good morning. election day. >> it's now officially tuesday, november 8th. >> let's make history together! >> polls now open. voters casting their ballots after the most contentious and controversial presidential campaign in history. 18 grueling months. >> i accept your nomination for president of the united states! >> i humbly and gratefully accept your nomination for the presidency of the united states. >> a race full of stunning

>> what? like with a cloth or something? >> when you're a star, they let you do it. you can do anything. >> whatever you want. >> grab them by the [ bleep ]. >> and very personal attacks. >> if she ever got into the oval office, hillary and her special interests would rob our country blind. >> this is a man who has called women pigs, slobs, and dogs. >> both clinton and trump expected to cast their votes shortly. then tonight, this long-fought battle should end a finally decides who will be the next president of the united states "today," tuesday, november 8th, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is a special edition of "today," election day 2016, with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from rockefeller plaza. and good morning, everybody.

morning. not just any tuesday morning. it's election day. at long last, it is all over but the voting. >> there is nothing more than candidates can say and i'm not sure whether that's the good news or the bad news. but they've done the talking for 18 months, now it is up to the voters. let's start off with where things stand. polls are open across the eastern half of this country. lines were already long in places like charlotte, north carolina, and hialeah, florida. that's near miami. and out in cincinnati, ohio as well. >> that's right. day is off to an early start for vice presidential candidate tim kaine who's already voted in his home state of virginia a little bit earlier this morning. very soon we expect to see hillary clinton do the same in chappaqua, new york. donald trump and mike pence set to vote a little bit later this morning. in an election day tradition, precincts have already opened and closed in three small new hampshire towns. including dixville notch. trump taking those three

>> our 2016 team is fanned out across the country again. let us start with nbc's national correspondent, peter alexander. >> reporter: good morning. can you believe it? we finally made it. we're here in new york city at the polling place where donald trump is expected to vote today. i just checked it out. even here the lines are long, they wrap around the block. trump last night wrapping up his campaign event. in fact, early this morning after 1:00 in the morning, not so much with a heart-felt appeal to voters in the crucial state of michigan, but a return to the that includes some of those riffs that have become trump's greatest hits. >> reporter: donald trump after midnight squeezing in one last campaign trip to michigan. >> today we are going to win the great state of michigan and we are going to win back the white house. >> today is our independence day. . >> reporter: a win there may be a necessity if he's going to carve a path to 270 electoral votes.

at the site of his first primary triumph. >> i've never disappointed new hampshire. but new hampshire has never disappointed me. >> reporter: trump's closing argument casting himself as an agent of change. >> my only special interest is to you. believe me. >> reporter: and a voice for blue collar workers who feel left behind. >> the american working class will strike back. it is about time. >> reporter: with 14 stops in ten states in these last 72 fierce critique of his rival. >> hillary is the face of failure. she's the face of failure. she's the face of failed foreign policy. >> reporter: in florida, playing around, trump took a look at his own face. >> nice head of hair, i'll say that. >> reporter: unfazed by clinton celebrity surrogates, trump again criticized jay-z and beyonce. >> the language is so bad. and as they were singing --

singing? talking? was it talking or singing? i don't know. >> reporter: despite his critics, trump has remained defiant until the end of his campaign, refusing to release his taxes and ignoring questions about perceived conflicts of interest between himself and his company should he win. this morning, americans decide if today marks the start of a trump presidency or the end of an insurgent candidacy like we've never seen before. and as important as anything that happens today is what donald trump says bring the country back together. to unify americans. if he loses, what does he do to redirect that anger, that energy that so many of his followers now feel. matt and savannah, back to you. >> peter alexander, starting us off. as we mentioned, we expect to see hillary clinton casting her ballot shortly. she'll do that in her hometown of chappaqua, new york. nbc's kristen welker is there. kristen, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning to you. with the race now in the voters'

official telling me this morning they feel confident about the race they've run. clinton still fighting for every vote and a chance to make history. early this morning, hillary clinton rallying supporters who gathered to greet her on the tarmac in new york. her campaign plane touching down one last time. the emotional homecoming capping a night filled with star-studded events. clinton fans going wild at a midnight rally in north carolina will win." which included performances from lady gaga and bon jovi. and also top aide huma abedin back on the trail after taking a few days off amid the latest e-mail saga. and in philadelphia, the birthplace of america's democracy, democrats put on a collective show of force. bill clinton, the obamas, and the boss.

spark ?? >> if we get out and vote tomorrow, hillary clinton will win! >> i'm asking you to work as hard as you can this one last day to elect, my fellow americans, this fighter, this states woman, this mother, this grandmother, this patriot, our next president of the united states of america, hillary clinton! >> reporter: clinton herself urginger put any talk of a rigged system to rest. >> let's show tomorrow there will be no question about the outcome of this election. >> reporter: it was a frenzied final sprint monday. clinton making four stops in three states. aiming to hold on to her fire wall, including traditionally blue michigan where she delivered her closing argument. >> so after tomorrow the work will begin and one of the highest priorities that i feel

we bring our country together. >> reporter: a clinton official said she will spend part of the day working on two speeches. one for either outcome. eight years ago she fought to become the first female president. now she is hoping to finally shatter that glass ceiling. matt? savannah? >> kristen, thank you very much. want to mention, we've changed locations this morning. >> we have. this is the 30 rock decision headquarters. we've got chuck todd, wallace, steve kornacki. they are here, they are actually going to be here all night. what's the one thing you are really going to be watching tonight? >> early, this college educated white voter. in our last poll, hillary clinton was winning them by ten points. mitt romney won them by 14 points. if she is winning them by ten points this could be an early night and this could be a much bigger victory than any of the polls that shown.

as rulers of the universe, we pick presidents and a republican cannot win a national race for the presidency without narrowing the gender gap. if she's ahead, she stays ahead. i'm going to much with a how big that gap is. >> yeah. sort of what chuck is saying. in the suburbs in a number of states, i think this is the story. even if trump gets record strength among sort of working class white voters, is it offset by record strength for clinton among college educated white voters. >> i'm going to write this down. i'm going to ask each of you to go out on a limb -- y >> what time do you think this race will be called tonight, and don't call it early just to win. all right? >> well, there's two days. officially, it won't happen until after 11:00. but i think it is possible if when we call florida, we're calling the presidency. unofficially. i think it is just after 10:00 with florida. >> okay. >> i'm a recount survivor so i'm going to go with tomorrow, i'm

when the losing candidate concedes because that will take a few days from now. no, i'd say officially called, i go with about 11:20. >> this has been such an interesting race, to use the least load odd term possible. it is really up-ended so much conventional wisdom. of course, if you look at the polls today, generally speaking, they're showing hillary clinton with a three to five-point edge. but might this night have some surprises in store? what form would those take? >> for me, form would take that there is this big turnout of election day voters, number one, that would favor trump. and number two, the places -- the northern tier of this country -- michigan, wisconsin, interior of pennsylvania, that maybe there is something there. that's something that's sort of like, okay, what did we get wrong, what did we miss? that's what i'm thinking about. >> we don't know the outcome but we have talked for months and months about how both of these two are very weak, flawed

republican circles. is there a talk in those circles, nicolle, about what might have been? >> yeah. and there is a lot of -- even more talk about what happens next. i think you will see a flurry of republicans try to rush in and fill the leadership void and try to rebrand the party that's been in the view of a lot of establishment republicans who roundly lost the primaries. but an effort to rebrand the party so that there is not women and among latinos. i think you will see a rush of sort of establishment and rising figures in the party come out in the coming days. >> every cycle it gets to be more and more important, the early vote. also besides the democrats and republicans in the early vote, there is a big chunk of independents that are voting. do we have any sense of which way they're swinging? >> yeah. it's also who makes up the independent voters. especially in florida, i think this is one thing to look for. a lot of newly registered latino voters registering potentially

that could be something, too. it is look at the make-up, the demographic make-up of what we thing of as an independent. that might be changing, too. >> take a good look. this is the freshest this group will look for this entire day. you're getting them at their peak. >> guys, thank you so much. of course shall with the white house isn't the only prize up for grabs. control of the u.s. senate also hanging in the balance. that battle could be a big cliffhanger. nb with more on that. >> so this is the election center where we're watching not just the race for the white house with our political unit seated right over here, but those senate races, too. democrats looking to pick up five seats to try and take back control of the senate, and that is where the real action could be tonight with tight races all over the country. we are looking at some potential down-ballot drama. >> reporter: at the top of the tickets, a head-to-head match-up with the world watching.

races determining control of congress with republicans on defense trying to keep their majority. five fateful fights. start with pennsylvania. it's the most expensive senate race ever, the "wall street journal" says. democrat katie mcginty getting back up from president obama. no surprise there. >> the daughter of a restaurant hostess and a philadelphia beat cop? >> president obama says -- >> reporter: what is surprising, the same strategy used by the re >> i want to thank joe manchin and pat toomey. >> reporter: democrats in many races trying to tie their rivals to donald trump, like in race number two -- new hampshire. >> i can do anything. >> reporter: republican senator kelly ayotte trying to fight off the state's democratic governor, maggie hassen, to keep her seat. but in illinois, it looks like senator mark kirk may not. democrat tammy duckworth all but assured a win after kirk said this.

