingredients. thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. if you remember your science classes, we learned about enzymes and substraits. if you chop the garlic and let it sit at room temperature, it boosts the nutrient levels and the heart healthy properties. >> i mix this around. that's done. >> you can make that in advance. here's the this is ricotta, a lighter cheese, and has protein. we had parmesan, parsley and pepper. this is very cheesy. it's lighter but we're not going to miss anything here. then we use our noodles, which are traditional la sanaa sagna noodles.

>> don't cook them first. >> it's last century, to cook our noodles. >> thanks for that. >> we'll be building the slow cooker recipe from there. i butter the dish at the bottom so it doesn't -- it's a little bit so it doesn't stick. >> perfect. >> then we add a little of the sauce there. bring that over. >> you can put it? >> little bit of the sauce. we're going to start the layering. the layers, there's 11 layers plus the sauce. >> guys, how is it tasting? >> good. >> enjoying it? >> yes! >> wonderful. then we add spinach. you use raw spinach. you can use frozen if you want. >> great. >> easy. let's add one single layer of noodles. >> cross ways? >> yeah. you can break it to fit. one layer of noodles. if you make the -- here's the cheese mixture we made with the parmesan parmesan, pepper and rah cot tee kot ricotta.

>> we use half of it, pipe it along. >> that simple. back to the sauce now? >> back to the sauce. then we add some other layers here. little more sauce. >> go ahead. >> then finish it off here. >> great. let's swing over here and look at what it looks like after. how long does it cook? >> it cooks on high for two and a half hours or low for four hours. you keep building the lawyers. you get the savory yuma umami from the mushrooms and the protein. >> what should i do? >> hold this and i'll dump what is left. >> let's look at what it looks like when it's done. i'll taste it in a second. the guys announcer: local, live, late breaking. this is a wesh 2 news update. >> it is 8:56, i am brett

michelle: i am michelle imperato. information on a serious crash on i-75. jason: we know three tractor-trailers and a passenger van collided on southbound 75. the van rolled over. a viewer is telling us two people were on board on this crash. the driver and one passenger in the van. we know there are some injuries from the rack. let' s show you this photo from that scene a viewer sent to us. it is a carpal van heading to coleman correctional institution. we will update you on wesh 2 news at noon. ted: even though they have opened up two of the lanes, we still have a four mile backup on 75 southbound. you will be delayed. get off at county road 484, taking 484 over two 470 down to 75 southbound.

two lanes blocked before the 408 causing a backup. eric: in the world of whether we are starting off chile. temperatures 46 in ocala, 46 degrees in the villages. 49 in orlando. we will continue to build those up to about 74 degrees in orlando. we will top off 72 ocala, 71 in titusville showers and thunderstorms returning to central florida tomorrow. make sure to have a greate apparently, people think i'm too perky. so now i'm not being perky, telling you that drivers that switch to progressive save an average of $548! whoo! i mean, whoo. with dunkin's chicken apple sausage sandwich. enjoy sweet apple and savory sausage together for under 400 calories.

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