bracing for it. nasty weather set to blanket the country creating christmas chaos for 110 million americans during the peak of the holiday rush. heat you will face on t roads and airports. plus, al'satt forecast. stalema with the clock racing towards friday's deadline. ovtheernment inches close -- closer to shutting down. zeroing i investigators return to the home of asi mis colorado mom's fiance and carry out a newse ch for includes nearly one month after her disappearance. >> we all miss her. we want her erback.

heartbroken famy makes another desperate plea. allat th, plus connecting. "snl's" pete davison finds a surprising support. dislike. did facebook give popular companies like netflix and spotify access to your private messages? nd remembering a legend. >> ♪ >> penny marshall, the beloved actress and director behind some of hollywood's most iconic films. we will honor the star who was truly in a leaguef her own. dnesday, december 19, 2018. >> announcer: from nbc news this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb live from studio 1an rockefeller plaza. and good morning, everybody. welcome to "today."

thank youor joining us on a wednesday morning. penny marshall, so many memories. i feel like everyone feels like she belonged >> no kidding. she was part of a generation. i remember you dressed up h as for halloween. i was just googling just her song and i realized like i knew every single word. we will hear more about penny marshall's life. >> yes, she was on this show a lot. we will look back in just a few. getting started with the holiday storm watch. >> this is what everyone wants to talk about. the entire east coast is bracing for heavy raim fami to maine. a large part of the west coast, too, facingea stormyer as well. this is all happening during the busiest tral days of the year. from the airports to the roads, we have to covered. we start with the man of the morning. >> thank you for getting your first weather fromu us. can see the radar already starting to fire up throughout the gulf and on into texas. this is part of a eveloping storm system. we have blood watches from florida into the this whole kwlr is going to fill in over the next 24 hours

because of heavy rain. low pressure starts toh p out of the south. a few showers and storms possible during the day today. late tonight into tomorrow this system really rev up. possibility of tornados. thursday night all the way into new york, boston,washington, philadelphia, raleigh and on the back side of this we have snow showers for the midwest and the appalachians. first of all, we have got 15 million people at risk forve weather. a lot of folks heading to florida from orlando all the way down to thip southern of florida. large hail, damaging winds, ath heavy rain anywhere from five inches in parts of florida to three to five inches of rain in parts of long island,en new and, and generally the heaviest from florida to maine. saturated soil increases the a flood threa the winds are going to be a big problem even after this system aves. we are talking about wind gusts from the new england coast down

to norfolk 35 to 55 miles per hour. the strongest winds will be along the coast. as we get into saturday the winds pick up back through the midwest. the airport delays will continue tost exi so big problems on the roads and in the airports as well. >> thank you. again, with the highways and airports expected to behelowed by rain, what are holiday travelers to do? nbc's tom costello is at reagan national airport. how is it looking, tom? >> we have clear skies here. it's awfully cold, about 32 degrees. this will probay be the last good travel day until this rain starts moving in. l of the d.c. airports expected to be hit by this rain, than could affect travel. let's look at the most affected airports we are going to be watching on thursday and then on friday as well. we are looking at everything to the south and th we are going rth. in florida, of course, miami, orlando, tampa, and then up tol a, up to charlotte. the d.c. airports, baltimore,

philly, and new york will be affected on thursdahe we want to the misery map right now. this is flightaware's misery map. it's a news is, as clear day right now, not a lot of misery. a lot of green especiallylong the east coast airports. but watch those turn red over the course of the next t days as the delays and the cancellations are expected to mount. okay. quickly now to the highway watch. as for the highways, likely to be affected by heavy rain we ain loat most of the major interstates east of the mississippi. i-95, miami all the way to new york.or i-75, a up to michigan. by the way, we could see snow and ice on i-75. more rain from new orleans to chicago. so that could very much affect i-75 as well. i-40 in the carolinas. i-70 from maryland to st. louis. andn t out west i-5 from northern california through shington state upo the canadian border. an w then on fridaye are going to be adding a few airports as well as roads.

so on friday we will add boston logan airport and then i-80 really all the way west to chicago where we are expecting chances ofsn , especially up around the great lakes. keep in mind, it's not just the we watch closely an the snow and the ice. not a lot of thatxpected. it's also the wind and the cross winds that can make airport tar max and runways very dangerous. even though the rain may be ha navigable, cross wind can really slow bring things to a halt if it's too heavy in t areas. o you. now to the looming government shutdown with friday's deadline fast approaching. the white house is now signaling a compromise could te in cards. we will start at the white house. nbc's peter alexander is there. peter, good morning. >> gd morning to you. new indications this morning that lawmakers may have a way ou that avoids a shutdown this week and effectively kicks the can on this issue to early next

year. tw democratic aides s they would not oppose a short-term spending dealar until february if republicans propose it that would give both sides some mor time to come up with a longer-term deal. but the white house, importantly, still hasn't said whether the president is ha board with >> this morning washington is barreling towards the holidays with a shutdown looming. ahead of a friday night deadline, president trump remains non-committal whether parts of the government will shut their doors. th too early to say. sorry. k you. >> reporter: the white house is now asking federal agencies to pony up part of the $5 billion the president wants from congress for a border wall. >> we have other ways that we canet to that $5 billion that we will work with congress. >> reporter: it's an apparent trump's from president initial demand. >> i am proud to shut down the government for border security. >> at the end of the day we don't want to shut down the we want to shut down the bmeder.

nt om illegal immigration. >> reporter: the senate expressing optimism. >> are you convinced we ll not shut down over christmas? >> yes, i am. >> reporter: democrats balking at a republicane comprom offer. >> i called leader mcconnell and told him we would not accept their $1 billion slush fundom >> reporter: warning about the fall yacout from failure. >> we will be blamed for this. >> reporter: with democrats set to take control of the house in just over two weeks, this could be president trump's last best chance to fund a wall after years of promising mexico would pay for it. >> and who is going to pay for the all? >> mexico! >> who? >> mexico! >> reporter: if no deal is reached, the price tag for a shutdown could extend into the billions of dollars a hundreds of thousands of federal borkers will furloughed or forced to work without pay just in time for christmas. many are already planning>> ahe.