parents came all the way from thailand to serve george washington. >> reporter: kirk later apologizing for his racially charged remarks in race number three with another apology coming from a different senator in race number four, in north carolina. after senator richard burr seemed to joke about hillary clinton getting shot. >> i was a little bit shocked at that. didn't have a bull's-eye on it. >> reporter: burr facing off against deborah ross in a close race there. in race five, missouri. another democrat jason candor looking to unseat roy blunt hoping for help from this now-viral gun control ad. >> i approved this message. >> reporter: one of the most memorable of the year. both sides of the aisle working overtime, asking for your vote. and remember what's at stake here. we're talking about the future of the supreme court nomination, potentially the fate of the federal health care law. here is an interesting wrinkle. it is entirely possible that after tonight we will see a

senate. so what happens then? well, matt and savannah, the tiebreaker, the vice president. >> we remember that from civics class. hallie, thank you so much. we want to give our viewers a guide to this night of drama. we'll show you how things will play out as the clock moves on. we'll start at 7:00 p.m. eastern and over the course of that hour, polls are going to close in the hotly contested battleground states of virginia, north carolina and ohio. >> the winner has gone on to win the white house all but one time. nixon carried tha 0 but lost the election. north carolina has also received a lot of attention from both, hillary clinton and donald trump, and all indications are it may not be called until late in this evening. >> moving to 8:00 p.m., polls close in florida. most experts believe there is no math to a trump victory without winning the sunshine state. >> moving along to 9:00 p.m., look to michigan with its 16 electoral votes. this state has seen a furious

president obama. >> a surprise state to watch in the 9:00 hour -- arizona. now it hasn't gone for a democrat since bill clinton in '96, but it is looking more competitive this year. you also have polls closing here in new york. of course the home state to both candidates. >> savannah has strong feelings about what might happen in arizona. as for the campaign's election night events, clinton is holding hers at the jacob javits convention center in new york, along the hudson river. a building that has a rather trump is hosting an invitation only event just down the street from 30 rock at the hilton hotel in midtown. >> in 2008, john mccain delivered his concession speech at 11:18 eastern. that was pretty early. president-elect bomb declared had victory at 11:57. mitt romney conceded just before 1:00 a.m. and the president spoke to his supporters about 30 minutes later.

begins at 7:00 p.m. eastern, 4:00 out on the pacific coast. anchored by lester holt. he'll be joined by savannah, chuck todd, tom brokaw and our team of correspondents all across this country. mean tile, al is here. election day weather. a big deal, al. >> it sure is. luckily we don't have a lot of horrible weather to talk about but let's look at our decision 2016 forecast map. record highs in the pacific northwest. one of the big states we look at, pennsylvania. they're going to have a mild day today. but by the afternoon, look for increasing clouds. then some showers move in from the west. how about texas, a big electoral state. we've got some of the worst weather happening there. strong storms especially later in the afternoon, off and on showers in the morning. by the evening, the panhandle clears up for the rest of the

>> and that's your latest weather, guys. >> all right, al. thank you so much. coming up, the mood of voters in two states that could

we'll be live in the crucial battlegrounds of ohio and florida. and how did we get here? a look back at the long and controversial road to this election day 18 months in the making. but first on a tuesday

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7:30 now on this tuesday morning, the date, november 8th. mark that down. 2016. rockefeller plaza transformed into democracy plaza for this historic election day. we manufactured across the street to the news -- nbc news election center for our program this morning. >> we're going to get to the election of course in just a moment. first other stories making headlines today. real estate air robert durst pleaded not guilty to a murder in a los angeles courtroom on monday. the 73-year-old in a wheelchair wearing a neck brace. when he entered that plea. this stems from the shooting death of susan berman. durst became a national name

that aired his life and cast suspicion on him in several crimes. prince harry's office has confirmed that actress meghan markle is his girlfriend. the palace issued a strongly worded statement accusing the media of harassing her. harry says he is worried about her safety and is "deeply disappointed" that he's not been able to protect her. the relationship between prince harry and markle had been the focus of rumors and some speculation for weeks. back to the election. hillary clinton and donald trump t both candidates campaigned well past midnight, clinton wrapping things up with an event in raleigh, north carolina, while trump made his final pitch in grand rapids, michigan, the fifth and final stop of the campaign. in "today's campaign moment," here is a vote that's out of this world. the only american who is not on planet earth has cast his vote. shane kimbrough filed an electronic absentee ballot from the international space station

from space. they don't even make stickers that say that. >> not many people can say that. after such a hard-fought campaign, this election is likely to come down to the votes in several key swing states like florida. this morning, polls are open there and a record number of early voters have already cast their ballots. nbc's gabe gutierrez just outside miami for us. >> reporter: matt, good morning. we have seen a steady stream of voters so far but we don't florida that we saw back from 2012. that's partly because so many florida voters have already voted early or absentee. in fact, half of all eligible voters in this state have already done so. one of the key headlines here is that 15% of those have been hispanic voters. that's much higher than in 2012. we've also seen a latino early voting surge in other states like arizona, nevada and parts of texas. now why is that important? well according to the latest nbc

trump by 45 percentage points among latinos. so because of that, now there is a mobilization effort today to try to get latino voters to the polls, especially along the i-4 corridor where thousands of puerto ricans have settled after thee fleed their island's debt crisis. the gop has not carried the vote since george bush got latino vote nationally. now hillary clinton's campaign hopes it makes the difference in this critical battleground state. >> gabe, thank you very much. another state to watch, ohio. both campaigns have spent a lot of time and money there. according to many recent polls, it is a statistical dead heat. nbc's ron mott is in cincinnati for us. hi, ron, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. if donald trump intends to be president of the united states, history holds he has to win the buckeye state here.

thousand times, that no republican has reached the without white house winning ohio. this county just might be the place that swings this election one way or the other. record early voter turnout -- in fact, democrats were handing out tacos to get people out. bigger numbers they've ever seen before in hamilton county. early votering wrapped up yesterday. the democrats have a more organized ground game but the clinton campaign is still whether they will get their voters out to the polls today in force. in fact, president obama won the state in both 2008 and 2012. meantime, donald trump's message is selling especially well in the rural parts of the state. the key here is how well he does in the cincinnati suburbs which is a conservative stronghold and whether his message has energized or turned off that voting bloc. his core support is coming from working class white males without college degrees, many of whom have been in the manufacturing industry which has

that's especially a message that's carrying very well for donald trump in the rustbelt. now the key of course is the turnout. how vigorous will that be among his core supporters. at this precinct, very strong turnout this morning. >> ron mott, thank you for wearing your election day orange. appreciate that. >> how about ron going right from the world series to the election. seamlessly. >> he's versatile! let's get another check of the weather from al. >> for decision 2016. on the map we started before, we do have a lot of wet weather making its way down through texas, but as you start out up through michigan, we are looking at some wet weather. but nothing too horrible. we're going to see some clouds, especially up in the u.p. of michigan. afternoon showers off and on, kind of breezy. showers will end and clearing continues from east to west -- west to east. now let's head out to california and it is looking pretty darn good there.

afternoon. clear and some clouds along the coast maybe as you get into the >> that's your late s weather. our friends at the weather channel doing some kind of fun today to help people ease their way into the election. starting at 3:00 until midnight, they're just playing smooth jazz and showing weather scenes like

>> exactly! only on the weather channel starting at 3:00. >> thank you, weather channel. coming up, our decision 2016 coverage rolls on and we'll have a ?? happy thanks for giving! thanks for giving lien the strength to outrun her brother. thanks for giving victor the energy to be the rowdiest fan. and joseph, the ability to see monsters. when you choose walgreens, you choose to make a difference... ens helps give life-changing vitamins and vaccines... to children in need. so, really... happy thanks for giving! walgreens. at the corner of happy and healthy. ?? there are 16 fresh-picked oranges squeezed into each bottle of tropicana pure premium. and absolutely no space for added sugar, water, or preservatives. tropicana.

