good morning. holiday headache. the busy travel weekend is now underway with more than 100 million people heading out of town for christmas. airports packed. >> when i walked through the door, i could not believe all these people. this is crazy. >> roads congested. and a major winter storm is causing chaos for millions of travelers from louisiana all the way into the northeast. we're live with what you need to know before you walk out your door. terror plot foiled. a california man is in jail for attempting to pull off a terror plot in san francisco. the former marine wanted to plan the attack for c

the miss america organization suspends haskell after mocking and degrading contestants and winners. this morning, what he's saying in his own defense. all that plus the wildfire in southern california becomes the largest in the state's history overnight. bitcoin takes investors on a wild ride, plunging more than 30% in just one day. and what was that? a stunning scene in the sky over southern california. >> what was that? >> had conspiracy theorists guessing it was everything from a north korea rocket launch to an alien invasion. we can put all those to rest today, saturday, december 23rd, 2017. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with sheinelle jones, craig melvin and dylan

rockefeller plaza. welcome to "today." thanks for joining us on this saturday morning. i'm craig melvin. >> i'm sheinelle jones. dave price is in for dylan, who is enjoying the holiday weekend off. i have to say, what was the strange sight in the sky over southern california? my first guess wouldn't be an alien. >> many people were freaking out. thinking it was the beginning of the end. >> my first guess was an alien, so i'm relieved this morning. >> we'll get to the bottom of it. let's get right to the top story. the big mess is waiting for millions of travelers this weekend. more than 100 million people are planning to hit the roads and the skies this weekend, making for an expected record-breaking week of travel. but you could be in for a wintry mess as you try to make your way to your holiday destination. maya rodriguez is at the world's busiest airport in atlanta. good morning to you.

lots of people here in line in atlanta between now and the new year. about 3 million people will travel through this airport. around the country, the biggest travel impacts will be on the roads. on the move. americans taking to the sky and hitting the roads. a record-breaking 107 million people traveling between now and the start of the new year. that's up more than 3% from last year. at chicago's o'hare, the crowds overwhelming. >> when i walked through the door, i cannot believe there's all these people. this is crazy. >> reporter: much the same at new york's laguardia. >> if you think that it's crowded here, it's not your imagination. it really is. >> reporter: and the overwhelming choice to get where they're going, cars. a whopping 97.4 million people hitting the highways. >> yeah, this is the first stop. >> i'm extremely concerned about the heavy traffic and, u

getting distracted. >> reporter: a drive that could get complicated in parts of the midwest and northeast. a snowy winter blast this weekend expected to make holiday travel even more difficult. >> worried about the snow, getting snowed in, not being able to get back home. >> reporter: in atlanta, travelers relieved to find no major problems at the world's busiest airport. just one week after a massive power failure left thousands stranded in the dark. >> we watched it and it was a headache for people last weekend. it seems to be running smoothly now. >> doesn't seem like holiday travel. i know it'll pick up over the weekend. we got in at a good time. >> reporter: so far, only a couple cancellations and a few dozen delays across the country according to the mystery map from flight aware, which tracks flights across the country. you'll want to check with your airline to make sure your flight is on time. >> things bustling there at hartsfield-jaso

we have a look at where the storm is headed and how it will affect this weekend's travel. dave? >> hopefully this won't be a misery map, but we have snow in the mountains out west. this is a real troublemaker, zooming in to the northwest and the east at this point. heavy know and rain we'll be dealing with. let's break it down over the next several days, what we can expect. rain and snow today is going to be the big disrupter. snow from the midwest all the way to sections of new england as you head to the interior and right along the coastline. heavy rain. watch it in worcester, cleveland, washington and boston. that stretches all the way down to the south and west of pittsburgh. as we head into tonight, rain along the i-95 corridor, from boston to new york to philadelphia to washington. snow continues up through vermont and into new england. now, we advance the maps and we take a look at what we can expect for the rest of the day

mountain snow out in the northern rockies to sections of the cascades. very chilly weather in the midsection of the country. we'll talk about christmas day and the rest of your forecast when we see you in a little while. right now, back to you guys. >> thank you. we are learning more about the california man and former marine who is charged with plotting a christmas day attack in san francisco. the fbi said the man planned it for months before getting cold feet. nbc justice correspondent pete williams has more. >> reporter: a former marine from modesto talked about carrying out a christmas day attack on san francisco's pier 36. 26-year-old everitt aaron jam n jameson started conversing with undercover officers, and investigators said he told them he was willing to stage a bomb attack on christmas day and

thought were connected with isis for a semiautomatic rifle and bomb components. those were never provided. court documents say on monday, he suddenly told them, i don't think i can do this after all. i've reconsidered. after an fbi employee in washington mistakenly dialed his cell phone and showed up. a martyrdom letter was found dated the 16th, calling the u.s. nationalist and godless, and complaining about president trump's decision to recognize jerusalem as israel's capital. relatives say he converted to islam after child protective services took his children. >> might have lost his kids and might have lost a little faith in jesus or something, you know what i mean, and switched over. >> reporter: he appeared briefly friday in federal court to face the terror allegations. his lawyer said he'll soon enter a plea to the charges.

