morning. breaking news. massiveannt. a desperate search underway for the terror suspect behind that deadly shooting at a popular christmas market in france. police narrowing in on a man they say is linked to islamic extremism. the president out on a limb to get billions for his border wall. >> if we don't get what we want, i will shut down the government. >> okay. fair enough. >> and i'm proud. >> the extraordinary clash inside the oval office with the cameras rolling. what the president is saying about what would happen if he were impeached. new cloues in the disappearance of the colorado mom who disappeared on

thanksgiving day. her father speaking out amid growing questions about his daughter's fiance. why did he wait ten days to report her missing? all that, plus ready for more? another powerful winter storm, the third in three weeks set to sweep across the nation. al tells us whatct to expe. who will replace kevin hart at the oscars? signs are pnting to n one at all. and kathie lee's big announcement. >> when it's our 11th anniversary i will be leaving "the today show." >> her decision and her next chapter. today is wednesday, december 12, . >> announcer: from nbc news this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning, everybody. welcome to "today." this you for joining us o wednesday morning. we are just thinking about

kathie lee and wondering how life is going t be without her. >> she is going to be here to stalk about her decision rt anew. we are going to miss her around here big time our top story this morning. the shunt on for a suspected gunman in that deadly attack on a crowded christmas market in france. the suspect is on a terrorist ltch list and on these this morning. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engle with the very latest. good morning. good morning, savannah. french prosecurs say the shooter was shouting allah akbar as he opened fire during the christmasarket. that christmas market today has been canceled and france has raised the terror alert to the highest level. a balcony with a terrifying view. witnesses say an gunma opened fire on shoppers and pedestrians

near the 'sci famed christmas market. a market which has been targeted by islamic extremists before. visitors scrambled for cover. some helping the wounded as thel waited for it arrive. >> i was taking a walk in the christmas market. i had some shots, six or shots, then i saw two people on th ground, and many, many pele, of course, are screatang and to run. >> reporter: the gunman police say armed with a pistol killed 2, nine two, wounded of them seriously. police engaged the suspect in a shootout and believe they wounded him, but he escaped reportedly by taxi and remains on the run. fren police believe they ha identified the 29-year-old shooter and tell nbc news he was on an active watch list, a potential islamicov extremist. night police tightened the

borders. parts of strasburg remain in lockdown as a 350-member s.w.a.t. team combs the area for the shooter. the paris prosecutor just identified partialy name the suspect as srif c. we have been told by police this is what happened yesterday. b the suspect hn known as a criminal. police raided his home in connection with burglary. during the search they found grenades, but the suspect was not at home. apparently, that raid in connection with the burglary set him off. police started to look for him. unfortunately, the last time they saw him was during that shootout here at that christmas market in strasburg last night. things must be so tense there. there a concern there could be more attacks or does this seem to be a lone wolf? >> reporter: there is t concern because the same way iat that first raidn connection with the robbery apparently set off the attacker

to go on his shooting spree, does he have other associates? was he part of a cell? are they now activated? france isaking steps not just to find the shooter who was here last night, who is still a large, but any associates he may have had who may now see no other choice but to go ahead with an attack. >> richard answeringengle, than the d trump and democratic leaders. the president is dismissing the possibility of his impeachment. kristen welker has the details on this story. he kristin, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. we are gettingir a glimpse of what divided government will look like after president trump allowed cameras to capture his remarkable face-off with democrats he once canled chuck nancy. the president is defending himself, weighing in on a range

of topics, including the prospect of impeachment. president trump defiant, telling reuters in a new interview he is confident he won't be impeeved. it's hard to impeach someone who hasn't done anything wrong and when has created the greatest economy in the history of our country, adding'm not concerned, no, i think that the ople would revolt if that pppened. thesident also denying payments made by his former attorney michael cohen t buy the silence of two woman about alleged affairs which h denies right before the election were campaign contributions. as for those who worked for him andta had c with russia, he said that's peanuts stuff. the interview capping a remarkable day at the white house in which cameras captured an extraordinary clash between president trump and top democrats. esident trump demanding $5 billion from congress to pay for his border wall, a project he once vowed mexico would pay for. >> the wall, that will be the

one that will be the easiest of wall. what do you think, chuck? >> it's called funding the, governme mr. president. >> the white house is done and the house would give me the vote if i wanted it, but because i need -- nancy, i need ten votes from chuck. >> you do not have the votes in the vows. >> house. >> w nancy, need border security. let me just finish. >> you can'tet your way -- >> let me -- >> nancy is in a situation where it's not easy for her to talk right now, and i understand that. >> please don't characterize the strength that i bring to this meeting as a leader of the house democrats who just won a big victor h >> electioe consequences, mr. president. >> i am proud to shut down the governmentor forr security. i am going to sthut it down for rder security. we believe you shouldn't shut it down. >> and there could be another milestone in the russia investigation today. president trump's former attorney michael cohen will be sentenced later this morning for

hisole in those payments we mentioned to women who alleged fairs with mr. trump which he denies and for lying to congress about a proposed trump tower project in russi that extended into the 2016 campaign. it is a stunning turn of events for cohen who once vowed he would take a bullet for mr. trump. >> right. kristen welker at the whi use. thank you. craig is here with a "today" exclusive. >> good morning to you. we sat down yesterday with nikki haley. the out going u.s. ambassador to the united nations. it was first interview since shehe announcedill leave her post the end of the month. we talked about that decision and what her future holds. i started by asking the ambassador about theru administration's response so far to the murder of "washington post" come upnist jamal khashoggi. >> i think we need to have a serious hard talkith the

saudis to let them know we won't condone this, and don't do this again. then i think that the administrations have to talk about where we go from here. what i can tell you that's so important is that the saudis have been our partner in defeating and dealing with iran, and that has been gely important. >> the president, as you know, still entertains the possibili that the crown prince wasn't aware despite his intelligence agencies sayinth oerwise. some have suggested that it because reportedly the president's son-in-law, jared shner, and senior advisor, still maintains a fairly close relationship with the crown prince. >> in reference to jare those rumors fly all the time. have relationships with lots of countries and our goal is to make those relationships better. but when these things happen we have to step back and never back away from our principles. >> reporter: in h time at the u.n., haley has had to deal with a host of global hot spots.

her proudest achievement, triteningn sanctionsrth korea. >> to be able to pass theng stt sanctions in a generation that brought the world together and brought north korea to the table was really important. >> president kim has not indicated when or if he plans tm tle his nuclear capabilities. is that premature? >> ask any ambassador at the ha united nations it was like when north korea was testing every other weekend. it was age dus situation. the idea that we now have them in a place where they have stopped the testing, the idea thate have them at t table, even if they are going slower, don't ever underestimate how dangerous tt could have been. >> let's talk russia. friend or foe? >> depend on theay. >> y have been more critical, arguably, than anyvother e,

any administration of russia. >> i'm critical when it's warranted. >> what's youhief concern with regards to russia? >> the united states wants a retionshipith russia. but as long as they keep doing the actions thatnghey are d they are making it impossible. you can't goso p someone in another country and, like they did tith skripals, and get a pass. you can't invade ukraine and r think tt of the world is not goingti to ce. >> you have done a fantastic job. i want to thank you very much. >> when you made your announcement that you were stepping aside, there is a lot of speculation as to why. why now? it would appear to some that the investigation is growing closer to the president. did you say, maybe this is a good time? >> not at all. i have not had time to attention to the mueller investigation. >> not at all? >> i have tuned it out. i can't do anything about it. the one thing i have said publicly, and i strongly believe, is i think the

