good morning. doubling down. jeb bush and donald trump go at it on the las vegas strip. >> you're never going to be president of the united states. >> you're real tough, jeb. >> insulting your way to the presidency. >> you're at 3 and i'm at 42. >> doesn't matter. >> i'm doing better. you started off over here, you're moving further and further. pretty soon you'll be off the end. >> how trump want to shut off the internet. flight of fear. a southwest airlines plane suddenly skids off the runway after landing in nashville.

least eight of them taken to the hospital. the terrifying moments as we head into one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. peaking interest. all eyes on the federal reserve today. the historic meeting likely to generate an interest rate hike, the first in nearly a decade. what does that mean for you. and eyewitness news. a local news reporter covering a bank robbery gets the surprise of a lifetime when the alleged suspect strikes again. >> tyler, just 24 hours ago this bank -- what? oh, that's the robber. this is live tv, folks. that's the robber just went by. i got to go here and call 911. i'll talk to you later. >> the alleged robber now behind bars. that reporter adding new meaninged to the phrase live on the scene today wednesday, december 16th, 2015. >> announcer: from nbc news,

and savannah guthrie live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning, welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. so you're a television reporter on live tv describing a bank robbery, probably about to say and here's a description of the robber. he looks a lot like the guy back over there. >> just ran by. isn't that a fun job sometimes? >> really is. we're going to show you more about that. we'll show you how that story unfolded coming up. let's start with our top story this morning, fifth and final republican presidential debate this year. the issues of national security and isis dominated the showdown. it took place in las vegas, and while everyone expected the new rivalry between donald trump and ted cruz to take center stage, they spent most of the night clashing with other candidates. we have it all covered and we'll talk to the head of the rnc in a moment, but let's start with nbc national correspondent peter peter? >> reporter: hey, matt, good morning to you. significantly this was the first

paris and san bernardino with all the republican contenders trying to show strength. jeb bush finally found his voice against donald trump, but was it too little too late, and for the first real time we saw marco rubio and ted cruz battle back and forth. fight night in vegas. jeb bush flailing in the polls taking the gloves off against donald trump. >> so, donald, you know is great at the one-liners, but he's a chaos candidate. and he'd be a chaos president. >> he has failed in this campaign. it's been a total disaster. nobody cares. >> reporter: trump's reactions alone priceless. bush argued trump isn't a serious candidate. >> i won't get my information from the shows. i don't know if that's saturday morning or sunday morning. i don't know which one. this is a tough business. >> oh, i know. you're a tough guy, jeb, i know. >> and we need to have a leader. >> you're tough. >> you're never going to be

>> i'm at 42 and you're at 1 and so far i'm doing better. >> doesn't matter. >> you started off over here jeb, you're moving over further and further and pretty soon you'll be off the end. >> reporter: trump earned points reaffirming he won't run as an independent. >> i'm totally committed to the republican party. i feel very honored to be the front-runner, and i think i'll do very well. >> reporter: ted cruz and marco rubio, a pair of ambitious freshmen senators, exchanged blows on a series of hot button issues from defense spending. >> you can't carpet bomb isis if you don't have planes and bombs to attack them with. >> reporter: to immation. >> he was fighting to grant border. border >> reporter: anticipated fireworks between trump and his chief challenger, ted cruz, never materialized. >> gotten to know him over the last three or four days. the. he's just fine. don't worry about him. >> we will build a wall that works, and i'll get donald trump to pay for it. >> reporter: rand paul jabbed chris christie over the

>> i mean, when we think about the judgment of someone who might want world war iii, we might think about someone who might shut down a bridge because they don't like the friends. >> christie directed his sharpest attacks at president obama's foreign policy. >> and yes, we would shoot down the planes of russian pilots if in fact they were think that this president was the same feckless weakling that the office is right now. >> reporter: and ben carson battling to resurrect his struggling campaign wouldn't even answer when asked to pick sides in a spatd between paul and rubio over sfants. >> i think -- over surveillance. >> i think you have to ask them about that. i don't want to get in between them. let them fight. >> reporter: bottom line, analysts agree nothing happened last night shifting the status quo meaning the temperature in the race.

frozen with trump at one and ted cruz at two and two more republican debates in january >> thank you. >> reince priebus chairman of the republican national committee is also out in las vegas. good morning. thanks for getting up early. appreciate it. >> hey, good morning, savannah. >> let's do some housekeeping. donald trump seemed to be flirting again with the idea this week of mounting an independent run. last night he seemed again to closed door on that and say he'll run as a republican, no matter what. can you now sleep at night? ed is the issue closed in your mind? >> savannah, it's been closed for month for me. i was never losing any sleep about it to begin with. i think that the media enjoys this little narrative about independent runs, but the truth is that there isn't going to be any independent in the white house. they are either going to be a republican or a democrat. i was never concerned about it. donald trump signed the pledge when i went to his office months ago, and he's never indicated to

honor the pledge, and i never doubted it. so it-it's never been anything i've been concerned about. >> let's talk about another issue. there's open discussion among some republicans of a notion of a brokered convention, that if trump were to be the nominee, that republicans would get together at the convention and come up with an alternative and have a floor fight. let me ask you directly. will you rule out this notion of a brokered convention? >> well, savannah, i don't know where that narrative comes from other than a fictional narrative that's spun up last week that never happened. >> will you rule it out? can you rule it out? >> first of all, well no one can rule it out. if a candidate doesn't get to a majority of delegates by the time you get to the convention, then you could have a contested convention, but my belief is that we'll have a presumptive nominee by the end of march or middle of april. i've said that for over a year. i still believe that.

convention are almost nothing, but, you know, look, is it possible? it's possible, but it's possible the democrats would have a contested convention. is it likely? of course not and it's something that -- go ahead. >> sorry to interrupt. the discussion comes up because there's this feeling that if donald trump emerges as the nominee that some republicans will not be happy with that and they fear that it will essentially hand election to hillary clinton. a lot of the candidates, if you ask them, say they will ultimately support whoever the republican nominee is, but they can not bring themselves to say i will support donald trump. where are you on that? will you support donald trump if he is the republican nominee? >> of course. i mean, the point is the republican national committee is being built and is built for whoever the nominee, is so it doesn't matter whether it's him or someone else. one of the other 13 candidates who are on the stage last night. the republican national committee is built to be plugged into whoever the nominee is, and

whoever the nominee is, and that -- that means that whatever nominee can get a majority of delegates is the nominee of our party and that's where we're going to be. >> trump is getting a lot of attention and certainly setting the agenda in terms of this ban on muslims that he has proposed. you've been critical of it. you said that it would come at the expense of our values. other candidates have criticized it in varying degrees, and yet republicans support that idea. the poll i saw was 59 to 61% approve of that idea and trump is getting a bump out of it and there's 41%. where's the disconnect? is he more accurately reflecting where the republican voters are right now? >> well, you know, look. i think the reality is that we all have the same goal, right, and so you have 13 people on the stage that have different ways of getting to that goal of keeping america more safe. do i think that people are afraid. we're afraid. i'm afraid. i'm sure that you're all

in the this country in fighting isis and terrorism and what happened a couple weeks ago in california frightens everybody. look -- >> but you said it comes at the expense of our values and yet you'll also support donald trump and i'm just trying to put those two concepts together. >> well, look, here's the thing. the concept is that everyone has or at least many. candidates have a different pathway of getting to the same goal, savannah, and the reality is that this president and hillary clinton haven't done a good job, and the american people don't believe that barack obama and hillary clinton have done a good job in fighting terrorism. now, look, when you have 13 candidates running, many cases you're going to have 13 different ways of tackling the problem. at least at the very least, republicans are offering solutions to the problems that i know that americans don't believe are being tackled properly, and so for that i'm excited about the fact that we're offering the american people solutions to these problems.