those on january 5, when we learn what they are. >> reporter: san francisco police say even before this arrest, they had planned to step up security for the holidays. pete williams, nbc news, washington. president trump is spending the holiday weekend in florida state. he arrived in mar-a-lago hours after signing his biggest legislative victory to date, the tax bill, into law. kelly o'donnell is in west palm beach this morning with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, sheinelle. sun, gulf and family time is part of the trump family tradition in florida. after a difficult first year in office, president trump made clear he got what he wanted for christmas. the republican tax plan is now law. air force one returned to palm beach for the holiday, where president trump found a present of sorts waiting for him. a crowd of cheering, sign waving

the president used the friendly response to mention his tax cut win. >> -- way lower taxes. >> reporter: the president did a rare, solo bill signing to make the tax cuts law. >> i'm keeping my promise and signing it before christmas. >> reporter: the president said despite polls showing the tax cut package is unpopular, he does not need a public tour to promote it. >> i don't think i'll have to travel much to sell it. it is selling itself. >> reporter: having failed on a full repeal of obamacare, the president touted the tax cut law, which eliminates the health insurance individual mandate and its tax penalty. >> i think it ultimately leads to the end of obamacare. >> reporter: president trump ended something else, too. a 15-year tradition of past presidents who held a white house end of year news conference. but on capitol hill, senate majority leader mitch mcconnell did wrap up t

reporters. talking about sometimes being the end of the president's angry tweets. >> i haven't been a fan of his tweeting until this week. i'm warming up to the tweets, actually. >> reporter: and their agenda in 2018. >> we work together seamlessly. i think we go into the new year with a high level of confidence in our ability to work together with the administration. >> reporter: with no democrats supporting the tax cut plan, president trump rejected that some might regret that when the positive effects he projects will happen are felt by ordinary americans. he also says he hopes to work with democrats on infrastructure sometime in the new year. sheinelle? craig? >> kelly o'donnell, thank you. steve kornacki, national correspondent for nbc news. >> morning. >> republicans obviously, but this is a tax plan that is unpopular in just about

this plan? how worried are they about how this might wean them down during the mid-terms next year? >> they're worried about having nothing to show. now they can point to an accomplishment. the president said what their counting ining on is people see less withholding in their paychecks in the new year. maybe the economy continues the momentum we've been seeing. like our company here and many other companies, reports of bonuses for employees, maybe that somehow changes voters' minds. the biggest problem for trump and republicans on this though is the economy has already been improving all year. voters have been saying they feel it and they haven't been giving trump and the republicans credit so far. it's tough to see when they'd start doing that. >> you heard senate majority leader mitch mcconnell saying he feels he established a good working relationship with president trump in the tax bill process. do you think this legislative victory marks a turning point? they've had a rocky relationship, or he has, with republicans in the past. what do you thi

they were able to work together here. remember the urgency on this one. it was urgency that everyone in the republican party from trump on down felt, to have something to show for this year. plus, this bill, when you strip it away, was a typical republican tax-cutting bill. there was a consensus in principle. if the president wants to go to infrastructure, i can seedy visi -- see division. if they want to talk about entitlement programs, i can seedy vision se see divisions there. >> republicans have been talking about repealing and replacing obamacare and now they managed to kill the individual mandate. can they claim a victory when it comes to obamacare? what does it mean for the future of the health care law? >> they'll try. i'm surprised this didn't get as much pushback from democrats in the last two weeks. they had a

success over the summer. >> you're right. again, think back to over the summer when republicans were trying to repeal and replace obamacare. democrats won the issue. you can make the argument here, the mandate, you get rid of that, it can have many of the same effects over the long term. the one thing that maybe gave democrats pardon, the one thing in obamacare that would never hold well at all is the individual mandate. it's the least popular individual component of this. to try to make the case you need to keep it, maybe it was tough to do. >> if we look at the big picture, the president ended on a high note, but overall, how would you sum up president trump's first year in office? >> it is a presidency like we've never seen before, for obvious reasons. the republicans can now point to big ticket items. got a new justice for the supreme court. got the tax plan. they'll say, we fulfilled our promise on obamacare. we'll see if

their base, as well as swing voters. >> lots of judges on the lower courts, too. thanks, buddy. merry christmas. now to california and the thomas fire. it's now the largest in state history. as of last night, the fire was 65% contained. it has burned well over 250,000 acres and 1,000 pildinbuildings. it's claimed two lives. a 70-year-old woman trying to escape, and a firefighters who leaves behind a young daughter and pregnant wife. firefighters worked into the night to control an oil rig in colorado. windsor, an hour north of denver, had flames shoot through the air. neighbors said their homes were shook. investigators are treating the fire as an industrial accident. this morning, investigators are looking into a wild shootout in downtown harrisburg, pennsylvania. a gunman took on state, local and

gunfight moved through the city. one officer was slightly injured. the suspect was killed by police. he's identified as a 51-year-old who recently traveled to the middle east, and police say terrorism is under consideration in the investigation. bitcoin has more than a bit of a problem, trading in the crip crip yptocurrency being halted. it shot up from $1,000 at the start of the year to $20,000 last month. at one point, friday, it lost nearly half of that value. it is making a bit of a rebound this morning. analysts expect more volatile trading ahead. now to the incredible light show over the southern california sky overnight. social media lit up with photos. everyone wondering what exactly the odd shaped light cloud could be. this morning, we have the answer. here's nbc's steve patterson. >> reporter: the launch lit up th