investigation, if it's going forward, should go forward, b they need to hurry up for the good of the country. they need to let us know what they know. >> the president says it' a witch hunt. >> we'll find out. >> while world may see a president who speaks off-the-cuff, haley says at times it's by design. is it true that you use the president'sle unpredict rhetoric to our advantage diplomatically? >> if i need to pick up the phone and say this is what i am going to do, are you good with this? we kind of partner in tha he would like ratchet up the rhetoric and then i would go back to the ambassadors and say he is uet. i can't promise you what he is going to do. i tell you if we do these sanctions, it will keep him from going too far. >> you were playing good coph sld cop? >> i was trying to get the job done. i got it doney being

truthful and also by letti him be unpredictable and not showing our cardth >> what i secret to working with this president? >> being honest with myself and being honest with him. to be able w to ten i think we are going in the right or wrong direction. him willing to listen to that and discuss it a hugely helpful. >> you are going to be unemployed in a few weeks. where would a nikki haley see herself in the short term a few years from now, let's say six years from now. wher do youee yourself. it would be 2024. the presidential election year, just so we're clear. >> thanks. i have no idea. i think a lot of people talked about what i may be doing in the future, but i can promise you, michael and i haveed never tabout running for president, what that would look like, anything like that, because our lives have been such

a fun surprise. the only decision i me right now is that i am looking forward to sleeping in. >> she wants to doom binge-watching as well. we spent time talking about her possible successor, heather nauert as well, state department spokesperson. i asked if she agreed with senator rubio saying that he had some concerns about wheth. m nauert would be ready on day edone. she remie that folks said the same thing about her. she had no foreign policy. backgrou she said she has spoken with miss nauert and she deserves the benefit of the doubt. much more of the exclusive conversation with ambassador haley in the third hour of today. >> thanks,g. lots more to get to this morning, including larry nassar's accusers speaking out in the wake of a new report that found the u.s. olympic committee failed to protect tm from the now disgraced doctor. >> the 233-page independent

report was commissioned by the usoc. it says some top offial knew for more than a year that larry nassar was accused of sexually assaulting young girls, but they did nothing to stop it. >> this report makes it undantly clear, if it was not so already, that little girls were not worth anying to usoc and to usag. >> reporter: thi morning responding to a scathing report. larry nassar's accusers say they feel betraye all over again after an independent investigation detaile failure to act by two top u.s.ic oly committee officials. >> it's clear that the top officialsoth usag and usoc placed money, medals, and the reputation of e organization above the safety of athletes. >> reporter: the report commissioned by the usoc in february found then o chief sport performance alan ashley and ceo scottne blackman kw for 14 months that nassar was accused of molesting dozens of

young girls, instead of protecting athletes they decided to keep the matter to themselves. hours after the report was released, ashley was fired. blackman resigned in february after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. neither could be reached for comment. investigators say both men were first told about the abuse allegations by former usa gymnastics ceo steve penny. penny telling an h fbi agent goal was to keep thens allegat quiet to avoid sending shockwaves through the community, according to the report. pe resigned last year and was later indicted for tampering with evidence which he denies. some of nassar's accusers telling savannah they werepr essured by penny to stay silent. >> he told me don't tell e would say please be quiet. > reporter: in response to the report usa gymnastics board of directors said they are making

significant progress to help ensure g thenastics program at all levels are offered in a safe, positive, and encouraging environment, and we'll take additional measures as needed based on the findings. an attorney for more than 180 naar accusers calling some revelations in the report stunning. >> u.s. olympic committee and its culture is infected with a virus a a cancer and it needs to be rooted out. >> she attorney fore of the accusers is now calling on congress and law enforcement to take additionalme action. while, rachel denhollander, the first woman to accuse larry nassar of sexual assault, was named spor"sports illustrated" inspiratn of the yea last night. that award was presented by christine blasey ford. meanwhile, al is tracking what is expected to be the third straight powerful coast-to-coast storm. good morning. >> good morning, guys. news jus. 4:14 this morning magnitude 4.4

earthqke in detater, tennessee. this is the second largest since 1973. felt down to atlanta. that storm out of the pacific northwest, it develops in the texas panhandle, starts to dive to the south. snow from idaho into the lorado mountains today. then it continues on tomorrow, bringing heavy rain into the gulf coast. strong winds developing in the southern plains. friday heavy showers and thunderstorms from atlanta making their way into new york. airport delays causing problems for the big weekend. saturday the heaviest rain moves fshore. a secondary system develops. if this gets stronger we could be looking at more heavy rain. thursday look for the big gusts of wind from colorado into texas, gusts overes60 mer hour. we have got the risk of severe weather from new orlns into tampa and the southeastern atlantic coast. isolatsi tornados pe and heavy rain and flooding. olated fournch totals especially in the panhandle of florida.

heavy rn and melting snows add to a flood threat in the carolinas with river flooding there as well. we will get to your local forecast in the next 30 stekds. good morning everybody.dy a partly clky over washington this morning. temperatures are seasonably. chil 20s and 30s for most. pockets of colder weather prince william counties. most of d.c. area metro snurbs are the 20s and 30s. planner today, enough sunshine

this morning to get temperatures in the low and mid-40s. rain chancesri come back ony afternoon and rain chances remain very high through your saharday. >> ands your latest weather. guy. new surveillance video adding to the mystery surroundayg the thanksgiving disappearance of a colorado mother. we will have the latest and hear from her time. for the first and could the oscars go without a host in the wake of the kevin hart scandal? big news from hollywoodov night. first, this is "today" on nbc. cancer is smart.

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this is a news4 today news break. >> 7:26 is your timesn t wednesday, december 12th, 2018. good morning to you. i'm eun yang. i'm aaron gilchrist. developing in montgomery county this morning, for the second time in less than a month holiday shoppers at wiest field whton mall had to deal with violence. a man was stabbed yesterday afternoon. the suspect is still the run. the victim is expected to survive. > right now petco is reported that more than 1,400 customers in d.c. are withoutow. commuters need to know this is affecting traffic lights in that now for a check on the rest of your commute, melissa molett in the >> good morning.

we are just hearing traff signals restored mostly through logan circle. flashing lights at 14th and h because of that power outage. northbound 95 after lorton road a crash blocking the left lane right now. tyson's corner northbound 23 after the c beltway ash blocking the right lane. >> thank you. tonight on news4 at 5, fitness tracker or smartwatch. which one helps you keepour health goals in 2019? >> we will help you decide tonight on news4 at 5. we will take a break now. your forecast is up next. alright, everyone. santa will be right back, but i just got to say, if you're going to ask him for tech this year, you got to ask for fios too.

sorry, why is that? because fios is a 100% fiber-optic network. don't you guys want all of the tech on your wish list to work as awesomely as you dreamed? i'm back! and he's back. 100% fiber-optic network. 100% phenomenal. get fios internet for just $39.99 per month and get a $50 amazon gift card when you install by december 31st. . good morning what a beautiful start to your wednesday morning. ran coming up on a chilly morning with temres mostly in the 20s and 30s. it will be aypally chilly december day with afternoon highs in the low-to-mid 40s. a fair amoun ofunshine the first part of the day. a few clouds later, but no

chan us to rainil we get towards friday afternoon. at that point rain becomes very lick lie. another local news uate in 25 minutes. >> for now back to "the today show" after this short break. a fair amount of sunshine the

♪ 7:30 on this wednesday morning, december the 12th, 2018. christmas less than two weeks away. you could never get tired of this shot. those are the channel gardens decorated for the seann our backyard at rockefeller center with our gorgeous tree in the background. >> pretty. >> 13 days. hard to believe christmas is that close. we start this half hour with a check of the headlines. wide ranging interview, president trump insists he is not worried about being impeached. he told reuters, quote, it's hard to impeach somebody who wrsn't done anything g, and he added the people would revolt if that happened. meantime, he clashed with democratic leaders in the oval office on tuesday. he says he will shut down the government if he does not get money for his border wall.

