good morning. breaking overnight, powerful storms sweep across the south. a string of tornados touching down in four states. at least five people killed, dozens injured. a day care center destroyed. while in tennessee, the fight against those raging wildfires enters a third day. >> it s apocalyptic almost. >> this morning a firsthand look at the damage and devastation from the worst fires there in more than a century. state dinner? despite their rocky past, mitt romney emerges from a late-night meeting with donald trump and heaps praise on the president-elect. >> enlightening and interesting and engaging. >> but is romney any closer to being the next secretary of

announce new cabinet posts today. what went wrong? investigators poring over the black boxes from that doomed flight carrying a brazilian soccer team. a surviving crew member claiming the plane ran out of fuel, as emotional tributes to the 71 victims are held around the world. and splitting the jackpot. a group of 20 co-workers comes forward with the winning ticket in that nearly half a billion dollar powerball drawing. >> i had to look again because i thought i'm in >> their big plans for all that money today, wednesday, november 30th, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning, welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. you have to feel good for these 20 people. they banded together. they have been playing the lottery for eight years now.

jealous but it does make you feel good for them. >> think about everybody who joins the office pool wishing it would happen, but it's nice to see it happen to a good group of people there. >> there is hope. we'll tell you more about that in just a little while. let's get right now to those dangerous situations unfolding across the south. it's been a really rough 72 hours beginning with the historic wildfires that are still burning in the great smoky mountains of tennessee. overnight severe weather raced across that region spawning multiple starting with those storms. tim fam has the very latest. tim, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you. tornados ripped through polk county tennessee. we're in benton, tennessee, right now. this convenience store got hit hard. poyer lines were down, the roof was torn off and thrown across the parking lot. right now the community at a stand-still as power is out everywhere.

shutting down a major highway. we spoke with benton county police rocky king and he says there are at least a few fatalities. he could not confirm exactly how many, but says this community looks like a disaster zone. matt? >> tim pham, thank you very much. al, what's the forecast looking for those people? >> it's going to be tough. in fact we have new tornado watches out for that region once again. this was a very vigorous system. we were telling you how thiwa juiced up yesterday. tornado and wind damage reports, 74 of them. the line stretches 550 miles. right now we have tornado watches stretching for much of louisiana, including new orleans, all the way up into central tennessee again. we've even got severe thunderstorm warnings up into parts of the carolinas. now, look at this, today we have a risk of strong storms stretching -- ten million people under a severe risk from new orleans all the way on into

front pushing through, strong storms firing up. the only silver lining is this is going to help the drought down there. you can see rainfall amounts from 1.5 to 3 inches. some areas could pick up 3 to 5 inches locally. looking at the wildfires in tennessee, you can see more heavy rain moving in, but the sad part about this is while we'll have drenching rains, which is good news, we're also going to have very, very gusty winds so the flames that aren't knocked down are going to be fanned by 60-mile-per-hour wind gusts. >> you'll be back with your forecast in just a little while. and we want to talk more about these raging wildfires in tennessee, including the largest in that state in a century. parts of two popular resort towns have been leveled, thousands forced to flee. we find kerry sanders in pigeon forge this morning. kerry, good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning, savannah. that rain that al was talking about has literally just started to fall. three people have died in the

now, the damage here in pigeon forge and in nearby gatlinburg, as you can see, is complete in certain areas. it is just devastating. the authorities say that folks decide to move to areas like this because it can be so beautiful, exempt when there is a fire. in this firestorm, the survivors say it was like being in the gates of hell. tennessee's governor says it's the largest fire s volunteer state in 100 years. a firestorm raging now for two days in and around the great smoky mountain national park. >> please, lord, let us get off this county. >> reporter: sevier county, in gatlinburg the devastation staggering. the fire so hot it burned some homes to their foundations. 14,000 residents and visitors evacuated. and now some coming home to find

>> it was apocalyptic almost. >> reporter: dakota cogdale returned to his grandparents' home of 43 years. a lifetime of memories, gone in the flames. >> the gun i learned how to shoot with, my first bb gun, is right here. what's left of it anyway. >> reporter: the loss tumperred by what was saved. >> my family is safe, they're all accounted for. that's what we've been telling each other. we can rebuild, we can't replace. >> reporter: for michael reed, fears of the worst this morning. fire was moving closer. when it did and so quickly, he was cut off from his wife, constance, and daughters, 12-year-old enclosu 12-year-old chloe and 9-year-old lily. >> we got up to the house and i just screamed her name. >> reporter: again overnight hundreds spent the night in shelters. >> it was nothing but red. i was taking care of an elderly lady. i had to get her out and our animals out. that's the only thing that we

popular tourist destination, home to dollywood, that's country music superstar dolly parton's popular theme park. flames ripped through the fringes but the park was spared. dolly saying she's heartbroken and praying for all the families. what sparked the massive fire remains unclear, but officials say it appears to be human caused. this morning teams are still on the fire lines trying to tame a monster. a fast-moving blaze t business and his home. >> we're strong, we're resilient, and we're going to make it. >> reporter: this morning michael reed, who is still trying to find out information about his wife and two daughters, does not have an update yet. he fears for the worst. meantime this rain that is falling might sound like a good thing, but the truth is it will soak the ground and these trees here according to the authorities are all so loosened

and that creates a new danger. of course we just saw some lightning. lightning is not a friend either because that lightning can spark another blaze. >> these are really tough times, kerry, and our hearts are with the people. thank you so much. we want to turn now to the decision facing president-elect donald trump over who to pick for secretary of state. he met yet again with mitt romney last night and after that dinner romney heaped praise on the man he once famously called a phony and a fraud. tower where the president-elect is again busy on twitter this morning. hallie, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. yes, the president-elect coming out with a big announcement online just within the last couple of minutes here this morning tweeting that he will be holding a news conference on december 15th here in new york city with his children to discuss the fact, he says, that i will be leaving my great business in total in order to fully focus on running the country in order to make america

mandated to do this under the law, i feel it is visually important as president to in no way have a conflict of interest with my various businesses. hence, legal documents are being crafted which take me completely out of business operations. the presidency is a far more important task. this comes as questions have lingered over how the president-elect plans to separate his business interests from the interests of the nation. it has been 126 days since his last formal news conference. all of it coms sort out his cabinet, meeting with as you mentioned his former critic, mitt romney. the two sharing a meal of steak, scallops and frog legs here in manhattan. it's the ritzy restaurant rendezvous no one could have seen coming six months ago. the attacks then turning to compliments now. >> he did something i tried to do and was unsuccessful in accomplishing. he won the general election. and he continues with a message

together. >> reporter: mitt romney and donald trump joined by incoming chief of staff reince priebus at a three-star spot named after famous chef jean george von rick ten. call it a second-round interview for the secretary of state slot trump still hasn't filled, but his cabinet is coming together. according to a top transition source, the president-elect has picked billionaire bankend mnuchin as the next secretary of treasury. for commerce it's wilbur ross and for transportation head, elaine chao who served eight years as labor secretary under george w. bush and who's married to senate majority leader mitch mcconnell. >> i've heard rumors that it should be an outstanding appointment. >> reporter: the president-elect now ready for a road trip with nbc news learning from a source familiar with the plans he'll

try and make good on a campaign pledge to try to keep carrier air conditioning jobs from moving to mexico. >> you think you're going to ship your stuff across the border for no tax, no nothing. you can forget it. >> reporter: the company now confirming it reached a deal with the new administration to keep nearly 1,000 jobs in indiana. it's not clear yet what the incentives are or whether they would be available to other u.s. businesses. after that, it's on to cincinnati and the start of a thanu trump did well. the candidate, who fed off the energy of campaign rallies, doing it again as president-elect. >> i love cincinnati. >> reporter: donald trump tweeting about his trip but it's another tweet that has him facing fallout in a flag-burning firestorm. quote, nobody should be allowed to burn the american flag. if they do, there must be consequences, he writes. perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail.