other on everything the goal is still the same and that's the >> all right. republican national committee chairman, reince priebus, good to talk to us. thank you. with the first votes just seven weeks away where does the race go to here, chuck todd is nbc political director and moderator of meets and nicolle wallace is former communications director for president george w. bush and analyst for msnbc. i wanted to say is reince priebus being forthcoming about the possible idea of a brokered convention and his support of donald trump? >> i think he is and a lot of people that believe he's whistling past the graveyard, the criticism has been he's got his head in the sand and he will argue. no, no, no, we've got a thing in place here to handle all this. everybody thinks it's going to be contested, it's not, but there's others that thing he wouldn't. >> who won last night? >> i thought marco rubio took a

traditional republican foreign policy, and i think it was very important to see that the party had someone in the field that could articulately could defend when under attack a world view that has us more aggressive on the intelligence front and more aggressive in the middle east, and i thought he did a good job defending that. >> never saw the cruz/trump argument really materializes. who wins in your book? >> i thought the cruz and rubio together in some ways because they really do represent some divides inside -- inside the party, sort of ted cruz, sort of want of taking a different direction on national security, as nicole just pointed out, rubio a more traditional post- 9/11 view of foreign policy and they are very good at articulating their own points of view. they are very good at going after each other. look, rubio i thought took some incoming on immigration, and i was reminded as much as i agree i thought he handled himself well, i was reminded why i think he'll have a hard time winning this nomination. immigration, just out of touch with the republican party. >> if he's a little bit out of

it's why a lot of republicans and democrats will argue that he's the best one to go against hillary clinton. >> touche. >> jeb bush never gets good reviews after debates. he's admitted. >> here or anywhere else. >> last night was different though. we saw a different side him. >> there's no debate that jeb bush had his best performance last night, that he did a great job, on the offense against donald trump. really seemed to get under his skin and annoy him. i think the unfortunate piece of it is that many wonder and suspect that it may be too late but we'll see. >> but he found his role. >> his role is to go after trump, and i think if that's all he does now he thinks he's done a service to the party. >> chuck, nicole, good to see you. >> thank you. a breaking story out of tennessee that happened overnight. a southwest airlines plane skidded off the taxiway after landing at airport in nashville. nbc's tom costello is covering aviation for us and has the story. tom, what can you tell us about it. >> reporter: good morning, more than 100 passengers on board and evacuated all safely after the plane suddenly veered off the runway on landing and then

that triggered a full emergency response on the ground. this morning the faa investigating why this passenger plane rolled off a taxiway in tennessee tuesday night. southwest flight 31 originating in houston was taxying to the gate and then became stuck in a ditch after landing in nashville. >> everything is normal and we hear a big pop. >> reporter: photos posted on social media show one of the plane's emergency slides deployed. a spokesman for southwest tells nbc news the 133 passengers and 5 crew members were safely transport the into airport. the safety of our customers and focus. eight passengers on board the 737 were transported to a local hospital after suffering minor injuries, mostly bumps and bruises, according to the nashville fire department. >> it was scary, real scary. we were on the ground so it could have been worse. >> reporter: tuesday's incident coming days after another

emergency landing in san antonio that. aircraft landed safely after part of the wing appears to be what the airline calls at an irregular angle. all of this with christmas just a week away and the rush beginning, millions of americans expected to fly for the holidays. recovery crews arrived on the scene overnight and began moving the plane out of the ditch. the nashville airport says despite the emergency all runways remained opened and operational through the evening, no delays. both the faa and southwest looking into what happened. back to you. >> tom costello, thank you. now to the harsh criticism aimed at the school officials in the second largest school district in the country. hundreds of thousands of students returning to class after an unprecedented decision to the close many schools. many calling that a knee jerk reaction. let's go to nbc correspondent miguel almaguer in los angeles. good morning. >> reporter: good morning.

schools set to reopen acting out of an abundance of caution the superintendent says he was acting responsibly but this morning many are being critical of him. 700,000 students will be back in school today, just 24 hours after the unprecedented decision to shut down the nation's second largest school district just before classes were set to begin. >> we can now announce fbi has determined this is not a credible threat, something we couldn't have announced earlier in the day. >> reporter: abrupt decision came after an e-mail threat. someone claiming to be a high school senior said they were bullied and ready with an army to attack schools with guns and bombs. l.a. is just 65 miles from san bernardino where 14 were killed in a terror attack two weeks ago today. >> decision was made and information we have now was not able. >> while the police chief stood by the superintendent's decision, privately law enforcement officials say they

calling it a bad move. in new york where a similar e-mail was received, classes went on as scheduled. former lapd police chief bill bratton, now the police commissioner in new york, says l.a. overreacted. >> we do not see that as a credible terrorist threat, and we are investigating it as a hoax. >> reporter: after sweeping 1,500 los angeles schools for bombs the all clear came late tuesday, well after parents scrambled to pick up stranded students. >> i'm happy that they took precautions. i'm sad, you know, for the kids that they can't be in school today. >> reporter: this morning l.a. usd is back in business but only after heavy criticism. as students across this 710 square mile school district get set to return, a 17-year-old student was struck and killed by a truck yesterday as he was crossing the street. it's unclear if he was headed to or from school after the school closure.

>> all right, miguel almaguer, thank you. want to turn now to the historic meeting by the federal reserve that's being watched very closely from wall street to main street. a little later today the fed is expected to raise interest rates for the first time since 2006. it's a move that will impact everything from your mortgage to your savings. nbc's olivia sterns covers financial issues for us. olivia, good morning to us now. why now. >> reporter: this is a good news. consider this a vote of confidence in the american economy and the central bank saying we're back, don't need emergency measures anymore. they brought the zero rates in order to bring us back from the crisis to stoke borrow and lending in the economy and the good news it worked. the economy is growing at a pretty steady clip at 2.5% and unemployment is half of what it was during the crisis. it's 5% and, yes, some people are starting to get away so all of this is good news and we don't need the crutch anymore. >> good news for the economy but

it's going to impact our bottom line. how fast and how will it affect us? >> reporter: first rate hike is going to be miniscule, a quarter of 1%. the question is the pace at which the fed continues to raise rates over the next year or two that. said, if have you any kind of variable rate debts or credit card loans or student loans or an adjustable rate mortgage you'll see an increase in your monthly payment and if you're a saver you'll see a little bit more interest on any savings or cds, but, again, we're talking 18, 24 months. if you're thinking about making a big purchase, don't do anything rash but do start to get your finances in order now. >> olivia is a glass half full. i like it. >> never thought this day would come. >> it's good news for the economy that we don't need that crutch anymore. >> olivia, thank you so much. we'll get a check of the weather. mr. roker is over at the weather wall. >> you guys ready to play the game we love to play, who's colder?

