>>stgood morning, winter bla 26 million people in the path of a storm barreling across the country today, stretching from new mexico to north carolina. heavy rain, flooding, and the possibility of 2 feet of snow in the mountains. the storm potentially snarling air traffic nationwide. dylan is traing it all. individual number one. in a new legal filing, prosecutors say president trump directed his longtime personal patorney michael cohen to y hush money to two women, a violation of campaign finance laws. the president say ng he's totaear. but is he? white house shake-up. president trump hinting at a big oming today within his joint chiefs of staff. this after naming his next attorney general and next u.s. ambassador to the united

nations, a former anchor from fox news. the president also slamming his form secretary of state, calling him dumb as a rock. all of it amid swirling rumors i ef of staff john kelly is next to go. we're live at the white hous all that plus paris under siege. tear gas in the air. world famous tourist site shut down with mo violent protests expected this week. the show must go on. kevin hart back on his standup tour right after he stepped down as host of the oscars. what he's saying today. a big chill. a holiday classic coming under fire this christs season. why some radio stations are banning "baby it's cold outside" "today," saturday, december 8, 2018.

good mornin to you. lcome to "today." thanks for joining us on this saturday morning. >> it is cold outside this morning. we still have folks on the plaza. they have their christmas hats on. that helps a little bit. a chill in the air for sure. >> the tree brings them out,ma er how cold it is. >> as long as the weather is good enough to get to your loved ones, enjoy some time outside, at's what we're hoping for. in some places harder than hehers. that'sop story, the wild weather slamming tens of millions of people. houston hammered with rain, north carolina bracing for heavy snow. we are going to get to dylan's forecast in a moment. first nbc's joefryer. he's in houston this morning with the very .late joe, good morning. >> reporter: peter, good morning. right now all eyes on bayous ans creeks like t one, rising park.s flooded a heavy rain wreaked havoc on the roads causing flooding on several streets as this powerful storm rolls heacross country. it's a texas sized storm

stopping ross the lone star statvy with h downpours swamping streets and paralyzing. traf in flood prone houston rising worries over rising waters. the city released water from a major lake, lowering it by 2 feet ahead of the storm as the mayor urged caution. >> you never know what mother nature is going to do. ashout ady this winter unleashed record rainfall in parts of california. the cleanup is under way after the storm flooded neighborhoo and propelled mud and debris into fire scarred communitieik >> sounds a train in the backyard. rocks banging. sounded like a big earthquake without theouse shaking. >> reporter: now heading east with a swath of heavy snow nd freezing rain. >> take steps now to get your family >> reporter: north carolina has already declared a state of emerncy with several inches of snow possible in spots. some grocery shelves are bare. at one hardware store customers

staked out a truck delivering shovels and kerosene heaters. ting on the w truck when it got here. didn't get t off truck before it was sold. >> a winter weather headache that's stretching from coast-to-coast. here in texas some roads are still under water this morning. in some spots they did receive record rainfall. considering houston's history with flooding, many here this morning are relieved knowing i could have been worse. peter and chanel. >> on the ground inhouston, thanks. >> dylan tracking this closely. dylan, what's happening today and what's happening next? >> it's headed east. for the most part it's the heavy rain down south we're focused on. flood watches in effect, 3 to 4" of rainfall. on the northern side we have winter weather advisories, warning because of snow and ice. heres the latest across nashville. we have that wintry mix trying to change overo snow north of little rock across

northern arkansas, that's where we have snow and ice. you can see heavy rain approaching new orleans. as we go through the day, we are going to see heavyain across alabama, mississippi, especially atlanta. expect several airport delays atlanta today. charleston expecting rain. watch what happens on sunday. really heavy snow starts to take hold of north carolina and moves up io virginia. there is that little bit of icing that could cause verys dangerconditions. basically if you are driving tomorrow, keep a close eye on the thermometer in your car. when it says 32 and it looks like rain and the temperature is 32, chances are it's freezing rain. where it's wsnowing, you k where the snow is. that part of the country not used to this much snow early in the season. in atlanta, 3 to 4" like we saw across parts of texas. as for snow, highe elevations back towards the mountains, that's where we could see a foot to aoo and a half of snow. we're looking for a widespread 4 to 8" and higher elevations

north of greensboro, boone, that's where weutee a 8 to 12". that icing could be as much as a tenth to a quarter of an inch. >> thank you. >> new developments i olving president trump's former personal lawyer and former chairman of his presidential campaign. prosecutors releasing new documents that point the finger at michael cohen, paul manafort and even at the president himself. nbc's chi justice correspondent pete williams has been following it for us. good morning. >> michael cohen and paul manafort will soon be sentenced. this morning we have a flurry of ne court filings from the prosecutors on whether they have been so helpful they should be niently. robert mueller praises cohen as useful b says manafort is still lying. robert mueller's prosecutors say michael cohen met seven times about questions central to their investigation of russian investigation meddling, including information about attempts by russians to reach the trump campaign as early as

november 2015, including one unidentified person who offered, quote, synergy on a government level and proposed a meeting between donald trump and vladimir putin. >>en c has been useful to mueller. the special counsel's office makes that clear. it looksike cohen gave special council information helpful to the investigation. >> new york prosecuto tougher on cohen saying he should get ae prison sentenc of three years. they said he held too much back in their separate case. he pleaded guilty to violating campaign laws with hush money payments to two women who claimed they had sexual encounters with trump. cohen told them he acted in a coordination athe direction of individual one. that's donald trump. the documents do not call mr. trump an unindicted co-conspirator. no praise from muelleror paul manafort, the former campaign chairman. mueller says he kept on lying even after he pleaded guiltyre d ed to cooperate partly about the bank and tax fraud that got