i'm saving money. i'm running up a balance o my credit card that i'd otherwise wouldn't have to. >> hope ht doesn'tpen. if it does, hope to get back to work quickly. >> reporter: president trump overnight took to twitterce to again publicly push for his border wall writing that it won't be a, quote, concrete wall, but one, in his words, beautiful with, quote, artistically designed steel slats so you can eily see through it. >> thank you. the senate passed this sweeping criminal justice reform bill that had support from both the house and senate. what is t bill going to do? >> reporter: this is a win for the ite house and a win for the president's soirnl jared kushner. last night the senate passed what is the most significant changes onhis issue in decades. the bill would make thousands of inmates immediately eligible for reducedentences and early

release programs . it would give judges more leeway on mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders. it followed a united push by conservatives, by liberals, activists. you remember kim kardashian was heavily pushing for this. it's now in the house's hands. it's likely the house will pass this. the president says he lfoks ard to signing it. h all right. peter at the whise. thanks. >> a rare moment. republicans and democrats agreeing. unexpected drama in cou for michael flynn. his sentencing was postponed yesterday after a harsh tongue lashing from the judge. nbc's justi correspondent pete williams has the details. pete, i'll use a legal term. this was a shocker. here the prosecutors come in, they have made this deal with michael flynn he has cooperated with them. he pleaded guilty. he asked for probation. prosecutors said, okay, probation is fine with us. and then the judge said not so fast? >> right. this was a reminder that judges

do the sentencing, not the prosecutors and defense it was breathtaking to hear judge sullivan express what he called disgust and disdain for what michael flynn had pleaded ailty to doing. the judge evened at one point if mueller's team ever consynered charging with treason. that was a bit of a shock. i think there is another way of looking at this. judge sullivan wasbl pro doing michael flynn a favor by suggesting that if he went ahead with the sentencingnow, it was going to mean some prison time. and after the judge repeatedly sent that signal. the defense took the hint an asked for a postponement. >> what are we expecting? do you think micha flynn can avoid prison time? >> possible. the judge seemed to leave that tor open sayingt if he cooperates more with the prosecutors, that could make things much better at sentencing. but here is the challenge for general flynn. he has met with the mueller team 19 times. remember, heleaded guilty a year ago. it would seem mueller vie that effort pretty much over with or

he wouldn't have agreed to go ahead with thein sente it's not at all clear that flynn has enough to give that would overcome theudge's belief that he should serve some time behind bars. >> all right pete williams. thank you. craig joins the table. another storyeveloping overnight? >> good morning. more controversial this morning for facebk. "the new york times" is reporting that the soclll network aed partner companies like microsoft, amazon, and netflix greater access to user data than it has previously acknowledged. facebook admits it allowed other companies toead users' private messages, butacebook denies it did so without consent. they said in a statement tuesd that the partnerships were created so people can use facebook on devices they don't support. it id, quote, facebook's partners don't get to ignore pele's privacy settings. overnight tributes to penny marshall. natalie with a lk back at h

life, incredible career. natalie, good morning. good morning. yes. such a huge loss. of course, she was a groundbreaking pioneer in tv and film. penny rshall died at her hollywood hills home monday night due to complications from diabet. she was 75 years old. her family says they are a feeling shared by colleagues and millions of fans. >> reporter: with a career filled with laughter, penny marshall made her dreams come true. >> just count this. >> reporter: born in the bronx as carol penny marshall, she got her first taste of fame in 1950s dancing in programs like jackie gleason show. she shot to stardom on "laverne & shirley" aboutwo blue collar roommates working at a milwaukee brewery. a show created by her brother garry marshall. >> he said i'm not going to risk my career for yours, but you've got to do it from then on in.

>> reporter: after finding success on the small screen, marshall took her talents behind the camera. directing tom hanks in "big," becoming the first woman to ever direct a film that reached the $100 million mark at the box office. >> there is no crying in baseball! >> reporter: that trend conditioning with o "a leag their own." her life now being remembered by those who worked alongside her, including tom hanks, who tweeted, good-bye, penny, man, did we laugh a lot! which we still could. love you. rosie o'donnell saying she wasl absotely heartbroken. her "happy days" co-stars also remembering marshall. ron howard tweeti, she mad the transition from sitcom star to "a" list movie director with ease and h a major impact on both mediums. and henry winkler saying, she brought her own unique brand of mor to what was on the written page. marshall's ex-husband, actor and director reiner, celebrating her

gift for comedy tweeting, i was very lucky to have lived with her and her funny bone. iill miss her. actor david lander played annoying upstairs member squiggy on "laverne & shirley." >> what was amazing was how intelligent she was. that's why she was a good director. >> reporter: marshall made history with ac second woman to direct a ost picturar nominee. >> there is something about a script that i can identify with. i feel if i can identify, other people can hopefully. >> reporter: an entertainer who never forgot where she came from saying later in her life, i'll always be laverne. we are heariwi from cindy iams this morning. she released a statement saying, what an extraordinary loss. my good friend phenomenenny mars gone. one in a million, a truly great talent and oh what fun we had.