under the first amendment, upheld twice by the supreme court. and the suggestion of stripping citizenship also unconstitutional. >> in this country we have a long tradition of respecting unpleasant speech. i happen to support the supreme court's decision on that matter. >> reporter: also this morning, news of a rare public appearance by donald trump's former rival, hillary clinton. she appeared here in new york city at a introduce katy perry. the two joining each other on stage. >> hallie, thank you very much. we're learning more this morning about the possible cause of that deadly crash of a plane carrying members of a brazilian soccer team to a match in colombia. nbc's keir simmons has the latest now. >> reporter: on their way to colombia, video posted to social media shows excited young soccer players looking forward to the biggest game of their lives.

chapeco, brazil, forced with loss. a few team members who didn't make the trip shell shocked. supporters joining hands at the team's home stadium chanting the names of their fallen comrades. meanwhile crash investigators are going through the plane's flight data recorders to figure out what went wrong. as the plane approached, the t problems and circled before crashing into the hillside. a surviving crew member reportedly told rescuers the plane ran out of fuel. >> once that recorder is read out, i think it will become apparent if this is a fuel issue, range issue or if it experienced a mechanical problem. >> reporter: heavy rain and steep, muddy conditions hampered rescue efforts but six people were saved. three members of the team, one journalist and two crew members.

condition. another player leaves behind a pregnant wife just 18 years old. the family releasing this video showing the moment he learned he would be a father, dancing and celebrating with his teammates. the 31-year-old goalie managed to call his wife after the crash, but later died at the hospital. in the wake of the tragedy, an outpouring of support from the soccer world. teams in europe and south america paying tribute with vigils and moments the arch at london's wembley stadium lit up in green. chapecoense had been a cinderella story reaching the finals, a team that inspired brazilian fans now being mourned by an entire nation. and a member of the team board tells nbc news that a team doctor is arriving here in colombia to help identify the bodies. the pope this morning praying

colombian team that was set to face that brazilian team, they now say the trophy should go to the brazilians for the fallen. savannah. >> keir simmons in bogota for us this morning. thank you. tuesday was an emotional day in court at the high-profile trial over a deadly police shooting in south carolina. the former officer accused of gunning down an unarmed black man fought back tears as he testified in his own defense. nbc's gabe gutierrez has more on that. gabe, good morning. >> reporter: matt, good after that former officer, michael slager, took the witness stand. now, the jury is scheduled to visit the scene of the fatal shooting later today, and closing arguments could begin soon after in a case that reignited the national conversation about race and police tactics. this morning the final stages in the trial of michael slager, the former police officer accused of walter scott's murder.

stopped, what i'm trained to do. >> reporter: in his first detailed public account of what happened back in april of 2015 -- >> in my mind, fear. i was scared. >> reporter: slager told the jury he pulled scott over for a broken tail light and was about to write him a warning when scott suddenly bolted from his car. >> people don't run from a broken taillight. >> reporter: prosecutors say scott fled because he was behind on child support payments and feared being arrested. three times but that didn't stop scott from grabbing the stun gun. >> it was total fear that mr. scott didn't stop. >> reporter: the cell phone video he says picks up the encounter seconds later when scott breaks away from the struggle. slager says in hindsight he would not have chased scott on foot in the first place and instead would have called for backup. >> his entire testimony was what

which he didn't remember then, which was shocking. >> reporter: the trial now in its third week has been emotional for walter scott's family, his mother breaking down on the witness stand. >> he said they tasin' me, and i heard him groaning like he was in excruciating pain. >> reporter: the case could go to the jury as early as today. if convicted, slager faces 30 years to life in prison. >> gabe gutierrez, gabe, thank you. filled havanas plaza of the revolution last night for a memorial service honoring fidel castro. the presidents of mexico, ecuador, venezuela and south africa attended the service. raul castro closed the memorial with a speech calling his older brother the leader of a revolution for the humble and by the humble. today a three-day procession begins carrying castro's ashes across cuba. we now know who won saturday

a group of 20 co-workers who work at a manufacturing plant in portland, tennessee, came forward to claim their prize. they spoke at a news conference about the huge win. >> you never think you're going to win this lottery, but you do it for fun. well, my son saw la fayette, tennessee, and he started texting, i know mom has bought that ticket. wake her up, wake her up. i just started screaming but i had to look again because i thou >> everybody up here has a heart of gold. and this isn't changing what they have always done. i was on my way home last night from here and my check engine light came on and i thought, you know, i don't have to get frantic about that now. >> i called billy and he said, man, you need to get up and watch the news. and i went why? he went we won the lottery. >> hope to do a lot of good with

kindness, you know. just don't change. that's my motto. >> you get the feeling they're not going to change. they pooled their money for years. something like eight years they played together. >> so after taxes, they say they'll each get about $13 million. just in time for christmas! >> and for that check oil or engine light. >> that's awesome. >> al, let's get a check of the forecast. >> i've got a tree they could buy. let's show you really quickie what we've got going on. again that, severe weather going on through the south the mid-atlantic states, snow in the pacific northwest, also western plains, western great western plains, western great lakes, high surf advisories in g for everyone to gather around. and you know what else i'm thinking? lights! some help. got it! and the ornaments might take a little bit more time. but we're gonna get it just right. what do you think bullseye? [ bark ] ok, let's do this!

what do ya think? it's like you... it's like you read my mind! ? ? >> wren: well, through the morning hours we could see some spotty light showers by mid-to-late morning and into your lunch hour. pretty similar situation. as we head into the mid-to-late afternoon, we're looking at widespread rain showers, and that continues really through the overnight hours. that's going to be a soaker of a system again. temperature-wise, mild, if not a littleit 50s with patchy fog again tonight, through tomorrow morning, our lows not much lower than our highs, and rain wrapping up early tomorrow morning by 8:00, and that's your latest weather. coming up, more twists in that mysterious abduction of a california mother. this morning what her family is now revealing about her ordeal as police expand the search for suspects. and in light of that, a special rossen reports.