>> whoa, what was that? >> reporter: a spectacular show from hollywood to the central coast. >> never seen anything like it. >> it's coming at us? >> reporter: san diego to as far east as phoenix. >> just like, whoa, what is that? >> reporter: of course, we know now. >> three, two, one, lift-off, fall tcon 9. >> reporter: it's the spacex falcon 9 rocket. >> i thought it was an alien coming to town. >> reporter: people out west were spooked, taking realtime fears to social media. >> is this north korea? >> first thing i was thinking of, it's an angel. >> reporter: spacex founder elon musk was amused. tweeting, nuclear alien ufo from north korea. a beacon of american ingenuity lighting up the sky as bright as our imagination. steve patterson, nb

angeles. >> phew, no aliens. >> twitter is fun, when you're all in it together and everybody talks back and forth. >> that's what it's about. >> exactly. dave price is back with a check of the rest of the country's forecast. >> nice to see you. everybody is trying to get in that christmas mood as we head to the weekend. where are you? let's go to the maps right now and take a look at snow cover across the country. in some of the mountain areas, to the north and west, we have plenty of snow on the ground. through the upper midwest to the midwest itself and the great lakes and then through new england, mu england. much of the southern half of the country won't see a white christmas. into christmas eve, this is where we'll get a batch of more snow, especially in interior sections of new england. that's what we're keeping an eye on right now. as we head into christmas day, heavy snow will continue across sections of northern new england

and into maine. p bitterly cold in the midsection of the country to the plain states for christmas. snow continues into the rockies. sunny by cold in the southern half of the country. florida, places like sunrise, florida, absolutely gorgeous. that's a quick look at our national maps. here's a look at what's going on right where you are. >> it's mild right where we are. temperatures around 50 degrees here in the district. little cooler to the north and west. eventually, the temperatures will come up. we're headed to the 60s today. it's wet out there because we had rain overnight. more rain throughout the afternoon. we'll be breezy this afternoon. we dry out about 7:00 or 8:00 tonight. winds will settle down. again, this is a big system dave was showing you. some snow on the backside. pretty much the eastern part of the united states if you're traveling today, pay attention to the weather. coming up, ceo suspended. the miss america organization takin

e-mails came to light. how the c ereeo is defending himself. a little boy befriends a police officer who was eating alone. first, this is "today" on nbc. boy

time for the download. our look back at the week that was. >> the most sweeping tax plan in a generation was signed into law. actresses meryl streep and rose mcgowan got into a war of words over harvey weinstein. and tragedy struck in washington state when an amtrak train full of passengers derailed. >> off the rails. a deadly amtrak derailment on the inaugural run of high speed service from seattle to portland. >> twisted metal and cars. >> it was bone chilling to see

husband was on that. >> three people were killed. nearly 100 others injured. in the dark. atlanta's hartsfield-jackson airport hit by a massive power outage that brought the key hub to a standstill. >> today, more lines. >> feel like we're in the third world. >> and frustration. >> beyond irritating. >> after an epic ten-hour blackout. the power was back on this morning. more than 400 flights were cancelled today, on top of the 1,100 cancelled yesterday. horror in melbourne, australia, when a driver rammed his car into a group of pedestrians during evening rush hour. >> this was no accident. the victims mowed down by a man whose intentions was to injury or kill. the driver accelerated through a red light, ramming into 50 or 60 people crossing the road.

hollywood, sexual misconduct revelations continued to unfold this week. >> overnight, a sexual harassment stunner in the sports world. carolina panthers owner richardson saying he'll sell the team he founded at the end of the season. it's following a "sports illustrated" report that he and the panthers made confidential payouts for workplace misconduct, including sexual harassment and a racial slur. >> rose mcgowan and meryl streep battled over weinstein. >> they're squaring off against each other. streep said she'd wear black to the golden globes along with other actresses to protest sexual harassment in the industry. on twitter, an outraged mcgowan accusing streep of hypocrisy, suggesting she knew weinstein was abusing women and remained silent. streep responded in a statement, writing in part, i want to let her know i

weinstein's crimes. i wasn't deliberately silent. some of the week's most memorable moments caught on camera. a deadly stage collapsed in brazil. >> a metal structure over the stage came crashing down, killing a dj and hurting several other people. it happened during an electronic music festival in brazil. >> whoa, whoa, whoa.shocking fo florida officer being dragged by a car after responding to an overdose call. and a police officer in ft. worth texas. this little boy saw an officer eat ag loan in thing alone in t. listen to what the little boy's mom says. >> he wanted to give you a hug. and a louisiana father tried to embarrass his daughter by greeting her at the school bus dressed as a dinosaur. she was having none of it.

>> stop! >> that's great. i mean, fantastic. >> that's embarrassing for her. but he is a cool dad. it's funny to you. would you ever do something like that? >> i wouldn't. i feel dave price would. >> i would. my kids and my wife would be mortified. >> exactly. look at that. can you imagine? >> a for effort. >> the kids will be talking about that for days to come. >> oh, yeah. >> look at her. still to come, procrastinators, we'll help you cross everyone off your list with the least amount of stress possible. the mad dash for toys that are causing parents to pull their hair out. first, these messages.