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ugh. alexa, ask uber for a ride. [crash] okay. >> announcer: decision 2016 on "today" is sponsored by amazon echo. we're back at 7:41. election day 2016. regardless of the outcome, this is a presidentl >> let's try to sum this up. we've had some major firsts, some notable highs. some awful lows. this morning just a few of the moments that helped make this battle for the white house unlike anything we've ever seen. ?? >> if we work together, we are stronger together.

again. ?? >> i am announcing -- >> i am proud to announce -- >> i am officially running -- >> i'm a candidate -- >> i announce my candidacy -- >> for president -- >> of united states. >> much is being raised about why hillary clinton used a personal e-mail account only during her tenure as secretary of state. >> did you wipe the server. >> what, like with a cloth or something? >> we have to build a wall! >> when mexico sen they're bringing crime. they're rapists. and some, i assume, are good people. >> we put together a benghazi special committee. >> they've admitted it is a political partisan committee for the sole purpose of going after me. >> high stakes at the benghazi hearing. >> i thought more about what happened than all of you put together. >> donald j. trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the united states.

republican field. >> he is a chaos candidate. and he'd be a chaos president. >> look at that face, trump's quoted as saying. would anyone vote for that? >> i think women all over this country heard very clearly what mr. trump said. >> as the democrats running for president face off in a live televised debate. >> the american people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails. >> thank you. me, too! ?? >> thank you, iowa. >> thank you, thank hampshire. thank you. >> what a super tuesday! >> it's official now, donald trump has hit the magic number of delegates he needs to clinch the gop nomination. >> nbc news projecting clinton has clinched the democratic nomination. >> first time in our nation's history that a woman will be a major party's nominee. >> bernie sanders has finally thrown his support behind democrat rival hillary clinton. >> she will be the next

>> the next vice president of the united states, governor mike pence. thank you. >> the next vice president, my friend, senator tim kaine. >> some of melania trump's remarks on the opening night of the republican convention lifted from michelle obama's convention speech eight years ago. >> you work hard for what you want in life. >> the war of words intensified today over comments made by and about the parents of muslim-american soldier killed in iraq. >> you have sacrificed nothing! >> trump's now under fire for insinuating khan's wife stayed silent on stage because of her religion. >> she probably -- maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say. you tell me. >> our motto is, when they go low, we go high. >> i humbly -- >> accept your nomination -- >> for the presidency of the

united states. >> hillary clinton, she's incompetent. okay? >> donald trump has proven himself to be temperamentally unfit and unqualified to be president. >> the only good thing she's ever done is get out of trouble when anybody else would have been in jail by now. >> you could put half of trump's supporters into what i call the basket of deplorables. >> she doesn't have the strength or the stamina. believe me. >> face to face, combat, donald trump and hillary clinton go after each other in a spirited first debate. >> all talk, no action. >> this is a man who has called women pigs, slobs, and dogs. >> i have much better judgment than she does. i also have a much better temperament than she has. >> i think donned just criticized me for preparing for this debate. and you know what else i prepared for? i prepared to be president. >> race to the bottom? donald trump and hillary clinton

before facing off in a debate filled with accusations and insults. trump's remarks about groping women caught on tape. >> and when you're a star, they let you do it. you can do anything. >> do whatever you want. >> grab them by the [ bleep ]. >> this was locker room talk. i'm not proud of it. >> i think it's clear to anyone who heard it that it represents exactly who he is. >> the headlines are this morning -- donald trump twice declining to say that he will accept the election's outcome if he loses that has talking. >> i will look at it at the time. i'll keep you in suspense. >> let me respond to that because that's horrifying. >> such a nasty woman. >> hillary clinton trying to reclaim the narrative after the bombshell news, fbi director james comey looking into more e-mails. >> the director himself has said he doesn't know whether the e-mails referenced in his letter are significant or not. >> i give them great credit for

horrible wrong. >> down to the wire. the fbi giving clinton a last-minute boost, concluding their e-mail search saying there's nothing on anthony weiner's laptop to warrant action. >> it's time to fight for america. i'm not a politician. i can say proudly. my only special interest is you. >> america's best days are still ahead of us. if we reach for them together. >> get out a >> let's get out and vote! >> democracy not always easy. >> i was going to say. you wonder why people are glad that this is election day and that its a he over. i think we see right there. >> and the autopsy of how it happened. even though we say 18 months, in reality it was 20 minutes when ted cruz made his announcement. in the next few days, throughout this week, the reflection of what this means is incredible. al is speechless. >> nope. >> get out and vote. >> exactly. coming up, the terrifying

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of an overhead compartment on an airplane? the story behind that creepy snake on a plane. and tic tac, what do you got? >> we're going to give two deserving empty nesters an anniversary upgrade and have more on decision 2016 as voters head to the polls. ? ? hey, is this our turn? honey...our turn? yeah, we go left right here. (woman vo) great adventures are still out there. we'll find them in our subaru outback. (avo) love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. it's holiday time, and no fruit is as versatile as our ocean spray cranberries, which is why we're declaring it "the unofficial official fruit of the holidays."

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. good morning. welcome back to "today." these are pictures just in to our newsroom. hillary clinton expected to emerge, she is casting her vote this morning. no suspense about who she will cast it for. she is there with the former president, bill clinton, as well. they are in >> a quick turnaround for secretary clinton. she arrived back home last night after a campaign swing that took her to pennsylvania and the midwest. she got in i think in the wee hours of the morning. couple of hours of sleep. no rest for the weary, out voting with former president clinton as you can see right there. >> we have nbc's kristen welker on duty. of course, we also expect mr. trump and governor pence to vote a little bit later today as well, kristen. >> reporter: hi there, savannah. good morning.

clinton just walked in to their voting place here in chappaqua. they were greeted by dozens of supporters who started cheering. we shouted out questions. we asked her how was she feeling this morning. she waved and walked inside. it is a momentous moment for secretary clinton. it caps a more than 18-month fight to become the first female president. it is a fight that lasted early into the wee hours of this morning when she landed here back in new york supporters. and that ended a frenzied final sprint on monday. secretary clinton making four stops in three key states. ending her campaign in the key battleground state of north carolina with a midnight rally. but it was the event that she held in philadelphia in which democrats really put on a show of force. of course, that is the city where the nation's democracy is born. it is also where secretary clinton officially accepted her

president obama, the first lady, her husband, and more than 30,000 people. it is the biggest crowd that she has gathered yet. their message to draw a sharp contrast with donald trump saying that secretary clinton is the most qualified candidate and also saying that she's the candidate who will best unify the country. secretary clinton saying that today is a test of our time. her campaign telling me this vote, she is feeling confident, confident about the race that she has run, confident about their ground game. they had more than a million volunteers out over the weekend. they made more than 21 voter to voter contacts. they think that is going to make all of the difference in those critical battleground states and states like michigan and pennsylvania which she hopes to hold on to in order to make history. matt? savannah? >> kristen, thank you very much. just a note of trivia -- the

as the douglas graflin elementary school in chappaqua where i went to second grade. three of the best years of my life. just kidding. we've got nbc national correspondent peter alexander in new york. donald trump will be voting a little bit later this morning. we'll catch that as well. hi, peter, good morning. >> reporter: hey, savannah, good morning to you. he is going to be voting here only a short distance away from trump tower. the line is already really long this morning so certainly a lot eo he arrives as well. donald trump this morning again calling in to fox news describing this election as a beautiful process. he sounded upbeat, saying that he thinks he's going to win a lot of states but says it is still unclear what will happen ultimately. he feels confident about states like michigan and others in the upper midwest that he might need to pick off, while at the same time dismissing those polls that show him trailing as "phony." >> well, i got to tell you, this

>> reporter: in the key battleground of north carolina, hillary clinton making her final campaign pitch in front of a roaring crowd overnight. her last event punctuated by energized supporters and a performance by lady gaga and john bon jovi. just hours earlier, clinton greeting a massive crowd outside philadelphia's independence hall. >> i am not going to let anybody rip away the progress we've made and turn the clock back. >> reporter: the night a power. president obama enjoying his highest approval ratings in four years. looking to preserve his legacy with a final impassioned plea. >> i'm asking you to work as hard as you can this one last day to elect our next president of the united states of america, hillary clinton! >> reporter: on a crisp fall night, an all-star lineup,

celebrities, he was batting until the bitter end. >> we don't need john bon jovi. we don't need lady gaga. >> reporter: arriving in deep blue michigan overnight to his own fiery crowd. >> if we win michigan, we will win this historic election, and then we truly will be able to do all of the things we want to do. >> reporter: bringing his family along for the final push. storming through five states monday alone with rallies in florida, north carolina, pennsylvania, new hampshire, and michigan. >> if we don't win, this will be the single greatest waste of time, energy and money in my life. >> reporter: his closing argument insisting that he's a uniquely qualified agent of change. >> my only special interest is you. >> reporter: the billionaire slamming clinton over her e-mail controversy. >> hillary clinton is the most corrupt person ever to seek the office of the presidency.

script, stopping to admire a mask of himself. >> nice head of hair, i'll say that. >> reporter: but even in his final hours, trump's primary target -- hillary clinton -- remains unchanged. >> we are finally going to close the history books on the clintons and their lies and schemes and corruption. >> reporter: clinton very early this morning greeting supporters on the tarmac in new york. the end of a historic 19-month campaign, seeking to become the nation's first female president. again, wt live now to chappaqua, new york where you can see hillary clinton alongside her husband, president bill clinton, emerging after casting her vote today. again trying to become that woman to break the glass ceiling, the first american female president. aides close to hillary clinton tell us that she spent much of yesterday preparing two speeches in case she wins, or loses. as for donald trump, again we noted he'll be voting here. he arrived in the wee hours of the morning after that last campaign stop.