him i i hot waterthe first place. mueller says in a court filing that manafort had context with administartion officialslier this year even though he denied it. the documents do not say what that contact was about. the whi house spokeswoman, sarah sanders, said in a statement that mueller'scoatest t filing says absolutely nothing about the president and even les about collusion. >> pete, michael cohen is expected to be sentenced next week. what's next for him and the likelihood he'll end up behind bars. >> i think the likelihood is quite high. his lawyers say he wants to turn his life around but it's pretty certain he'll start that inis . paul manafort will have to wait until at least march. that's the t date for him. ing >> thank you. >> let's bring in an attorney who has handled a number o high-profile federal court cases. he's also fortunately for us an nbc legal analyst. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> the president quickly responded on twitter yesterday, not surprisingly. totally clears the pranident.

you. to be clear in these documents, tdividual one is donald trump. we knowhat to be true. the document from these prosecutors in the southern district of new york endorses michael cohen's claim donald trump directed cohen to commit felonies, campaign finance violations. don't these documents say aut much aonald trump as they do about anybody else? >> let me take you back to the summer when some of us still wondered if campaign finance violations was really a crime attorneys would be interested in. the answer to that questions and was yes, in august when michael s cohenod in federal court in new york and pleaded guilty to that cr te. time he implicated the president in open court. the question still remained did the government believe him. the answer to that question yesterday. yes, it does. yes, it does believe not only did the president, individual one, know about these payments, whichonstituted crimes, but that he directed them.

under the basic principles of criminal law, if you order or direct someone to commit a crime, it' just as if you committed the crime your self. >> on that note, think about it. this whole investigation really began if there was, indeed, coordination between the presidens team and the russians during the campaign. we're learning details, though. in the filing it stated cohen revealed, quote, cer rin discresia related matters core to its investigation. what can we take away from that? >> thatre is some there there with the russiin stigation. particularly when you look at michael cohen's guilty plea for lying to congress, thatic ates the russian deal, the trump deal in russia, and the fact they needed the help of russian officials. the inference you can draw from that is potentially if they needed this help, and if russians knew that trump deceived t american public when he said i have no business in russia, then did the russians have something to hold over president trump.

did they have what we cal watching from a distance, we have seen the pace quicken since midterms. we know there's much ahead. a conspiracy theorist says he lieves he's going to be indicted. an ally, a friend of the president, roger stone, is concerned he's in the cross-hairs as well. what should we anticipate? what comes nex here? >> the investigation continues. for those that think mueller might be wrapping up, i pnt to evidence he might not be. those two pieces of ctidence are rens and sealed documents. you look m at thehael flynn -- >> came out this week. >> replete with redactions. that tells us prosecutors are ing a ned about comprom future or current investigation or a matter. so for that reason, they make this stuff secret. that tells me there's still work to be done. and the government having handled ase lot of the cases,

they move at their own pace. they will be finished when theyg feel like b finished. >> a ways to go. thanks, danny. >> thank you. as the president deals with fallout from rus investigation he's shaking out top ranks of his administration nbc's kelly o'donnell has more on that. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, chanel. the help wanted sign at the white house might have asterisk where he tried to help the top offial. the halfway point of mr. trump's term. >> a great group around this table. >> repodter: new a change at the trump team coming at the famed army-navy football game. >> i can give you a little hint, it will haveo do with joint chiefs of staff and successiont to becomeark milly chairman next year. the more urgent pressure

surrounds general john lly. e president ignored questions about his chief of staff friday. but four sources tell nbc news that kelly could be gone in days. trade adviser peter navarro called the speculation unfair. >> i don't believe that until i see it. we've seen this reportingcevery day s he got there. >> but president trump's search for new blood comes as stirred up bad blood. after former secretary of state rex tille talked about their clashes. >> mr. president, i understand what you want to do, but youo can't it that way. >> reporter: mr. trump tweeted insultfriday. rex tillerson was dumb as a rock. he was lazy as hell. the president making an unconventional pick for a high-profile diplomati post. u.n. ambassador. heather, somebody we know very well, who has done a gre job working with mike pompeo.

>> thesw spokeoman from the state department came from fne last year with no prior government experience. and following a week long televised fairwell to george dbush, president truided to nominate a bush attorney general to be his own man. >> william barr to take the helm as new attorney general. en's an outstanding man. >> reporter: ase democrats will soon get their say, they will be challenging both o these nominees in the confirmation process. barr, expect democrats to pss him on his views about expansive presidential power and the mueller investigation. >> kelly o'donnell at the white house. thank you. paris shutting down in anticipation of what is expected to be another violent weekend in france's capital city. tear gas in the air already, hundreds arrested this morning as protesters take to the streets furious about rising

taxeue and prices. nbc's chief global coordinator isill neely in paris this morning. bill, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, peter. good morning, everyone, from the center of paris. the war memorial behind me, and around it thousands of protesters in those distinctive yellowjackets. tear gas has been fired at them this morning. in fact, just athew m ago the first stun grenades fired by riot police who have detained protesters. there is the whiff of protest in the air. thes are protests that have shaken france. otesters ready to march, tear gas in the air. police outn i force. 8,000 on the streets to confront the yellow vest movement, the biggest challenge to french authorities in decades.