>> announcer: this is a "news 4 today" news break. >> it is 7:26 on this saturday, december 23rd. good morning. i'm david culver. let's get a check of your headlines. we'll start in the district where it is a difficult working for several families in southeast after flames erupt in a home. the fire spread, and now at least three homes have been damaged on 21st street. nine people don't have a place to stay because of this fire. d.c. fire says the back of the original building was damaged but sprinklers attached saved some of the nearby homes from being completely destroyed. we'll have updates in the nbc washington app. also, d.c. fire crews spent hours trying to calm the flames of this business. this wasda

you see the smoke pouring out of the cajun restaurant. crews had to eventually smash through windows as they're climbing up there to get inside the building. there they are breaking the windows to get in. no word on what caused the fire. on this christmas weekend, we'll get a check of your forecast with lauryn ricketts right after this.

we're already at 50 degrees right now. warm front lifted to the north last night. that's why it's going to be a little wet when you wake up and step outside this morning. still rain showers happening along i-81 from windchester to hagerstown. more wind through the afternoon with the frontal system. if you're traveling, it'll be a messy nightmare from the east portion of the united states to the east coast. we cool down tomorrow. temperatures in the 60s.

rain last sunday to monday. next week, 20s and low 30s. >> thanks. we're back with news and weather in 25 minutes. now, back to the "today" show. we're back on this saturday morning, december 23rd, 2017. >> let's start this half hour with a check of the headlines. starting with the busy holiday travel weekend that is squalled by bad weather. >> mad dash. 107 million people are hitting the roads, rails and sky, heading home for the holidays. >> this is crazy. >> old man winter could bring travelers a lump of coal. a big storm bringing snow and rain for tens of millions. >> worried about the snow, being snowed in, not being able to get back home. holiday cheer. president trump at his

celebrating the signing of the biggest legislative achievement of his presidency so far. the huge tax overall. >> i'm keeping my promise. i'm signing it before christmas. the worst ever. the thomas fire raging across ventura and santa barbara counties and blamed for the deaths of two people is officially the largest fire ever recorded in california history. burning 427 square miles. firefighters still working to contain it this morning. bing, bing, bong. london's most famous clock roaring back to life after it temporarily went silent earlier this year for repairs. the famous bong can be heard throughout the holiday season. a wish come true. peyton kelley, who suffers from pulmonary and neurological conditions, met his favorite fictional character, the grinch, when his school gym was turned into whoville. >> it is a once in a lifetime opportunity for

>> our hearts are growing three sizes today, saturday, december 23rd, 2017. >> what a nice moment. >> absolutely. now to the controversy engulfing the miss america organization. the group's ceo coming under fire after a series of leaked e-mails with vulgar language about former winners went public. the morning, the ceo is suspended and the organization says it is making changes. kristen dahlgren has more on that. >> reporter: good morning. an investigation is underway after the leaked e-mails. ceo sam haskell who was suspended overnight said it was taken out of context. after a huge outcry, this morning, the miss america organization said ceo sam haskell has been suspended. promising, quote, an in-depth investigation into alleged inappropriate communications and the nature in which they were obtained. haskell said the e-mails were stolen from ex-employees and

in the e-mails leaked to the huffi in huffington post, but not verified by nbc, haskell appears to laugh when someone referred to miss america contestants in a vulgar term. also, he said, preparing for her new career as a blimp in the macy's thanksgiving day parade. >> this is the first time i've seen them with my own eyes. >> reporter: haskell explains, quote, i was under stress from a full year of attacks by two miss americas. apologizing, that it impaired my judgment when responding to the inappropriate e-mails sent to me about them. >> there is no apology in the world that makes this right. >> miss america 1998 was also targeted in the leaked e-mails. >> i knew that ever since i wrote my book a couple years ago, that i probably wasn't their favorite person. but i didn'tno

which was shown in the passing of the e-mails. >> reporter: former winners signed a petition, calling for the firing of officials who, quote, sat by while derisive comments were passed around. >> at least one board member has already resigned. the miss america organization says they remain committed to the education and empowerment of young women. sheinelle? >> thank you. dave price is on the plaza with another check of the weather. hey, dave. >> by the way, craig, thank you so much. i know it's not christmas yet, but i love the jacket. it really is terrific. thank you for giving it to me. >> what are you wearing today? >> very good question. >> it is quite lovely. and a good day to be wearing a jacket because we have some rain and, in fact, some snow showers to deal with and some chilly weather to talk about. let's go to the maps and check things out. very, very cold in the northern plains states, stretching through the rockies. if you're waking up in minneapolis, 12 degrees right

just 5 in billings. if you're looking for warmth, head to the southeast. as we head to tomorrow morning, 20 degrees below in international falls. that's a good place to give a jacket as a christmas gift. next week, all the cold air begins to bleed to the northeast, where by midweek, the highs in new york city will only be 16 degrees. in nashville, you're going to be talking about a high in the 20s from monday onward. chilly weather is coming in your direction. now, let's say hello to folks over here who are on the plaza. you came all the way from atlanta just to see dylan. >> yeah. >> oh, man. now i know what it is like to be an understudy. well, it is so good to see you. dylan sends her love. we've got great people from all over the country and the world. this guy right here, he doesn't care. this is mild comparedo

where i think on nbc, we'll see the packers take on the minnesota vikings. could be a fight here on the plaza. folks here from italy, as well. that's a quick look at the weather picture. here's a look at what's going on right where you are. >> you have to love it, dave price. these current temperatures, it's mild. 50 degrees. almost christmas. there is a warm front to the north. that's why you walk outside and it'll be a little damp up to the north. some of those temperatures still in the low 40s. eventually, everybody is going to be warming to the upper 50s to mid 60s today. showers later on this afternoon. they'll be moving from the east to the west after the middle portion of the day. we're going to have the showers out by 6:00 or 7:00 tonight. dry tomorrow. just cloudy. >> that's a quick look at the weather picture. we have friends from sicily, who got in the car the other day and apparently put the wrong input into their waze system. pleasure to have you with us. folks, back inside to you.