can't describe how i will miss her. a feeling shared by so many today. >> thank you so much. >> she came through here so many times and d so many better views. we will look at those, too. >> i know. when you think about all the movies she directed, these incredible movies you love. it's like, oh, yeann that was marshall. she made them so special. >> they always made you feel good. that's the amazing thing at the end of the day. yeah. ust ahead, we will look at some of the laughs and wisdom she shared with usto ony" over the years. all right. mr. roker, a check of the weather? >> good news out west. getting a little bit of a break om the strong storms. there will be more that come across. for now things are quiet. lookinun atine from southern california into the southwest. but this storm system t' developing, t going to be a big problem. a mild spell around the upper mississippi river valley and great lakes. things will be picking upeks well this d. for today it's literally the calm before the storm. sunshine from new england all nt the way down northern

florida. we are going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. good morning. i'm meteorologist chuck bell.le it's a sky and a cold start to your wednesday morning. temperatures are inhe mid-20s across most of the suburbs this morning. so you will need a warm coat for sure. your planner though for today is eal sunshine all the time. afternoon highsing the upper 40s to right around 50 degrees. it will rain hard tomorrow

afternoon and evening. that rain will tapero owers, but mild on friday with highs in the 60s. >> that's yr latest weather. coming up, who had the latest white christmas? a little game for youo guys play. all right. coming up, a new twist in that mom mystery in colorado. what led investigators to suddenly return to her home. 's the soon to be congressman who, of course, was offended by out about lending the "snl" star anner ear in the time of need. first, this is "today" on nbc. s. first, this is "today" on nbc. r. first, this is "e day" on nbc. . first, this is "today" on nbc.

all right. first, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, thebl remar story behind one of the most iconic photos ever earth rise. ut will hear from the astro who took that picture 50 years male boerlu peg pregns,ancy w mhile celebrating her first holiday season as a royal.

we are going to hear from her and a lot more after your local news and weather. wasn't my top priority. until i held her. i found my tresiba® reason. now i'm doing more to lower my a1c. once daily tresiba® controls blood sugar for 24 hours for powerful a1c reduction. tresiba® is a long-acting insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults with diabetes. don't use tresiba® to treat diabetic ketoacidosis, during episodes of low blood sugar, or if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. don't share needles or insulin pens. the most common side effect is low blood sugar, which may cause dizziness, sweating, confusion, and headache. check your blood sugar. low blood sugar can be serious and may be life-threatening. injection site reactions may occur. tell your prescriber about all medicines you take and all your medical conditions. taking tzds with insulins like tresiba® may cause serious side effects like heart failure. your insulin dose shouldn't be changed without asking your prescriber. get medical help right away if you have trouble breathing, fast heartbeat, extreme drowsiness, swelling of your face, tongue or throat, dizziness or confusion.

i found my tresiba® reason. find yours. ask your diabetes care specialist about tresiba®. hebut i'm kindai want t"ehhhhhhhhhhhh" about buying one. you're "ehhhhhhhhhhhh?" well, it's more like a "aaaiiiiiihhh." well, good news. carmax will buy your car even if you don't buy one from them. ahhh-haaaaaa. mmmmm-hmmm. oooh. ahhh. ahahaha. mmmm. nata dog's big lifews is measured in wags. giant wags. tiny wags. long wags. wags that zig, and wags that zag. fuel the wag you love most. the bigger the life... the bigger the wag.

♪ ♪ a lot will happen in your life. wrinkles just won't. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair's derm-proven retinol works so fast, it takes only one week to reveal younger looking skin. neutrogena® the united states postal service makes more holiday deliveries to homes

than anyone else in the country. ♪ with one notable exception. ♪ with the roomba robot vacuum. only roomba uses 2 multi-surface rubber brushes to clean all your floors. and with patented dirt detect technology, roomba finds dirt throughout your home. if it's not from irobot, it's not a roomba.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ he eats a bowl of hammers at every meal ♪ ♪ he holds your house in the palm of his hand ♪ ♪ he's your home and auto man ♪ big jim, he's got you covered ♪ ♪ great big jim, there ain't no other ♪ -so, this es covered, right? ma'am. take care of it for you right now. giddyup!

hi! this is jamie. we need some help. this is a news4 today news break. >> 7:26ims your on this wednesday, december 19, 2018. good morning toou. i'm eun yang. >> i'm aaron gilchrist. developing in the district this morning, police are searchir he suspect who killed a man overnight. this is video of the scene in ia 700 block of west virg avenue. the victim was shot around midnight. montgomeryounty police are searching for a man who inappropriately touched a girl saturday at the rockville memorial library. the girl says the man approached her in the children's section. now a check on your commute with melissa molett and your first4 traffic. melia, thank you. you're welcome. brighton dam near georgia avenue we have an overturned vehicle in broomville this morning.

chopper 4 showing you that. dunsmore road lanes blocked by icy conditions. and inner loop at the american leaguen bring, a crash there. later today on news4, crash tests help keep you and your faly safe on the roads. toda4 on news at 4, consumer therter susan hogan revea top safety picks for 2019. at 5:00 behind the scenes of those crash hests. a on your forecast after this. stay with us.

clear skies and a freezing cold start thiser morning. teures in the mid-20s for most ofs suburbs. it will be a sunny day. a nice recovery. upper 40s to near 50 degrees for highs today. no rain today, a but quiit of rain, one to two inches of rain starting tomorrow afternoon lingering into the day on

friday. >> thank you. another local news update in 25 minutes. >> for now backo he today show" after this short break. have a great day.

♪ hark how the bells ells ♪silver ♪ all seem to say throw cares away ♪ ♪ christmas is here bringing good cheer ♪ ♪ to young and the old weak and the bold ♪ ♪ ding dong ding dong that is the song ♪ ♪ with joyful ring all carolling ♪ ♪ one seems to hear words of good cheer ♪ ♪ from everywhere fiing the air ♪ ♪ oh, how they pound raising a sound ♪ ♪ through hill and dale telling a tale ♪ ♪ gaily they ring while people hear ♪ ♪ songs of good cheer christmas is here ♪ merry, merry, merry merry christmas ♪ ♪ merry, merry, merry merry chstmas ♪ ♪ on, on they send on without end ♪ ♪ their joyful tone to every home ♪ ♪ hark how sie bells sweeer bells ♪ ♪ all seem to say throw cares away ♪ >> the rest of the morning? 7:30 on this wednesday morning. i feel your mood being lifted at home. we are getting you in the holiday spirit with the music from new york city's children's

chorus. ill be spreading cheer on the plaza all morning long. >> i got nhills. it hhing to do with the weather. that is just beautiful. >> angelic voices. >> beautiful. >> we will hear more from them in a moment. the headlines at the top for us, theat trump adminisn on tuesday officially banned bump stocks, the device that allows a semi-automatic weapon to fire rapidly like an automatic firearm. bump stocks were used in the las vegas shooting massacre last year. 58 concert-goers killed, hundreds injured. th ban means owners must destroy or surrender their bump stocks by late march. residents in washington state are cleaning up this morning. a tornado touched down on tuesday ripping roofs off homes and buildings, toppling trees as well. o happened in port orchard. that's west seattle. video shows debate being tossed through the air the. far no reports of injuries. arrnados are considered extremely in the pacific northwest.