out what he plans to say tonight if he's even preparing remarks. so far, no answer. but of course, what he says will be crucial. can he begin, if he wins, to help unify the country or if he loses, what does he say for so many millions of americans to try to redirect that anger and frustration that they're now feeling with the status quo. >> unifying the country is the order of business for any speech that a candidate gives tonight. peter, thank you very much. investors on wall street keeping a very close watch on what happens today after stocks surged on monday. nbc's ali velshi is at the new york stock exchange. markets hate uncertainty. today is the ultimate uncertain day. what do you think is going to happen in the markets today? >> if you go back nine days when james comey first issued that letter to congress, you saw the market give up about 300 points. as soon as he said we're back to where we were, he doesn't think hillary clinton needs to be

the market made up that 300 points and some. so we are at a point where we were before where the market seems to think hillary clinton is going to win the election. now what markets tend to like is a president of one party and a congress of another party. so if we stay where we are today, you're probably going to see in under 90 minutes an open that is lower as we prepare for -- the market prepares for a hillary clinton victory. if through the course of the day this market gets clues that it might be going the other way, you're going to see this market come down. they donald trump victory as they are for a hillary clinton victory. but, part of that is because markets like certainty. it is not that they like hillary clinton more than donald trump, but they think hillary clinton's going to win. they'll celebrate if hillary clinton wins. >> ali, thank you very much. as nbc news was first to report, the nation's intelligence community is poised and ready in case of any possible election day cyber attacks. sean henry is the chief security officer of the cyber security firm crowd strike and with the fbi formerly.

uniquely difficult job because everybody's concerned about cyber attacks, but who knows what form it could take? would it be hackers? would it be state sponsored? would it be messing with vote totals? would it be something on the internet? how do you prepare for something like this? >> we know that the russian government has tried to interfere with the electoral process thus far. they hacked the dnc and the dccc. i don't think we're likely to see a disruption of the actual ballot process because our system is soid to do that. i think we are likely to see though some russians or activist groups sponsored by russia or supporting them to actually get some information and to leak it, follow up with social media, to really put a seed of doubt into the actual electoral process. it is about creating confusion and chaos in the democratic process. >> what does the effort to prevent it look like? i mean are there just hundreds or thousands of people in front of computer screens today

they're not going to actually be able to stop it. what you have is command posts that are set up strategically around the country with the intelligence community, dhs, the fbi. they're looking for unusual or anomalous traffic. they'll be able to respond to it. but they're not going to be able to prevent it at this point. you can't turn off the internet or pull people off the network. >> are you telling people today to treat everything with a grain of salt if you see it flying over the internet? >> i think that's very, very important. historically is these groups actually change data to put out misinformation specifically to undermine the process and create a doubt of the credibility of our election. >> sean henry, busy day for folks in your line of work. thank you. msnbc chief legal. correspondent ari melber is spending his day monitoring any voter irregularities as parts of nbc's vote watch unit. ari, good morning to you. donald trump has kind of fed this story that there could be a rigged election, or that there might be voter fraud.

be and what specifically are they going to be looking for? >> he has spoken about that, and happy election day to you. our early voting indicators don't show this being a different type of race. but to your question, the first thing that folks look out for is misinformation. already in indiana, voters received texts with the wrong polling location. there was a concern, oh, is this rigging? is this some effort to tamper? in fact, we found out very quickly over the course of a few hours honest mistake by the local democratic party. the other thing is poll access. will there be tampering or intimidation at the polls. we've already seen some small skirmishes over that. an ohio judge for example ordering allies of donald trump not to do anything that amounts to intimidation. then to the monitoring. basically in about 28 states there are civil rights federal monitors that are out in different places, polling locations, trying to make sure or double check there isn't any

and then the other big thing we're always watching for is the counting of the vote itself. that is the idea that when you go up on an individual basis and you press your candidate, does your machine or does your ballot show the right candidate? or is there some sort of other problem? and if anyone sees that, that gets called in pretty quickly. that counting of course leads to what everyone cares about tonight -- an accurate count of who the winner is. >> ari, i think the most important point you make here is that every year, every election cycle we see voter confusion to voter fraud. we appreciate you making that point. let us bring in nbc's special correspondent tom brokaw. he's of course been through his fair share of election days in his 50 years here at nbc. we always turn to you on these days for sanity and perspective, tom. good morning. >> i mean i think just on this last point, i do think we need reformation of our political voting process. it is too chaotic across the country. every state has its own rules and that's no way to run a

what we've been through in the last year. then i've been trying to figure out how we go on from here. let's take a look first at what we've been through. >> reporter: two aging baby boomers, both wealthy, and very public figures, for most of their adult lives, met on the great battleground of a presidential campaign, and there they divided the country. >> the people united will never be defeated. >> repr: the disenfranchised, the white working class, gun owners, evangelicals. hillary to women, minorities, traditional democrats. the political establishment. and at the end, the country is still deeply divided, a prescription for gridlock. at a time when there are major issues to be resolved. we're at war, in the middle east, and vulnerable to terror

immigration problem humanely? >> we have to establish borders and we have to build a wall. we have to build a wall. >> reporter: how to fix health care without leaving millions with no coverage. and the new economy. how does it serve the old workforce? clinton and trump have their loyal followers, but the majority of american voters went in to this election not wild about either candidate. and that unhappiness will vast universe of social media. clever, ideological, left and right, designed to wound, not to heal. >> it is to replenish -- >> such a nasty woman. >> reporter: after all the turmoil of more than a year, in the end, the two candidates were better at dividing than uniting. >> hillary clinton will be under investigation for a long, long time. >> reporter: trump picked fights with hispanics, women, and muslims.

muslim-american serviceman killed in iraq. clinton mocked trump supporters as a "basket of deplorables." >> i am sick and tired of the negative, dark, divisive, dangerous vision and behavior! >> it has been a marathon of anger and the country is ready for it to be over. but voters on both sides remain anxious about the future. >> who's ready to vote in this election! >> reporter: it is the nature of democracy, that t always be differences. but at the end of this campaign, america remains a sharply divided red state/blue state nation with too few common goals, too many deep differences. >> you know, a pollster says a defining theme of this election has been fear on both sides and across the country. can you not continue to operate under an umbrella of fear. so i think beginning tomorrow morning, whoever wins, they've

country together. >> you say that. i have known you for a long time. i would characterize you as an optimistic hopeful person. but when you consider that depending on which side loses tonight, 40 million-plus people are going to be disappointed, and some of them won't even accept the results of the election, how do you go forward? >> i think that's a very, very astute point. then you look at the map, it is that central part of the country and the south. then you have the coastal regions who are going to be for the democratic candidate. how do you bring them together? here is one do something about public works. our bridges, our roads, the rail lines in this country, that's a non-partisan issue. start with that. you can have a 5-cent gasoline tax right now. puts people to work. not only that, when they go to work, they make money and they put it into the treasury. i grew up in a public works era. my dad worked on a big dam right after the war. and it absolutely converted this country. all of us my age were the people

college and have the lives that we have today. so that's one place that you can begin. another place that you can begin in my judgment is public service for the millennials. they want to do it. but they just don't feel attached to the institutions of governance. i'm involved in a public service academy at arizona state. we had 100 sign up last year. 250 this year. they want to be involved in that. moreover, we've got to relieve the pressure on less than 1% of the population putting on military uniforms and going off to war. there areot could be filled in non-military roles by a new form of public service. those are two places to begin. party elders, by the way, are already beginning to talk across party lines about how we do these things. they know that the country cannot continue with the schism running down the middle of it. >> compromise can't be a dirty word anymore in our politics. tom, thank you very much. stay with nbc news, of course, throughout the day and night as well. results will be rolling in.

coverage gets under way 7:00 p.m. eastern, 4:00 pacific. of course, we'll have all the results starting at 7:00 tomorrow morning right here on "today." coming up, we'll take a turn. tell you what jennifer aniston is revealing in one of her most personal and candid interviews ever. wait until you see the kitchen makeover we pulled off for a pair of very deserving empty nesters. >> announcer: decision 2016 on "today" is alexa, order crackers. a, ask winebuddy what goes with crackers. i'd recommend a pinot noir. mom, look what i found! oh, thank... alexa, wikipedia poison oak. poison oak is a woody vine that can cause rashes. aren't they pretty? [toy robot noises] roboboy 3000 to the rescue! alexa, order more aa batteries. okay. listerine? kills 99%