potentially stop an attack and save your life. first on a wednesday morning,

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from it. give now to the american cancer society. >> this is 7news now. >> nicole: good morning. we're taking a live look over boston. maybe it's drying up a little bit before the rain comes back. wren clair has a check of the forecast. >> wren: we're just seeing a

headed our way, especially as we head into the afternoon. right now we're still fighting off a bit of fog, but conditions have improved for us. you can still see reduced visibility, especially across the cape and the islands. visibility down to under a mile there. many of us faring better. bedford and norwood, back up to some pretty decent visibility. here in boston we're doing just fine. >> nicole: wren, thank you. crews in chinatown are working to get water main break under control. the break happened earlier this morning. water just completely flooded meeland street near the inteec now, both of those streets did have to be shut down. and dighton town selectmen will meet today to discuss the fire chief's job. officials say anton roderick used his clothing allowance to purchase women's workout gear and altered receipts to read menswear. roderick claimed he liked clothing with a slim fit. officers believe he bought those

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7:30 now. it's wednesday morning, november 30th, 2016. we're getting excited because tonight is the big christmas in rockefeller celebration. we will flip the switch on this year's tree. it's a tall one, 94 lot of holiday music, and of course you can catch it all live right here on nbc tonight. >> yes, looking forward to that. let's check out some headlines on this wednesday morning. severe weather hammering parts of the south with tornados touching down in several states overnight. at least five people have died, dozens more injured. around 20 buildings were destroyed isnn jackson county, alabama, alone.

of high winds won't further stoke the flames. three people have died, dozens of home have been destroyed and officials fear the death toll could rise as they search areas they have been so far unable to reach. and mitt romney praised donald trump following a second meeting with the president-elect about a possible role as secretary of state. here's what romney had to say to reporters as he left that dinner. >> what i've seen through these discussions that i've had with president-elect trump as well as what we've seen in his speech the night of as the people he selected as part of his transition, all of those things combined give me increasing hope that president-elect trump is the very man who can lead us to that better future. >> of course that is a striking change from some of the things mitt romney said about donald trump during the campaign. in the meantime, we've got some new information in that case of a kidnapped california mother. she was found badly beaten on the side of a road nearly 150 miles from her home.

latest. gadi, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. for the first time, investigators are revealing that they are taking a look at several other cases across the country for their similarities to the kidnapping of sherri papini. meanwhile her husband is describing his wife's condition after torture and starvation. mother of two, sherri had been through an unimaginable 22 days of terror. rushing to the hospital, her husband, keith, says nothing saw, telling "people" magazine in a statement the officers told me to brace myself. my first sight was my wife in a hospital bed, her face covered with bruises ranging from yellow to black because of repeated beatings. her kidnappers dumped her early thanksgiving morning on the side of the road shackled. >> chp is advising she is heavily battered and it is a confirmed kidnapping. >> her husband, keith, saying she has been branded. she was thrown from a vehicle

attached to her wrist and a bag over her head. the same bag she used to flag someone down when she was able to free one of her hands. during her captivity, she had lost so much weight she was down to 87 pounds. her body covered in bruises, severe burns, red rashes and chain markings. her signature long blonde hair had been chopped off. but her husband adding ultimately it was sherri's will to survive that brought her home. meanwhile, a team of detectives is working every clues. >> her husband has said she was branded. what could that mean? >> maybe a method of torture. it could mean a way of control or exerting control over a person. is it a symbol or could it be some type of message either to the person, the victim, or to others. >> reporter: and there is one other detail that is a mystery to investigators. detectives say she was taken

phone was discovered about a mile away from her home. but when it was found, it seemed carefully placed on the ground, not lost in a struggle. >> it appeared that it had been set in some grass with the screen facing up, and then the ear buds to the phone were loosely coiled and appeared to be placed on the screen. it did somewhat appear to be that it was placed there puos reviewing any lead that could help them develop a better description of her kidnappers, for now only described as two hispanic women in a dark suv. papini was interviewed by detectives for a third time yesterday. they are hoping to have a better description of her kidnappers a little bit later today. >> gadi schwartz, thank you very much. mr. roker, what do you have? >> we're looking at the northern end of that same system causing all the problems down south. it's going to be bringing more

in fact you can see heavier showers and thunderstorms southern new jersey stretching back into pittsburgh. we have low visibility and ceilings so from boston to washington, d.c., rough air travel today. this front will move this evening into the east coast. we're going to be looking at a lot more rain. in fact it may help some of the drought. look at these rainfall amounts. generally a quarter of an inch to more than two inches. in fact the record for new york city, 2.2 inches. we set one yesterday. poor visibility and it's going >> wren: well, through the morning hours we could see some spotty light showers by mid-to-late morning and into your lunch hour. pretty similar situation. as we head into the mid-to-late afternoon, we're looking at widespread rain showers, and that continues really through the overnight hours. that's going to be a soaker of a system again. temperature-wise, mild, if not a little bit above our average highs in the upper 40s and low 50s with patchy fog again tonight, through tomorrow morning, our lows not much lower than our highs, and rain

>> don't forget, get your weather any time you need it. check out the weather channel on cable. >> al, thank you so much. just ahead, a new reason to be a little embarrassed by some of those songs we stream in private. we'll explain. and first we have a special rossen reports. >> hi, good morning, i'm jeff rossen. coming up, new technology to keep you safe. from apps on your phone to small devices you can actually wear. some of them so advanced they'll evenak ? what if an insurance company wasn't only there when things went wrong? because for every tornado... there's a twister. for every crash... an even bigger collision. and for every tailspin... well, tailspins. state farm understands that getting the most out of life doesn't just mean being there when things go wrong. it's about being here... in all of life's moments.

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it's 7:41. we've got a new rossen reports sear ree series, keeping you safe. the technology that promises to protect you. >> jeff rossen is here to show us how this might work. >> women's safety back in the headlines right now in a major way. as we have been reporting right here on abduction of a woman in california. a mom grabbed by kidnappers who was out for a run by herself. her family said she had her cell phone with her when she was attacked and thought got us thinking. can your smartphone help protect you when you're out there alone? this morning, new apps and devices you can get right now that could save your life, and we're trying them out. you're walking alone, no one else around. and that's when an attacker could strike.

time. i always wonder, like, could that be me? there's a lot of times when i could be defenseless. >> reporter: missa baker is a waitress who leaves work late at night. today trying out popular new apps and gadgets that promise to protect women. up first, wearsafe, a virtual panic button at your fingertips. >> how does it work? >> it's wearable. it clips right to my keys. if i feel in trouble, i hit the button and it aud realtime and even what happened a few seconds ago. >> exactly. and it sends that to my friends with my exact gps location to let them know i'm in trouble or that i need help. >> let's try it out. >> i'm being followed by a tall man in a red jacket with dark denim, and then i'd hit the button. >> and that's it? >> that's it. >> reporter: across town, missa's friends, lindsay. her precise gps location pops on

too. >> i'm being followed by a tall man in a red jacket with dark denim. >> reporter: this next one goes even further, an app called be safe, recording video. >> i'll hit the alarm button and give a countdown of 3, 2, 1 and it's recording you. >> if i were the real attacker, an alarm goes off as well. if i'm a real attacker, you'd follow me with the camera and this actually gets texted to her friends and it actually calls let them know what's going on. by the way, this app has gps coordinates too, which is kind of cool. >> it's really cool. >> reporter: but app number three may be the most advanced of all, called lifeline response. not only tracking you but calling the police instantly. you walk with your thumb on the screen. if your thumb comes off, it sounds the alarm. >> okay, we're going to test this in realtime. we're standing in a random parking lot.