>> these are some of the temperature lows, los angeles or new york city, who is colder? >> los angeles. >> let's find out. los angeles 43 for a low and 48 in new york city. >> what do we win? >> nothing. >> boston or las vegas, who is colder? >> las vegas. >> let's see if you are right. johnny, ted them what they have done. 38 degrees in boston and 35 in las vegas, and our final, who is colder, phoenix or washington, d.c., ladies and gentlemen? >> phoenix. >> okay. let's see if you're right. boom, yes. 43 in d.c. and a low of 33 in phoenix. >> let the record show we were 3 for 3. >> we were amazing. that's what's going on and look at me

all together now everything techie for everyone. kohl's. a together now >> jeremy: good morning. for the day a mix of clouds and sunshine. not as much wind out there today and seasonal, again, cooler than yesterday. 422046. still technically a little bit above normal. boston this afternoon at 45. worcester 43. merrimack valley, new hampshire seacoast, temperatures mid-40s. cloudy skies tonight. more clouds tomorrow with a few isolated rain showers on the way for tomorrow afternoon. near 50. showers tomorrow night and a few leftover raindrops on friday. the weekend right now dry. cold. >> and these your late weather. miss winter. >> i just love when you do these games. that's really fun. a thank you so much. better than the old weather map. coming up, does a popular

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>> this is 7news now. >> sarah: good wednesday morn, everybody. 7:26 as you take a live look over boston.

>> jeremy: yes, it, is a great december day with mostly sunny skies. 30s and 40s right now. the normal high is 41. so another mild day across southern new england. not quite as warm as yesterday, but for this time of year, temps in the middle 40s. not too shabby. temps this afternoon, boston around 45. nashua at 44. clouds back at us tomorrow. a few showers tomorrow afternoon. ism now to the day's top stories. the case against convicted killer philip chism headed back to court a day after the danvers' teen was found guilty of killing high school math teacher colleen ritzer. today's hearing is on a separate charge where chism is accused of attacking a department of youth services worker. two people are hurt after a serious crash in wakefield on route 128. a car slammed into a guardrail and burst into flames. both victims were rushed to the `hospital. police are investigating the cause of the crash. we're back in 25 minutes with another update.

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there's a happy crowd. 7:30. it's wednesday morning, december 16, 2015. another pretty day here in manhattan. festive holiday crowd out on the the weather. almost a headline in itself. >> none whatsoever. students are returning to classes in los angeles today following a threat that shut down all 900 schools in the nation's second largest school system. that threat turned out to be a hoax, but the superintendent chances. >> defense secretary ash carter is in iraq meeting with u.s. commanders and iraqi leaders.

new ways to fight isis and speed up its eventual destruction in the region. and the reporter covering a day-old bankry in minnesota got a big surprise during his live report. >> what? >> oh, thaetsd t's the robber. this is live tv the, folk. that's the robber, just went by. >> apparently a bank employee ran by that reporter that the bandit had just struck again. the suspect was captured about an hour later. not what you expect when you're covering a day-old bank robbery. >> no. >> we'll have more on that in a little while. meanwhile, the biggest talker of the morning, the fireworks on display in las vegas last night during the final republican presidential debate of the year, especially fireworks between donald trump and jeb bush who declared the front-runner to be a chaos candidate. nbc's national correspondent peter alexander was there. peter, good morning, again. >> hey, matt, good morning to you once again. the night's biggest headline

donald trump again reaffirmed his pledge not to run as a third-party candidate, as an independent, the commander in chief debate with national security now a top priority for americans. no one was able to knock out donald trump, jeb bush tried and marco rubio didn't. rubio and ted cruz exchanging most of the blows. trump at center stage appeared more comfortable and in control than in some past debates, and he turned some heads with his comments about how to combat isis' online propaganda machine. >> isis is recruiting through the internet. isis is using the internet better than we are using the internet. i would certainly be open to closing areas where we are at war with somebody. i sure as hell don't want to let people that want to kill us and kill our nation use our internet. >> reporter: a lot of people were interested in his choice of words, our internet.

as to what didn't. no fight between donald trump and the number two man ted cruz. a lot of analysts believe that this race is locked in place through the holidays. two more debates in january before those iowa caucuses february 1st. matt? >> peter alexander, thanks so much. shifting gears. popular line of hair care products endorsed by some celebrities has now been hit with a massive lawsuit. a growing number of women claiming a cleansing shampoo has actually caused their hair to fall out. natalie is following this one for us. >> right this. lawsuit, guys, more than 200 women in 40 states say they used wen products and ended up with rashes, scalp irritation, hair breakage, discoloration and even in some cases baldness. now some of the women are speaking out. hair care products are an enormous $83 billion industry in the united states. >> if you're having a bad hair day, it's a bad day. >> reporter: something that can make that day even worse, losing your hair. hundreds of people on social

after using wen hair care products. >> the hair started coming out. >> reporter: in florida amy freedman said she used wen products for two weeks. >> absolutely outrageous that a product that you would put on your hair causes hair to fall out. >> reporter: nbc news cannot independently verify amy's claim. she filed a lawsuit against wen and now 200 women have joined a class action lawsuit against the company it. aalleges one or more wen products contain an ingredient or combination of ingredients that cause significant hair loss, damage and other injuries upon proper application. >> hi. i'm chaz dean, creator of wen hair care and body care. >> reporter: and named in the lawsuit celebrity hairstylist chaz dean and gatty ranger which mass markets using celebrity spokeswoman including alyssa milano, brooke shields.

rheinecker said there is no scientific evidence whatsoever to support any claim that our hair care products caused anyone to lose their hair. there are many reasons why individuals may lose their hair, all unrelated to wen hair care products. and they promised to vigorously contest allegations made against our products. but even allegations can be devastating for the company. >> there is the court of law and there's the court of public opinion, and when hundreds of people are claiming that your hair product is causing scalp damage and making their hair fall out, they have already lost in the court of public opinion. >> both sides say they are working towards a setment in the lawsuit but it's a company that's been very popular, two years that they have been in business, grossed over $100 million in their product sales. >> tough headlines for them, for sure. the weather now from al.