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that'll cause a lot of problems. hmm. totally unnecessary and it triples the budget. we'll be totally behind schedule, right? (laughs) schedules. schedules. great, okay. wouldn't it be great if everyone said what they meant? the citi? double cash card does. it lets you earn double cash back: 1% when you buy, and 1% as you pay. the citi double cash card. double means double. 8:21. it is not only about the election today, it's about what's "trending." >> start off with two videos. one is something you don't want to see on the ground. the other is something you don't want to see in the air. okay. let's do the ground. a massive -- we do mean massive -- sinkhole. this is a street in japan. believe it or not, nobody was injured. that sinkhole swallowed a

street lights all going in 50 feet below ground. the city's mayor says they are now working to prevent secondary disasters. >> they've got a nice pool. >> apparently they were doing some subway construction. >> okay. >> somebody has son 'splaining. how about a snake on a plane? we don't mean the samuel l. jackson movie. there was an actual snake on an actual a snake about three feet long, bright green, which is never good, slithered out of the overhead compartment. appears to be a venomous green viper identified by al roker who knows these things. the passenger who shot this video says mostly everyone on board remained calm. the pilot radioed ahead and the plane was given priority to land in mexico city touching down about ten minutes later. the airline is investigating how that snake got on board.

bag. you know that's what happened. >> overhead luggage space. how about "popstart!"? >> couple good things for you guys this morning. first to jennifer aniston explaining why she decided to address head-on attacks on her personal life. jen is normally very private. we know that. but remember back in july she took on her critics in an essay for huffington post. now in a new interview, jen says, "i just thought i have worked too hard in this life and this career to behi jen added that she's happier than she's ever been, in part because of this guy, justin. her hubby. she said all i know is that i feel completely seen or adore no matter in what state and it brings forth the best part of myself. zac efron. one of his good friends and co-star adam divine celebrated his birthday on monday.

and sang a little bluesy number. ? happy birthday ? ? i said happy birthday ?? >> adam tweeted out i feel like the prettiest girl in school. >> all-around good guy, t efron. >> the simone biles friendship. and he can sing.

>> and that is your latest weather. guys? >> all right, al, thank you very much. just ahead, a deserving couple going through a major life transition gets a special anniversary gift from jill martin.

ted strickland. love this man. he's the son of a steelworker. he's the first in his family to go to college. he's a minister and a public servant. so when he was in congress, he fought to pass the children's health insurance program. as governor, he froze public college tuition. and even though he took office as your governor about a year before the recession hit, by the time he left ohio was the fifth fastest-growing economy in america.

we're back now, 8:30 on a tuesday morning, it is the 8th day of november, 2016. of course, that makes it election day. and we have moved from our election center in 30 rock over to our plaza this morning to say hi to a big crowd of people that's gathered here. >> really cool! >> it's freezing out here! >> i missed that crowd being across the street. nice to see everybody.

zara larsson. >> that young lady opens for beyonce. she's something special. then on to "renovate today," how jill martin helped give the home of recent empty nesters the ultimate upgrade. and thanksgiving side dishes worth saving room for. we're giving a special twist to my favorite vegetable -- green beans! >> and a table. how about a check of the weather? >> in fact, it is going to be pretty nice around much of the country as far as voting is concerned. we do have some warmth to talk about coast to coast. after a cool start in the northeast, new york city today into the 60s. 63 in indianapolis. pensacola looking at 75. look at how warm it is out west. we could see a few records broken in the northwest. look at redding, 74. salt lake, 74. l.a., near 90 degrees. later this week, the

awfully warm. >> that's your latest weather. if you're feeling anxious, tune in to the weather channel starting at 3:00 p.m. it's just smooth jazz and beautiful pictures of weather, all evening long until 12:00 midnight. get away from the elections and just enjoy the weather channel. now back to you guys. >> announcer: "renovate today"

lowe's. for more content like this, visit the "today" facebook page and check out love notes. now our ongoing series, "renovate today." we asked if you had a room that needed a redo because you are going through some kind of a life change. >> so far we've given a couple that was expecting triplets a nursery, created an excellent man cave for a hard working veteran we all fell in love with. this morning jill martin is back and has an amazing family w >> this one you are going to love because this is a room you'd use very often. >> oh, i can't wait! >> the couple it from pennsylvania. the tate family recently became empty nesters and wanted to upgrade their kitchen. so we teamed up with lowe's for the ultimate 25th anniversary gift. >> oh. >> reporter: heidi and bob tate are about to celebrate a big

married 25 years in march. and he does so much for me. >> she's everything. she does everything around the house. she takes care of everything for me. helps me on so much. she's been here all these years. >> reporter: heidi and bob first met in their teens. >> i remember you were on the softball team. >> he was cute! he had a mustache. >> reporter: two kids and nearly 25 years later, these love birds are now empty nesters. but heidi's favorite thing to do is to have her children over for a home-cooked meal. >> i love cooking. absolutely love to cook. >> the kids come over, we only see them for dinner. >> the kitchen means quality time. >> reporter: redoing their 20-year-old kitchen was always on their to-do list but something always came up. >> every time we planned to ren ovate the kitchen. >> we just kept putting it on the back burner. >> reporter: but not today.

get the kitchen some much needed attention. >> it looks like you're missing some storage. we'll make it functional. >> reporter: there is a lot to get rid of, but a few things heidi wants to keep. >> what i've done for my children and how much they appreciate what i do for them, too. >> reporter: with only eight days to transform the kitchen, deb and her team got right to work. ?? >> reporter: a few final touches, and then it was time to let heidi and bob see brand-new kitchen. >> oh! >> oh. >> oh, it's perfect. >> wow! >> holy cow! now i can sit here and cook and they can sit here and eat and key can all just have a good time. it flows beautifully.

>> now you can use the stapling for paper and not for your cabinets. right in. >> look at that backsplash. i love the backsplash. >> reporter: the tats finally have the kitchen they've always dreamed of just in time for the holidays. >> the formulation for your design is the centerpiece of your room, the magnets. >> we needed to make sure you had the magnets there for you to continually add more. you could not move around i moving things around, making this a really good walkway, creating that space for you to sit with your family. then those double pantries. >> i'm going to be cooking a lot. i'm going to have the family over. we're just going to sit and eat and have fun and talk and be comfortable. very comfortable. >> yay! >> we heard from them and she's cooked ribs. that was the first meal. that's what everyone requested.

so you can give them one. >> you know what? i will add that. >> but it looked great. happy for them, jill. thank you. up next, recipes for two creaive ways to serve a classic that savannah loves -- green bean casserole! just in time for the holidays. but first, this is "today"

we're back now, 8:39 with more of our "today food all-star thanksgiving" pairing foods together to make your holidays stress-free and of course delicious. today the ever-popular green bean casserole. katie lee is co-host of "the kitchen." alex judges the network's "beat bobby flay finale." >> how much do you love green bean casserole?

ever. so as an adult i'm really digging my heels in with this one. i love it. >> you're going to make the traditional green bean casserole. you're going with a little twist. >> a little panache. >> so you head to your area and we'll start with katie. we'll talk about the ingredients. >> all right. so we're going to start with all those usual classics. green beans, mushrooms, onions, fried onions, all that good stuff. the first step is to cook the green beans. i've got boiling salted water the green beans just go in for about four minutes until they're tender. then you want to submerge them in an ice water bath. >> keeps them looking nice and green. >> and it stops the cooking. then just let those drain while you make your cream sauce. i've got onions here, sauteing those in butter. that takes seven or 80s minutes. then you add to it some mushrooms. >> what kind are you useing?

could use any kind you like. this is flour to thicken it. cook it for a minute, two minutes just to get that flour taste out of it. then that will help thicken it up. you pour in the half and half. >> if you don't want to go this heavy -- could you go milk? >> well, it's thanksgiving. >> i know, but could you? >> yes, you could totally do milk with this. once this starts to thicken, you want it to coat the back of the spoon. it will take just a couple of minutes. then turn off the heat. add ine give it a great, rich nuttiness. and a little bit of sherry vinegar. because there is so much fat in there, that vinegar is going to kind of cut through that. >> this is after how long? >> this is after about four minutes. so get those green beans. let's put them in here. just toss them with the sauce. just like that. this is going to be so good. this just makes me think like childhood thanksgiving. >> we've got our tasters

>> yummy. >> okay. goes into a casserole dish. you're going to bake this for about 25 minutes. then you're going to top it with those fried onions. you can get those in a can. there is a lot of really good ones on the market now. it comes out like this. >> i'm going to grab your dish and go up here to alex and see what she's got cooking. what are your ingredients? how did you make this different? >> this is garlic, mustard, flour and bacon. do you know what i'm saying? >> now you're tag. bacon. >> game over! >> the thing i like is when you mix flour with mustard, you can add less flour because the mustard thickens to make it lighter. then i just add white button -- by the way, i'm a pure white button gal. no other one will do. >> that's the mushroom you like. >> that's the cheap date supermarket mushroom that we love. if you would just pour in a little worcestershire, that's one of my other little twists. just that little bit of worcestershire that kind of hearkens to a steak.