>> the wall will be the one that will be the easiest ofat all. who you think, chuck? >> it's called funding the government, mr. president. >> you do not have the votes in the house. >> lat in a private meeting nancy pelosi told democrats thas president trumanhood got in the way of their meeting. rescuers have intensified their search for three people lo inside an abandoned west virginia coal mine. the man andwo women haven't been seen since early saturday. a fourth member of the group was able tak it out safely. rescue teams are moving cautiously because of the dangerously low oxygen levels in the mine. crews are pumping in fresh air. hockey fans are talking about a bizarre play at an nhlou game in st. last night. the florida panthers player shot a puck into the corner looking for a big bounce. here we go. and he gets thee. bounc but it's off the referee. >> ouch. >> see? >> wow. now he scores. >> oh? >> butt's not a goal, d okay?

itsn't count. the ref, by the way, tim peel, had the wind knocked out of him. he recovered and got a standing ovation for his sacrifice. >> never seen that. >> wow. also this morning there are new developments in that mysterious disappearance of a young mother in colorado. police have released what may be the last known images of her before she vanished on thanksging day with her baby. nbc's joe fryer has the very latest on this story. hey, joe, good morning. >> good morning. police say they have received a number os and phone calls. now they have released new video of kelsey berreth and for the first te we are hearing from her father darrell. police hope this newly released surveillance video will lead to re tips. it shows kelsey berreth carrying her 1-year-old daughter io a safeway store near her home on thanksgiving. the last known day she was seen in public. her fiance prick frazee told police he saw kelsey later that afternoon when he picked u their daughter. the engage the couple lives in

separate hom and plan to marry, her father says. he says patrick took care of the baby during the day kelly either slept over at patrick's house or took the child to her home. kelsey's mother says keluly never abandon her daughter. >> this is completely out of character. she loves her god,il f and friends and her job. >> reporter: kelsey's father says as ofno tuesday aft his wife had not been able to see theirranddaughter in patrick's care. >> kelsey, we just want you home. call us if you can. we won't quit looking. >> reporter: police say three days after thanksgiving on november 25th, kelsey's cell phone pinged 7 miles away in idaho. that same day a text was sent from her home to her e sloyer sayi would not be in for the rest of the week. it wasn't until december 2, ten ys after she blast seen, she

was reported missing to police by her mother. >> why did patrick not report her missing? >> that's a question you haveaso patrick. >> reporter: police say he is cooperating. nbc news has not been able to reach him for mment. >> is patrick a suspect in this case? >> at this poi he is the father of kelsey's dghter. so this is a missing person's case. >> so manyti qus. we have heard from both the mom and father, but police still have n heard from the fiance. is there any indication he is going to talk? >> reporter: well, police have been talkingo the fiance. the question is, is he going to talk p nlicly? he cho to talk at monday's news conference. police make it clear at this point the are no suspects. they say this is a missing persons case. the priority is tryingo find kelsey. back to you guys. >> all right. thank you. we turn now to al and get another check of the weather. >> yeah, what's happening here? >> we thought we'd play a little

who is snowier? albuquerque or boston? >> albuquerque. >> albuquerq. let's fin out. well, guess what? it is actuallyue albuque >> oh! >> that's right. 0.3 inches there. who is snow or, anchora raleigh? >> raleigh! >> you would be correct. 8.9 inches they are 8.7 inches above average. final one. here we go. who is snowier, george h.w. bush or n /* -- green bay or new york? >> it's close. but green by a. >>e had six inches of snow? >> that one big storm. there you have it. anyway, thanks for playing our game. you don't get anything. we had mountain snows in the pacific northwest. wind watches through texas and the central p ains. a mildeernoon in the southeast. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's hap ning in your neck of the woods. good morning everybody. beautiful sky here over

washington this morning as sun is coming up on the shortest days of theear. the winter solstice a week away. ostly belows freezing in the suburbs. you need the winter coat for sure. teens to low and mid-20s. milder downtown and by the bay. mostly sunnytart to the day. highs today around 45. 48 tomorrow. milder bweather, unfortunately rainier weather for friday, saturday, and . >> and that's your te. >> she couldn't remember the snow bec she was nowhere near it. >> i missed that day. >> you were in margaritaville. >> al, thank you. just ahead, the offer that nasa just made to nbaup serstar steph curry after he questioned if the moon landings really happened. what does gwen stefani want from blake shelton ts christmas? we will find out as she gives us a special holidayour of her home. the new tribute to prince

harry and meghan markle is freaking people out. will no one replace kevin hart as oscars host? late night meeting with the academy's board of directors right after this eggo thick and fluffy waffles

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downy conditions to smooth and strengthen fibers. so, next time don't half-wash it. downy and it's done. this mning on "in-depth today," theti tough question the academy awards. >> who will shohost the show. natalie, good morning. >> yeah, it's been a big conundrum. last night the board of governors met to discuss how to move forward. one option that seems to be getting e most traction, no mo host at all. >> reporter: lights, camera, and one major distraction. this morning the academymb scling to find a new host for the 2019 oscars after comedian kevin hart bowed out. >> i got a call from the academy and that call basically said, kevin, apologize for your tweets of old or we are going to have to move on and find another

host. >> reporter: hart announces his departure after anpology after critics condemned his past tweets and comedy routine as homophobic. >> guys, i'm almost 40 years old. if you don't believe that you change, grow, y evolve as get older, i don't know what to tell you. >> reporter: h at'sbrupt exit leaving the golden opportunity wide open for someone else. >> the academy was blindsided by the resignation. one insider told me that all bets aref. they are considering anything and everything. >> reporte whithis morning ther is growing speculation thathe academy may decide to have no host at all. one psible scenario with a notoriously demanding show just months away, a group of celebritie to hel facilitate hollywood's biggest night similar to what they did at this year's emmy awards. >> the strongest consensus is they are leaning towards no host because w t would want job at this point?

it's saddled with a lot of expectation and you hke to tal about kevin no matter what. >> reporter: jimmy kimmel had almost ten months to prepare for last year's show. >> because someone considered that they arein annou other hosts late in the game. i think it's revealing ofirort of what planning was, and maybe how troubled they were in finding a host to begin with. >> reporter: seth mcfarla hosted in 2013 telling entertainment weekly, when you do something that'shat in t spotlight with that much intensity, you have a lot of opinions from a lot of people. it's not anb.asy jo i am not surprised they have a tough time finding takers. >> and the oscars goes to -- >> reporter: oscars hoping to move to plan b for hollywood's "a" list. >> so apparently there is one former host who is offering heelf up thisorning. what can you tell us about her? >> reporter: that's right. whoopie goldberg hosted the oscarss four times bore. she acknowledged on "the view" yesterday she, too, her had fair share of controversies.

and in hollywood become oscars host is viewed by many to be a somewhat thankless jijob. y kimmel said he was paid $15,000 for hosting ahe gig twicer months of hard work, and now given all the added controversy seems to be the perception is thatpehere is aps more to be lost than to be gained. guys. >> fewer and fewer people watching every year anyways, so. >> yeah. allight. there's that. >> thank you. just ahead, steph curry's comments calling the moon anding into question that have nasa crying foul on the nba superstar. first, these messages. give joy,.