at any time in any city this would be extraordinary but this the champs-elysees, if you like, paris.in street of it is sealed off by hundreds of police officers. behind them row upon row of polices,van just in the distance an armored vehicle. they are running ballotses between protesters and a police force overwhelmed, firing tear gas and stun national monuments attacked, dozens injured. it shockedmacron. he gave into protesters rapping a hated gas tax. today they want him to resign. students taunting him as arrogant. >> macron is the president of the eprich. >>orter: some areas of centra paris look like a ghost town ts morning with streets

deserted, but not this e. behind these barricades is the presidential palace. most french people say they support the cause of the protesters. lower taxes and better servicot, but the violence. many here do want peaceful, powerful protest. mass violence so far a fear, not a reality. >> and it is a very bad day for american tourists in paris because everything is closed yrom the eiffel tower away to right. museums, shops and so on. it's not just here. nearly 90,000 riot police have been deployed acrossrance protests in many towns and cities. there is realnger here. the riot police down below me may beble to contain it today, but they won't be able to stop it today. peter, back t>>you. bill neely, with the champs-elysees.

thank you verymuch. >> let's get a check of the rest of the country's forecast. dylan. >> the rest of th the sun i justcoming up. it's a beautiful morning but a cold morning. the temperatures right now i the 2 and teens across the area. we are headed into the upper 30s to right around 40 degrees today. plenty of sunshine out there. it's going to be quiet and co. no snow, no rain out there right now. that's how it's going to be out there today. we do have thisisture that dylan was talking about. high pressure will suppress this south. maybe aew snow flakes tomorrow but that's all it will amount to. >> and that's your latest

forecast. >> still to come, kevin hart back doing sndup days after he stepped down from the oscars. will the controversy hurt his standup and movie career? we'll talk about it. a popular holiday song now under fire. why some radio stations hav

it has been quite the week. we're back only saturday morning with the weekly download and a look back at the week that was. >> the final fairwell of former george h.w. bush. the nation honored the late george h.w. bush this week. >> george bush thanking his guests, every living president together to remember 41, the most powerful tribute from the 43 about 41.

a son cting his father. >> so through our tears, let us know thef blessings knowing and loving you, a great and noble man. the best father son or daughter could have. and in our grief by this smile knowing that dad is hugging robin and holding mom's hand again. > more shocking claims against lesmoonves. in a draft report leaked to the "new york times," investigators claimoonves tried to obstruct their investigation, also indicating moon investigates engaged in serious nonconsensual sexual misconduct involving 17 women, including at least four cbs employees. >> moonves's lawyer telling "new york tlies" hists denies having any nonconsensual sexual relation and has cooperated extensively and fully with investigators. comedn pete davidson who

made headlines with his whirlwind engagement and breakup with ariana grande now speaking out about online bullying. >> he writes no matter how hard th internet or anyon tries to make me kill myself, i won't. i'm up i even have to say this t all those holding me down and seesg t for what it is. i see you, and i love yo the golden globe nominations are in. >> music driven films like "bohemian rhapsody" and "a star is born." joining "blackkklansman," "if beale street could talk", "black panther," all nominated for motion picture drama. the film bringing home the most nominations, "vice" abouts vice pnt cheney. >> i believe we can make this work. >> some of the week's most memorable moments caught on esmera. a hom man pushed this passerby in front of a truck. the victim was pinned but survived but is in criti condition.

a deadly plane crash in florida, killing two, and a brazen thief stole this puppy. fortunately the puppy h been returned unharmed. and the "aquaman" star jason momoa i hosti "snl" tonight. he got ready by filling in as the ultimate page. >> i do not krw that answe right now, but i will don everythi my power to get that information for you. please hold. >> jason, i've got a sketch idea for you. >> there's no time. >> no. still there? yes. the show is live. good. you're welcome. >> what a week. so we've been talking aeek long on our reflections on all of thevi ss for george h.w. bush. you were in the thick of it. >> i was honored to be there to wi this moment in history. it was certainly about george h.w. bush but it was about all of us in a way. a chance to reflect on

ourselves. i remember george w. bush's eulogy for his father i called my dad. i wanted to call you, check i chlgt our lives get busy and we don't have those conversations as much as we'd like. a good week for america in a way and a f pause the partisanship. >> you said that this ek, dylan. that's exactly what you said. >> just embrace love. that's really what you got out of it even though he was so known as a president, it was the family love that surrounded them that ally stood out to me. >> i think that's true. it was a remarkable week. still to come, the danger lurking inside yours home thi holiday season. why you need to be extra careful with your christmas tree. >> plus,ho runs the world? this year the grammy says women. we'll tell you who snagged bminations. k and forth, a wanted criminal and police department that sounds more like an online dati,

good mornieveryone. it's 7:26 on this saturday. here is a look at some of the .op stori new overnight at least two people are hurt after a serious crash in the district. this was the scene earlier this morning on southern avenue at av pennsylvaninue. two vehicles were involved. side.lipping over on its we're working to learn how badly the people involved were hurt. we'll keep you posted in our app. the traffic alert, if your weekend plans involve traveling over the memorial bridge, find another route. it's closed this weekend. it will stay completely shut down to cars,cl cts and

pedestrians and won't reopen until 5:00 a.m. on monday. it's part of a year's long pair project. a check on your weekend forecast when we return. stay with us. youand the holiday spiritoss just hits you... yes! or when you get the best deal... on a treat for your best friend? or when you score a magical gift... at an unbelievable price? yes! that's yes for less. ross has you and your list covered