milk, chicken stock and sour cream. >> that powers a lot heavier than milk. >> shh! it's "today" show milk. >> i think that's cream right there. >> and a little chicken stock. this is just sour cream. we just simmer that and kind of let that bubble. that gets that kind of americana chicken soup vibe going. then when it cooks more -- >> you've added the green beans. did you precook the green beans the same way >> yeah. just in boiling salted water. i've actually stirred half in raw for a little crunchy texture. you could even go raw and just simmer them gently. >> look what you've done here. instead of only onions, you've added brussel sprout leaves. >> yes. so on top we just top it with -- i like this do the onions on the outside. like a little ring so that every time you scoop, every sing sl

the brussels sprouts on top. i like a little fresh green. >> spectacular! >> we like the little brussel sprout. >> election day breakfast. >> we didn't think you could do anything more with a traditional green bean casserole. and yours is fantastic. >> this is a crunchy little forest on top. >> perfect. great. >> mm. other's. katie and alex, thank you very much. they'll be back on november 23rd for our big pre-thanksgiving celebration out on the plaza. . course you can find their recipes and so much more at today.com/food. check out "today's" facebook page. alex is going to be doing a live cooking demo. coming up next, a live performance from music sensation

>> announcer: the citi concert series on "today" is proudly presented to you by citi. we are back at 8:46 with swedish singing sensation zara larsson. at 10 years old she competed on "sweden's got talent" and she won. >> she's got a new single called "ain't my zara, good morning. some would say you are an overnight sensation but you have been doing this half your life. >> yeah. pretty much. pretty much. but it's been going really, really well the last year. i feel like 2016's been the best year of my life so far. >> "time" magazine called you one of the young people of the year. you opened for beyonce. you're very fancy. and you're making your mark here in the states. that's important for you, isn't it? >> yeah. absolutely. i can't wait to release my

i'm just really excited. >> don't you love her? >> have you been touring? are you going to try to hit the road? >> not yet. i will definitely do that 2017 when my album is out. but i've been doing a lot of press, lot of promo. >> this song you are about to play for us, you'll have everybody on your feet because this one will have you dancing. what's it called? >> "ain't my fault." >> zara, take it away. ?? ? oh my oh ? oh my oh my oh my ? ? oh my oh my oh my oh my ? ? it ain't my fault you keep turning on ? ? it ain't my fault you got me so gone ? ? it ain't my fault i'm not leaving alone ? ? it ain't my fault you keep turning me on ? ?

?? ? no i can't be responsible if i get you in trouble now ? ? see you're too irresistible yeah that's for sure ? ? so if i put your hands where my eyes can't see you're the one knows how to hold on me ? responsible ? ? it ain't my fault ? no no no ? ? it ain't my fault ? ? it ain't my fault you came looking like that ? ? you just made me trip fall and land on your lap ?

summer ? ?? ? ?? ? oh my god what is this ant you all in my business ? ? no i can't be responsible if i get you in trouble now ? ? see you're too irresistible yeah that's for sure ? ? so if i put my eyes can't see ? ? you're the one who's got a hold on me ? ? no i can't be responsible ? responsible ? ? it ain't my fault ?? ? it ain't my fault notes

calling me ? ? it's exactly where i want to be ? ? but it ain't my fault ? ? no ? ? no no no not my it ain't my fault ?? >> woo! all right! >> zara you're going to be back a little later with one more song. coming up, a look at how we've spent election day over the years right here on "today." >> it ain't my fault. >> but first, this is "today" on nbc. judge pat dewine. he has decades of legal experience and is rated an "excellent" judge. judge pat dewine. he interprets the law as written and doesn't legislate from the bench. judge pat dewine.

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back, 8:53 on election day 2016. >> over the years, we've been here for some hiic and very tense mornings as the nation voted for a new president. well, here is a look back at 40 years of election day coverage here on "today." >> president carter and ronald reagan winding up their campaigns with familiar themes. >> george bush, bill clinton, ross perot. >> will george w. bush or al gore be the 43rd president of the united states? >> i'm tom brokaw here in the nbc news election center. jane pauley is here as well.

if tonight, those states which go to president ford will light up in blue be with and those for governor carter in red. if you are watching a black and white set, that will be dark grey for ford and light grey for carter. election day, 1980. we are showing you an automatic voting machine in philadelphia. >> decision time has come. will it be four more years or is it possible that the polls which now show the race narrowing a bit are wrong? >> good morning, everyone. in the news, rs the presidential election. voters going to the polls this morning to choose between george bush and michael dukakis after one of the most bitter presidential campaigns in memory. >> welcome to "today" on what is obviously a very special tuesday morning. this is a morning that we've been working towards and talking about countless words and hours spent directed towards this end. >> good morning, everyone. bill clinton, bob dole and the rest of the country go to the polls on this election day. at stake for the country in today's voting, control of the

congress. >> could we end up with one man winning the popular vote and the other man winning the electoral college? could we end up with a tie if the electoral college race? could we end up back here tomorrow morning and still not know the winner? >> good morning. decision day. will it be george bush or john kerry? >> with this being one of the most hotly contested races in history, turnout is expected to be massive. >> two men, two parties, two very different visions of how to get america back on track. >> and welcome to "today" on day. i'm meredith vieira. i feel like a little kid, except i can vote. >> governor romney and senator obama still neck and neck. >> seems like we've been talking about this day for the better part of two years because we have been talking about this day for the better part of two years. it is finally here. >> i can never see enough of that stuff. >> i know. i love looking back.

for everyone! >> not for everyone. we're going to have much more on today's election after these messages and your local news.

we live in a pick and choose world. love or like?

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this morning on "today's take," roy his girlfriend, meghan markle. find out what he's saying that's got everybody talking. then we'll catch up with steve martin. and tips and tricks to save you time on thanksgiving coming up right now. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today's take," live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. well, good morning! tuesday morning. anything going on today? november 8th? no? >> only something we've waited 20 months for. >> but it just seems like yesterday. election day! i'm al, along with tamron and dylan. it is decision 2016. >> it is indeed. what an incredible journey.

we gussied up rockefeller plaza here. we've got the big ice skating rink. >> tonight that will turn into the united states of america. >> my husband, brian, has been out there because he's running the jib with the coverage tonight. that big arm that just pans around. he's been out there 12, 15 hours a day practicing. >> it is amazing. i was stationed out there last year. i was telling al last year on the ice it was like 400 below zero. today, 55 ice may melt around alaska. >> i tried to go vote this morning before i came in. line was crazy so i'm going to have to do it after. >> i early voted. then i was driving this morning and this was the line. it wrapped around -- i thought beyonce had shown up. it was like -- there was a line wrapped around the corner. i jumped out. >> i think you need to talk to dylan's husband, brian. >> full disclosure, i wear pretty much pajamas, like

onesie to snap that video. i was ordinary, can you just legally take pictures of people on the street. b, i'm in the middle of i moo pajamas in new york city. >> be careful. >> one thing i discovered was when we moved and i changed the address on my license, i mean we moved within manhattan. i assumed it changed my voting registration. now i have to go all the way bao vote if my old location because it did not change. i didn't decide to look until last night. >> take the subway up. >> have a nice lunch. >> right. we'll make a day out of it. >> let's go to ohio. take a look at a polling place. this is cincinnati. folks are getting ready and they're getting it done. >> this is one you can take pictures in. >> we can take a picture. >> we can always take a picture. >> i wonder if we can get the

important states we'll be watching tonight. that's my camera -- people keep saying is it going to be an early night? what's going to happen? >> i think it is going to be decided pretty early. >> all of the experts, pundits, say that florida, donald trump needs it. that's his path. hillary clinton not so much. but we could have an early night or we could be here days. we could be father time and mother time through this. >> you got to travel to the upper west side to vote. how about astronaut shane kimbrough? >> he cast space. we don't know how we voted and nor should we, but he did cast his ballot. basically they're saying this is no excuse. >> that's so cool. how about sasha edelstein who voted over the weekend. she was heading to the hospital in labor. the contractions were seven to ten minutes apart when she was voting.

girl named rosie. >> that's how easy it is. >> i love this story at the weather channel. a lot of folks are so stressed about the election. of course there will be coverage on msnbc. but maybe you want to dial it back. okay? our friends at the weather channel starting at 3:00 p.m., they're just going to show very nice nature shots. >> yes. and play jazz music, some smooth jazz. there will be a weather crawl at the bottom. >> that's very relaxing. >> that's right. kind of destress. from 3:00 p.m. until midnight. >> i kind of love this idea. >> i think so. it is kind of like an election yule log. >> like with the christmas yule log. >> exactly. just watching rainbows and waterfalls. >> if you don't want to do that, you can go turn to nbc news tonight.