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wheyou know your holidayt of tshopping is complete., [air guitar solo] [air guitar solo] feel free to celebrate. and now you know. jardiance is the first type 2 diabetes pill proven to both reduce the risk of cardiovascular death for adults who have type 2 diabetes and heart disease... ...and lower a1c, with diet and exercise. jardiance can cause serious side effects including dehydration. this may cause you to feel dizzy, faint, or lightheaded, or weak upon standing. ketoacidosis is a serious side effect that may be fatal. symptoms include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, tiredness, and trouble breathing.

stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of ketoacidosis or an allergic reaction. symptoms of an allergic reaction include rash, swelling, and difficulty breathing or swallowing. do not take jardiance if you are on dialysis or have severe kidney problems. other side effects are sudden kidney problems, genital yeast infections, increased bad cholesterol, and urinary tract infections, which may be serious. taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you have any medical conditions. isn't it time to rethink your type 2 diabetes medication? ask your doctor about jardiance- and get to the heart of what matters. we are back as dylan joins us. theth anniversary of the very

first moon landing is next year. er big annry. but now one of the biggest names in all of spts, nba superstar steph curry is now questioning whether the moon landing ever his comment on a podcast is getting a lot of attention this morning. an nasa islso weighing in. here's nbc national correspondent miguel almaguer. >> reporter: known for launching deep threes. >> for three! >> reporter: steph curry often shoots for the moon. >> curry for >> reporter: but it's the actuaa r landing the nba superstar says h doesn't think was real. on a wide ranging podcast hosted by fellow nba players, curry floated the question, often theorists.nspiracy >> have we ever been to the moon? >> nope. they are going to come get ugh. >> rorter: after he proebd if the 1969 moon lding was staged. >> it's one small step for man. >> reporter: one of the players suggested it may have been

filmed by stanley kubrick, t arguinghose theories are out of this world, nasa fired back, saying 12 american astronauts have walked the moon, inviting cu to visit the johnson space center. apollo mission control and see the hundreds of pounds of moon rocks for himself. >> if you -on't belie >> reporter: former astronaut jose. hernandez says curry's views matter. >> the fact that he is questioning whether we went to the moonr not affects the ideas and conces that kids form. >> reporter: retired astronaut scott kelley also weighed in tweeting, steph, for you, but regarding the moon landing thing, let's talk. direct message me. curry's response to stories circulating about his comments only this emoji. the two-time mvp's conspiracy theory comes after fellow nba superstta supe kyrie irving told the

world he believed the earth was flat beforeinally walking back the claim. >> all the science teachers going, you know i got to reteach my whole curriculum? >> reporter: in march the warriors traveled to houston to play the rockets and nasa says the space agency wou be ove the moon to host curry. for "today," miguel almaguer, nbc news. >> so here is the thing. we love stephma curry. e he was joking. >> i think he was joking. >> it sounds like he mustbe hav . >> he is joking. >> clear up the record, steph. >> emoji with sunglasses didn't extly tell . >> or he thought the movie capricorn 1 was a documentary. >> i don't know what you're talking about. just ahead, natalie portman channeling her inner pop star for her new movie. she will abe here to talk about that. and kathie lee. we will be talking to her. good morning, sunshine, after your localew

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i> this a news4 today news break. >> 7 250i678 :56 is your time o deceer 12, 2018. your first 4 traffic. >> northbound 95 aftg two lef lanes. you can see those throu virginia right now. here is a live picture as well. it is slow. that's the crash. southbound 295 at pennsylvania

avenue heavyels. and the beltway overall we are slow ine multispots. >> thank you. we will take a break now. we will check your forecast next. stay w.

>>ki a good l way to get your wednesday started. the sun is ristlg in a m clear sky for now. a few more clouds rolling in later in the afternoon. no rain today. current temperature mostly in the 20s it the suburbs. afternoon highs will be in the id 40s again with extra cloud cover around. our next chance for rain doesn't show up until we get into friday afternoon. ld be a little heavy early on saturday. >> thank you. another local news update in 25 minutes. back to "the today show."

it's 8:00 onng "today." cop, manhunt underway. the search is on in france for th terrorist suspect behind that deadly shooting at a popular christmas market. this morning police saying the man is linked islamic extremism. kathie lee's next chapter. >> when it's our 11th anniversary i am going to be leaving." "the today sh >> we will talk to our friend andleague here live about what's next after her hig announcement. and today goes pop. ♪ >> oscar winner natalie portman is stopping by studio 1a to talk about her new role as a music superstar and we will get an l insideook at a very stefani

christmas as natalie helps gwynn deck h talls. >> are wedy rea? >> oh! >> today is wednesday, december 12, 2018. ♪ >> go eagles! >> road trip with mom from m hudsonviichigan. >> happy first birthday, t!er, i love y ♪ >> we are from maryland. >> good mornin to our 1-year-old caleb. >> we love you! >> wishing you happy holidays! woo! >> oh, what a crowd. what a tree. what a day. what a season. good morning, everybody. welcome back to "today" on a wednesday morning. so nice to have you along with us this morning. >> i love it when they wear the santa hats. >> they should, it's 13 degrees

until >>christmas. it's also 13 degrees. let's get to your news. this massive manhunt underway this morning for a gunman behind a deadly attack that happened at a crowded christmas rket in strasburg, france. police say the suspect is on a terrorist watch lt. richard engle is there and finding out exactly whaten ha. richard, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. that searc is now all across france for a man that police have partially identified as sharif krshlgts. c. he was on a theirer water -- te watch list here. things started to unfold yesterday morning when police raided his home here in strasburg. that wasn connection with a suspected burglary. they found hand grenades there, but they did not find sharif. they started searching for him and later saw him when he showed

up and opened fire here in the center of strasburg at christmas market, firing toward police. police njresponded,ed him, and then to escape heijacked a taxicab, forced the taxi driver to take him out of this area. poli a short while ago issued a nationwide alert telling people to be on the look grourt a blue ford suspecting that he may be trying tohe leave area or even leave the country. france has reinforced border controls. >> richard, thank you. president trump said he would be proud to shut down the government unless congress provides money to build his controversial border wall with mexico. he made that comment at a combative oval office meeting with congressional leaders kristen welker has details. good morning. >> good morning to you. president trump was defiant in an interview overnight, weighing in on the prospects of impeachment tellingreuters,

quote, i am not concerned, no. i think that the people would revoltf that happened. it comes after the president clashed with top democra over his border wall tuesday. mr. trump wants $5 billion to fund his wall, threatening a partial government shutdown if he doesn't get his waro >> i aud to shut down the rivernment for border se, chuck. i will take the mantle of shutting down. and i am going to shut it down for border security. >> you shouldn't shut it down. >> reporter: this morning tweeting another very bad terror attack in france. we are going to strengthen our borders even more. chuck and nancy must give us the votes to get additional bder security. in an exclusive interview, nikki ley weighed in on the ongoing russia investigation. >> they need to hurry up for the good of the country. they needo hurry up and let us know what they know. >> the president says it's a witch hunt. >> we'll find out. >> reporter: a haley sidestepped a question about whether she will run fores