right now and we're going to try this out. your thumb is on that button. take your thumb off like you were being attacked and automatically it starts you counting you down. you have 18 seconds to type in your personal pin number that no one else knows. the alarm is going off. don't type in your pin. >> this is emma from lifeline response. we have received your emergency distress alert. i have notified the local police of the situation and transmitted your gps coordinates. >> wow. >> the police are route to your location. again, the police are en route. >> reporter: within moments, lifeline response tracks missa's location and calls the cops. >> female white 5 foot brown eyes. >> i hear the sirens, they're coming. this is crazy. >> this is crazy. that took less than a minute. >> that was so fast. that's crazy. >> you guys knew exactly where to come. >> exactly where to go.

than this. >> who do you make of this app? >> i love this app. >> what do you make of this? >> if i was really in an emergency situation, this really could have saved my life. >> here's the good news. you can download these apps right now. they work on iphone and android devices. they work on both and they're pretty cheap. the wearable one, and the one that calls the cops, those are around $5 a month. the one that takes video is completely we have a complete list with links on our website right now, today.com. >> such a sign of the times. as that story is running, we're all glued to the monitors. >> if you're a jogger, that's a great little app to have. >> especially the little thumb one. coming up, we'll show you what oscar winner matthew mcconaughey just did to give some fans the surprise of a lifetime. and tamron has a look at how and tamron has a look at how they're decking walgreens presents a holiday mini miracle.

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i'm working to boost linda's immune system to help protect her against you, shingles. zostavax is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults fifty years of age and older. zostavax does not protect everyone and cannot be used to treat shingles or the nerve pain that may follow it. you should not get zostavax if you are allergic to gelatin or neomycin, have a weakened immune system or take high doses of steroids are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. the most common side effects include redness, pain, itching, swelling, hard lump warmth or bruising at the injection site and headache. it's important to talk to your doctor about what situations you may need to avoid since zostavax contains a weakened chickenpox virus. remember one in three people get shingles in their lifetime, will it be you? talk you to your doctor or pharmacist about me, single shot zostavax.

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black friday bonus cash on top of all other great offers. it's an amazing time to visit your ford dealer. there's a look at that beautiful tree that we'll light tonight. question, have you put up your holiday decorations yet? these ladies have. >> it's like the tree had two babies. >> well, they're all over it at the country's most residence as well. >> people think thanksgiving is their pregame for christmas. ler like let's get it started. by the way, they have gotten it started at the white house in a wonderful way. military family members joined the first lady tuesday to unveil the obama's final white house holiday decorations. while designers begin planning six months ahead of time, volunteers actually arrived at the white house just five days ago to produce what is an incredible display. let me take you through. throughout the white house

garland, 109 wreaths and 63 christmas trees. and a new addition to this year's decor, 56 lego houses, one for each state and territory. and the decorations also include, we've seen these guys before, larger-than-life replicas of the obama's dogs made up of more than 25,000 yarn pom-pons and no christmas is complete without the traon 150 pounds of gingerbread, 20 points of icing went into this. the blue room is the official home of the official white house christmas tree standing at 19 feet. it would, by the way, take nearly five of these to reach the height of our beautiful tree out there on rockefeller center which will be lit up tonight. this is not a competition because there's the white house and there's our house. you know my role on this show. i'm the salesperson so here's

all of the action 8:00/7:00 central on nbc. even if i'm not paid to say it, i would be watching because i'm watching you guys. coming up, hey, scott brothers, your work is cut out for you. you're going to help us get ready for the holidays in our own homes. and an eye-opening candid neil lane designs jewelry for hollywood's biggest stars. and, with his vintage-inspired collection at kay jewelers, he designs them for you, too. the inspiration for this ring goes back almost 100 years. over 50 diamonds, all hand-set. you know the saying, "they don't make 'em like they used to?" i still do. neil lane bridal. at kay... ...the number-one jewelry store for... yes.

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>> this is 7 news now. ism good morning, everybody. 7:57. take a live look other boston with wren clair. >> wren: not looking too bad southern new england. a couple spots of patchy fog. hyannis, visibility half a mile. that will gradually improve as we head into your day. a couple peeks of sunshine briefly, but we're already seeing showers push in from our southwest. that trend will increase. our next batch of moisture will greet us especially as we head into the afternoon hours. but some spotty showers possible through the morning hours into the early afternoon and then a soaker of a day as we head into the late afternoon. >> nicole: now for your top stories. crews in chinatown are working

the break happened earlier this morning. water flooded near the intersection of washington street. both of those streets had to be shut down. investigators are looking into what caused the house fire in lawrence. police say 30 people were displaced when the flames ripped through the home on east haverhill street yesterday afternoon. one firefighter and a woman were both taken to the hospital with always wins. especially in my business. with slow internet from the phone company, you can't keep up. you're stuck, watching spinning wheels and progress bars until someone else scoops your story. switch to comcast business. with high-speed internet up to 10 gigabits per second.

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it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, deadly disaster. severe weather slams parts of the south overnight. tornados killing at least five people, as devastating wildfires rip through tennessee. we're live on the >> we saw people making out, people smoking, people drinking. >> do you know what your teenager is really up to? we talk candidly with high schoolers, get the inside scoop on the secret lives of teens. ? and duet with dolly. miley cyrus takes a break from the coach's chair on "the voice"

godmother. today, wednesday, november 30th, 2016. ? >> we left 18 inches of snow in north dakota to come to the "today" show. >> good morning, north carolina. >> hi from ohio. >> good morning nbc 4 in columbus. >> celebrating our 33rd anniversary on "today." >> shoutout to all my friends and family in louisiana. >> bringing cheer to all who are near from shelby, north carolina. >> we're back at 8:00 on a wednesday morning. it is november 30th, 2016. and that means, as we've said several times this morning,

tree. >> then we all get lit. >> it's always that way, that's right. 50,000 lights. and you know what happens. if one goes out, they all go out. we checked off the box for this year. >> we've done all our jokes. coming up, day three of the steals and deals holiday extravaganza. this morning, jill martin has the perfect gift ideas for friends or co-workers, the kids' teachers, honestly anyone you need to shop for. >> get it done. before we get to one thing, which is the news, we just want to say hi. you guys year, you really do. your names again. >> carol ann. >> and i'm tisha. >> again, thanks for coming down in your finery. >> they say follow them at instagram, nyc tree girls. >> adorable. >> you dropped one of your ornaments there. >> i had that happen once, it's not good. >> here is a check of the headlines. time for your news at 8:00. >> reporter: we begin with the devastating fires and the powerful storms in the south.