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well, it's a chilly start out there early on this saturday morning. we're starting off in the teens and 20s. a beautiful sun rise about 15 minutes ag headed to 40. that's it for daytime highs. quiet out there today. more clouds fillin later tonight ahead of this area of low pressure. that's bringing a lot of rain up to the south. let's time it out for you. we're drying today. rain stays south and mainly through north carolina and into eorgia. intoatlanta, check ahead of the flight. through the day tomrow, a fe light snow showers south of

route 50 tomorrow afternoonth ugh tomorrow evening. >> all right. thank you, lauryn. more local news and headlines in 25 minutes. for now, back to "today." mornin. look at this crowd, a beautiful shot of the rockefeller center christmas tree. only 17 more days to go. >> brave folks on a cold morning. >> they are out there. let's begin this half hour with a check of your headlines. first a major winr storm is slamming 26 million people from new mexico to north carolina. the system bringing flashoo ng to texas and bitter conditions across parts of the south with some mountain are seeing up to 2 fee of snow. president trump is shaking up the core of advisers surrounding him at the whi house. sources tell nbc news it's only a matter of days before his chief of staff iohn kellys out the do. on friday president trump named

his new attorney general and u.s. ambassador to the u.n. she has no diplomatic experience and previously worked as a fox news anchor. today the president is expected to announce a chance at the joint chiefs of staff. a wild high-speed chase camera.on this was in oklahoma city. suspects reaching speeds up to 100 miles an hour. they tried to pull them er. then this, the troopers rammed the car forcing ano end te chase. it flipped several times. all inside survived anden they were tnto custody. a happy ending to a story we covered onc. nine-year-old riley morris wrote because shea lette was disappointed to see his speakers did not come in sizes for girls. the nba champ jumped o that issue together with under armour abmaking the kids ava to all kids. the nine-year-old girl is now rocking the first pair of female curry 5 kists. h invited her to an international women's day event

next year. that's nice. >> it appears kevin hart is e ying to move on from oscars controversy that surrounded him this week. he performed two standup shows in sidney and tweet add quote after martin luther king, jr. after stepping down from the awards show. this after homophobic tweets. what's nexnd for him the academy? kathy with more. good morning. >> sheinelle, good morning. it's a scandal magnified by social media but resolved within whours. sincee're already in december in hollywood,ome believe the show will go on even without a host. this morning comedian kevin hart is moving on,aking the stage for his wildly popular tour in australia titled "irresponsible." >> give me one example of me being irresponsible. >> his second showdown und down days after homophobic tweets resurfaced. in one now deleted post from

2009 he told basketball star dwyane wade how many gay men sweat when they wear dress shirts becau real mendon't. hart responded to thetc in an instagram post stopping short on saying sorry. >> i pass on the the rope why i passed, i've addressed this several times. >> what happened to his,care standup career, movie career movingforward? >> this is now going to follow him for who knows how long. he's going t have t apologize a million times over. >> according to hollywood insider, the fallout is felt by the academy. >> i think they were feeling pressure to name someone. they jumped the gun on kevin hart figuring his beloved, a box office draw. this was a big bungle on the academy's part. >> the funny man tweeted, i sincerely apologize to lgtbq for e my past.m i'm sorry i hurt people. i'm evolving and want to with the damage already done

oscar producers are looking to save the show, even if it means going with no host. >> maybe youave three, four, five, six hosts, which is essentially like not having a host, and not put theal pressur on one person. >> kevin hart said his heart was what h called the opportunity of a lifetime. instead his longtime goal gone a matter of days. and these days celebrities are more cautious about accepting a gig hting the oscars because they run a higher risk of hurting their career if things go bad on one of the biggest nights in entertainment. einelle, peter. >> kathy park, thank you. >> dylan is back with a che of e weather.

it's gorgeous out our window. t is up. 28 degrees right now. we're going to head to the 30s t ay. that's it. if you're decorating or maybe going to get the tree, it's going to bd. co but we'll be dry. grab the warm jacket. you'll need it and you'll need it for the redskins game tomorrow.

temperatures near 40 degrees. here's the stem that's headed through the deep south. high pressure blocking us.ou we see a few snow showers. light stuff tomorrow afternoon . but just light >> and that's your latest forecast. >> thank you, dylan. just ahead cardi b in court the same day she's nominated for five grammys. what happened inside the courtroom. >> how you can predict how long you're going to live just by timbing stairs. that's right afters. i can't believe it. that grandpa's nose is performing "flight of the bumblebee?"