ent in 2024. back to you. >> thanks. we will have more of craig exclusive interview with ambassador haley on the third hour of " mday." lions of americans once again in the path of a powerful new s that's moving across the country from coast to coast, and it could be packing quite the pun. mr. roker standing by with more on what we can expect. >> we are seeing hea snow in the mountains of the pacific northwest. this will transfer its eneyo the texas panhandle. snow from idaho into the colorado mountains. then tomorrow we are looking at heavy winds and strong wanes through the gulf coast into the gulf coast and moving into the southeast. by friday mid-atlantictates as well. airport delays from atlanta, wilmington, washington up into new york. time we get into saturday the heaviest rain moves offshore. could see a secondary system develop which would reinforce the heavy rain and keep the unsettled weather in the southeast. ndursdaymp sac ig tr gt,usstswin thursday to friday a risk of

severe weather from louisiana into florida along the gulf and heavy rain through sunday. rain, flooding, melting snows in the carolinas may cause those rivers to flood. isolated amounts of four inches, but generally two to three inches with airport delays through the weekend as we head towards the holidays. guys. a vote is scheduled today in britain on whether to oust prime ministereheresa may. acing a revolt from within her own party. lawmers will decide if may will keep leading them as she struggles to takefritain out the european union. the vote today is by secret may is vowing to fight for her vision of brexit, even as the country seems increasingly divided over the issue. you know what time it is? >> boost. >> it is. kyler lee may be known for her role in supergirl, but she teamed up withnd her hus nathan west, to meet some real-life superheroes. take a look.

>> ♪ >> so the couple is part of an indie pop groupalled eastf eli. they joined singing for superheroes to spread love and hope for kidsattling at cancer baltimore's johns hopkins hospital. the song "no giving up." ashley hack man is battling eukemia and she is a war yo-- rrior. coming up, two big stars in the studio. natalie portman on her thought-provoking new movie a the surprising inspiration behind her role. bigbut kathie lee on her decision and her big plans for the future. >> hey, girl. >> good igmorning. >> after this. >> oh, and jerry. happening right now at t-mobile. when you buy one of the latest sumsung phones you get a free 50" samsung 4k tv. seriously, no! [announcer]seriously!

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reason i stayed longerhan a year is because i love everybody here so much. >> the mine youtepped into my life with both feet, everythingge ch >> i just want to leave it there. it's going to be that kind of day. nobody else needs it, i see. >> classic! >> oh! >> how do you feel? how is the reaction? >> i feel relieved. i have known it was comg for a long, long time. you want to get your story out before someby else tries t tell your story in an inaccurate way. i have always tried to be anth tic person. i have been honest all along. when you are misrepresented, it bo you. i want everybody to know my truth. and hoda has known it for a long, long time. all these projects have been bubbling up. soexciting. the movies and music ando just many wonderful things. and i need the time for them t

do them properly. and i went to our bosses here. actually, almost two years ago. i said, i'm going to do one more year with hoda, you know.re re with ten nice round number, ten w yearsh my sun goddess from egypt, and so that was the arrangement until we had some turmoil here, you know, in our midst. noah oppenheim said, kathi, can you stay a little longer? i said, if you can work itr out e that i can still do my projects and i'll stay, then -- i was thrilled with that decision. now there is like six other projects. >> i keep saying the studio can't contain you anymore. >> it's interesting talking about what's ahead. we have to sit for a minut with what was. those 11 years. i always felt like sitting next to you w like a master class. >> oh! >> and in this broadcasting business, becau nobody,

nobody, nobody does it like you do it. nobody ever has and nobody ever will. >> oh!er >> and you all by yourself. i think, like i think like everything is contagious. your fearlessness is contagious. i remember it was valentine's day and we had justind of met. i said i hate valentine's day. you said why? i said my met high husbamy husb alentine's day and my divorce papers -- there were balloons and flowers. i go happy valentine's day and kathie lee goes, not for you! but it's fearless in everything. and i think there are signs outside for you. everyone is live for so many years. >> no, it's his birthday. >> it's all about you. >> right. >> but i don't think we can underestimate what an impact you have hadpe le grew up watching you.

by the way, they have watched you through every stage of your life. >> i know. >>our marriage, your children you know. losing frank. like full circle life. >> it dawned on me the other day, and i thoug it was so fun. at a certain age you start ds getting your cn the mail that remind you what you are painfully aware , how o you are. then you reach a certain point and you get rebates and reductions and anything you want to buy because you have lived long! and i just thought, how cool i it that senior citizens are going to besing their coupons to go in to see movies that this senior citizen had put on! fun, right? >> life is not over until the lord takes you home. you got a pulse, you got a purpose. you still have a purpose. you know who tutgh -- t me that? paul newman. do we have time for a story?ye >>. >> paul newman, i was privileged

to become a friend of his. he was the first interview i did at another network at a different show. i was in awe of him. ouo wasn't? those gor eyes. years later we are at a fundraiser together. i am thinkg i don't want to b one more hanger on around paul. i will say hello later. i went into anothern room. inutes later i feel this on the back of my back. what is that, hoda? my back. she, she has my back. >> i do. >> and i turn around and there is paul newman. he gets down on one knee, takes both of my hands in his, kisses th and looks up at me with those eyes. i said, okay, now i can die. and he is getting up and he was struggling to get up. and i hsaid, how are he said, i have a pulse. he was in his 80s. d n't know how much longer he would be with us in this

rld. i remember going hold. it was a cold bitter night. frank didn't want to go, football on television that ovght. i tell frank how i was because of that he was, it was just because paul newman kissed his hand. no, he was using his celebrity to put ghood t world. i learned from him and i learned hepburn, the greatest examples of how a person can be blessed to have a career, that world notices and the world pays you to do and you love to dohe it. but at same time you understand that it's not about you. it's for a purpose. and nobody raised more money than paul newman didith nis newman's own, hole in the wall gang and everythinge. e i emulated people like that. i thought that's the kind of person iant to be. >> we have been learning from you the same kinds of lessons. courage, fearlessness, and it's never over. we can't wait what you do.