foern morning, tennessee. the fires continue to burn but not as ferociously as they had which has evacuees wondering if they can go to be to see what, if anything, survived. overnight severe weather battering parts of the south. powerful tornados leaving a path of destruction through several states. mississippi, louisiana, and alabama, where three people were killed in rosalie, two dead in tennessee's polk county. other parts of tennessee. >> this whole place is on fire. >> reporter: like the gates of hell, say survivors. flames shooting through tree branches. the air filled with smoke and coal-hot embers. >> hit the gas! >> reporter: a record drought leaving dry brush, the perfect kindling to fuel the flames. it caught residents and tourists alike by surprise. more than 14,000 evacuated, with

clothes on their backs. >> we lost everything. we have nothing. >> we could feel the heat off the fire. we were getting hit in the face with embers. it was bad. >> reporter: hundreds of homes and businesses damaged or destroyed. more than 1,000 people waking up in shelters this morning. the fires are burning across 15 thousand acres in and around the great smoky mountains, the most visited national park in the country. the popular dollywood theme park tennessee native dolly parton saying in a statement she is heartbroken and praying for all the families. for hundreds, all that's left now is scorched earth. >> it's crazy. >> reporter: dakota cogdale visited his grandparents' home where he had thanksgiving dinner just last week. >> my family is safe. they're all accounted for. you know, that's pretty much what we've been telling each other, we can rebuild. we can't replace. >> of course family members, photographs. >> all that is gone.

we know they're still going to be family photos and everything taken. >> new pictures. >> yes, new pictures, new beginnings. >> reporter: it started to rain here, which you would think is good news, but it is not. it's not enough rain to kill the fires, but the rain is causing the soil here to get loose and the firestorm that came through here has already weakened the trees, so authorities are concerned those trees could begin collapsing. it's one reason why they're going to be keeping those who are evacuated o bit longer. matt. >> kerry sanders. kerry, thank you. president-elect donald trump announced this morning that he will leave business operations to focus on the presidency. he'll hold a news conference in two weeks to discuss the details of that. in the meantime, he's filling up more of his cabinet. trump has picked his former campaign finance chair, steven mnuchin, as the next treasury secretary. investor wilbur ross as commerce secretary and elaine chao as transportation secretary.

running for secretary of state. a vocal critic during the campaign, romney now says he has increasing hope that trump can lead the country to a better future. and now to missouri where a gas pipeline exploded tuesday, sending flames soaring into the air. this happened near kansas city international airport in a pipe line that carries propane and ethane gas. officials are trying to find out what caused that explosion. no reports of injuries. some sad news about a former member grant tinker who served as chairman and ceo of nbc from 1981 to 1986 died monday at his home in california. he was the former husband of mary tyler moore and together they formed mtm enterprises, which produced favorites including "the mary tyler moore" show, "the bob newhart show" and "mitt street blues."

cosby show. he leaves behind sons mark and john. grant tinker was 90 years old. just ahead, do you really know what your kids are up to? our frank, unfiltered discussion with a brave group of teenagers. all parents should see this. then the photo shoot that stopped traffic here in manhattan and why maybe it wasn't such a great idea. and we'll get some holiday upgrade ideas for your home from the scott brothers. but first, thesees we're only human. we rely on our courage. the kind of courage that shows up when we need it... and when cancer is least expecting it. courage. just one reason more of us are surviving cancer than dying from it.

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it's 8:11, time to trend. first up, the video that shows what some are calling street justice new york style. here's what happened. a was doing a little photo shoot on a busy new york street. there he is on the left and that's his gold bmw that he double parked. they were just sitting on the hood taking photos. so what happened is the driver politely went up to him. a guy behind him smashed the window of his car. >> the guy travels with a bat in the car? >> okay. now here's the thing. >> this is new york.

>> some are saying, and i think al is in this camp, is this just an elaborate stunt for like a great youtube video? >> but their reaction looks genuine. the guy is like yo, yo. >> it's a stunt. >> new yorkers are not like that. >> but these guys get paid on the number of videos they get. >> is it going to pay for that car? >> it's a windshield. >> all right. we need to get some closure. >> i'm leaning in the out camp. >> but would you put it past a new yorker to just say -- >> no. i'm surprised we could run the audio portion of that. anyway, a police department in kansas, how about this surprise. when they went looking for a wild creature, they got calls about a mountain lion that had been spotted in the area. when they set up cameras to see if they could get a citing of it, they got more than they bargained for. they checked the footage and here's what they found.

animals. the people of gardner, kansas, man, they love a good joke. and on facebook, the police department wrote thank you to the citizens who noticed the cameras. your effort and sense of humor are greatly appreciated. >> i like that. >> too funny. that's a good prank. >> do you guys have songs that you listen to on your playlist that you love but you would not want other people to know about? yeah, we've all got those. a new ad campaign by spotify is falling out some of its users this was at new york's port authority. dear person who played justin bieber's sorry 42 times on valentine's day, what did you do? and this ad, to the 1235 guys who love the girld night playlist this year, we love you. the tag on the ads read thanks 2016, it's been weird. >> do you have any like that, any weird songs? >> oh, my gosh, yes. >> give me one. >> like, for example, this

healing." but would i want the world to know that? why was i playing it? i don't know. >> mine would be -- ? >> nice. >> hoda, i know you've got some embarrassing ones. >> i don't have any i'm embarrassed about but i do have lots and lots and lots of john denver. i love john denver. i'm not embarrassed by that. >> there's nothing wrong with that. >> bang i'm not embarrassed. i would say "do you want to build a snowman." >> the "frozen" song? >> have you never come in and heard the "frozen" theme coming out of his dressing room? >> what about you? >> i don't have embarrassing but i'm always curious when i see men sing "all the single ladies" and they know the whole routine. i'm like oh, okay. >> like al does in the morning.

straight to popstart. >> first, jennifer aniston explaining why she took a stand and stood up to the tabloids earlier this year. she wrote a powerful op-ed for the huffington post calling out the endless speculation of her marriage and whether he's pregnant. jen said she had enough when she returned from a recent vacation. >> we were mobbed, like a scary kind of mobbed. i didn't know what was happening. and it turns out wonderful photograph, which i had to sort of live with for the last 10, 15 years of picture of me with a bump and a circle around my stomach with an arrow pointing to it, just disgustingly objectifying kind of way and i was just fed up with it. we have to support each other especially at this time, to love each other, to support and to be proud of women and whatever your choice is in life. it's up to us what makes us

>> that episode of "ellen" airs today. next to dolly parton performing one of her biggest hits "jolene." but last night it wasn't just any performance. dolly sang a duet with her goddaughter, miley cyrus. ? jolene jolene jolene jolene ? ? i'm begging of you please don't take my man ? ? jolene jolene jolene ? please don't take him just because you can ? >> i could listen to that all day. >> that's good. >> and dolly is a busy lady. she'll be among the stars performing at the christmas tree lighting tonight. >> and the pentatonics. and finally matthew mcconaughey moonlighting as a golf cart driver. you might think after seeing this photo but matthew is just giving back to his alma mater. it's a program at the university

night. so there he is giving unsuspecting students a lift. this fall matthew also taught a course at school, don't worry, everything is all right, all right, all right. >> look at the girl in the back. >> when matthew is behind the wheel of your golf cart. >> she's tweeting. >> can you imagine you're sitting there waiting for the cart. >> i'd be like, hey, where do you live? at your house. your house is fine. >> i'm cool with it. >> tamron, thank you. mr. roker, check of the wehe again, we've been talking about all this severe weather. we've got right now tornado watches stretching from new orleans all the way up just to the west of knoxville. we're going to be watching this line of storms all morning long. and we've got unseasonably warm weather depending on where you are. if you're here in the east, minneapolis it's 8 degrees above normal. even tallahassee at 80 degrees, way above normal. the temperatures still stay fairly mild but start to calm

mobile. out west it stays awfully cool, salt lake city in the 30s. wichita in the 40s by saturday. dallas even down into the low 50s by saturday. >> wren: well, through the morning hours we could see some spotty light showers by mid-to-late morning and into your lunch hour. pretty similar situation. as we head into the mid-to-late afternoon, we're looking at widespread rain showers, and that continues really through the overnight hours. that's going to be a soaker of a system again. temperature-wise, mild, if n highs in the upper 40s and low 50s with patchy fog again tonight, through tomorrow morning, our lows not much lower than our highs, and rain wrapping up early tomorrow morning by >> and that's your latest weather. we're launching something new this morning. it's a series we're calling teens tell all. >> here's what we did. we gathered a group of high schoolers for a candid discussion about the pressures they're facing, and nothing was off limits.