>> we can do the next hour with dave outside. >> thank you, dave. ahead, a look back at the year that was, including millions of people coming together after battling the worst of mother nature. up next, how you can still find great gifts for christmas without leaving your house. that's right after this. ♪ i'm singing in the rain, just singing in the rain ♪ ♪ what glorious feeling i'm happy again, ♪ ♪ just singing, singing in the rain. ♪ when a achoo!alls... ...answer it. with zicam cold remedy. it shortens colds, so you get better, faster. colds are gonna call. answer them with zicam!

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we're back on a saturday morning. with two days left to go until christmas, if you haven't bought all your presents yet, you'll probably be scrambling this weekend. myself included. fear not. we have last-minute shopping help, and also some advice on how to deal with the inevitable returns. we have a savings expert from coupons.com. great to have you. you've waited until the last minute and you're stuck and scared. what can you do from home? >> amazon prime now. go online, download their app. it's not everything you'll find on the amazon complete sites, but there are a lot of things you can purchase, especially toys. here's the beauty,

hours, free. >> two hours? >> if you need it in one hour, $7.99. like santa claus, they'll deliver until 11:49 p.m. on christmas eve. >> in 50 cities, right? >> yes, very good. hey, if you wait until the last minute, that's your dream come true. >> gift cards, if you're like me and like to buy gift cards for c cousins, godsons and daughters, how can you do it? >> i use credit card points. i exchange them for gift cards and give people the gift cards. make sure you get it as an egift card so it is instant. >> are there certain experiences that make for better gifts than others? >> i believe experiences are great gifts. one thing i like to do, and it is a great gift for a family, is do a museum membership for

annual membership. might be $80. they get into that museum and a lot of other museums and parks are part of a reciprocal program. they can get free or low cost into all of those. >> makeup sessions. >> glam squad. it is great because it is an on-demand thing. the makeup artist comes to the person's house. they go to the people's house. can't get better. you can give that as a gift. >> none of the afaforementioned gifts work for some people on our list and we have to brave the mall. what do we do? >> look for curbside pickup. nordstrom, you can order online, they'll gift wrap it and you can pick it up at the curb. just drive up. target, walmart. you can order online and go directly to their pickup window. another idea i recommend is keep it simple. major department stores, g

and practice patience and kindness. these salespeople are exhausted, listening to the christmas music all over. >> and returns. what should we keep in mind? >> price adjustment. if you buy things now, a lot of times if they go down been 14 days, stores will give you the difference between what you spad and the sales price. if you have jewelry, keep the tag on the jewelry. you might not be able to return it if you take the tag off. >> lots of useful information this morning. thank you. >> you're welcome. dave, what's coming up next, buddy? >> speaking of shopping, is it too late to get your hands on the must-have toys of the holiday season? we'll check that out right after these messages.

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rash, swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing. serious side effects may happen, including pancreatitis. so, stop taking victoza® and call your doctor right away if you have severe pain in your stomach area. tell your doctor your medical history. gallbladder problems have happened in some people. tell your doctor right away if you get symptoms. taking victoza® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. common side effects are nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite, indigestion, and constipation. side effects can lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems. ask your doctor about victoza®. with christmas around the corner, a lot of parents are still scrambling to get their hands on the hottest toys this weekend. we have dave price in this morning in the orange room, proving the struggle is real. >> if my kids are wa

tv set. it happens every year. a new batch of "it" toys seems to sell out the second it hits the shelves. these are toys that santa himself struggles to find. here's a quick look at what we're dealing with. if you're looking around for these toys, good luck. first, let's begin with fingerlings. plastic monkeys that hang on their fingers. they're huge. you can't find them anywhere. i know. i've looked. these are hatchimals. they'll small, plush figures that literally hatch before your eyes. then there's lol surprise. surprise-filled eggs with fuzzy creatures inside. magical. also on the list right now, these are star wars related products. anything related, as well as the nintendo switch. there are some lucky shoppers who've gotten their hands on these. of course, devon not one of them. tweeting,r

hatchimals for my sister it is like a modern day turbo man. lauren writes, i love christmas but i can't wait until i'm done and every facebook group i'm in stops talking about fingerlings. clayton said, i've been two straight christmass being baffled by the toy preferences of my kids. am i old? is this what getting old feels like? there we go. there you have it. things you can't get your kids for christmas. guys? >> a lot of the toys are available on the secondary market. >> but you have to be careful. get the safe ones. >> true. >> $900 for something to play with on your finger. >> right. >> thank you, dave. still to come, we'll look back at some of the biggest stories from sports and pop culture in 2017. first, this is "today" on nbc.

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still to come on "today," we're live at the nation's largest airport with a look at how this weekend's storms are affecting the holiday travel rush. also, what's the

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>> announcer: this is a "news 4 today" news break. >> good morning. your time is 7:56 on this saturday, december 23rd, 2017. i'm megan fitzgerald. we want to go straight to top stories we're following this

morning. with two days to go before christmas, nine people are now without a home. you're looking at a fire that started at one home on 21st street southeast, then flames spread to three other homes. d.c. fire crews say an attached home was saved because of sprinklers. follow updates in our nbc washington app. in maryland, a young girl is dead after a late night shooting. prince george's county police say it happened on st. phillips road in acquasco. the girl was found sometime before 11:30 p.m. we're working to get updates on the suspect. and we'll get a check on your holiday forecast when we come back.