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that helped keep people alive and out of the hospital. don't take entresto if pregnant; it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren, or if you've had angioedema with an ace or arb. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high blood potassium. ask your doctor about entresto. ♪ the beat goes on. yeah! this morning in "today's" medical roundup we're taking a look at big health stories of the week. some frightening news for americans abouthe flu shot and a recall and a stair test that might help predict your risk for heart disease and cancer. >> lots to talk about. correspondent dr. torres here to break it down forus. good morning. >> dr. torres, nice to see you here. there's a new poll and 40% of

adults are not planning to gett the flu s this year. first of osall,t americans should do this, it helps all of us, is it a bad flu season. >> it's disheartening that 40% id they are not going to get the flu shot this .seas there's the herd immunity. once it spreads through a community, even those with the vaccination are vulnerable to it. we want to protect as many as possle, especially theyoung, very young, under six-month-old and elderly, immunocompromised. >> is this a bad year? >> the yeas sta slowly. when they start slowly, they kickar in january, february timeframe. the season goes through may. people six months and oldereed the flu shot. it's especially important if you're interacting with children under six months because they can't get it, elderly, immunocompromised. some soreness, low grade fever.

the flu season through may and takes two weeks to kic . >> i didn't realize it went through may. nationwide recall. this was scary, walmart, familye services, medicine might be too concentrated? what's the risk? >> that's a concern thing. one is too concentrated. most of us don't think twice about giving ibuprofen, it's over t counter. we give it to our children all the time. if you have it, g rid of it. if they have taken it, they have eftten a little overdose. minor side cts, usually what happens, stomach things, nausea, belly pain, maybe some vomiting. ti it's heavy overdose, severe effects, itus, ringing in the ears. it's dangerous, get rid of it. >> this stair test researchers are your talking about. after youts do fli of stairs and give you an indication of your risk for heart disease later in life. some people are skeptical of this. what's the deal? >> what they did, theyooked at

12,000 plus people. okay. let's have you exercise on a a treadmill and follow you for the next five thars. e that can do the most exercise on the treadmill were three times less likely to have a heart attack or stroke or die from a heart attack or stroke. people aren't going to havedm trl tests so let's do a stair test. if you can do four flights of stairs in under 60 seconds you're at that level you need to be to die of a heart attack or stroke. if you can't do it under 60 second, that means you're at high risk, ramp up your exercise program. >> you can do it but you would faint. hat should you do if you realistically can't go up four flights of steps. >> as aak physician, sure you talk to your doctor before you do any of these kind ofth gs. if you can't go up there, up your exercise program a little bit. whet not a lot of experts say you want to exercise to that breathless point where yt're ut of breath but breathing harder than usual. that's the point that gives yo

the cardiovascular benefit. >> try it on the show. >> i'll put it on instagram. >> i joke i need a water breakc tug my girls in bed. how you can keep your families safe from one of the biggest dangers this time of year, christmas ♪ ♪

is important to me so father being diagnosed with advanced non-small cell lung cancer made me think of all the things at i wanted to teach my kids. (avo) another trstory with keytruda. (roger) my doctor said i could start on keytruda so i did. with each scan things just got better. (avo) in a clinical study, keytruda offered patients a long life than chemotherapy. and it could be your first treatment. keytruda is for adults with non-small cell lung cancer that has spread... pd.who test positive for -l1 and whose tumors do not have an abnormal "egfr" or "alk" gen it's the immunotherapy with the most fda-approved uses for advanced lung cancer. keytruda can cause your immune system to attack normal organs and tissues in your body and affect how they work. this can happen anytime during or after treatment and may be severe and lead to death. see your doctor right away if you experience new or wo ening cough, chest pain,shortne, aidiarrhea, severe stomachor tenderness, nausea or vomiting, rapid heartbeat, constipation, changes in u,ne, changes in eyesig

muscle pain or weakness, joint pain, confusion or memory problems, as this may keep these problems from becoming more serious. these are not all the possible side effects of keytruda. tell your doctorndbout all your medical ions including immune system problems, or if you've had an organ transplant or lung, breathing, or liver problems. (roger ) before i'd think of the stuff i might miss.yt but now with keda, we have hope. (avo) living longer is possible. it's tru. keytruda, from merck. ask your doctor about keytruda. this morning on rossen reports update, a warning for you if you put uptm your chr tree or might be planning to do it this weekend. >> this is worth listening to. dld you know that tree can pose a d fire hazard. nbc "today" show nationalnd correst jeff rossen shows

us why. >> reporter: good morning. yove probably put up your christmas tree with lights andor ments, i'm sure it looks great. i want to keep your house from burning down. that would be aood thing. there are things you need to know and things you can do to keep your self safe and your tree umsafe. newrs out from an insurance group finds 26 million americans have a experienced holiday-related house fire. more than 3 million of those fires starting with their christmas trees in their homes. this morning i have the tips to keep your family safe. watch a christmas tree catching fire in missouri erupting in flames setting this whole house on fire. the family barely made it out alive. in california this house up in flames, too. again, all starting with their christmas tree. >> it happened right away, so quickly. i was just trying to hurry everybody up and get everybo out. >> turns out it's common a i you're caught inside, deadly.

>> christmas time it happens all over the country. they are tragedies, o not one two kids but the entire family. >> because when these trees burn th explode in flames in seconds. why? your tree is too dry, not getting enough water. we are testing it out with the sacramento fire department. >> this the kind of christmas noee you probably have in your home right as you can see, it is decorated, full of ornaments and it has not been watered in days. the way these fires start, a small spark i your use. what we're going to do is set a spark herend set this tree on fire, see how ft it burns. we're going to get out. let's do it. >> fire in the ithole. >>n seconds it's an inferno, the tree fully engulfed. >> that smoke.co within s, look how that overpowers you. >> definitely. this is what happens in your home if you don't water your tree. literall every minute i will double in size. it's like having a piece of kindergarten ling inour living rom. >> it's already spreading to the table and chair.