first, we want to spend four months singi your praises. >> i'm ite kate jubilee! >> you guys mean the world to me. >> we love you. >> this woman knows. this woman knows. and whoever gets the privilege ofitng next to you is sfgoing to have the time of their life. for life.nd >> i love you. >> love you. >> do you want to stick around for "popstart"? >> no. love you guys! >> kathie lee! >> she is always honest. >> thanks. all right. good luck. f >> how do yl now? >> please come back. okay. let's start with the duke and duchess ofsussex. they are back in the headlines but for a different reason than you may think. yesterday's berlin's madame tussaud's museum unveiled their new live wax figures of prince harry and meghan. they are wearing silicon masks, on display impersonating the

local couple. they actedtm out chr scenarios resulting in interesting photos. if you find the pair odd, you're not the only ones. reactions to the figures have begun to flood in. one woman sayin i find this incredibly creepy on so many levels. anotheraid these are going to haunt me in my sleep. the most blunt, these prince harry andeghan markle wax figures are what you see right before you die. >> yikes! >> is that too harsh? this is really weird. >>t's weird. >> yeah. just too much. >> and the sweaters. >> very bizarre. next, selena, the late music legend, becoming the first female to win a grammy in latin music history with 65 million albums sold. she isting a netflix series called "selena the series." it will detail how she overcame obstacles and boundaries to

become a star before her untimelyth. in 1997 a film abo her life was released starring jennifer lopez in thero title . there has been no word on who might be cast asor selena when it will be released, but it's coming. finally, steven carell sat wn with ellen degeneres to talk about his two upcoming movies. turns out he lives close to ellen's studio and often rides his bike innd the area recently was hit by a car. >> i was riding and i -- it was a pretty fast road. and i madedn a turn and i see the car behind me and they hit me from behind. so i went t up over handlebars and i -- it's a weird experience because everything just slows down. and i just, i thought, well, i'm going to tuck and roll, and i rolled and i gotp and i was fine. and the woman who was driving the car jumped out and she was distraught, obviously. and i went over to her and my

bike was sort ofhe stuck under front of her car. she is saying, oh my god, oh my h my god, it's steve carell! and she was so excited that she hitme >> just happy he is okay. ellen gifted him with a special safety vest and helmet to ensure he can be seen when out probably for the best. that's your." "popstart >> thank you, dylan. a check of the weather. >> milder afternoon in the southeast and mountain snows as this front comes in. that low pressure dives down. we have wind watches for parts of texas on into the central plains. that's what's going on around the country. here's wha neck of the in your right here in the nation's capital it is a sunny start to the day. still in the subfreezing zone for most of the suburbs this morning. 35 now at nional airport, but only 25 at dulles. so a big change depending which side of the beltway you live o f yoecast today, plenty of sunshine early. we will pick up more cloud cover

later on i the afternoon. today high near 45 degrees. another day in the mid-to-upperh 40s tomorrow w fair amount of sunshine. then we get back to the rain for much offternoon and saturday, especially in the morning >> and that's your latest weather. savannah. >> thank you. >>d w joined now by very busy natalie portman. she is gracing this month's cover of "vanity fair." >> and natalie is back on the big screen i a new movie called vox lux. she survived a tragedy and is dealing with it under intenseur public pre >> it's no secret i am on meds for my injury and i never should have been behind the wheel of a r that night. >> i didn't mean to upset you by that. >> i usedo bereated like i was a hero and then they started talking about me like i am trailer trash. that's what the show is about. it's about rebirth. >> okay. talie, your accent is a ten plus. how much work did that take tor

t that? >> it was really fun. and it was, you know, it's somethin that a lot of, i think, people do when they p becot of the public eye, is kind of go back to like a really street, you know, exage e age /* rate their roots. we cannot take our eyes off you in this it's kind of like the kiun-je. thevi last e role i saw you in, youere reserved, thatoft little voice. this is the exact opposite. >> yeah, it was fun to kind of let loose. shean be kind o a monster sometimes. then she has moments of being like little flashes of being aga genuine. >> if people think this is a fluff movie about a pop star, that's wrong. this has heavy tones to ill everybody what they can expect. >> there is some violence in it. the pop star is sort of born out of this violent act. and it's a reaction to it.

it's very much a reflection of th culture we are living in right now where everything is mixed together where the pop culture news is mixed in with the violent acts. the director of the movie likes to call it the pageantry of evil, that le even evil has become a spectacle a that kind of pop culture now. >> it'sg,thought-provokt'sha y could rap.e we heen that. what was that like? fthese songs arem sia? >> yes, we were so lucky to have her songs. you can't make a movie about a pop star witut real pop songs. she wrote the most incredible music., i got to record it with one of her producer, which is really fun, and do the dancing, which my husband choreograptd. >> is t extra pressure? >> yeah, you're like, honey, i'm doing mbest. >> he is very encouraging and

kind and also knows my strengths and weaknesses. of figure it out easily. >> is the singing part of you something you love to do? were you happy it was in the script? >> it was really fun t do. it's not something that i had really thought of asgt a str of mine before. but you see what magic the music producers do now. they are kind of th artists in the studio, yeah. >> so maybe even we could sing? once they put a little bit of -- >> there is a lot of help they tan give. >> e, thank you so much. we appreciate you coming to see "voxlux" opens nationwide on friday. we are back in a moment witd martha stewarthe res teacipes for her favorite holiday studios. and somebody is cooking bacon. >> and we want it. >> first, your local news and weather.

this is a news4 today news break.d >> grning everybody. 8:26 on this wednesday, december 12th i'm aar gilchrist. let's start with a check on the commute this morning. melissa molett has your first4 traffic. >> taking a look at 95 north after lorton road a crash on the ohoulder. a l delays headed northbound there. outer loop after 270 police tivity blocking the right lane. 295 southbound at pennsylvani avenue, still has some delays because of roadwork. and a livek l 270 southbound at germantown road, no report of a problem but significant delays. >> thank you. we will get a check on your forecast when we come back. . >> announcer: news4 today on nbc4 is brought to you by next day blinds. ey're eating.

oh, hello. at giant, it's the little things that make mealtime easy, leaving more time for those closest to you, during the holidays.

dev kathy dev the holidays make me look forward to chick-fil-a honestly. every year we have an ugly sweater party. i like the manatee.ie dev that one is cute. i love this. we cater it with chick-fil-a. the crowd pleaser. scott's always so helpful. while the food's coming out as quickly as we can, since she usually has a small child with her, we want to make sure we help them to their car. it takes the stress out of the holidays. we're going to help no matter what. scott, here's a present. it's my own ugly sweater! it's dinos! you'd win the prize. you think i win? you win the prize! good morning. a decent amount of sunshine. more clouds later in the afternoon. high temperatures this afternoon mostly in the low 40s. f we will back into the low 30s by tomorrow morning and then tomorrow looks like a relatively nice day,f plenty sunshine.

highs tomorrow mid mid-40s. of the stay ahe weather by using our nancy pelosi. t the latest news and weather, as chuck said, in the nanc.

♪ back at 8:30 oneshis wednday morning. it is the 12thce day of deer. and there is a little holiday treat for our plaza fans. natalie portman. >> yay! >> she is clecting toys. nice enough to hang out with us. we want to say thank you. don't forget to catch her movie. it's advoca"v lux," it's in thes nationwide on friday. >> i have never heard about this.n when you t your age on the

date, it's your golden birthday. i never heard of this. well, guess what? where is trace? trace, today is yourolden birthday. so you are turning 12. yotually, isn't it golden golden? are turning 12 on 12/12? >> yes. >> that's pretty good. happy birthday. >> thank you. >> as a present, you like us, but there is somebody here you really love? >> dylan. >> oh,ylan! how about a little birthday greeting forur golden golden boy. >> nobody ever picks m ! happy birthday. >> thank you. >> where are you from? >> vero beach, florida. >> nice. you are a little chilly right now? >> yeah. >> it's not muc here is a hot pack. >> wow! >> thank you >> she doesn't give that to everybody. >> no. >> i like to hang on to them. >> happy birthday, trace. nio see you. >> thank you. >> wow. >> happy birthday. coming up, the one and only martha stewart.sh says a cookie swap is a fun way to get friends together

during the busy holid we are going to put that to the test. she is going to bring cookies for us and she will share a few of her go-to recipes. also ahead this morning, the do's and don'ts of holiday tipping. how mu extra should y give the babysitter? do you give one your kids' teacher? we have a gratuity guide. and natalie heads to the home of music superstari gwen stefo look how she celebrates the season with her kids and her boyfriend, oh, just blake shelton. >> our boyfriend blake shelton. >> and in the third hour a trip to an busy place time of year. a place calledla santa indiana. >> that's a thing. >> really? >> that's right. it's the only place in the world ere actually the post office is named santa claus. >> wow. >> that's the postmark youet. >> a you've got to get to the weather first, al. 's all right. >> announcer: todeather is brought to you by kay jewelers for all the moments, for love, forever.