coming out of rockies and making its way into the upper midwest. you did see in denver yesterday a lot of snow there. some places picking up up to 8 inches of snow. kids enjoying, of course, a good old game of touch -- well, maybe boom! i guess it's tackle. the storm system going now. well, we're watching it make its way its way knew the upper midwest, another 5 to 8 inches of snow in minnesota. also watching another significant storm coming into the pacific northwest wednesday through friday over the next several days. some area, 4 to 8 inches of rain and 2 to 4 inches as you get closer to coast and look at this. snowfall amounts anywhere from one to 2 feet. winter storm washes from parts of washington, oregon and >> jeremy: good morning. for the day a mix of clouds and sunshine. not as much wind out tre today

yesterday. 422046. still technically a little bit above normal. boston this afternoon at 45. worcester 43. merrimack valley, new hampshire seacoast, temperatures mid-40s. cloudy skies tonight. more clouds tomorrow with a few isolated rain showers on the way for tomorrow afternoon. near 50. showers tomorrow night and a few leftover raindrops on friday. the weekend right now dry. cold. >> the get your latest weather when you need it, weather.com online and the weather channel. >> and stories name impacted our world in 2015. >> but up next. >> the christmas season danger in your home right now. we'll show you the one item that caused this massive fire in just a matter of seconds and how to it's that night of the year you come here.

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if you take certain medicines. xarelto can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. r get help right away for unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto , watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto , tell your doctor about any kidney, liver, you know xarelto is the #1 prescribed blood thinner in its class. that's a big win. with xarelto there is no regular blood monitoring and no known dietary restrictions. treatment with xarelto ... ...was the right move for us. pask your doctor about xarelto . 7:42. we're back with more of our rossen reports series "saved my life." >> today national correspondent jeff rossen is here with a very timely warning. jeff? >> reporter: really is.

of the year, but did you know most house fires happen right now, during the holidays. one of the biggest causes, yes, your christmas tree. turns out many people are making a simple mistake that could mean death. just days ago a christmas tree catching fire in missouri, erupting in flames, setting this whole house on fire. alive. in california, this house up in flames, too. again, all starting with their christmas tree. >> everything happened right away, so quickly, so i was just trying to hurry everybody up and get everybody out. >> reporter: turns out it's common, and if you're caught inside deadly. >> christmastime, these happen all over the country. they are tragedies, not only one or two kids, can be entire family. >> reporter: because when these trees burn they explode in flames in seconds. why? your tree is too dry, not getting enough water.

this is the kind of christmas tree you probably have in your home right now. as you can see, it's decorated, full of ornaments and it's not been watered in days. the way these fires normally start, a small little spark somewhere in your house, and we're going to do is set a spark here and set this tree on fire and see how fast it burns. we'll get out so we're safe. >> fire in the hole. >> reporter: within seconds it's an inferno. the tree, fully engulfed. whoa, that smoke. within seconds. look how that just overpowers you. >> definitely. what happens in your home when you don't water your tree. literally every minute it will double in sides like having a huge piece of kindling. >> reporter: and watch, it's already spreading to the table and chair. the entire room is on fire. >> if i'm in my house, should i get a fire extinger? >> that's the biggest mistake people make, try to stay in the home and fight the fire. get out of home immediately and call 911.

of the room and have a new christmas tree here and this one has been watered. let's spark the flare and spark. it look, the firefighter can't even get to light up and he's trying t.finely gets going. burning a lot slower with the dry tree. with the wet tree takes tries as long to ignite. >> dry tree on the left and wet tree on the right. huge difference. >> reporter: what are the tips here? >> water your tree every day or every other day and keep it away from any heating element, portable space heater, radiator and check your christmas tree lights, any frayed or damaged light keep that off your christmas tree because every year that can be the emission source. >> every year people use the same lights, put it in the attic and bring it back. check for this before you put it back up. >> reporter: simple advice to keep your family safe. savannah, one of the people that use the same lights every single year. >> i do, and it's cheap. >> reporter: fine to do that and

and there's other things at home that could spark this time of the year. never leave candles unattended and if you're cooking on a stovetop keep a pan nearby in case that catch eds fire and make an escape fire case something like that happens. >> what do we have tomorrow? learned a lot. >> reporter: tomorrow in our series "saved my life." what to do when you get trapped in your car in a snow storm. it's happened with drivers getting stuck on major freeways. how to survive until help survives 24 to 48 hours later tomorrow on "today." >> jeffry, thank you very much. coming up, the biggest stories of 2015 and how we covered them on "today, grandma is so happy to be here for your very first christmas. i hear you' re quite the expert at waking people up in the morning. let me show you how grandma does it. your daddy made this when

this is your dad at my house, where he had his first christmas. thanks for making the coffee. well look who' s up. i' m really glad you' re here mom. me too. look who' s here! with ingredients like roasted hazelnuts and cocoa, there's a whole lot of happy in every jar of nutella.

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give something special, to those most special to you. find thoughtful gifts at amazing prices everyday at t.j.maxx, marshalls and homegoods. >> this is 7news now. >> christa: good morning, everybody. 7:57 you time right now. it's looking like a really nice day here in downtown boston. we see some sun. j.r., how cold is it out there? >> jeremy: not too bad. right now it's 40 degrees with a mix of clouds and sunshine. plymouth at 41. nashua a little chillier. through the day mostly sunny skies. cooler than yesterday, but still 42 to 46. slightly above normal for this time of year. the city around 45. fitchburg at 43. clouds around tomorrow. and a few showers around tomorrow afternoon. more likely tomorrow night. >> christa: get a check of our top stories now. the operator of last weekend's runaway red line train is now

officials say david vasquez rigged the controls before getting off the train in order to fix the signal. the mbta's general manager will make a final decision on his fate coming up. tom brady coming under fire by the "new york daily news." the paper blasting t.b. 12 on this morning's front page after comments he made about his friend donald trump hon a radio show this week. the radio criticized brady for not denouncing trump's comments about muslims.

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it's 8:00 on today. coming up, from the pope's historic visit to the race for the white house. >> every poll said i'm the best leader by far. >> to moments of terror and kindness. a look back at the year that was. the events, people and stories that shaped our world. then paying it forward. >> i'm a city of foster kid. >> i live in foster care. >> i grew up in foster care. >> a shining the light on foster care and finding children a forever home. >> plus, double the star power. fresh off two golden globe

girl, alyssa vikander and honey, he's good. pop star sings his latest hit today, wednesday, december 16, 2015. >> merry christmas, from cali to new york! >> good morning. >> go clemson tigers. >> celebrating 40 years of marriage. >> and 60 years old, yay! >> here in new york to celebrate my birthday here on the "today" show. >> 8:00 on a wednesday morning, 16th day of december, 2015. >> there's a noticeable change in the air today even though we've got the same huge holiday