elon musk calls it the answer to soul-destroying traffic. the tech entrepreneurle unv his underground transportation tunnel on tuesdaea it runs ben the streets of los angeles. the test ttnel j a mile long, 14 feet wide, 40 feet deep. muttk says the system is designed so cars can go 150 mileayper hour. on he thinks it will help relieve traffic congestion in cities like l.a., new york, and ch dago. nelopments in the mysterious disappearance of the colorado mother who vanished nearly aonthgo. police returning to the property of her fiance for a second time atw. nbc's steverson has the latest on this investigation. steve, good morning. >> reporter: savannahd morning to you. this is a mystery that is still very much a missingersons case. no suspect has been named here, but police, as you mentioned, once again paying a visit to the missing man's fiance. this morning aew rened focus on patrick frazee after a convoy of

local police, sheriff's in unmarked suvs were spotted leaving his ranch tuesday. police calling it a routine follow-up. the new visit comes after a two-day search at frazee's property over the weekend. 75 people scouring 35 acres, hunting for any sign of 29-year-old colorado mom kelsey berreth. missing since thanksgiving. police not yet revealing what they found and not naming frazee as a suspectho theyay is cooperating. >> there have been numerousbo questions whether patrick is a suspect or a person of interest. at ts pointe are considering every possibility. >> reporter: berreth was last season plicly on november 22nd spotted on surveillance video, shopping with her 1-year-old daughter. she vished with cinnamon rolls still on the stove. her car parked in the driveway. three days later her cell phone nged 800iles from home in idaho. kelsey's mother reported her missing ten days after she was

last seen and describes her daughter's relationship with frazee as loving. >> they had plans that haven't worked ohe as would have liked, but they have dealt with that and they have made things rk regardless. >> reporter: frazee told police he last saw berreth when he picked up their child on thanksgiving. but a social dia post from berreth's aunt says she was ending the relationship. formation nbc hasn't confirmed. she broke up with her exxon nation -- ex on thanksgiving. she was he hading to soap lake washington on thanksgiving. >> it's not normal. kelsey a m her typically talk quite often. imean, they were attached at the hip since she was little. please bring her home. we miss h we want her back. >> reporter: police now offering a $25,000 reward for anyn informathat leads to the location of berreth. meanwhile, the coldle's 1-yearaughter remains in the care and custody of frazee.

back to you. >> steve patterson, thank you. mr. roker is standing a by wither look at the forecast. >> we are ready to play a little christmas game? >> yes. >> okay. the white christmas is an inch of snow on the ground. who has had a white cistmas re recently? for example, seattle or cleveland? >> cleveland. >> cleveland? you say cleveland? >> i think seattle. >> seattle is correct. okay. here i a chance for you guys to get back in. all right. atlanta, new york, who had the latest white christmas? >> atlanta. >> new drk. >> who s atlanta? >> me. >> you win, hoda. the last one for you. who had the latest white christmas? dallas or washington? >> dallas. >> dallas. >> you are both right. it's a20 tie. . >> what do we win, al? >> nothing at all! however, let's take a look at this. we updated chances for a white christmas. likely yellowstone park, boise,. and seatt here in the northeast our

chances have dropped for boston, new york, and washington, d.c. but possible in rochester, pittsburgh, detroit, chicago, and indianapolis. unlikely. minneapolis likely. here's what's houpening in neck of the woods. good morning. i'm storm team4 meteorologist chuck bell. indeed, our chances of a white christmasre down close to zero. today it will be bright and sunny. it's cold this morning though. 33 at national airportti but it's sll in the 20s acrossth most o suburbs this morning. you will need your warm coat for sure. hourly planner then, temperatures jumping into the upper t 40s near 50 degrees for a high temperature today. 50 downtown. i manassas. tomorrow we will start off y. it will rain hard tomorrow afternoon and evening. >> that's your latest weather. we will update the storms in the next halnkhour. >> thayou, al. coming up, as we remember penny marshall this morning, a look at the laus and some of the life advice she shared here on "today." meghan markle making some rare comments ancut her

preg we will hear from her. an inside look at nasa's first flightn to the m 50 years later from one othe astronauts who was there. harry senate will have thfous. an american journalist executed by isis four years ago. his family and a fellow hostage are speaking out this morning. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ato be there... for the good. and not so good. for the mundane.

the awe-inspiring. the heart racing. the heart breaking. that's what life is all about... showing up. unless migraine steals your chance to say "i am here." that's why, we created aimovig.. a preventive treatment for migraine in adults. one dose, once a month. aimovig is proven to reduce the number of monthly migraine days. for some, that number can be cut in half or more. the most common side effects are pain, redness, or swelling at the injection site and constipation. these are your days what will each one bring? doesn't matter, as long as you can say... "i am here." talk to your doctor about preventing migraine with aimovig. and be there more. ...at dick's sporting goods! with more of the gifts you want ...from the brands you love. like nike footwear and apparel. the hottest new adidas.