the entire room on fire. >> if i'm in my house, am i supposed to get a fire extinguisher and put it out. >> that's the biggest people make. get out of the house immediately and call 911. >> we have a new christmas tree. this one has been watered. let's see what happens. let's strike that flair and spark it. >> the firefighter can't even get it to light up, and he's trying. itinally gets going. >> it is burning a lot slower than the dry tree. >> with the wet tree it takes longer to ignite. >> side by side, dry tree on the left,et tree on the right. huge difference. what are the tips >> make sure you water your tree every day, at least every other elements,from heat space heater, radiator. check the lights. frayed or damaged lights, keep it off your tree because it's an ignitionsource. >> every year you use t same lights, put them in the attic.

check it before you put them up. absolutely. >> simple advice to keep your family safe. if you're reusing your christmas lights from last year, that's totally fine, just make sure the ligh are not frayed. check the ends, check the fires. there are other holiday hazards as well. do not leave candles or any flame atnded and make sure you have an escape plan with your family in case of a fire so you are prepared for anything. dahappy ho, back to you. >> good advice. >> for sure. >> still to come is it us? the incredible online exchange nttween a police departmend wanted man when he didn't turn himself in right away. we're back aft this.

take a look at this. despite t fact lester looks 10 feet tall, two separate pages in a magazine.

a photo witheter and theest of our white house correspondents. you all featured in the magaz e magazine's break the internet of t working in the age so-called fake news. >> i've got three families, my family at home, my weekend family, you la and this is my weekday family at the white house withnd kristen kelly and jeff. it was nice. celebrating journalism in an era when it's often under assault. we're so happen the magazine took time to focusn that. fun to play dressup for a day. >> don't you wear tt every day? >> not at home. this isn't what i do at home. that is a good point. still to come on "today," a popular holiday song banned from radio stations. what the daughter of the late writer of "baby, it's cold outside" is now saying about this. controversy the big news meryl streep just share about her family. we'll get into that in the

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d.c. parents having trouble getting cial securitymbers for their newborns. the d.c. health department says the social security administration stopped accepting ata from vital records which helped get newborns their nu ners. there iso word on when this d issue coul resolved but they're working on it. until then if you have a newborn, reapply for a number and card at social security offices. reagan national getting sweeter.ho willard el's annual ginger bread house on display. it took about 320 hours to complete. each year the masterpiece pays tribute to an iconic d.c. landmark. theeplica will be on display through january 1st. we'll get you a check on the forecast with lauryn rickets on the other side of this.

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get internet starting at $39.99 per month. fios. the fastest internet in the us. 100% fiber-optic network. 100% phenomenal. go to getfios.com today. a beautifuliew out there today. plenty of sunshine. cloudemahead of the next sy the area of low pressure developing off the eastern coast of texas. going to bring some clouds into our area. a few snow flakeso the south. if you're south of i-66 and virginia, south of route 50 and maryland. we're not expecting much. that's tomorrow afternoon through tomorrow evening. quiet today and throughext week. rain by next friday.

now back to new york and the "today show." good morning. winter blast. 26 million people getting ready for a bitter blast of cold and snow from new mexico to north carolina this morning. the storm bringing plash floodingo texas causing major traffic concerns and now snow in the forecast with some areas in the mountains seeing up to 2 feet. dylan is tracking it all. individual number one. in a new filing, told president trump paid money to two women for hush money in violation of laws.

the president saying he's totally ear. but is h white house shake-up. look at the good morning. welcome back to "today" saturday morning. this is the time of year, dylan said i earlier. it is packed. >> it is so fun this time of ar ye everybody is frigid, you can see their eyes, maybe noseou and m on occasion but everybody is smiling. >> is that a blanket? >> good way to do ayit. >> we'll hi in a bit. we certainly have a lot to get to in the final half hour. let's begin with today's news. 're keeping a close eye on the winter blast affecting tens of millions ithe uth. it brought heavy rain to housto andow, expected to startn north carolina. joe fryer in houston for us this morning. joe, good morningo >> sheinelle morning. all he's on creeks and bayous. he bankshave gone over

and several streets are flooded thanks to heavy rains as this powerful storm rolls across the country. it's a texas-sized downpours, stopping streets and traffic. there are worries over rising waters. the city released water from major lake lowering it by 2 feet just ahead of the storm as the mayor urged caution. >> you never know what mother nature is going to do are. >> reporter: already this winter washout unleashed record rainfall in california. the cleanup is under way after the storm flooded neighborhoods and prolled mud and debris into fire scarred communities. >> sounded like a t in going down the backyard, rocks banging. sounded le a b earthquake without the house shaking. >> reporter: now the storm is chugging east with a sth of snow and rain. >> take steps now to get your family ready. >> north carolina has decred a

state of emergency with several inches of snow possible in spots. some grocery stores are bare. at one hardware store they staked outt truck delivering shovels and kerosene heaters. e they were waiting on th truck when it got here. didn't get off the wruck before sold. >> a winter weather headache that's stretching from coast-to-coast. here in texas some spots did see record .rainfa still this morning many streets are under water. many are relieved knowing thefl ding could have been worse. sheinelle and peter. >> good int. ank you. dylan following this one closely. dylan, give us a sense of the latest on the storm'strack. >> it's moving eastward. we have flood watches along gulf coast because of the rain through the area. we have winter storm advisories and warnings on the north side of this storm. looking at the radar you can see how intense the rainfall asis. this a history of producing 3 to 4" of rain in cities it sses through.