temperatures have dropped and a more seasonal feel right now. >> i forgot how to dress for winter. >> it will warm up again this >> okay. >> let's head inside and check the top stories of the morning. hey, nat. >> guys, good morning. republicans traded stinging personal insults during their final debate of the year tuesday night. nbc national correspondent peter us. peter, good morning. >> natalie, good morning to you. this was in effect a commander in chief debate all the republicans trying to convince voters that they are best qualified to keep americans safe. there was no outright winner last night except perhaps the republican party demonstrating, that well, donald trump is going to stay in the tent. he said he would not monday a third-party bid. some real infighting between donald trump and jeb bush. bush taking aim at trump, insisting that he is the chaos candidate and then you had trump

numbers and marco rubio announced real divisions such as domestic surveillance and immigration. chris christie was strong as well but most analysts agree this race is locked in place during the holidays with donald trump a strong number one and ted cruz in second. natalie. >> peter alexander in las vegas, thanks. we have breaking news from europe. officials in austria say they have arrested two men with possible connections to the attacks in paris last month. meantime, hillary clinton is providing new details about her plan to prevent future attacks here in the u.s. she wants silicon valley to help block isis recruitment online. she also called on american muslim communities to intervene and help stop radicals, calling them our best defense. two people were killed overnight when a medical helicopter crashed in the mountains about 55 miles east of phoenix. search teams found one crew member alive.

have dps on the ground. they have possibly located the crash side. last update was someone was waving a light at them. >> that survivor was flown to a nearby hospital, the chopper carried a doctor, a nurse and paramedics. no crew on board. the man a woman who revolutionized the mail order, lillian vernon went small and goods that could be monogrammed for free. lillian vernon was 88 years old. for the first time a woman has been chosen toer is as commandant of cadets at west point. brigadier general diana holland graduated from the academy in 1990. she served in both iraq and afghanistan. general holland will be in charge of training west point's more than 4,000 cadets. congratulations to her. a homeowner in south georgia was doing some yard work when he heard a loud crash and take a look.

a small plane that landed right on his rooftop. the two people on board were able to climb out with just a few cuts and bruises. the pilot had reported engine trouble and was trying to reach an airport about half a mile away. good thing he is okay. let's get a check of the weather right now. mr. roker. today's weather is brought to you by kay jewellers, the number one jewelner america. every kiss begins with kay. >> around the country today, sunshine, a little cooler along the east coast and more wet weather making its way from the the gulf coast. snow across the northern plains and another big storm moving into the pass nick northwest. >> jeremy: good morning. for the day a mix of clouds and sunshine. not as much wind out there today and seasonal, again, cooler than 422046. above normal. boston this afternoon at 45. worcester 43. merrimack valley, new hampshire mid-40s.

more clouds tomorrow with a few isolated rain showers on the way for tomorrow afternoon. near 50. showers tomorrow night and a few leftover raindrops on friday. cold. >> that's your latest weather. savannah. >> all right, al, thank you. remember the most. we look back at the most talked about news stories of 2015. >> plus, natalie pays it forward to a selfless woman she's known for years but has never met. >> and honey, he's good. andy grammer performs his [makes siren noise] i'm watching that. eew. but a gift from kay jewelers... makes it unforgettable. because it's more than a gift. it's a memory she'll wear forever. save 25% on any citizen watch. powered by light - any light. never needs a battery. at kay, the number-one memory-maker in america.

this holiday i can count on someone's kid mistaking me for santa. i'm so sorry. come on sweetie. it's okay. and knowing right when my packages arrive. introducing real-time delivery notifications. one more reason this is our season. the snow is starting to fall... and all the decorations are just right. the presents have all been opened... and our loved ones are gathered all around. so share that extra joy in your heart... and make this christmas even more special than the last. walmart has everything you'll need for a christmas meal they'll never forget. share wonder every day. walmart. dave, i'm sorry to interrupt. i gotta take a sick day tomorrow. dads don't take sick days, the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep with a cold,

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(vo) some call it giving back. we call it share the love. during our share the love event, get a new subaru, p and we'll donate $250 to those in need. pbringing our total donations to over sixty-five million dollars. p and bringing love where it's needed most. plove. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. from the crowded raced to the white house and the pope's visit and terror here at home and abroad, 2015 has been filled with triumph and tragedy. >> here is a look back at moments that shaped your world as we reported them here on "today". ." breaking news. masked men opened fire at offices of a controversial

>> two armed men entered the building and began opening fire. >> there's been a hostage-taking at a kosher deli and meanwhile the two brothers suspected of the attack are holed up and cornered. >> terrorists who traumatize this region for three days are dead but not before leaving 17 innocent lives ended. >> the kayla mueller, an aide isis. >> i really feel we had a chance to get her out. >> do you feel like our government did enough? >> the major new offensive launched by isis. >> the u.s.-led coalition is striking back. are we winning right now? >> we're still building the forces. i'm confident we will win. >> russian passenger plane with 224 people on board crashes in egypt. >> isis claimed it had brought down the plane. >> vladimir putin is vowing to take revenge. >> and attack on a paris-bound train thwarted by three americans. >> seemed like he was ready to

so were we. >> we remember spencer leaning over you and helping you. >> spencer, i would just like to take you thanks for saving my life. >> today marksled promise of a new day for the united states and cuba. >> for the first time in 54 years an american flag will be raise the at the u.s. embassy in havana. >> devastating earthquake in nepal. >> this is the race against time. brick by brick the desperate dig to find survivors. >> growing crisis overseas. migrants trying to escape their war-torn homeland attempting to get to europe >> president obama is strongly defending that controversial deal to halt iran's nuclear program. >> it is a good deal. >> you guys have been bamboozled and the american people are going to pay for that. >> bamboozled, outmaneuvered, outnegotiate the. were you fleeced? >> there's a lot of politics going on, matt. >> breaking news. >> this comes out of france where a germanwings passenger plane has crashed.

co-pilot intentionally crashed the plane into the mountains. >> the terror group isis claims responsibility for unprecedented attacks in paris, in six separate but coordinate bombings and shootings. >> the scene of the worst carnage at bataclan theser. >> witnesses say they saw these shooters arrive inside and beginning firing indiscriminately. >> an international manhunt is now under way. >> the suspected ringleader is in in fact dead. >> the soul of the city is intact. they have heavy hearts but they will not succumb to fear. >> seems another week, another tragic mass shooting. >> nine people killed in an unthinkable crime in charleston, south carolina. >> what does it say about us, that in 2015 somebody walks into a church and then shoots them one by one? >> he said should up, i'm going to shoot you. he said i'm not going to shoot you. i'm going to leave you here to