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reach to the 60s. mostly dry to the noon hour. however, rain will push it from the east to the west. so if you are west of i-95, you'll have some rain showers through the mid-morning. again, some rain showers later on tonight. also, tomorrow, going to be dry. just cloudy and much cooler. there's the rain right now passing through. a few showers. here's a frontal system. it'll move around here in the mid-morning. i-95 corridor after noon. everything out of here late tonight. 6:00 or 7:00. it'll be breezy tonight. a small chance of a light rain or

it'll end by 7:00 a.m. monday morning. christmas blustery. wind chills in the 20s. >> 60s, say what? lauryn ricketts, thank you so much. back in 25 minutes. for now, back to the "today" show. good morning. holiday headache. more than 100 million people planning on getting out of town this christmas weekend just as a major winter storm comes barrelling across the country. snow and heavy rain from the south to the northeast expected to cause big delays and congestion for travelers. we have a full forecast before you make your way to grandmother's house. what was that? a stunning scene in the sky over southern california leaves thousands speechless overnight. >> just like, whoa, you know, what is that? >> was it a bird? was it a plane? an alien invasion? this morning, we have the answer. 2017, the year in review.

like. >> the year that was, from senseless act szs of violence t rocked our country to the moments that made us all stop and smile. >> the houston astros are world champions. >> today, saturday, december 23rd, 2017. >> happy sweet 16, lauren! >> go packers, go! >> go vikings! >> to my family at home, letting you know, we're pregnant! >> happy birthday to my son, roger, at home. happy birthday! >> hi, hailey. >> merry christmas from south dakota. ♪ more than you could ever know ♪ ♪ make my wish come true >> good morning. welcome back to "today" on this

>> i love the christmas crowd. >> yes. >> absolutely love the christmas crowd. it's a fun group. >> we have such great news. you're having a baby! >> i'm having a baby! >> that's awesome. >> love it. >> now, if you're on the plaza or visiting rockefeller plaza, we partnered with snapchat to create a "today" themed holiday filter. dylan and i already tried it. if you're in the area, you have until now to the end of the month to use the filter on your snaps. >> we have a lot to get to in our final half hour. let's start with today's news. >> reporter: i'm maya rodriguez at hartsfield-jackson international airport. the last weekend before christmas, the mad dash of holiday travelers is underway right now. they'll have plenty of company. take a look at some of these numbers. aaa estimates this year, 107 million people, 107.3 million, will be traveling between now and the end of the year. that's up more than 3% from

it will be the highest year of travel on record according to aaa since they began keeping records. how is everyone getting where they want to go? the vast majority are going to be going by car. more than 97 million people will be on the roads between now and the end of the year. more than 6 million people will be flying. another 3.5 million will be going by either train or bus. speaking of flying, right now, we can take a live look at the misery map from flight aware. flight aware, of course, tracks airlines and flights around the country. right now, there are a handful of cancellations, which isn't bad, considering the volume of travel we're expecting to see today. there are about 100 delays so far. they're mainly at airports that are affected by winter weather right now. areas in the northeast, airports like boston and newark and, of course, parts of the midwest like detroit and chicago. so where is everyone going? well, the top

followed by a few other warm weather spots. including anaheim, california, cancun, mexico, honolulu, hawaii, maui and montego bay, jamaica. again, a record-breaking number of people. tens of millions of people expected to be on the roads as everyone tries to get home for the holidays. back to you guys. >> maya, thank you. dave price will have your full forecast coming up in a bit. let's take a look at some of the other stories making news on this saturday morning. a former marine is under arrest. he's suspected of plotting a terrorist attack on san francisco. investigators say 26-year-old everitt aaron jameson was conversing with undercover agents, saying he was willing to do a christmas day bombing. he later backed out of the plot. the ucla

suspended for the rest of the season. during a team trip to china, they were arrested for shoplifting. liangelo ball was arrest but left the school and signed a professional contract to play in lithuan lithuania. an unusual sight in the sky. this light show hit social media. this morning, we can tell you, folks, it was not a ufo. it was not some kind of holiday sign from above. it was, in fact, a spacex rocket launched from van den burg air base. they usually give a heads up when they launch those things. people thought this was the beginning of the end. dave has a final check of the weather and the busy travel forecast. >> a lot going on. some of the weather not cooperating. let's walk to the weather maps and take a look at things. the northeast and stretching down through the ohio valley and into interior sectionf

troubles. flood threat for heavy rains in this direction. as you head to the northeast and through the ohio valley, back into sections of the midwest and the great lakes, that's where we're seeing some snow. our delays this morning, because of de-icing procedures at a lot of the airports, could build throughout the day. keep your eyes open for that. heavy snow begins to roll in as we head into tomorrow. a messy mix in the pacific northwest. again as we take you through the rest of the day today. bring your patience as you head out. you'll need it. could be a tough go, especially in sections of the northeast and through new england. that's a quick look at our national maps. here's a look at what's going on right where you are. >> well, temperatures fairly mild around our region, so we're just seeing some rain. we saw some rain overnight. we're going to see some rain as we continue into the afternoon. chances increase from about 9:00 a.m. all the way through, moving in from the west to the east. again, temperatures are going to be right around 60 degrees. it is going to be

can have -- 6:00 or 7:00. it'll be rain for us. pack the umbrella as well as the patience. >> that's a look at your weather picture, folks. >> thanks. still ahead, the year's biggest stories all in one place. we'll take a look back at the headlines that shaped 2017. that's right after this. ♪ on my way to the wishing well ♪ take guinea pigs. they're not pigs at all, nor are they from guinea. or take this haircut. i may look all business, but look out... . but there's a party going on back here. kinda misleading, isn't it? well, at carmax, you don't have to worry about being misled. the price online is the same price in the store, which is the same for everyone. even guinea pigs. it's only fair mr. biscuits. only fair. ♪ carmax music sting gstores are now open 24 hours! and get kohl's cash for you! give joy with fine fragrances an american girl doll