people smoking, people drinking. >> like a racy picture. >> send me a picture of that booty. >> eight colorado teenagers sat down with us for a raw, unfiltered conversation about what goes on inside their lives. >> i'm marley. >> max. >> claudia. >> della, alexandra, jalen. >> roslyn wiseman helped us gather a group willing to speak openly about what it means to be a teen today. we kicked off the discussion something anonymously that their parents may not know. >> magic bowl of secrets. >> drugs came up early in the conversation. >> this is a good one. i don't smoke pot. >> remember, in colorado, marijuana is legal for adults. >> it's such a normalized drug that you're almost like pressured to do it. >> it's kind of a stigma. like if you're not chill about someone smoking pot, you're looked down upon. >> i have a lot of friends that smoke a lot. >> which would you say is easier, getting pot or a

>> pot. >> pot. >> we also heard about the abuse of prescription drugs. >> sometimes there's like pill parties when they have like a bowl at the front door and everyone drops a pill in, and then you can like take one and you don't know what you're taking. >> that's very scary. >> i feel like a big thing right now is lean. >> what's lean? >> cough syrup, jolly ranchers. >> and sprite. >> it's a drink? >> yeah. and you just take it with pills. >> you just chug it and it's al how many of you have seen a naked photo of someone in your school? when did you first see it? >> middle school. >> sixth grade. >> sixth grade, yeah. >> 12. >> do you have to ask for a picture or do some people just send them? >> some people just send them. guys will just send them. >> so do girls. >> girls will too. >> really? >> out of the blue. >> i've had people come up to me and like did you see this picture?

of interested in asked you to send a naked picture of yourself, would you ever think that's kind of creepy. >> i wouldn't think it was creepy just because it happens so often. >> sexting turned into a conversation about sex. and the hook-up culture. >> let me ask this question. is it easier to hook up with someone than it is to hold their hand in school? >> yeah. >> yeah. >> yeah. >> the girls worry about shaming. >> there's a whole discussion about it, how girls get treated more and get judged upon more than guys do. >> yeah, i mean if you wear something, you get slut shamed. if you do something, you get slut shamed. if you walk some way. like everything is picked apart about a girl. >> and most of the time it's actually girls who slut shame other girls. that's what i've noticed. >> nothing is private over your life anymore. get into a fight with your

over text. >> there's a lot of competition. you go to someone's instagram, it's all pretty and all parties. you're like i don't go to parties all that often. >> does it make you feel bad? >> kinda. >> you have that pressure to only post the cool thing you did over the weekend. >> i said embarrassed when my grandma comments on my pictures. come on. >> parents misunderstand what school is like and how hard it can be compared to when they were kids. >> you have to have straight as, join clubs, do good colleges, have a social life, but still be able to hang out with your family. >> my parents try to get me to do a lot of advanced class, an a.p. class, and i'm not doing too hot in those. i think i jumped the bar way too high up. >> i definitely need time with my friends to take a break from all of the sports and all of the tests and quizzes. >> sometimes when i say i'm going out with my friends, i'm not. i'm going to parties or to hook

on gps, how easy is it to ditch them? >> easy. >> just leave your phone. >> so i'm at a friend's house. we hear about this party and i leave my phone at sam's house but he takes his and so i sign into my imessage on his phone so when my parents text me, it goes to sam's phone. he sees it and says your parents texted. >> so you respond with sam's house is awesome. >> a strategy. >> last year i like told them i was going camping for a weekend and then i went to my friend's house where her mom wasn't there for the weekend and we threw like two parties. >> you know when you go and do that, when you just bold-face lied to your parents, you have to in that moment think what, i'm not going to get caught? is that the hope? >> that was a pretty good lie. then i had my friend text him pretending to be her mom.

pretending to be your friend's mom texting to your dad. >> roslyn says all of this is a normal part of growing up. >> the purpose of adolescence is to push and to figure out where you stand on things and to make mistakes and to break rules. i want parents to realize that you really do not have to know everything about your child's life to have a good relationship with your child. >> and the teens had similar advice. >> have trust in your kids. >> guide but at the end of the day, they need to learn for themselves what's right and wrong. >> that was fascinating. >> it really was. >> fascinating for those of us with teenage kids. >> we've been going through with leila and she's been terrific but it's been rough for her, senior year, college, all the tests and the social media. it's -- i would not want to be growing up now. >> a lot of things seem to resonate with all of us from when we were teens but then

you can tell kids are having a tougher time with. >> some things never change like teen girls boxing out this group or that group but now it takes on this extra level with social media. it's tough. >> we've had a lot of talks with -- i have a 15-year-old boy. sometimes you'll talk to him and you know you're not getting the real story and other times he's remarkably candid and, you know, you cherish those moments because you think you're getting valuable information, but it's hard. anyway, for practical advice on how to keep your teen safe and your relationship to today.com. tomorrow our series continues and does this sound familiar? >> girl, you're straight poppin'. >> it's like oh, she ratchet. >> sadly, yes, it is. >> you know that? >> yes. >> you do? >> is she poppin'? >> parents will be like goals

>> this is 7news now. >> kris: good morning. live look outside as we approach 8:30. it's not a bad start to the day. let's get over the wren clair with a peek of the forecast. it's gray and gloomy. >> wren: it is. today will be gray, gloomy and soggy. right but we're starting to see a couple showers sneak in to our west. in terms of visibility, we have reduced visibility across the cape and the islands, but for most of us, that has really started to improve. bedford great. in terms of showers, those are to our northwest, northern worcester county, southern new hampshire seeing some light rain push through. it's going to be light and spotty through the morning hours. then we'll see some more intense rain as we head into the evening commute. >> kris: wren, thanks so much. in our top stories this morning, crews in chinatown busy working

control as quickly as they can. that break happened earlier this morning. water flooded kneeland street near the intersection of washington. both of those streets had to be shut down. dighton town selectmen will meet today to discuss the fire chief's job. officials say that anton roderick used his gloating -- clothing allowance to purchase women's workout gear and altered the receipts to read menswear. officers believe he bought the items for someone else. a father appearing in court after twice in the same day. politician arrested stephen byrnes after he allegedly picked up his child drunk. later that day his older son

good morning. >> hi, everybody. it's 8:30. it's wednesday, november 30th. we're about to stick a fork in november actually. beautiful morning out on the az look at this. ? a little mood music. ? >> what's your name? >> mickey smith from louisiana. >> all right, mickey, thank you very much. merry christmas. >> he's right on theme. we've got the christmas tree lighting in rockefeller center, beautiful music just now and we're about to get a treat, the

they have been here since the wee hours rehearsing. lots of big celebrity singers and song writers. they team up during the holiday season, all for a great cause. we're going to get a live performance. also ahead, our ongoing guide to make the holidays stress-free. first the scott brothers are here. they're going to give you tips on how to get ready for the season or something. >> or something. we'll turn to jill martin for her latest steals and deals and some great g holidays and work through that list fast. we're also excited to announce a special performance live on the plaza from pharrell williams next friday, december 9th. if you want to get a "today" fan pass go to our website, today.com. >> pharrell? >> pharrell williams. >> i might have to come back for that. >> what day in december? >> december 9th. >> how will you miss me if i