smooth jazz. on his base. >> savannah's going to be on the drums. chuck todd's going to be on the sax. tom brokaw is going to be tom brokaw. this is democracy. >> coming up later, you have a great interview with steve martin and kristin stewart. >> the movie is so different because it's shot in a format that we've never seen before. it makes it look very real. almost as if to the people. so we -- before we interview a cast, we usually get a screener. right? we normally get a link we can watch from home. because this was such a special movie, it had to be seen in the movie theater. so the times were like 9:00 friday night or 8:00 a.m. saturday morning. really cut in to "weekend today." so i couldn't do it. then our producer who helped me put this spot together he said, i got you the 6:00 showing.

i'm in my uggs, sweatpants and sweatshirt. i go to the 6:00 showing, it is the premier for the movie. i had no idea. i don't think matt had any idea. i'm not going to throw him under the bus. >> but you just backhanded. >> so you showed up at an actual premier in uggs and >> yes. you're at the premier. everybody's on the red carpet. everybody's nice and fancy dressed. the whole cast comes out and they introduce the show and the cast. there i am just in my uggs. so i duck in the back door, i grab my ticket. but on my way to grab the popcorn off the table, i knock over like six bags of popcorn to the guy who's sweeping up popcorn right next to me. i laughed. i said that's pretty ironic, isn't it?

funny. >> he wanted nothing to do with me. >> he's thinking this is the woman throwing matt greenfield under the bus. >> some things in life, don't you wish it was like the "truman show" like please let someone be recording this moment in life. that's crazy. >> it was an epic fail on so many different levels. but the movie was actually fantastic. we interview six or seven people from the cast, including eng lee, the director of the movie. >> >> these are real life stories. "truman show." coming up, it is the fairy tale romance capturing the world's attention. i didn't know if this was real, but it's confirmed, guys. harry, prince harry, and hollywood beauty meghan markle. >> i thought he was going out with a steve urkel. >> now. now prince harry is standing up

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we are back with more of "today's take." little drama across the pond. >> ye prince harry's apparently taken -- he's checking on his facebook page, what's the status change when you're dating? taken? >> i haven't changed in a while. >> in the middle of apparently falling for this beautiful actress, harry is hitting back at the media for the coverage of his relationship. if you've note heard, prince harry was reportedly dating american actress, meghan markle. she's been on our show before. we all think she is super nice. she is a fashion expert.

the media have crossed the line. you may recognize her from the show "suits." that's on the usa network. the palace sent out a statement basically saying that he was objecting to this wave of abuse and harassment. prince harry's worried about miss markle's safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her. it is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that miss markle should be subjected to such a storm. he knowsom this is the price she has to pay and that this is all part of the game. he strongly disagrees. this is not a game, it is her life. as dylan just asked the question, looking at pictures, why are people attacking her? well, meghan has revealed her father is caucasian, her mother is african-american. so apparently people take issue with her background and have come after her. >> sad. you got to meet her when you were visiting --

of "suits" up in toronto. it was wonderful. the show is known for its amazing wardrobe. showed me through the closet. i got to try on this very expensive dress. she's so lovely. whenever she comes here she remembers my name. so we're kind of like bffs. so if they get married -- >> might be a bit of a stretch. >> listen, a girl can cream. someone once dreamt of dating a prince and there she has it. >> he has a heinz 57. >> my dad used to say heinz 57. i love that. you have something for us that you have an issue with. >> i don't know i would call it an issue. of course, social media, these trends happen. ice bucket challenge, things like that. well, now we got the manikin challenge. okay? >> you know what it is? >> of course. people all of a sudden stand still and -- boom. kelly rowland posting one from

the girls of destiny's child, including queen bey. adele posting a western themed manikin challenge. >> look at adele. >> why don't you like this? >> it's not i don't like it. >> i know what you mean. sometimes it is good -- whether it's good -- >> when it's good, it's fantastic. >> for example, the dallas cowboys, they're doing great on the field but the executives not so good on >> you're supposed to stop moving. >> i watched this yesterday like six times. i felt like it was moving -- look, this guy's moving. look at jerry jones. he's eating. you're supposed to be still. >> for example, we tried it yesterday on "today" show. you be judge. we did this in our 8:00 hour. and, there we go.

>> mr. roker then held it for like 20 minutes. >> savannah moved. then this one. >> al, you crushed it. >> he stayed that way for 15 minutes. >> i have an unfair advantage. as a kid, this is the kind of nerd i was and my friends were. we practiced sitcom freeze frames. in the '70s a sitcom, well, he'll have big problems then -- and then the t m and did we miss the shot just then? >> no. ?? >> our control room trying now. that's why nobody was listening. >> oh. okay. >> maryann. >> come on. christine! are they doing a magic trick? >> i love this! let's go to the back row. >> there's our audio room.

show. >> oh, come on! let's move on over. >> nice. nice. >> tammy's supposed to have a glass of wine in her hand. i'm going to make her laugh. >> oh, tammy! oh! >> oh, come on! >> crumble. she folded like a cheap suit. >> oh, >> send us your video of your manikin challenge, #todays take. >> let's face it, no matter what you do, it can't be as bad as tammy in the control room. >> when we were kids, you tried to keep a serious face, my mom would always go, "i see that smile." it would make you so angry, you wouldn't help but smile.

this forecast is interesting on election day. >> it sure is. again, for decision 2016, for the most part weather's not all that bad. we got warming weather along the east coast. unseasonably mild in the planes. a look at illinois -- we'll have some off and on showers, cloudy skies. by the afternoon, things clear out. by the evening it is going to be gorgeous, clear skies, mild temperatures. then as far as another one of our fabulous sunny in the east, cloud in the west, and fairly dry right

>> and that's your latest weather. up next, want to know the secret ingredient for a flaky pie crust or neatest way to get rid of lumps out of gravy? we'll show you some hacks to help you out on your thanksgiving right after these messages. ?? tomorrow's the day we'll play something besides video games. every day is a gift especially for people with heart failure. but today there's entresto?- a breakthrough medicine that can help make more tomorrows possible. tomorrow, i want to see teddy bait his first hook. in the largest heart failure study ever, entresto? was proven to help more people stay alive and out of the hospital than a leading heart

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hosting thanksgiving is a lot of work. you don't want to spend the

we have some great hacks you will be grateful for. good to see you. >> thanks for having me today. >> one of the things the most expensive real estate or valuable real estate is the oven. you've got some great ideas to help free that up. >> thanksgiving can be a really stressful time in any household. i know myself, i have four kids. i am constantly shuffling things around. so any time i can save space and not put it in the oven, i am excited. >> slow cooker? >> very simple, most people have them in their homes. you can use this to can put your sweet potato casserole in there. you can keep all of your foods warm until you are ready to serve them. >> brilliant. gravy. people trying to get the lumps out of gravy. >> gravy is kind of the bain of my existence. but we're going to work through it. take a little bit of our gravy, pour it right into the food processor. you got nice lumpy gravy right

we pulse it. you've done this before, haven't you? pulse that bad boy up. and then we have this luscious smooth gravy that you can actually keep warm in a thermos. >> that is brilliant! >> right? >> you just pour it in and it will stay nice and toasty warm until you are ready to serve it to your table. >> the other thing, trying to keep everything warm. again, you don't want to take up space in the oven. >> no, you don't. but we used to use coolers for now you can actually use your cooler with some tinfoiled lining it, place your side dishes right in the cooler. keep them all in there. close them up. good to go. >> flaky pie crust. this is something dylan said she does. i never heard about this. >> this is a really nifty tool. pie crust can be really difficult because it is -- you're baking. but if you substitute vodka or any other liquor --

flavor. but vodka will actually make your pie crust fluffier and it will actually be like a little bit flakier. >> that's really interesting. >> you put it right in here. >> i can put it all in? >> i say put it all in. half vodka, half water. right? mix it all up. don't spill things. don't break things. >> couple of the crew members rushed over to help us. >> last, but not least. so a little bit of baking soda goes a long way. adding a pinch of baking soda to your mashed potatoes makes your mashed potatoes fluffier. >> happy thanksgiving. a new movie with steve martin is getting a lot of buzz. dylan catches up

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ted strickland. love this man. he's the son of a steelworker. he's the first in his family to go to college. he's a minister and a public servant. as governor, he froze public college tuition. and even though he took office as your governor about a year before the recession hit, by the time he left ohio was the fifth fastest-growing economy in america. ted delivered, and when it mattered most he had your back.

it's the new movie being touted as a visual masterpiece. it's called "billy lynn's long halftime love." the film tells the story of a group of soldiers being honored during a football halftimeeroisn it was filmed in 3-d at a staggering speed so you can see every single detail and i caught up with steve martin and the cast to talk about that. >> it is sort of weird being honored for the worst day of your life. >> first of all, this movie was unlike anything i have ever seen before. as actors, what was it like watchingy you are self-in that way? >> i've learned to ig no are myself on screen. i was talking to kevin klein once and he said, yeah, i saw a movie and i was in it but i was

i said what do you mean, doing a lot of this? he says i block myself out. i've learned to just watch others and not judge myself. >> this was as close-up as -- and as intense as you can get. did it make any of you feel different or -- >> i found it a little weird, yeah. but i mean i had never done it before. >> reporter: in his first movie ever, joe plays the title role of billy lynn, a soldier being hailed as a grappling with ptsd from a terrible raid. you're the lead character in this movie. you're starring alongside icons like steve martin. you've got seasoned actors like chris and kristin and garrett. what was this whole experience like for you? >> it was overwhelming. the first few weeks, i had never been so america before. i obviously knew who these people were.