and all of the latest under armour. every holiday starts at dick's! the united states postal service and all of the latest under armour. makes more holiday deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country. ♪ with one notable exception. ♪ somebody burned down my she shed.. nobody burned down your she shed, cheryl. well my she shed's on fire. your she shed was struck by lightning. zachary, is my she shed covered by state farm? your she shed's covered, cheryl. you hear that victor? i'm getting a new she shi-er she shed. she shi-er? mhhm. that's wonderful news. go with the one that's here

to help life go right. state farm. give joyat kohl's!.. we've got your last-minute gifts! with an extra 15 or 20% off!... and kohl's cash for you! short on time? buy online - free store pick-up! most orders ready in two hours! and, starting friday - we're open 24 hours! give joy, get joy. at kohl's! s>> we are back. 7:41 on t wednesday morning. a family fighting for justice. >> american journalist jamesfo y was executed at the hands of isis in 2014, but four years later the fate of his accused killers is still very much up in the air. nbc's keir simmons is here with at story you spent time talking with the family? >> that's right. good morning. this is about american families still waiting for justice over some of the most infamous killings cared out by isis. court documents seen by nbc news suggest tension over britain and america over the case whichay land on president trump's desk

in 2019. today a mother and a former hostage. his name was jes foley. a war journalist devoted to shining a spotlight on the world's ongs. >> without these photos and videos and firsthand experiencee can't really tell the world how bad it might be. >> reporter: today from this small massachusetts office his mom batowels keep her son's name alive. >> jim would not want to be remembered how he, for how he died, but rather how and what he believed in. >> reporter: the first born of five from illinois, james' mom says he was always determined to help the disadvantaged. >> he grew te such a great young man. i am very proud of him. jim was very passionate because he knew it wasnd dangerous a he knew it was getting more and more dangerous. >> reporter: in 2014, aged just 40, james foley was the first of

27 people kidnapped and killed on camera by a gang of infamous isis torturers nicknamed the beatles for their british accent. four years later these men, allegedly members of the gang that killed ja are yet to face trial. they were captured last january by kurdish forces whoere u.s. allies. photography card photography -- one of the hostages. >> they are bad people. >> reporter: ty were psychopaths? >> these guys, yes. >> reporter: he trad to syria to con frent the men who he said core churd him and the others. >> they like to do it. >> reporter: you thought they were doing it? >> yeah, sure, yeah. >> reporter: now the men's fate may depend on president trump. america has been gathering evidence against them. in this interview eclusively obtained by nbc news, theof wif ne of the accused says two

members of the fbi came to talk to me. the fbi told me my husband was in jail and he will be taken to murdered would welcome that.io another o facing president trump is to make the men his first detainees at the guantana military detention center. >> the british families and american families are strongly against guantanamo because they used the wholege i of guantanamo and the orange jumpsuits to mock us. >> reporter: two alleged isis members accusedf involvement the killing of americans still not brought to justice. >> if we don't stand up forst e, who are we? you know, we are no better than they are,ou know. it's very important to do the right thing. veryor int. yeah, it's very important. >> our heartbreaks for diana in her mind's eye, what does she being?tice as >> she is very clear about it.

she would like to see these men put on trial maybe in a u.s. federal court, a eopean court. she is open to those kinds of possibilities. she ds not want the death penalty. she thinks that will turn these men into martyrs. britai these men, revoked their citizenship. so they are in limbo and all these families want after four years is to see justicdone. >> they certainly deserve it. al of them. it's good to remember them. >> thank you. just ahead, what soon to be congressman dan crenshaw isng sayibout his conversations with "snl's" pete davidson wake instagram post coming up right after this. new theraflu powerpods.

the cold and flu fighting machine. you put in your machine. press the button to brew up powerful relief. to defeat your toughest cold and flu symptoms fast. new theraflu powerpods. press. sip. relief. is time you make for yourself. aveeno® daily moisturizing lotion improves skin hydration in just 1 day. and for twice the moisture, try the body wash, too. aveeno® naturally beautiful results® the type of person who would never leagood hustle.nging... is the same type of person who will have your back throughout the entire car buying or selling experience, because helping people is what carmax people are all about. ♪

♪ enhanced up to 48 hours. new unbelieva-brow longwear brow gel no smudge. sweat resistant. waterproof. it's unbelievable. unbelieva-browlongwear. l'oreal paris. unbelieva-browlongwear. and just like you, the further into winter we go, the heavier i get. and while your pants struggle to support the heavier you, your roof struggles to support the heavier me. [laughter] whoo. [crash] and your cut-rate insurance might not pay for this. so get allstate, you could save money and be better protected from mayhem like me. mayhem is everywhere. so get an allstate agent. are you in good hands? whenyou know your holiday of tshopping is complete.,

it's time to celebrate. [♪ ] [♪ ] what they did to you... it hurts like hell. it's a hate crime. i was a hell of a good artist and nocan barely write my name. so, i created a world where i can heal. mo at your service madeiselle. are all of the dolls people you know? yeah, everyone has a place here in marwen. there's caralala... you can't keep on running away. julie... you gotta lo the pain. pain is our rocket fuel. roberta... back off! ...and nicol. i just moved in across the street. the only way you're going to get better, is if you face those jerks who beat you up.

i'm not really sure how to do this. we got ys r back hogan. we alwve your back. from the groundbreaking director of "forrest gump". bottoms up girls. to life, to love. [ gasp ] to the women of marwen. hell yeah. maybe the dolls should stay in the car. i never go aupwhere without my bac we're back with a touching moment of support for "snl" star pete davidson in the o wake this troubling instagram post that had friends and fans really concerned aboutisell being. >> nbc's morgan radford is here with details. >> good morning. pete davidson has talked openly about his struggl with mental illness. after a cryptic instagram folks, he made folks worry about his safety. he got am call f someone weeks before was on the receiving end of davidson's humor.