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♪ i'm singing in the rain, just singing in the rain ♪ ♪ what glorious feeling i'm happy again, ♪ ♪ just singing, singing in the rain. ♪ we're back now on a saturday we're back on a saturday morning with an annual tradition. a look back at the stories that made headlines over the past year. >> from terror attacks to senseless act of gun violence, sexual misrukt claconduct claim rocked the entertainment industry,

of hope and heroism. 2017 was certainly a year to remember. >> the deadliest mass shooting in modern american history. >> gunman opening fire on a country music festival. >> there were people that were dead on top of me. >> 57 dead. 120 others wounded. another mass shooting. this time at a small texas church in a small town. >> never think something like this will happen. >> half of those massacres were children. >> why would you do this to people who were praying? reportedly, a member of congress has been shot. >> representative scalise taken off the field by medics. >> never thought i'd come to baseball practice and have to dodge bullets. emotional homecoming on thursday for congressman steve scali.

>> this car, a weapon used to kill and injury dozens on westminster bridge. >> breaking news overnight. yet another terrorist attack in the heart of london. >> this white van accelerated, targeting pedestrians. three men jumping from the van with knives. breaking news in spain. >> a van plows into pedestrians, killing over a dozen in a popular tourist destination. terror attack in new york city. at least eight people are dead. over a dozen more injured as a truck barrels through the bike lane. >> oh, my gosh. this is really happening. there is someone that evil out there. terror in manchester. >> oh, my god! >> horrific bombing at britain's largest concert arena. many of the victims teenagers and children attending an ariana grande concert. >> ariana grande made an emotional return to the stage. >> if you look around, what have they done? they've

ugly, deadly day in charlottesville, virginia. >> this car plowed into a crowd of people. >> it is barrelling toward the protesters. >> it happened two hours after hundreds of white nationalists clashed with counterprotesters. >> to all the white supremacists, go home. >> they were protesting the city's decision to remove the statue of general robert e. lee. it turned to chaos. >> bigotry and violence on many times. this morning, a hollywood titan de-throned. >> mcgowan and judd are among the 90 women leveling accusations against weinstein. >> the hashtag metoo becoming a rallying cry around all sexual harassment. >> we are strong. we are brave. we can fight! >> kevin spacey is apologizing. >> accusations against louie c.k. >> dustin hoffman. >> mario

>> charlie rose. >> the latest taken down by sexual misconduct claims, one of our own. >> matt lauer fired after inappropriate sexual behavior. >> how do you reconcile your love with someone with the revelation they have behaved badly? donald j. trump sworn in as the 45th president of these united states. >> america first. >> saturday's women's march, more than 1 million demonstrators worldwide. >> this is what democracy looks like. >> the outrage over president trump's controversial immigration order, to restrict travel from seven muslim majority nations. >> russia. >> russia. >> is a madeup story. >> breaking news, president trump has fired fbi director james comey. >> i know i was fired because of something about the way i was conducting the russia investigation. >> robert mueller was appointed special prosecutor. >> there is no collusion. >> a controversial announcement. >> jerusalem is israel's capit

accept the israeli claim to jerusalem. rapidly developing north korea crisis. >> the rogue nation firing another ballistic missile. >> they will be met with fire and fury. >> a two stage thermo nuclear bomb. >> rocket man is on a suicide mission. >> kim jong-un calling him a mentally deraged dotard. nfl players kneel during the national anthem. >> wouldn't you love to see an nfl owner say, get that son of a -- off the field. he's fired. >> players took a knee, sat down, raised fists. others locked arms in solidar y solidarity. out of control wildfires ravaging california, including its famed wine country. >> our house is burning! >> it is a destructive scene playing out.

everything. >> nearly 300,000 acres burning out of control in southern california. >> every hillside here along the coast on fire. >> this fire is intensifying every day. unprecedented disaster. houston, the nation's fourth largest city, under water in the wake of hurricane harvey. >> i was on my knees praying. >> here in rockport, this is where harvey slammed into texas for a second time. >> our town is destroyed. >> i thought y'all were going to pass. another helicopter came. god answered our prayers. irma's fury. florida under assault. >> wow. this thing is so big, it is going to affect the entire state simultaneously. >> stronger winds than i ever experienced. looked like a nuclear bomb went off. hurricane maria hammering pouerto rico. power down in 100% of the island. >> we need food, gas. someone to help us.