>> i love somebody with a simple message. i like your message, young man. what's your name? >>ia a. >> thank you so much, dear. i appreciate it. >> it's your poster. >> oh, you're the guy? what's your name? >> m.j. >> thank you. let's see your eyes there. there you go. very good. al right. let' show you your weather for today. ano milder aft. thank you, guys. happy holidays. milder afternoon in the ndsoutheast. wi watches through the central and southern plains. mountain snows in the northern rockies. tomorrow strong storms through the gulf, heavy rain in the mid-mississippi river valley, flurs in the northeast, sunshine in the western third of the country with showers along the pacific northwest coast. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. > good morning. sunshine now on the jefferson memorialwn in wn washington. temperatures around town in the mid-30s. colder in the outlying still mid-and-upper 20s through most of fairfax and montgomery

county this morning. denitely need your winter coat and seat heater. afternoon highs today up near 45 degrees. that's not too bad. just about our average. it will be a little bit warmer around here for tomorrow. even milder for the weekend. of course, it's theateekend, and eans it will be raining. >> and that's your latest weather. mr. melvin. >> thank you. most of us really love getting into the holiday spirit and the stars, well, they are no different apparently. >> they are just like us. >> natalie c wght uph someone who says she has a lot year.ebrate this three-time grammy winner gwen stefani. >> yeah, she was kind enough to invite me to her beautiful home in los angeles where there is no shortage of holiday cheer or holiday music. >> we defitely started around here. ♪ san baby >> reporter: gwen stefani is ready for christmas. >> santa baby, my version, is on as my tree is being delivered,

okay? > reporter: for the pop megastar, creating sounds of the season have been a dream come true. >> i love christmastime as aer songwr i think you have an epiphany moment where you are going, who wrote those songs? someone had to make them up. i am not assuming i will have a classic, but that was the idea. even experiencing the record last year as the deluxe record this year, like i love the recordven more thi year because it has that feeling. i hoped it was going to have that feeling, which is that memories, you know what i mean, captured in music. ♪ you make it fee like christmas ♪ >> reporter: the you make it feel like christmasux del album features fiv new songs, including two origina. but gwen's music with her country music singer boyfriend blake shelton might have been the hardest thing to pull off. >> blake hates doing videos. it's one of my favorite things to do.

>> reporter: how much briwary s involved in getting him to do that? >> it was so much pressure. we would try to come up with ideas. i was like, i don't think that's enough. it needs to be w fun. ane finally got to it. >> reporter: what does blake want for christmas? >> we both are kind of like out of ideas. we have been so blessed, so spoiled. the funny story. i had been shopping on black friday for like clothes, like do. >> reporter: you shop on black friday? >> who >> reporter: you are lining up at 2:00 a.m. for the deals? >> well, online, yeah. i had like this jacket that i really wanted. i was like, it's a little expensive. i don't know if i am going to get it. i was showing it to him. he auto tritried to buy it for christmas but then i bought it anyways and then it came and he ad about it >> reporter: he told me he wants a fishing pole. >> yeah. well, i did try to shop for fishing poles last night and i was getting so bored. i was like, oh my god. >> reporter: while the public pressure for a holiday engagement is mounting.

so blake told me that y'all are engaged now. [ chrs and applause ] >> no, we're not! >> reporter: f wthat's not the e at home. >> there is zero pressure.s when there trauma the way we had trauma back in the day, ing through these hard times and to get to a place where you find somebody that's like your best friend, that you know you can depend on and trust, just go through life t i thinkt we're just trying to be in the moment as much as we can. >> reporter: he is your forever, right? do you feel that? >>eah, i hope so. reporter: the mother of three works hard to create a home centered around family lik the one she had growing up. >> i love this. look at these ornaments. wow. >> t is like the -- this is our fake like pop kind of tree. and then we have the kids one in the other room. >> reporter: what was lif like as the stefani household? >> i feel guilty, like, being so, like, i have this idealistic

childhood, but i rlly did. >> reporter: she showed me one of her favorite traditions. ready in? >> are we doing it? i have not done this since i was a kid. hey! i got a new -- i'm going to do that. that's so fun. >> reporter: these days as her kids jump through wrapping paper on christmas morning, moments of togetherness she chair ishs and a love she is especially gre grateful for. >> i never thought i would get this moment. so it's just really special. >> she is so in love. guys, right after christmas gwen heads to las vegas where she has her residency at planet hollywood. she said blake, family ande friends coming to celebrate the new year along with her many, many fans. so, hoda, new year's? >> no! >> will they mind third wheel? >> you could just drive home. >> it's right there.

>> thanks, natae. >> bye, guys. all right. just ahead, who gets one, how tmuch? we hav tips when it comes to holiday tipping. first, this "today" on nbc.

welcomeayack. the hol are a time for gratitude and giving thanks, and sometimes the best way to do that when it comes to the people who help you out iso give a nice tip. but knowing whether you should give and what to give can sometimes be tricky. elizabeth is here with advice. hello. >> hello. >> some people think maybe money is impersonal, ihould give a gift. what is the right answer? >> we will go through that.e there eople who really rely on tips as part of their income. okay. >> so know that. first and foremost, this is about saying thank you. so mak sure you include a personal note. and if you can think of one special thang they did that you noticed, include that so

they feel appreciated. >> kids and s pets. let'rt with the babysitter. how much should you tip the babysitter? >> if youave a full-time babysitter, give a week's pay. you can give a gift asl. w but a week's pay is customary. if you have ait babr who baby sits once in a while think of what t average time is. say it's three hours, and give that amount as the tip. >> got it. teacher or coach. sometimes you are not sure if teacher ld give the sh. >> you should not give teachers cash. it's considered like a bribe. most schools have -- you don't have kids in school yet, but it really is -- schools have a policy. if you want to give money, get together as aeam o as a class, everybody gives a donation and buy a gift car a personal note like a hand-done picture is a nice thing for a teacher. >> what about a daycare cenr? >> usually $25 to $75 per person who is there.