now the heavy rain moving into authern arkansas. jackson, mississiproaching new orleans. look at the northern fringe of this storm. we have snow falling back through lubbock, texas. snow trying to fall in nashville. eventually this will turn intol poss historic storm for north carolina and virginia. we are looking for torrential downpours through atlanta as we evening.gh the expect flights to be delayed. charleston, south carolina, expecting heavy rain. possible.to 4" of rain as for snowfall, it really starts to take hold of north carona and virginia a we go through the day an sunday with a little bit of icing in between nhat rain-snow line. how much r are we looking at? again, 3 to 4" of rain. this l couldd to flash flooding. it really comes down altorr torrentially. sometimes there's not enough time to seep into the ground. that's why weflnd up with ding. here are snowfall totals, widespread 6 to 9" ofsnow, back

to the mountains of north carolina could pick up 12 to 18". we have a threat of ice. a tenth of an inch to a quarter of an inch of ice in arkansas, northwestern tennessee, parts of north and south carolina, even northern geor la. this coud to power outages and very slippery roads. guys. dylan, thank you ver much. we're following another big story involving president trump's former personal attorney and former chairman of his presidential campaign. prosecutors releasing new documents that point the finger at michael cohen, paulmanafort, and even the president. nbc's justice corresp pete williams has been following it all. pete, good morning. >> good morning to you. robert mueller, prosecutor, saying michael cohen's lawyer provided information aboutmp at by russians to reach the trump campaign as early as 2015. court documents say one russian official, unidentified, offered syney on a government level and proposed aen meeting b trump and vladimir putin but that never happened. cohen pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws

with hush money payments to dtormy daniels and another woman who claimed they sexual encounters with trump. court documents say cohen told them thate acted, quote, in coordination and at the directio of individual one. that's donald trump. the documents do not call mr. trump an unindicted -conspirator but a little he knew about the payments despite public denials. paul manafort, he kept lying even after he agreed to at coope, the tax fraud that got him i trouble in the first place. manafort had contacts with administration officials earlier this year even though he denied it. the documayts don't what that contact was about. sarah sanders, theou white h spokeswoman said mueller's latest court filing says nothing about the president and even less about collusiosh nelle, peter. >> thank you. also this morning president

trump is following up on that ro longsed white house shake-up. sources tell nbc news it was on a matter ofays before his chief of staff john kelly is out the door. on friday the president named his new attorneyeneral william barr as well as the next u.s. ambassador to the u.n., heather nauert. she's a former fox news anchor. she has no diplomatic experience. later today the presis expected to announce a change to the joint chiefs of staff. in some brenews overnight in italy where six people are dead and dozens of others are wounded after a stampede after a rock concert. authorities believe pper spray sparked the stampede forcing people to exit and stamped for the exit getting crushed when a barrier gave way. a moment ofe silence will held for the victims later in rome. a manhunt under way in ssissippi where an inmate stole a prison van and took off bfriday. he wng transported back to the madison county jail after a hearing at the time of his escape. fed as shackled and handc then. no other inmates were inside

that van. police are warni he is

we're going to be dry out our window today. we're seeing sunshine. just a few clouds. you can see rain down to the south already into nort carolina. this high pressure is going to block us. line.at this cutoff that's going to be blocking any precipitation from heading into ou tomorrow afternoon. we're dry today. dry tomorrow morning by tomorrow afternoon there could be a few light snow showers. maybe a flurry sout d.c. if you're north of d.c., you're going to stay dry and cloudy. temperatures in the 40s. >> we've got specis gue here. where are you from? >> columbus, ohio. >> is this your first time in? new yo >> yes. >> do you love it? a little chilly. it's colder in columbus, though. it's a good day to be here. guys. >> you would know. thank you. >> 'tis the season for holiday ngs to be playe on endless loop with loved ones arnd,

homes, radio stations across th country. >> one song they won't be playing this year, "baby, it's cold outside." matt bradley with more on why and what the writer's daughter is saying about the controversy. >>od morning. heinelle and peter, it's the latest casualty of that hash #metoo movement. a 40-year-oldstandard. i into with his daughter herself. she told me her father would have been very surprised by all this controversy. i really can't stay mote "baby, it's cold outside." >> holiday standards "baby, it's cold outside" getting a chillier reception this winter season. ♪ no no no. >> it's 40 years old. in the age of the #metoo movement some say the lyric haven't aged well calling them predatory. radio stations in cleveland, canada havdy alrea dropped the ditty. others are thinking about

following suit. now his daughter is speaking out to nbc blaming actorex andl assaulter bill cosby who she said ruined it for everybody. i think it would be good if people looked at the form in the context of the time. it was written in 1944. >> i'm not going to stopinging that song. >> it's a great tsonga classic song. >> the song's lyrics used to be more the subject of satire than scorn with "saturday night live" taking aim. >> the tun has lon been celebrated. 1949 neptune's daughter winning anscar for best original song. ♪ talk tomorrow ♪ think of my lifelong sorrow net ♪ >> barnes and nobles thought enough of it to make lady gaga andy bennett do the song about books. >> it's here, n sense in going out in nasty weatanr. >> the is trying to sleep with the woman in the song,

right? >> no. >> that's part of the song? >> no. >> you don't think sonk you t it's just about the weather? >> reporter: listeners hear what they want to hear. ♪ baby, it'sold outside >> so many more recent songs have lyrics that would make any of us blush and they aren't pulled from the airwaves. i guess it a d comesn to perception. >> it feels like now it's unraveling, where do you stop. >> here is the thing, if you start listening to lyrics it's more interesting. we grew up wit songs. the melody along brings you back to the era. in thisra there's a frame for all of it. >> it's going to sound different every time you hearit. >> interesting story. thank dyou. an, what's next? >> guys, it's not you, it's me. that's part of the hilarious back and forth exchange between a police department and a wanted i wanted more from my copd medicine... ...that's why i've got the power of 1-2-3 medicines with trelegy.