why is with a he so perfect for this role because he is playing this young, innocent soldier. >> nothing is like somebody's first time and it is incredible top-notch talent. it feels to me that i'm not teaching him, coaching him or directing him. it's like something he know through his life. it is like my "avatar" or whatever. >> will are a ton of ways you can get shipped home. >> reporter: kristin stewart plays billy's sister w to convince him to return home and not return with his platoon to iraq. >> you had a lot of scenes with joe. how would you say he was going into his first movie. >> oh, man. >> yeah. ready? some of the most moving honest, present experiences i've had with people are not like trained actors. it was like -- i was going -- i know we're on tv. it was like such a pleasure. i love this movie. i think he's so -- so there. >> we have a lot of interest in

and chris tucker will surprise audiences in their dramatic chops. >> you guys have never been in a movie together before. have you? >> "rush hour." >> i don't think so. >> did you ever think chris tucker, steve martin, in a drama together? >> never thought about it but -- he's definitely one of my heroes, comic heroes. it's an honor to be in a movie with him. together in this but we didn't exchange any lines, i don't think. right? >> yeah, we did. we had a great scene together. i remember it. >> oh, the kissing scene. i forgot. >> frankly, i don't think these studio folks have the moral fortitude to grasp the true stakes of bravo's story. >> you have a point. >> the movie will be in theaters in new york and l.a. this friday and nationwide november 18th. up next, get ready to open

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stand in front of it going, what am i going to eat in here? instead of ordering take-out, our nutritionest joy bauer says get creative. >> joy has a couple of tasty recipes. this is phenomenal. >> you know that i would do this. >> people are always opening up nothing in here. but there is something in every single refrigerator. >> beverly witting ton from st. louis, missouri, her fridge. nice looking group of things. >> there is a lot of stuff in there. i was immediately drawn to the eggs. i could eat eggs for breakfast, lunch and dinner and there are so many things you can make with them. first i took some vegetables. red pepper is busting with vitamin c. getting into flu season right

i coupled with some onion. and of course two large handfuls of spinach. spinach is like nature's multi-vitamin. it's got everything. plus it has two antioxidants that help reduce the risk for macular degeneration and cataracts. i saute them for eight to ten minutes. i threw the spinach in at the last minute. oil spray i love because it allows you to saturate the pan with very, very few fat calories. certainly you could pour olive oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil. for the eggs, i took four whole eggs. then i took four egg whites. i added half a cup of milk, all which she had in your fridge. reason i halved the whole eggs and egg whites, it allowed me to reduce the calories and saturated fat. al, put those vegetables right in here. tamron, this is sharp cheddar cheese that she had in there. >> you do let us have stuff we like.

>> you're not eating that much. >> this is the best part about her fridge. she grows her own fresh herbs. this is parsley, basil, and rosemary. >> yum! >> we put that right in here, a little bit of salt and pepper. then all you do is -- al? a little oil spray. >> then you fill up about a half a cup in the muffin tins. you're going to put it on 350 degrees in the oven for just about 20 to 25 minutes. would you look at these beauties? >> >> how's about 65 calories each? >> you could have three or four for a serving. >> i make these for lela to take these to school. >> they're packed with protein. and you can eat them in the car. >> next photo, maria healy from chula vista, california. she's got pork tenderloin, peanut butter, chicken brought, soy sauce. >> that's a good looking fridge. there's some hot sauce in there as well.

thought, okay, that is going to play a starring role. together with the peanut butter as well. first thing that i did was i sliced up the pork tenderloin. i soaked in water my wooden skewers. five minutes on each side again on the skillet, on a grill and you have pork skewers. now comes the peanut butter sauce. >> i've never heard of peanut butter sauce. >> like a thai. >> it's half cup creamy peanut butter, quarter cup of brought, quarter two tablespoons of soy sauce. if you want a little bit of hot sauce, i put it in there. all you do is you mix and mix and mix and you're going to get this creamy, dreamy sauce. you're going to go ahead and dip that in there. it is very kiss-friendly as well. how's about a full serving of this is only 170 calories? 25 grams of protein.

for birthday cake. >> it's a birthday cake! >> it's your birthday. >> and it's smokin'! >> happy birthday. >> thank you. >> when you eat healthy, there's always room for cake. i love you had no idea. you didn't see the flaming cake over there? >> noing! nothing! i was fixated on the refrigerator. >> there you go. >> we love you so much. you can find joy's recipe today.com/food. now let's do a little weather for you. your election day forecast, record highs in the pacific northwest, heavy rain down through texas into the gulf warming up along the eastern seaboard. plenty of sunshine along the west coast. for tomorrow we expect to see more sunshine in the west. look for heavy thunderstorms continuing central and southern texas. wet weather along the pacific northwest coast. showers moving into the northeast and the upper midwest

>> you know what burns my -- cake just about that high. up next, it is decision day. we'll have some fun presidential trivia. like this -- why is election day on a tuesday? >> because it is not monday? >> was it because it is easier for people to take off work, or b, voters used to travel by

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goodness -- the 45th president of these united states. >> in honor of election day, msnbc's thomas roberts is here to quiz us on some of the biggest moments in presidential history. >> test your buzzers. >> do we have an answer to the question we went in? that's the second question? okay. >> don't worry. you'll be playing for something good here. i feel very confident that you guys are going to do well. up here. first up -- what was the first election result to be broadcast live on the radio? okay. >> a. >> al. >> no. >> yes. answer, a. warren g. harding. 1920. >> i was listening. >> then he was the first in 1922 to have his voice transmitted by radio. question number two, hands on the buzzers.

b. because voters used to travel. that is correct . >> i knew that one. >> i know you did. >> so, al is cleaning your clocks right now, ladies. >> who? >> what? >> al roker is winning. >> i thought that was a question! >> no, that's not a question. that's just fact. >> you couldn't vote on sunday, they needed monday to travel. >> he didn't even get to read the question. just concentrate on me. who was the first president -- al. >> richard nixon. >> gerald ford. >> fun fact. made a cameo appearance in april -- >> what show did richard nixon appear on? >> "laugh in." >> too bad it is not on the list. you know this, we have these exact two questions last year. i mean four years ago on the election. >> we did? >> we played this game. >> tamron, i feel good about this next one for you. no, no, who was originally cast

michael douglas? al? >> robert redford. >> robert redford is correct. >> after a disagreement with the director on the direction of the love story, red ford parted ways and douglas landed the part. who is with a the love interest -- >> annette benning. >> al wins. okay. moving on, true or false, president bartlett played by martin sheen was originally scheduled to only be in four episodes per season. >> true. >> that's true. >> true. >> that after the pilot was filmed it was determined that he was needed as a permanent character. hands on the buzzers. how many electoral votes are needed to win the u.s. presidency. >> 270? >> yes, of course. >> 270. >> you've been watching msnbc. god bless you. >> i thought tamron would get that one right away. number seven, in the 1999 movie "election," reese witherspoon's

president. what's her campaign slogan. >> be all you can be with tracy. >> no. >> al. >> vote for me, tracy. >> dylan. >> chick pick. >> who was the first president to live in the white house? >> that's a great question. john adams. >> al roker? had. >> john adams. >> john adams is correct. construction began in 1792. president washington oversaw the construction of the house. he never lived i in november of 1800 adams became the first president. >> i get that point. >> my buzzer came in first. >> al roker is our big winner today and we do have prizes for him. take a look at this. >> ooh! >> pez dispensers and a nice coffee table book. >> i love pez dispensers. just so you know about this election specifically, we filled those with valium. so after tonight, it is not candy. >> yeah! all right.

thomas roberts. >> of course, you are going to be -- >> great job. >> al roker did a great job. >> thomas is going to be taking part in msnbc's all-day election coverage right here on nbc starting at 7:00 eastern, 4:00 pacific. lester holt, savannah guthrie, chuck todd. or as we like to call him, todd. mary todd who was married to of course abraham lincoln. we'll be back in a moment but first this is "today" on nbc.

can i just say how much we love kathie lee's hair. >> yes, we do! >> she needs to do a beauty book. >> oh, my gosh. >> tom just mentioned it to me. >> stop it! >> we're going to do a tutorial on it. >> i like this tease.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. it is election day. it's bze day tuesday, november 8th. make sure to get out and vote. >> get out there. just do it. just pull the lever. >> yes. that is "ain't my fault" by sara larsson sing for us. >> now opening for beyonce. one of those people, how can that happen? >> pinch me. >> good for her. >> singing for us in a little bit. >> going to sing "lush life."