>> reporter: words of encouragement from an unexpected source. "saturday night live" star pete davidson receiving a call of support from congressman-elect dan crenshaw following the comedian's troubling instagram post. >> it was devastating. >> reporter: crenshaw discussing their conversation with nbc affiliate kprc. >> we are not good friends. i think he appreciated hearing from me. >> reporter: the latest wrinkle in the t relationship betwe comedian and soon to be congressman that began with a joke that went over the line. >> i know he lost his eye in war, whatever. >> reporter: in november, davidson made a controversial quip on "saturday night live" about the veteran turned politician, a poking fun crenshaw's appearance, t specificalhe eye he lost during a combat tour in afghanistan. >> you may be surprised to hear he is a congressional candidate from texas and not a hitman in a importanto movie. >> reporter: afternline

backlash, the 25-year-old apologized to the former navy seal who made apr se cameo on "snl" the next week. >> he looks like a troll doll with a tapeworm. >> reporter: davidson's truggles with addiction and borderline personality disorder are well documented. many feared the worst saturday after he posted on instagram, i really deent want e to be on thith anymore. i am doing my best to stay here for you, but i actuallyon't know how much longer i can last. >> you don't want to see somebody in that kind of position to the point where they are actually putting out a cry for help on social media. >> reporter: that cry for help prompted the nypd to conduct a wellness check as words of encouragement poured in, including from his ex-fiancee ariana grande. while davidson made a brief appearance on air hours after hispost. >> once again, mark ronson and mileyru s. >> reporter: the "snl" standout was the cter of concern for

fans, friends, and surprising confidantes. >> everybody has a pur in this world. god put you here for a reason. but it's your job to find that purpose. so crenshaw's full conversation is scheduled to air sunday on our nbc affiliate kprc. we didn't get a statement from "snl"r pete davidson. i interviewed kren crntshaw a f back. when i heard he made in phone call, it was not surprising at all. he seems like the kind of guy he is. >> demonstrating he is as classy as he isfunny. >> very funny. great deadpan. he might be able to mpete. >> thank you. and still to come, jimmy fallon's big surprise with help fromlle obama for tourists at 30 rock. and remembering belovedac ess and director penny marshall through her many appearances on "today" over the years. first, your local news. if you have psoriasis, little things can be a big deal. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not a cream. it's a pill that treats moderate to severe

plaque psoriasis differently. with otezla,75% clearer skin is achievable. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. tell your doctor about your medicines and if you're pregnant or planning to be. otezla. show more of you. give joy,at kohl's!... and get kohl's cash for you! give joy with fine fragrances a new keurig or, a fitbit versa - and you'll get kohl's cash! "kohl's cash for you!" "thanks!" and, starting friday - we're open 24 hours! give joy, get joy - at kohl's. brushing only reaches 25% of your mouth. listerine® cleans virtually 100%. helping to prevent gum disease and bad breath. never settle for 25%.

always go for 100. bring out the bold™ ♪five golden... ♪six golden rings... ♪seven golden rings! the united states postal service makes more holiday deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country.

♪ with one notable exception. ♪ do you want to take the path or the shortcut? not too fast. pr (vo) you do more than ect parks when you share the love. you protect our future.ru get a new sulike the all new forester, and charities like the national park foundation can receive two hundred and fifty dollars from subaru., (avo) get zero percent during the subaru share the love event.

this is a news4 today news break. >> 7:56 is your te on this wednesday, december 19, 2018. good morning to you. i'm eun yang. right now we want to check in with melissat and your first4 traffic. how are the roads looking? >> northbound 270 at 121 this crash is cleared out of the way. did have some closures there earlier. inner loop before the american legion bridge a crash causing some delays. alexandria telegraph near dunsmore, lanes blocked by icy roadways. we will check your forecast next. stay with us. op

peren't talking about giant's delicious op spiral ham glazed with real honey. they're not talking, because they'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. the holidays make me look forward to chick-fil-a honestly. every year we have an ugly sweater party.like tanat cute. that one is i lo ve 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. the sun is shining. winds are light. that's going to be the case for the rest of the day. nice warmup inront of us as well. temperatures are still below freezing for most of suburbs. with full sunshine upper 40s and low 50sjooday. the sunshine because rain, heavy at times, arrives later in the day tomorrow. mild and showery on friday. dry and cooler for the weend. >> chuck, thank you. another local news update for you in just 25 minutes. for now, back to "the today show" after this short break. have a great day.

♪ is 8:00 on "today." coming up, holiday road. with millions bracing for stormy weatr ahead. t of the holiday weekend, what io uld mean for your christmas commute. plus, royal family matters. while meghan markle is spreading holiday cheer. >> very good. >> new questions about how she'll spend her first christmas as a royal. is her mother heading to the palace and how i relationship with her father after he spoke out on british tv? >> she sees it as a betrayal. then penny and her thoughts. >> self-righteous. sorry. too late. ha we will take a lack at some of penny ma's most memorable moments right here on

"today." he>> it's too early in t morning, maria. how do you do this? >> how she always kept us laughing. today is wednesday, december 19, 2018. ♪ if it's meant to be >> shout out! >> our baby m.j. bac home in st. louis. >> and the grandma taking care of him. >> we just graduated from nursing school and we are celebrating today. yay! >> from sac city, iowa. hi, grandma and grandma. >> from baton rouge. >> four sisters in the city from tyler, texas. ♪ ♪ letry eve heart prepare his room ♪

♪ and heaven and nature s g ♪ ♪ and heaven and nature sing ♪ h andven and heaven andre naing ♪ >> wow. now,hat's how you start a show. >> nice. >> back to "today" and more music from the new york city chorus.'s as far as i'm concerned, a bunch of angels on our plaza. we will getore musicrom them just ahead. >> and talk to them as well. your news at 8:00, messys winter stoe closing in on holiday travelers just as they ar getting ready to hit the roads and airports in record numbers. al is tracking it all. >> we are seeing the heavyhu showers anderstorms down in texas. flash flood watches from florida all thewway up into n england. we will see that fill in as the day wears on today on into tomorrow. here is the storm in the south for today. atowers, thunderstorms. tomorrow severe r developing in florida. heavy thunderstorms in atlanta. for airport delaysts makes way late tomorrow night into the northeast and then continues