>> let's show you what we've got happening starting with today. severe storms down through the south, fog in the northeast, wet weather in the pacific northwest. high surf advisories in southern california. for our tree-lighting tonight, 59 degrees, rain, possible thunderstorms, gusty winds. we are going to be watching this very carefully. and then for tomorrow, you can look for, again, drying out weather here in the northeast, thank goodness. mountain snows in the rockies, plenty of sunshine through the southern tier of states. that's what's going on >> wren: well, through the morning hours we could see some spotty light showers by mid-to-late morning and into your lunch hour. pretty similar situation. as we head into the mid-to-late afternoon, we're looking at widespread rain showers, and that continues really through the overnight hours. that's going to be a soaker of a system again. temperature-wise, mild, if not a little bit above our average highs in the upper 40s and low 50s with patchy fog again tonight, through tomorrow morning, our lows not much lower than our highs, and rain wrapping up early tomorrow

>> don't forget, get your weather any time you need it. go to the weather channel on cable. smooth jazz, baby. ? guys. >> all right, al, thank you very much. now some ways to make this a stress-free holiday season. this morning last minute upgrades for your home before all that company arrives. the scott brothers are known for their hit show "property brothers" and they have another hit on their h new hgtv series "brothers take new orleans." they renovate side-by-side homes competing to increase their property value and they do it with help from some well-known friends. even hoda stops by. drew, jonathan, good morning. happy holidays. >> good morning. >> thanks for having us. >> i've gotten to know you a little bit over the years. generally speaking as twins you're somewhat competitive anyway. >> just a little bit. >> i won the challenge, i came out first. that's all that really matters.

show? >> it comes out. we love competing. especially in new orleans if we're giving homes back to people that lost it in katrina. >> and drew realized that everyone loves the contractors. so in new orleans he did his own design and got into the work. >> everybody talks about wallpaper. they think of doing huge surfaces, other walls. you've got other ideas. >> wallpaper doesn't have to be wall. why not use it on your ceiling. you can use it on steps, tables, the back of color and pattern to break up a monotonous design. >> so you can take a shelf and make it feel more designer by putting it on the back panels. if you don't have the budget to do maybe like a tray ceiling or something like that, you can put it up there. >> what are we talking about, just scraps of wallpaper? >> right here on this step, this is a peel and stick wallpaper.

long. with kids, they like to mix things up anyway. >> if you have commitment issues and don't want to commit to wallpaper, you can get peel and stick. >> jonathan's hair is peel and stick, he changes it with the season. >> let's move on. i'm going to put some pictures up. transoms can add light to a room. >> most people don't know what a transome is. it's like a window above the door. originally it was used for ventilation and ext and everybody knows everything comes back into style n new orleans i put them in above all of the doors, really cool look. if you cannot cut holds or are worried about the structure, you can make your own transome without actually cutting a hole above the door. >> just use a mirror. this is a mirror that we got, what was it, five bucks just at the dollar store. >> you can see right up my nose right there. it's a great view. i trimmed for you this morning.

depth to the room. it feels just like a transome. >> and it's not expensive. tin tiles. why do you love these things? >> i would like to point out if anybody watched "brothers take new orleans" last week, i won. it was all because of the tin tiles. again, if you go into cool restaurants, you'll notice a lot of restaurants put tin tiles back in. >> a lot of them have them on the ceiling. >> usual low they come new like this, very shiny, but i you can age it and then work it with a grinder or saw and give it that original look. >> sor you can paint it black, something solid, it looks very classy, very elegant. you can use it for wainscoting, on a ceiling. >> how much for tile? >> it depends on the quality of the tile. you can get ones that are plastic but nobody would know when it's all the way up on the ceiling. and then you can rub it anyway around the edges, you can just work it.

you just keep painting. >> if you want to break it up, you just sand it down. >> you're just adding that patina. >> it's like clothes. we pay more for the worn clothes. people like the look of things that look old. >> by the way, speaking of clothes, wait until you get a load of this group over here. jonathan, drew, nice to have you both here. they'll be back co-hosting our next hour. just ahead, more help for the holidays. jill has a brand new batch of steals and deals. but first, this is "today" on nbc. i want to go really big with my appetizers. we can do it without blowing our budget. oh yeah, this is great! everything for the holidays.

my cookie exchange is super competitive. mine too! everything for the holidays. that's my stop & shop. we're back, it's 8:39. more of our stress-free holiday steals & deals this week. >> today jill martin has covered gifts for the girls and the guys. this morning we have bargains for everybody else on your list. everybody. >> so you know those lists and the girls, the guys and then miscellaneous, people that you

so let's start. this one is for a friend. >> for a friend. >> the big reveal. >> this is always super popular. >> i love this stuff. >> bliss body products. the retail $94. scent-sati scent-sational. two body butters or two soapy suds. one or the another. >> and choose your flavor? >> you choose -- yeah, you choose your flavor and then you can split them up, like mother does. >> i know. >> the deal $29. >> $29? >> that's 69% off. >> usually these are $29. >> each. >> is this for the teacher or the baby-sitter? >> yes. >> up, up, up, careful and go. >> this is the marquee by waterford crystal ornaments. retail $99. it's a three-piece ornament set. you can hang them on the tree. >> pretty.

the retail $99, the deal $29.99. 70% off. >> as jill's mom would say, split them up. >> this is two options here in the deal. so 1, 2, 3. >> the retail, $124 to $140. here are the two options. so that is the nine-piece stainless steel barware set. it comes in two colors and you get everything there. or -- >> look at this. >> you get the vase and the bowl. so the retail $124 to $140. the deal for either, $42. 70% off. >> $42 for either one of these? >> yeah. >> that's good. but don't split up the bar set. >> that looks weird and cheap. >> unless someone likes a certain drink. >> oh, you're right. >> this one is personalized for you guys. the person who has everything. >> right. >> that's nice.

for things. stationary studio personalized stationary. so this is -- you have the border here. you can choose from four borders. it comes in the gift box so just add a bow. >> how nice, look. >> i really like this. >> the retail $125, the deal $37.50, 70% off. so you get 50 cards and 50 envelopes. >> we actually did get this because it has our names on it. so yay, thank you. >> you can't regift this. >> come this way. >> we're going to the kitchen. >> i once got did a regifting segment. >> did she regift it? >> she didn't remember it was from me. >> i handed it to you, merry christmas. >> where are we starting? >> you start right there. >> so that is for the foodie. so this is penguin random house cookbooks. the retail $67.50 to $70. there's nine cookbook sets from all different people. great chefs. >> how many books are in a set? >> different in different sets.