just don't forget us. houston astros are world champions! >> a world series win that brought triumph to the city of houston after heartbreak from hurricane harvey. >> we are houston strong. >> the astros winning theirs first championship in franchise history. it is a big day across the pond for the world's most famous bridesmaid. >> tying the knot with her very own prince charming james matthew. >> royal surprise. >> prince william and kate are expecting baby number three. >> royal announcement. prince a heaharry and american actress meghan markle are engaged. >> he got on one knee. >> the two set to marry at wi e windsor castle in may. the carters have two reasons to celebrate. the superstar nearly broke the internet with this photo, announcing she was pregnant with twins. it's the most liked pic in instagram history. >> she's posted the first photo

of her new twins and people are freaking out. the best and the brightest of the great american eclipse. >> this is a once in a lifetime thing. >> we have been told it is a hair-raising, spiritual moment. it is certainly that. >> one of those rare events that seemed to bring the entire country together. >> hopefully more events in 2018 that bring us all together. >> amen to that. next saturday, we're going to do the -- i don't want to call it the highlight reel, but the happy times. >> the moments that made us smile. >> there's not enough good news. >> yeah. >> we need to collectively do more to make the news better. >> i agree. >> for all. >> this is one of the things i always look forward to. for year, i've always looked forward to the year in reviews. it gives you a chance to look at the year that was. the good, the bad. i agree with that. >> 2017 was the year that made me anxious. >> yeah. >> completely agree with you. >>

next year for me is to carve out calm. i didn't know why i made -- i set that for myself. after that, no wonder. we talk about that stuff day in and day out. >> we have a lot of folks to thank for putting that together. kitty, jacqueline, scott, david. >> also, i'll read my paper. tad, justin, eric, william, and andy and johanna. thank you, all, for that piece. we know it took a lot of time. coming up next, we're rolling up our sleeves for a little anchor gift wrapping competition. >> you'll wipe the floor with us. >> you guys are going down. first, this is "today" on nbc. >> trash talking around the holidays. >> it's what she does. >> it's what i do. >> unreal.

we are back on we're back on a sord moatur morning. with christmas two days away, you may sp a

friends and family. >> producers thought this would be a good time for a friendly competition. the three of us are put to the test. who can wrap the most presents in 60 seconds. >> count us down from three. >> three, two, one. >> all right. >> go. >> clock is on. clock is on. didn't give us a lot of guidance on precisely how the gifts -- you are fast. >> this is harder than i thought. >> also doesn't help that -- uh-oh. dave price is a machine over there. you can put them all -- oh, that's genius. >> hold on. don't copy me. >> i didn't. it was my idea, as well. >> i undercut. don't step on that line. >> who is keeping track of time? >> 30 seconds. >> don't you break that, buddy. don't you break that.

i think we know who is out. i don't have any -- >> ten, nine, eight, seven. >> stop looking at me. >> you sound like my 3-year-old. stop looking at me. >> three, two, one. >> you are such a -- you are such a nut. >> did he just -- >> yeah, he did. >> did he just -- >> yeah, he did. >> thank goodness my wife wraps the gifts. >> why do i see glass over the floor? what did you break? >> i have a lot of gifts to give, so i divided it. >> he broke everything. >> what did you do? wait, what is that? >> i got distracted. >> don't pull me into it. >> is this all you accomplished? >> i got distracted. >> looks like he wrapped a sandwich at a deli. >> america, i think we have our devision. >> -- decision. >> congratulations, you won. >> thank you. >> who won? who won, fellas? >> dave. >> dave price. >> i'll get you a broom for ch

that'll do it for us on a saturday morning. this is good. tomorrow on "sunday today," willie sits down with actress elisabeth moss. how she went from the incredibly popular "mad men" to the "handmaid's tale." have a great holiday weekend, everyone, and a very merry christmas to you. >> you're not invited to my house. >> ever. >> merry christmas, guys. >> seriously, how did you do that? what are you doing? >> i knew things were going south. >> and you, really? what is this? watch me. ♪ i've tried lots of things for my joint pain. now? watch me. ♪ think i'd give up showing these guys how it's done? please. real people with active psoriatic arthritis are changing the way they fight it... they're moving forward with cosentyx®.

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good saturday morning. i'm david culver. >> i am megan fitzgerald. ahead on "news 4 today," derrick ward is live on the scene with breaking news. >> reporter: a two-alarm fire early this morning displaced ten. miraculously, no one was injured. i'll tell you all about it coming up on news 4. a child shot and killed. the death investigation untolding days befountold i -- unfolding days before christmas. we have rain through portions of the mid-atlantic. snow along the east coast. it is making for messy commuting weather as you're traveling on this day before christmas eve. we'll talk about the warm temperatures out there for today. big cooldown for christmas. i'll let you know if there is snow in the forecast.

that we'll be rooting for when she sounds to south korea. we'll introduce you to the speed skater already making history months before the winter games. >> i love that story. >> i do, too. all that and a look at your holiday travel forecast. >> we're back in a moment. join us.

>> announcer: "news 4 today" starts now. >> as we approach christmas, we're on christmas eve eve. consider the holiday photos now, if you're doing them outside. this is a big holiday weekend. good morning. i'm david culver. >> i'm meghan fitzgerald. i can't believe we're two days from christmas. >> better believe it. >> have you done your christmas shopping? that's the question. >> we'll help you out. we're working for you. we'll show you

as we approach 8:30 on this saturday, it's been a busy overnight. we have breaking news we told you about a minute ago. right now, we'll get right to the forecast though, where we have storm team 4 meteorologist lauryn ricketts standing by. what you got, ricketts? >> i got some warming temperatures. how about 60s? >> i'll take it. >> we'll take it. >> cool down right before christmas. 60s today. we do have some rain out there. we're going to be deal winning th -- dealing with that. christmas day, definitely going to feel like christmas. if you're headed north, got a better chance of seeing snow. talking about north out of our area. let's show you what's going on out there right now, specifically with the rain. 51 degrees. our average temperature is 46. it's 8:30 in the morning and we're past that. we're going to continue to warm things up. by noon, we're going to be already at 60 degrees. now, the rain pushing in from the west to the east. this is what you can expect for your saturday. periods of rain. it is going to be breezy at