with ada secon low developing, and that will mean friday is going to be a mess with heavy rain. rainfall amounts upware of f inches in parts of florida. three to five inches new york on into n england. excessive rainfall, flood risks as well. airport delays for tomorrow, atlanta, charlotte, all the way back to nashville. chicago possible as well. down into miami and orlando. on the roads, 75 atlanta too miami, atlanta to raleigh on a i-85. miami toashington, d.c. on i-95. then on friday look at airport delays from atlanta all the way up to boston, back to detroit and chicago. on the roadsou are going to haveot problems in cha and cleveland. i-95 raleigh up to boston it's going to be a mess. and back on saturday, ys,hen the system pulls away, strong winds will be moving inland andw thatl cause airport delays as well.midwe back to you. >> yes, a wind story for sure. thank you. congress and the president have just about d twos now

prevent a partial government shutdown. denbc white house corresp peter alexander has the latest on where the negotiations stand this hour. peter, good morning. >> good morning to you. you're right. the clock isicng. new indications this morning that lawmakers may have a way out thatvoids ahutdown this week and kicks the can into early next year. two democratic aides tell nbc news the democrats would not oppose a sho-term spending deal to early february if republicans propose it. that would give all parties more tim to sort out a longer t deal. the white house hasn't said whether the president is on board with that. even as it signals a retreat from the president's demand for $5 billion from congress for a border wall, the deadline againn is fridayht. without a deal hundreds of thousands of federal workers will be furloughed or forced to work without pay just in time also this morning the white house is touting a rare bipartisan bill o criminal justice. the senate passing it

overwhelmingly last nht. the bill would make thousands of inmates immediately eligible for reduced sentences in early release programs. it also gives judge more leeway on mandatory minimum sentences, specifically for nonstri lent drug offenders. the housete is expto pass it. the president says he looks forward to signing it. >> all right. peter, thank you. well, several runaway zebras ave been turned to a christmas circus after putting on quite the unexpected show. the zras bolted from a circusnt in germany. there they are. they went different directions, making iven harder to corral them. police rounded them up with some help from some circus handlers there. one officer was actually hurt. he was kicked by one ofhose runaway zebras. he is expected to be okay. our boost. there are so many best christmas memories stored in our heart. we decided to compile a bunch of

beautiful special moments on hicamera. i t you will enjoy these. >> here! >> aw! >> i love it so much! ♪ >> i love you! >> merry christmas! >> what do you want for christmas? >> i want to take a nap. >> aw! >> that is mommy's christmas present, too, taking a nap. >> a great boost. just ahead, royal baby

watch. what meghan markle just shared about her pregnancy while spreading some hol cheer. and paying tribute to penny marshall through the words and laughs she shared with us on "today" over the years. first, these messages. ♪ ♪ ♪ but one blows them all out of the water.

hydro boost from neutrogena®. with hyaluronic acid to plump skin cells so it bounces back. neutrogena® so it bounces back. our because of smoking.ital. but we still had to have a cigarette. had to. but then, we were like. what are we doing? the nicodermcq patch helps prevent your urge to smoke all day. nicodermcq. you know why, we know how. hebut i'm kindai want t"ehhhhhhhhhhhh" about buying one. you're "ehhhhhhhhhhhh?" well, it's more like a "aaaiiiiiihhh." well, good news. carmax will buy your car even if you don't buy one from them. ahhh-haaaaaa. mmmmm-hmmm. oooh. ahhh. ahahaha. mmmm. ♪ one, ♪ one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, schlemiel! schlimazel! hasenpfeffer incorporated! ♪ ♪ we're gonna do it [♪]

[♪] [♪] [♪] [♪] ♪

♪ we're back. 8:10. more on the life and legacy of the great penny marshall. >> she was a real original from her sitcom days to acclaimed work as a director, she was a legend. he was here on "toda frequently, always making us laugh and dishing out some words of wisdom. >> how are you feeling? everybody thinks -- >> don't knock it. i'm fine. i have been fine. i go once a year. i dodged a big bullet. all those people who are saying, t u know, they call [ bleep ]. sorry. too late. >> from carrie y fischer, learned that, didn't you? >> yeah. too.veryone else, carrie has -- >> what a mouth! >> well, we talk that way.

what else is there to do, you know rich the box office receipts. i last heard $ million. what is your most recent figure? >> isew somre around there. >> is that unprecedented for a woman director? >> i hear that, too, yeah. i thi it's a good movie. it's shocking that it got this, you know, this big. so now the pressure that you make a hit, now the pressure is a little higher. >> high fastball. can't hit him. lay off. >> i read where you keep a sentence or twoou in head while you shoot. is thatccurate? >> yeah. keeping in check. >> let me start with "big." what sentence is running through your head? >> that was be careful what you wish for,ss the gs always greener. >> awakeningning? >> don't throw your life away by being neurotic. >> league? >> that was don't be ashamed of your talent.

>> some of them are going home. >> is sentiment going to be your signature? >> i don't know. sentiment? i mean, i'm sentimental. i like to go to a movie and i like to laugh and i like to cry and i like to get involved in a story and the people in it. >> mom, pop? >> yeah? >> i'm pregnant. >> my daughter is a tramp. >> i know you were a mother when you were a teenager. did you bring your own personal experiences to this >> i understood what it's like being a teenage mom and that idyou're a you're a kid raising a kid. parents should take their kid i think parents will understand it if they have had children. well, they wouldn't be parents if the didn't have children. it's too early in the morning, maria. how do you do thi >> you look good! >> you guys have to have a favoritesode or certain moments that happened on the show that stay with you? >>ph the mury bed show. was.ver one that i don't know what the title of

it was. we called it something. >> we call it the murphy bed. ♪ schlemiel! schlimazel! hasenpfeffer incorporated! ♪ >> thesong, schlemiel, schlimazel. >> it's people who don't do very well. th't do well -- >> achlemiel is someone who trips overa nothing. schlimazel trips over the schlemiel. ♪ for me and you >> but the question is, what's the line afterchlemiel! schlimazel! hasenpfeffer incorporated! >> hasenpfeffer. >> i always mumbled through that. >> is that the beer comny that they worked for? >> no. >> >> internet, we need you. >> what's the name of the beer company? >> i don't remember. >>ouhotz. >> ofe you knew that. "laverne & shirley," their favorite drink was the milk and pepsi. we raise our glass to penny. >> yeah. >> cheers, penny. >> i always wanted my mom to let