nine cookbook sets to choose from. hard-hitting questions here. the deal is $21, up to 70% off. >> okay. this is for who? >> i didn't see the sglont it's for newlyweds. >> okay. so christine, our producer who just got married. so this is a great gift for her. dinnerware. the retail $138.99 to $149. two different styles. five-piece place setting, dishwasher safe. >> and the deal? >> the deal, $45. 70% off. now, this is something we should all aspire to. >> what's it for? >> multi function cookers. the retail $316. now here's the situation. you can cook three different foods at three different temperatures. >> this is cool. >> is the mac and cheese included?

the crosswack pot but how good this? the deal is $69. >> bath and body sets from bliss. >> ornaments from. >> watersgloerd vase and barware set, the cookbooks from. >> penguin random house. >> dipper from. >> crew. >> and the multi function cooker. >> head to today.com for any questions. tomorrow jill has huge bargains, gifts for . biggest steals & deals ever. we're going to need more time. up next, attention, savannah, how to help survive and thrive when baby number two arrives. jenna bush hager will talk about that. first, this is "today" on nbc. >> look at them.

>> announcer: today's parenting team is created with our sponsor, johnson's, discovering

>> we are back, it is 8:46. today's parenting team as i am just about to find out, raising siblings i'm told can be a challenge, so what can parents expect when baby number two arrives. "today's" jenna bush hager sat down with a "today" parenting team member, and mom to 2-year-old ancil and 6-month-old austin. >> when you found out you were pregnant with the thoughts that went through your mind? >> i was so excited because i always wanted many kids. and then the fear came in about how would ancil handle this? >> how is he handling it? >> he does not like it when he takes his toys. i actually bought ancil a little baby doll of his own a few months when i was due. ultimately when i brought our

so weird for him because he had a baby to play with and austin was my baby. >> we had her pick a baby out of the nursery. >> how do routines change? >> one of my hacks was to put the baby bathtub into the toddler regular bathtub and figure out how to do them both at once. moms have like eight arms, you can do a million things at breastfeeding and then you are literally locked down. so i've learned that it's critical to have close family nearby, to have a supportive spouse, to bait your girlfriends to come over and maybe bring them some cookies. >> so what do you think is the best part of having two? >> i think it is just the unconditional love that we have for both of them, but also that

their eyes light up when they see one another. >> my baby? >> what's his name? >> austin. >> austin! >> high five. >> yeah. >> betsy brown brawn is a child behavior specialist. good morning. >> good morning. >> this is going to be a two-minute therapy session for you and me. a lot of people give advice when there's a new baby coming and how to handle it with the siblings. what's your catch-all theory of the case? how much should you kind of try to prepare the child and how much is it just playing by ear? >> first of all, you shouldn't overthink it, but i do think that there are things you can do to prepare that sibling, depending upon that baby's age. a 2-year-old, a 3-year-old doesn't really have an idea of what's coming. you know, he thinks that baby will be born and go tricycle riding. so if you can expose that baby, that sibling to another baby,

little bit about how babies poop and pee and cry and sleep and still going to be a baby, that will certainly be useful. >> some people think the new baby should bring a gift for older baby. are you into that idea? >> yeah, i'm not into that. part of this reality is going to be learning to tolerate disappointment and frustration and delayed gratification. i do think it's not necessary, but when that new baby gets sibling and say this baby can't open it, will you open it for him. >> if you have a toddler, they like to be helpers and like to have a role. do you encourage that? >> for sure. and i do encourage buying a doll and having the toddler bathe her baby while you're bathing the other baby. i think also looking back at pictures of your toddler when she was a baby so she can see that she was once getting that amount of attention from you is another good idea. >> well, this is all going to be

days, betsy, so i really appreciate your advice. thank you so much for being here. by the way, our next parenting challenge, we want to know what you do to reduce stress and increase joy during the holidays. so let us know what you do at today.com/parentingteam. up next, a live performance from the band of merrymakers but first this is "today" on nbc.

series on "today" is proudly presented to you by citi. >> you know it is officially the holiday season when this band of merrymakers stops by. the supergroup made up of stars like kevin griffin, cell ma davis, tyler gwynn, charity dawe and sam hollander are here to perform a song called "welcome to our christmas party." guys, it's great to have you re morning. can i just say you clean up very well. i was going to wear that exact outfit today. >> that one, matt? it would look good on you. >> exactly. all right, what are you going to sing? >> we're going to sing a very medley -- >> a very merry medley. >> you threw me off, matt. >> ladies and gentlemen, band of merrymakers. >> let me hear you say ho.

>> ho ho ho. >> ho ho ho. >> somebody, everybody, you and me. ? band of merrymakers ? ? band of merry makers ? ? some for you and me ? ? a christmas memory ? ? so sing along ? ? on the first day of christmas my true love gave to me ? ? a partridge in a pear tree ? ? on theec my true love gave to me ? ? five golden rings ? ? dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh ? ? o'er the fields we go laughing all the way ? ? bells on bobtail ring ? ? making spirits bright ? ? what fun it is to ride and sing ? ? a sleighing song tonight, oh ? ? jingle bells, batman smells,

claus don't come to your crib ? ? you ain't gonna get no gifts ? ? band of merrymakers ? ? band of merry makers ? ? are you know ? ? we are, you know we are ? ? so have a ? deck the halls with boughs of holly ? ? fa la la la la, la la la la ? ? 'tis the season to be jolly ? ? fa la la la la la, la la la la ? ? o come all ye faithful ? ? joyful and triumphant ? ? o come ye ?

? we wish you a merry christmas ? ? we wish you a merry christmas ? ? we wish you a merry christmas ? ? and a happy new year ? ? with the band of merrymakers ? ? band of merrymakers ? ? got a song for you and me ? ? of christmas mems

>> following breaking news here this morning. a deadly storm tearing through alabama leaving multiple people dead and massive damage behind.

main break floods streets in boston's chinatown. major announcement coming soon from president-elect donald trump his plans for his personal business is moving forward. and a stars are out in full force to support a local hospital and children fighting serious illnesses. we have another round of moisture headed our way which could make for again some tricky commutes especially for this evening. i'll take a closer look in a moment. >> have those [ bell clangs ] stop by dunkin' donuts for two k-cup boxes for $15.99 or 3 pounds of packaged coffee for $19.99.

be noisy. be silent. be near. be far. be joyful. be together. celebrate joy with dunkin's holiday-flavored coffees, espressos, and donuts.

breaking news. deadly storms rolling through part of the south. a tornado leaving several people dead in alabama. flooded streets in boston chinatown after a major water main break and its impact on the morning commute. there's a clothing controversy that a local fire chief is dealing with. what he's aus work money. >> good morning. i'm nicole oliverio. i'm kris anderson. we know ren claire is following a forecast we need to pay attention. it's been dry this morning. that's not the situation that we have as we head into the rest of the day. we're seeing moisture creep in for our southwest. that will greet us here shortly. a quick look at visibility.