again that is a policy that could be set b the facility. so make sure you check with that policy first. you don'tant to make them feel uncomfortable. >> dog walker. >> for a dog walkerou definitely want to give -- depends how many times they come, but similar to e babysitter. like it's the week's pay. for dog walkers ihink because you are paying them usually in cash you could be a little bit more clever. ke a fewdollars, $10, stick it in mittens or something to make their time comfortable. >> let's talk about the home. somebody comes to the door, they are delivering a package. should you tip every time? >> no. but this isea the most of us are getting so many packages that -- i kw my ups guy, my fedex guy. you need to know who you can tip and who you can't. united states postal service,el you absol cannot give them money. if you know your mailman or mailwoman, you can give them a gift card to the equivalent of $20 max. ts, starbucks, something like that. >> if you live in a city, you

have a doorman. probab how much should the doorman get? >> you usually have a range from a super to a porter. it's $100 to $25. the super, like if he is doing ings throughout the yeand you are tipping him along the way, factor that in. it's a range though. usually quite a number w of -- t about the housekeeper? >> a housekeeper is a week's pay. like if they come every single day, or whatever that day, the day rate, give them that full amouho. >> someoneelps you cutting your lawn or getting rid of the snow or something like that? >> tohat,oo, is week's pay. this is the thing. you give that to theorration and ask it to be divvied up. there is probably five or six w peop actually come take care of your snowplow or your lawn. >> if you have e who are at home and someone is helping to take care of them, it's a big job. >> if you have a private nurse at home or a private health caro er, you are going to do the same thing. a week's pay. if you are going to -- if you

are likin a nursing home, you don't give money. you bring like a fit basket or candy or something to be shared among the whole stuff. >> i am going to rapid fire through the last ones. these are people who help us feel and look better. manicurist, hairstylist. >> for manicurist and hairstylist, the amount of one visit. when you are going to the hairstylist, that' going to be divvied up. take that and divvy it among t w pers washes your hair and somebody else blow dries it and pro rate it based on how much time they are spending. >> if you have a fitness eo trainer, s helping you in the gym? >> you wouldn't normally give money to a class instructor. don't bring them candyso or thing that's bad for them. stay healthy. if you are working one on one with somebody, usually it's whatever one day rate , is what you are going to give them. >> awesome. thank you so much. we appreciate it. just ahead, a special holiday cookie swap with martha stewart. she is going to share some of

her favorite festiveip rec. first, this is "today" on nbc.

ma> we are back with "today food." ha stewart's favorite for yourapookie >> martha stewart living filled with great ideas to make your cookie exchange extra special. there is the magazine. always good to have yo >> and cookie swaps are so much fun. >> what is a cookie swap? >> well, invite your friends to bake cookies. bring them to a party and then you swap, basically. it's an exchange. >> okay. >> and because some people make certain kinds of cookies, i make kind of fancy cookies just to show up my friends. >> i could see that. i could see that. >> good for you. >> but it raises the bar and the allenge. >> who would want to participate

in a cookie swap with martha stewart?ry >> edy in the office. a big variety. if you are going to get into it, should you go elaborate, simple? >> well, it depends. make sure, firf all, you make a cookie that is good, tastes good and has good ingredients. if you have nuts, make sure thab every knows there is nuts in the cookies because of all the allergies tt exist. make sure that they are packaged well, that you bring containers that are going to be kind of decorative. >> this has all this beautiful -- >> you martha'd it >> yes. and you can use tins. use whatever. and then make sure that the cookies just are delectable. come down and show us how to do it. >> this is one that i especially like. cookiesugar cutout it is decorated with a little piping of chocolate. this is white chocolate that's

melted. it seizes up right away. it pipes o in little lines and decorate with little red and white candy. >> beautiful. >>ou can put it in the microwave. >> okay. let me taste that. >> yeah, give itas tte. good, right? >> mmm! >> and then this one is the dipped cooki if you want to -- >> these cookies are almost too pretty to eat. >> no, no, no. never. a cookie is never too pretty to eat. od so an easy way frost is to dip. i sort of came up with this when i had about 300 cookies to make. dip like that. then decorate. you can decorate with -- >> what are these? >> with >> rosemary? >> fresh rosemary. >> where is the sugar? >> oh! >> then a couple holly >> how adorable!

>> and a little bit of green sparklies on it. it doesn't take that long to make this wreath cookie. taste that one. >> oh, my god. >> good, right? >> wait a minute. the rosemary is awesome! >> and is just a hint, too. >> and then these are called chive hesnowballs, like old noel nut balls. this is made out of chai. it's a delicious mixture of pepper, cinnamon, ginger, cardamomnd cloves you can pack that u and give that as a present. >> that's a cute idea. >> i am going to send you a chai. >> that's in the dough. >> when they come out of the oven, just roll them in confectioners sugar. you know, the old sugar? andre just let those -- pow sugar. so that's how you do it. just dum this in powdered sugar while they are still slightly

warm and theyoat very nicely. let them sit for a little while. they get a better dayer day. tastes good, right? >> i wasn't expecting that. that's rea >> packed up in these gorgeous -- look, you this says happy holidays, ho ho ho. >> clever. and notul so diff >> no. and actually people find it a lot of fun to have a cookie swap. you really do get to taste the other cookies. >> do you have a favorite? >> iove the wreath cookie. >> so do i. it's so >> right. >> martha, thank you so much. >> happy holidays. >> happy holidays to you. >> for the recipes and more on rowing one of those holiday cookie swaps check out our website today.com/food. we are back in a moment. first, this is "today" on nbc. you know when you're at ross and you find their favorite hero at a price that makes you the hero? yes. that's yes for less. yes! with hot holiday toys for all ages, ross is your toy destination. it feels even better when you find it for less, at ross: yes for less.

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"today," we have eva longoria. plus, a trip to santa claus, indiana, which is actlly place. >> i know. it's so exciting. >> on the fourth hour, best tips and tricks to make the most of your holiday vacation. first, your local hews and weatr. >> woo!

this is a news4 today news break. >> 8:56 is your time on this wednesday, decber 12th, 2018. good morning to you. i'm eun yang. right now we are going to check on the roads with melissa molett and your first4 traffic. >> good morning. single tracking yellow and blue line between pentagon city and nationalairport, the hov lanes at the 14th street bridge a broken down vehicle blocking the left lane this morning.

east 50 at manchester a single lane getting by a crash. you can see delays there, american legion bridge inner loop and outer loop. no actual problem, just slow. >> thank you. we will take a break now. we'll check your forecastckhen we come stay with us. people aren't talking about giant's sustainable shrimp wrapped in prosciutto. they're not talking, because they're eating. oh, hello. at giant, it's the little things that make entertaining easy, leaving more time for those closest to you,

during the holidays. hey, batter, batter, [ crowd cheers ] like everyone, i lead a busy life. but i know the importance of having time to do what you love. at comcast we know our customers' time is valuable. that's why we have 2-hour appointment windows, including nights and weekends. so you can do more of what you love. my name is tito, and i'm a tech ops manager at comcast. we're working to make things simple, easy and awesome.

it is a bright and sunny start to your wednesday. temperatures are still seasonably combed. 37 inng wasn, 31 dulles airport, 34 in montgomery county and 37 in princtygeorge's co afternoon highs today will be in the low-to-mid 40s and a fair amornt of sunshine the first part of the day. rain likely friday night into saturday. get the latest news and weather anytime in the nbc washington app. hia, she's coming for the multimodal therapy where the specialists form a treatment plan together. we were looking for a cancer team that would help us decide the best course of action. we have so erny tools at our ce this is what attracted amy all the way from new york. these were people who were experts in their field. and for us that was th.

cancercenterom/philadelphia live, from studio 6a, this is "today." >> good morning. i'm here with some of my favorite people this mmorning. sheinelle. dylan, craig, al and salvannah this morning. i don't know if you hea about it yesterday. after more than a decade, kathle has announced, she is ready for her next challenge. we're going to take a listen and then talk. >> i have been here almost 11 something happened along the way. and fell in love with a beau ful egyptiangoddess. now, when it's our 11th anniversar'm