>> in laugh yet, louisiana, a gunman opened fire inside a crowded movie theser. >> i'm not sure why this man chose this movie to end these two people's live. >> a reporter and another killed lived on television. it takes my breath away. >> a gunman opened fire carrying out the vicious attack. >> exchanging swhots him. he's in a classroom >> . >> >> why does this keep happening? >> we've become numb to this. >> a 57-year-old man behind bars after a deadly shootout at a planned parenthood clinic. >> breaking overnight, a young couple opening fire at a holiday party. what did she describe? >> bullets flying all over the place. >> the female shooter pledged her allegiance on line to the leader of the islamic state. >> the this was an act of

innocent people. >> the u.s. has already seen more mass shootings than days in the year. >> get off me. >> it has been a night of chaos, violence, lawlessness in freddie gray. >> areas of the city that literally look like battle fields. >> this is the scene of a deadly philadelphia. >> just down the road behind me you can see the tangled mess of cars, tracks, power lines. >> there were people screaming and bleeding. >> the white house awash in a full rainbow in celebration of the supreme court's historic ruling on same-sex marriage. >> we've made our union a little more perfect. >> a defiant county clerk in kentucky is behind bars this morning after refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. >> i'm not. >> under whose authority? >> under god's authority.

the first time in the u.s. this morning after being greeted by the president, the vice president and an adoring crowd. >> unique and historic moment. the first opportunity for so many americans to see this pope in pope francis. >> pray for me, don't forget. >> where are they in the desperate search to find and capture two inmates involved in a brazen prison break. >> this prison break right out of a hollywood script. >> new questions swirl around joyce mitchell and whether she helped them hatch their plan. >> i knew i was in way over my head. >> there have been reports that your wife fell in love with one of these inmates. >> she didn't know if i loved her anymore, she said. >> the nightmare is finally over. >> i'm not the monster that everybody thinks i am.

lord el chapo. >> i saw that prison break in upstate new york was impressive. >> wow. >> el chapo had a mile-long tunnel. >> the death of cecil the lion has ignited controversy behind the world and the doctor behind it now in hiding. >> tens of millions of e-mail addresses belonging to ashley madison customers available for all to see now oint net. >> millions of marriages and reputations could be very much at stake this morning. >> are you african-american? >> i don't understand the question. >> the a prominent ncaa leader under fire accused by her own family of lying about being black. >> are you an african-american woman? >> i identify as black. >> new england patriots are at the center of a controversially. >> they are calling this deflategate. did the new england patriots dock tort footballs their team used in the big win over the colts here over the weekend? >> is trade' cheater? >> i don't believe so. i mean, i feel like i've always

>> he did it! >> american pharoah in that run into history, the first triple crown winner in 37 years. >> american pharoah is finally the one! >> i don't know that i've ever heard a roar that was louder than what i heard on saturday afternoon. >> believe. >> the u.s. women win the world cup. >> it was thrilling, it was stunning, it was amazing. >> usa! >> we're world cup champions! >> bruce jenner's transition to life as a would. the former olympian revealed a look and name on the cover of ". >> was there an adjustment? >> we all support him, was there an adjustment, yes. >> nothing better than to look in the meror and feel comfortable with yourself and who you are. hello from the other side about?

with everyone else and myself, you know. it's in general just hello, everyone. hello. >> hello. >> nice to meet you. >> gwen and blake, does it good to be out in the open now? >> i like your suit. >> thank you. >> i like your movie. >> oh, my god. thank you. >> so funny. >> stop. what was your favorite part in the. >> all of it. >> yes, yes, yes. >> i'll have what he had. >> on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being happy and 10 being over the mood. how happy are you not being to run willing for everything? >> not as happy as michelle. >> i just constantly think of how proud i am that he's able to carry the weight of the world but still, you know, find time to be my husband. >> and all of the spotlight gets to be on those ladies you love. >> there's just nothing like sharing the spotlight or anything else with your sisters

>> i knew during the surgery that he was on my side and this wasn't something that i felt less of a woman because my husband wasn't going to let that happen. >> you know there are a lot of rumors. >> sure. >> out there right now, and would you like to address them head on. >> i'm here to admit that i am in fact hiv-positive. it's a hard three let efforts to absorb. >> so are we talking about lawsuits filed against you, charlie? are we talking about shakedowns? >> we're talking about shakedowns. >> are you still paying some of these people? >> not after today i'm not. >> the let me know we can't wait for you to come back. we can't wait for to you come back and i can't wait to make them laugh again. >> you know what would be a nice way to thank them, one day walking down those stairs again on "saturday night live." >> i promise you, i promise you.

it the feels so good to be here. >> glad you're with us. should be a good afc west -- >> yolky's blast sails over the left field fence and the yanks are off and running. >> we're grateful for it. >> we can't late criminal extort his own freedom. >> many in the hills say they need the crease fire. >> i never dreamed it could is today. >> half the united nations --

>> live long and prosper. >> let the race begin. >> i am announcing. >> i am proud to announce. >> i am officially running. >> i'm a candidate. >> i announce my candidacy. >> for president. >> of the united states. >> the question being raised about why hillary clinton used a personal e-mail account only during her tenure as secretary of state? >> secretary clinton said she did this for convenience. >> i don't think convenience should trump national security. >> it's a story that just won't go away. >> did you wipe the server?

something? >> do you get how bad it looks? >> it was allowed, and i've said it wasn't the best choice. >> the american people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails. >> thank you. me, too. >> front-runner hillary clinton does have one less thing to worry about. >> i believe we're out of time, the time necessary to mount a winning campaign. >> we've put together a benghazi special committee. >> you're scheduled to testify before that committee. >> that's right. >> do you think it should be disbanded? >> they have admitted it's a political partisan committee for the soul purpose of going after me. >> high stakes at benghazi hearing. >> i thought more about what happened than all of you put together. >> nbc news has learned that house speaker john boehner will resign from congress. >> this isn't about me. it's about the people. it's about the institution. >> the speakership is a powerful job, and yet you don't have people following all over themselves to fill it. >> the place is impossible to

>> paul ryan era sunday way on capitol hill. >> now more than ever we must work together. >> donald trump is riding the wave to the lead of a crowded republican field. >> when mexico sends its people, they are bringing crime, they are rapists and some i assume are good people. >> i don't mean to be fun bethis. you're losing in the polls to the host of "celebrity apprentice." >> target trump. the republican candidates for president take on the front-runner and pull no punches. >> mr. trump doesn't have a proven conservative record. >> you call women you don't like fat pigs and disgusting animals. >> only rosie o'donnell. >> look at that face, trump is quoted as saying. would anyone vote for that? >> i think women all over the country heard very clearly what mr. trump said. >> do you think you're setting the right example as someone who is running for the highest office in the land? >> every poll said that i'm the best leader by far. >> we've got to the wake up.

doesn't know how to do the job. >> another day, another new poll with donald trump in the lead. >> seems so hard for anyone to get attention. how do you break out? >> it's a marathon. >> the donald j. trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the united states. >> he's a chaos candidate and he'd be a chaos president. >> you can't deny his impact on politics whether you like it or don't like t. >> so a little bit happened the last year. >> we're exhausted. >> quite a year. >> we should thank everyone who worked on that piece. takes a long time, producers katie buckley and yale federbush, mike sadowski and the graphic artist pauly shirokis.

that you don't see, people behind the scenes and you saw the proof that have. >> always amaze when we sit and watch that piece how much we forget that happened over the course of 12 months. >> and how much of that is going to extend into 2016, whether it's politics or the international fight against terrorism. these are ongoing stories. >> absolutely. all right. we look forward to what we get to cover in 2016. meanwhile meanwhile. >> we are back in just a moment with your local news and weather.