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we're back nown saturday morning with a wanted man who turned himself in in a pretty >>funny way. dylan, you're in the orange room to explain. >> this is funny. facebook is used for a lot of things, keeping tabs on friends, sharing pictures, sharing funny storie now police departments are using it to reach out to allegeds. crimin last week the richland, washington police department post add picture of this man, pthony acres ast of their wanted wednesday series. he saw the post and responded saying, calm down, i'm going to. turn myself that comment got more than 5,000 likes. it doesn't end there. a day later he still hadn't turned himself in. rpd posted, anthony, weaven't seen you yet and they helpfully

included their business hours and a number for him to call should he need a ride. he then replied, thank you, tying up loose ends. shld be there in 48 hours. that didn't happen. a few days later akers posted, it's not you, it's me. i have commitment issues.p. , you're beautiful. eventually he turned himself in with this picture and caption, here for our date sweetheart. he has a sense of humor. the police department is like -- >> hopefully nothing too serious. >> he just didn't follow the rules of his probation. something. >> how about "pop start" for us. >> lots to get to in "pop sstart." let start with the grammy nominations. they are in.

this year women is thewo . five female artists received nods for album of the year. only one was nominated last year. they include cardi b, janelle monae, kacey musgraves. drake, kendrick lamar round out the category for 2019. meantime lad gaga, marin morris each nominated for song of the year. six of the eight nominees for best new artists are also women. shockingly arian jay z's joint album, "everythlog is " all failed to secure any of the big four category nods. >> that's a surprise. >> we'll find out who wins when the winners are announced in february. next up while ardi b is laughing her way to the bank with five of those nominations, the singer was much more serious in court, avoidi an arrest over an alleged strip club fight. after leaving court she learned of her gray nods and stuck out her tongue in celebration.

she took to twitter and would like a do overn response to the good news. finally meryl streep is about to tak on the role of a lifetime as grandma. the actress's daughter, mamie gummer is exp ting ababy. this will be streep's fir grandchild. heryl will have a little practice beforeaby is born. she's playing the grandmother in upcoming season of hbo' "big little lies." that's your "pop start." >> that's pretty good draw on the grandmother

before we go this morning, a couple of questions for folks on the plaza. who is a soccer fan?>> okay. >> we've got some soccer fans out here this morning. good day to you. we want to say thanks to ourie s at nbc sports. we'll share tickets premier league fanfest.

it happens "today in new york." >> not only are t we going hand out premier league action, mumford & sons will make an appearance. you're going to be there. >> i've receivedex two from my husband. my kids have friends over and dressed injerseys. >> your family is crazy about soccer. >> apparently you can't get tickets anymore. >>ood day for mumford & sons. they are on "snl" as well. a programming note, jenna bush hager has a special tribute to ♪ ♪ the new capital one savor card. earn 4% cash back on dining and 4% on entertainment. now when you go out, you cash in.

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my name is tito, and i'm a tech ops manager at comcast. we're working to make things simple, easy and awesome. good saturday morning. >> straight aheaon news 4 today -- >> reporter: a major crash in a big busy intersection in southeast d.c. details coming up on news 4. >> and we connue to watch this southern storm that's going to skirt very, very close to our area. i think some areas of our viewing sea may seee snow tomorrow. we'll talk about what neighborhoods could see some sng . that's com in a few minutes. all right. also coming up a march for victory after auilty verdict in the charlottesville murder trial. reaction from last year's deadly attack. >> we continue to follow a major

closure that could effect weekend travels. why you needst toer clear of the memorial bridge this weekend. a lot of stories. also we're turning up our facebook live. in us and chat behind the scenes. >> back on air in a moment.

right now on news 4 today, guilty of murder james fields is facing multiple life sentences after the charlottesville murder trial. reaction rom those who survived that deadly attack. and d.c. police investigating a horrific crash. what we're learning about the incident just ahead in a live port. first, we welcome you in to news 4 today on this saturday the december 8th -- 8th of december. the december 8th, the only one. >> it's cold out there. >> is chilly coming in.

i'm david culverg alongside goff. >> looking at 28 degrees, but it's colder in other spots. lauryn rickets is here to break everything noun including the talk of some snow. t> yeah. we're talking ab the snow we were ast weekend if you with u we thought maybe snow for this sunday. still a possibility, especiallye for our sou areas. let's go ahead and talk about the temperatures out there. it's going to be col enough to support snow. no snow out there today. in fact, we're going to bey out there today. you're waking up to temperatures in the teens and 20s. 19 in front royal. 28 in washington.t gaithersburg a 17 degrees. tch radar, not mu happening. we are dry across the gion, but then we head to the south. an area of low pressure forming off the eastern coast of texas. a lot of rain up into the region, especially through the deep south. sunshine. tomorrn