>> this is 7news now. >> christa: good morning, everyone. 8:27 on your wednesday morning. let's send it over send it to jeremy reiner far check of forecast. through a day of mix of clouds and sunshine. cooler than yesterday. even these numbers, about where we should be for this time of year. 42 to 46 this afternoon. >> christa: the case against convicted killer philip chism heads back to court today. today's hearing is at a separate charge where chism is accused of trying to kill a youth service worker where he's in custody. yesterday the danvers teenager was found guilt yeah of killing his high school math teacher colleen ritzer back in 2013. two people are hurt in a serious crash that happened in wakefield.

this was on 128. then it burst into flames. both victims were rushed to the hospital. police right now are investigating what led up to that crash. and two people recovering from injuries after a temporary wall fell on a sidewalk in malden. this facade of the plywood fell on top of five people, including a baby in a stroller on pleasant street. two women were transported to the hospital with minor injuries. investigators believe the wind may have been a contributing factor to that accident. and don't forget today in new england returns at 9:00 a.m. with your latest headlines.

people are working harder than ever, but the everyday cost of perscriptions, child care, or even just buying groceries can be a stretch for too many families. hillary's plan: raise the minimum wage, get equal pay for women, cut taxes for the middle class, and new incentives for business to share profits with employees instead of just rewarding ceos. those at the top are doing just fine. it's your family that needs a raise. i'm hillary clinton, and i

8:30 now. it's wednesday morning, 16th of december, 2015. christmas is getting closer every day. great crowd out on our plaza. a little chilly out here, but we won't complain. starting to feel like the holidays. andy grammer coming up. he's going to sing his new song and also out here collecting toys for us. >> also coming up, we've got a young lady here. she is a very talented young

globe nominations, alicia vikander and "vogue" magazine says this will be her here. >> we'll talk to her. >> al, a check of the weather. >> for today snow in the plains. going to be a windy day and really a little messy. look for wet weather from the u.p, of michigan all the way down to the gulf coast. sunny but a little cooler along the eastern seaboard and the sunshine through the southwest and on in through >> jeremy: good morning. for the day a mix of clouds and sunshine. not as much wind out there today and seasonal, again, cooler than yesterday. 422046. still technically a little bit above normal. boston this afternoon at 45. worcester 43. merrimackalley, new hampshire seacoast, temperatures mid-40s. cloudy skies tonight. more clouds tomorrow with a few isolated rain showers on the way for tomorrow afternoon. near 50. showers tomorrow night and a few leftover raindrops on friday. the weekend right now dry.

holiday is the perfect time -- jumping through my shot. chuck schofield is with us from no kid hungry. good morning, thanks for being here. >> thanks for having she. >> tell me about your truck and your partnership with city. >> absolutely. i'm here with the no kid hungry campaign and no kid hungry is focuses on surrounding children in need who struggle with hunger with nutritious food where they live and learn and play. we have one in five kids in this country who struggle with hunger case. it's a solvable problem and that's why we have teamed up with childhood hungry. no kid hundred rig has been an incredible partner and we have been able to provide 10 million meals to children in need and the food truck shows we just launched this new initiative with the food truck that's

donations to no kid hungry throughout the city during this holiday season. >> that's tobin bride. chuck schofield, thanks for the work you do. >> appreciate it. >> merry christmas. >> merry christmas. >> now back inside to you guys. >> well, this morning on our series make your today it's natalie's turn to pay it forward. >> that's right. back in 2008 when i was pregnant i mentioned on air i craved cheeseburgers. a woman named sarah bartos e-mailed with the world cheeseburger to congratulate me on my pregnancy and we've kept in touch over the years and sarah is the lead council for children's rights, an organization that advocates for children in foster care, and i decided that that was the perfect reason to finally meet face to face.

i've been waiting seven years for this moment. sara. much from you. you're that person on the front lines really in the courts litigating and trying to make sure that the states are taking care of those kids in the system. >> the government can do magical things for children and for families, but without accountability there's broken lives, kids who grow up in foster care and turn 18 without a home, without a mom, a dad and so we're in the courts trying to make sure that happens as infrequently as possible. >> my second home. i consider it kind of hell on earth. my foster mom started telling me things like you are ugly. you're worthless. no one could ever love you. your mother doesn't love you. that's why you're in foster care and then her husband soon began

he had his way with me and i remember so clearly i'm 15. i have never kissed a boy. >> wow. >> god has been incredible in my life. >> you finally had a positive experience and found your family. >> i am very, very, very fortunate to have ended up in a family like this one that has so much love, so much kindness. >> what do you wanted people to take away from your life? >> while things can be difficult, almost pitch black, hope. >> my parents, they just weren't there. they couldn't take care of me. my older brothers -- sorry. >> i know, it's a hard thing to do to talk about what you went through. >> i moved in with my foster mother who would a year later adopt me. i ended up living with her from

physical abuse. >> so how many foster homes did you end up living in? >> i've lived in anywhere between 25 to 30 different fosters homes. you question where's my family? why don't i have a home? >> how did you go from that dark place to overcoming it and becoming who you are now? >> you know, they say it takes a village to raise a child. that is true, but it takes one person to change a child, and my social worker was that one person who changed my life. i'm currently in my second year at st. john's university. my goal is to really inspire my brothers and sisters in the foster care system. i never gave up, even though it is hard. i am who i am today because of everybody who invested in my future, and i can be the president, too. >> i'm voting for you some day. >> i had a really actually great experience in foster care. i was in my home, in my foster home for a couple months.

eventually i started to feel a little caged in and acted out in some of my old ways and i ran away when i was 16 actually. >> and then when you turned 19 >> yeah. >> that changed everything in my life. >> i got my g.e.d. while i was pregnant with elijah and right after he was born i began college and i became a foster mom at 24 and if you look at a kid for their trauma, you're not looking at kid, you look at what's happened to them and my daughter has had a lot of trauma in her life but if you look at her and you see her, she's amazing. >> and the woman who inspired it all and inspired me and still inspires me, sara bartos who is so -- i'm so thrilled i finally got to meet you and we got to tell these stories. we have a little surprise for you though, beyond that, we created another video for you to help children's rights that you guys can use on your website. take a look.

>> over 650,000 children spend time in the foster care system every year. >> nearly 108,000 of them are waiting to be adopted. >> just 58 of those who grow up in foster care graduate from the high school. >> and only around 3% graduate from the a four-year college. >> i used to be a foster kid. >> spent two years with the state as my parents. >> i spent 18 years in foster care. >> i lived in over 25 different foster homes. >> and now i have a forever family. >> i was supported in foster care and now i'm supporting others. >> i hope to inspire the world with my story. >> children's rights shines a spotlight on failing foster care systems. >> and used the law to protect tens of thousands of kids. >> hi, my name is victoria rowell. by working together we can reach the children who need our help most. >> and i'm natalie morales, and please help give tens of thousands of kids in foster care

lives they deserve! so, what do you think, zahra? >> that's fantastic. what a thrill. what a holiday joy. much. >> we know the organization, you don't have a lot in a media budget so we figured creating that video will help raise awareness. accomplish that? >> i sure hope so and if it adopting. if they think bus and help us do our work, we're going to make these systems work for kid and there can be thousands upon thousands of new permanent families. >> you are -- >> your help is amazing. >> you are a super hero. >> you know why we keep talking over cheeseburgers. >> exactly. >> see more of that video on our wednesday i'd. up next, one of hollywood's rising stars.

alicia vikander but first this

welcome, to the simply orange tour. this is our plant. these are our workers. and this, is upper management. but what you won't find around here, is any freezing, flavoring, or concentrating. which brings us to our end product. simply orange. honestly simple. that's just the night watchman.

>> there's more to be congratulating her about. great to have you here, welcome. >> thank you so much. >> eddie redmayne was here and this is an embarrassment of riches meaning the roles he's had in the last year or so and same thing for you. >> it's been quite a whirlwind this year. yeah, i've -- i've -- it's been just first of all been able to be working on some of the films that i've done. some of them that came out that i did almost two and a half years ago up until now it's been

not only people but to work with some of them. >> you're nominated for best actress in "the danish girl" and also best supporting actress and what was it like on the morning that the nominations were announced? >> i was in berlin doing press for "danish girl" and we were going to head off straight after we finished this table junket that i had with journalists and i came out and my publicist just looked at me and screamed and said you got nominated and i jumped out and freaked out really and then she said and another thing -- >> wait, there's more. >> i just blanked out then and had a very hard time to get my head around. called my parent, the first thing. >> "the danish girl" will get a lot of attention because it deals with the issue of transgender which is in the news, but when eddie was here he made a very strong point and said let's remember that first story. is that the way you see it? >> definitely.

way and think it's also why i think it's extremely relatable in that sense that it's a couple that you get a very tight insight into their relationship and how -- how you -- how you tackle and handle a big change and how the relationship can go through very different stages and i was kind of just touched amount of love. movie. it's a wonderful f. you're on the cover of "vogue" magazine basically saying that this coming year is going to be your year. that's a compliment and can also be nerve-racking. >> well, there's been a lot of nerve-racking moment and i think it's been, but, i mean, it's such an honor. i was 13 when i was in sweden when i went to -- to the strain straight in gottenburg was the only place you could buy international magazines, and i got to tell them how big -- it

world so to be invited in and be part of that was pretty extraordinary. >> it's deserved. alici ya, great to meet you. congratulations on everything. >> thank you so much. >> and "danish girl" from our sister company focus features opens on christmas day. >> still ahead, a live performance from andy grammer downstairs, but, first, on a

we're back now with a rare condition that can develop in women pregnant with identical twins. >> two mothers are leading the charge to bring attention to it. here's "today's" erica hill. >> so this is the photo of them at the 20 weeks. they said you're fine. go home, like things are looking good, and then three days later is when we, you know, we found out that we lost our first baby.

delivered her twin daughters, ela and stella. neither survived. >> sometimes things look stone cold normal and within a very few days it can accelerate. >> it is tttf or twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, a disease many expectant mothers of identical twins have never even heard of. during pregnancy most identical twins share a single placenta in the womb. sharing the placenta also means the twins share blood vessels. in at least 10% of cases where the twins share the placenta tttf develops and the blood flow between the babies about, unbalanceled putting both twins in jeopardy. >> so the smaller donor twin is losing blood volume and the baby is basically losing nutrients to the other twin. the other baby gets an excess amount of blood volume and basically each baby is in

>> in some pregnancies, like jamie's, tttf developed so quickly the damage so severe nothing can be done to save the babies. but for those who can be saved, recognizing the early signs is key to a positive outcome. odeh snider was also pregnant with identical twins that shared one placenta. >> i didn't know anything could go wrong. >> she had never heard of tttf until she was diagnosed. after doctors noticed a sides ultrasound. >> very interesting. >> within days she was in the office of a one of a few neo-natal surgeons in the country by treat tttf by operating arthroscopically to laser blood vessels that share blood vessel and restore normal flow.

higher that at least one baby will survive and about a 70% chance or higher that both will survive. >> griffin and zachery beat the odds. >> i was very lucky, gave birth to amazing and healthy children. >> experts say women carrying twins with a shared placenta should have an ultsound every one to two weeks and watch for any physical warning signs like a rapid growth of the womb, abdominal tightness and cramping. >> i think all moms shouldn't be afraid to ask questions just to get more information for a sense of peace. >> for "today," erica hill, new york. >> i've never heard of that. important information. >> and that's the whole point, to raise awareness. put a lot more information on tttf including the questions that expectant mothers should be asking their doctors. it's on our website, today.com. we're back in a movement

>> we're so happy to have andy grammer here to perform his latest single.

grammer. i've been grinding so long, been trying this for years and i got nothing to show, just climbing this rope right here and if there's a man upstairs, he kept bringing me rain but i've sending up prayers and something's changed i think i finally found my hallelujah i've been waiting for this moment all my life true, yeah i've been waiting for this moment now good, good, good, good to be alive right about now good, good, good, good to be alive right about now hallelujah, let that bass line

and it's good to be alive right "now" i was dead in the water, nobody wanted me i was old news, i went cold as cold could be but i kept throwing on coal trying to make that fire burn sometimes you got ace aa get scars to get what you deserve i kept moving on and now i'm moving up damn, i'm feeling blessed with all this love i think i finally found my hallelujah i've been waiting for this moment all my life now all my dreams are coming true, yeah i've been waiting for this moment feels good to be alive right about now good, good, good, good to be alive right about now good, good, good, good to be to be alive right about now hallelujah, let that bass line

and it's good to be alive right about now i almost can, cannot handle i could get you, could get used to this i almost can, cannot handle it i could get you, could get used to this i think i final found my hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah good to be alive right about now good, good, good, good to be alive right about now good, good, good, good to be alive right about now hallelujah, let that bass line move ya, sayyaf and it's good to be alive right about now good, good, good, good to be alive right about now good, good, good, good to be

good, good, good, good to be alive right about now good, good, good, good to be alive right about now all right >> awesome. andy grammer and his band. thank you so much. we're back with much more of "today" in a moment.

the second criminal case today for teenager philip chism

a plywood wall come crashing down on sidewalk crowded with to help. and what happened in vegas certainly didn't stay there. the g.o.p. candidates in their final debate of the year. get your taste bud ready. jeremy reiner shows us how to the holiday.