me have this. >> how is it? oh, wow. >> not bad.. it's interesti i like the bottom of a float. >> yeah. >> yeah. i don't know where you are gtong with the bof something. l right. > "popstart." >> keir is back. we are starting with a ral roundup. meghan markle with her first christmas as auchess and speaking out about her penguinsy. , keir. >> wonderfully beautifully gorgeously pregnant. she is spreading holiday cheer and having to deal with esiticism from her dad and from anonymous sourc that at times seems pretty unfair. >> reporter: meghan se-assured, despite relentless pressure wlyh d headlines claiming tension at the palace and her growingp baby bum clearly visible. as the duchess of sussex visiter asing home, holding hands with one resident, reports say she has pledged to keep working

until close to the birth. >> very good. i'm feeling very pregnant. >> yes, i know all about it from the paper:. >> reporte meghan has become e target of often anonymous attacks arks accused of breaking royal ptocolike holding hands with harry on offial duty, criticid o social media for krad bling herp bum at a fashion show. she is seen as too demanding by soal staff and claims of divisions between william and kate, harry and meghan. meanwhile, meghan's father's sipearance on british tele show good morning british. >> i would appreciate anything she could do. i would think s would want to resolve the family problems. all families, royal or rotherwise. orter: the palace not

commenting. >> there has been a sense from the kensington palace side that the more he gives interviews, the morehe'll double down and not want to see him because she sees it as a betray a. >> reporte christmas approaches questions over whether meghan's mom will visit for the holidays. all hoping for a happy new year with the birth of a royal baby and maybe a first trip to the u.s. f meghan's new royal family. >> i don't know how her dad thinks appearing on television will help them heal those wounds. i have never been pregnant, but i think i know, right? >> you think she is handling it well? >> yes, that's a lot to handle, her first pregnancy. >> look behind the criticism. what's at the root oft? i think there is son snobbery. it's always tough to join the royal family. i think prejudice. i think, frankly, she is d ng pretty well. >> i think she is handling it beautifully. >>eyes. >> we ooting for her. >> stop putting the father on.

>> right. >> enough. >> we are rooting for her. >> thank you, keir. >> fantast job with the "popstart." >> he can do anything. up next,he new tulsa series "siminute marathon" with savannah. questions with some of your favorite folks. a brand new episode out today with our very own jenna bush hager and her sister barbara. >> what is yourit fav family tradition? >> mexican food on christmas eve is mye fav family>> tradition. say waking up early on christmas morning. >> have you ever social media stalked anyone? >> lin-manuel miranda. >> you have? >> eyeah, so h you. >> that's right. what about you, barbara? have you ever social stalked anyone? >> yes. and they will remai nameless. >> oh, ex-boyfriend? >> she is like, stop me. >> i know. >> to watch the full episode and all of our digital series head

to today.com to see all of that glory. former first lady michelle obama stopped by "the tonight show" tuesday and joined simmy toprise a few unsuspecting guests on an nbc studios tour. take a look. >> happy holidays >> whoa! [ applause ] >> you mind if i get on? actually,ou know wha we'll take the next one. >> wait, wait, wait. i thought -- >> oh! cheers ] >> talk about the ride of tir lives. you can watch that full video at today.com also. >> they are like, wait, keep the door open. >> oh, my sh. michelle obama jump roping.

>> i'm shoed people don't throw themselves out of the elevator. >> you are in shock. >> yeah, you l?e. >> i am sure the weather will be just as exciting? >> not so fast. i'd like to say yes, but not really. although, we like a little dull we before what's coming especially on the east coast. lots of sunshine. it's going to be fairly a mild spell through the upper mississippi and ohio river ndlleys. strong windsnow making their way through the western plains. sunshine along the west coast, although showers and snow in the pacific northwest. that's what's going oround the country. here's what's happening in your >>ck of the woods. e ha w olskdies aunre clear. it's going to be a nice sunny day today. temperatures will recover. we are still mostly in the mid-20s iur the s to around 30 downtown. high temperatures today 48 in gaithersberg, 51 fredericksburg. you may want no download the washington app because we have a lot of rain coming ouray tomorrow. likely to need a storm team4

weather alert r tomorrow and iday. >> that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you. the 50th anniversary of apollo 11's historic lunar a landin neil armstrong's first steps on the moon is coming up next july. >> this month marks 50 yearsno sinceer daring mission. apollo 8. harry smithith thatncredible story. >> think about this. before nasa could land on the ne moon, they they had to get out of earth's orbit. they had to fly it at moon. they had to f to the moon and come back. this is the first crew to do this. this is apollo 8. 50th anniversary comin up. it's also the story of an unlikely photographer who brought back a whole new world view. >>beeporter: dawn, dec 21, 1968. the maen aboard apollo 8 are about to go where no man's gone before.

>> even today when i up and see that crescent hmoon, r kind of goes up on the back of my mecneck a little bit. >> reporter: nasa astronauts brimming with the right stuff and no small amount of elnfidence. >> you know, probably the world's best fighter pilot, but we don't talk about that. >> reporter: anders, a cold war your and nuclear engineer, knew their mission was risky business. nasa's first flight to the moon. >> i thought i had one chance in three of thefu succe flights. successful missions. then one chance in three of not surviving. >> reporter: beneath the astronauts the saturn 5, a massive rocket with incredible wer that had never before lifted a human being off the face of the earth until that morning. >> three, two, one, zero. >> the actual lift-off itself

was kind of an eye-opener tme. >> we have lift-off. >> i felt like a bug on the end of a whip antenna getting thrashed back and forth. >> reporter: the rocket thrust the crew first into's ear orbit and then fired them on a path to the moon. >> apollo 8 was traveling faster than any before. >> when we launcd after about 2 a hours of climbing up, i startedaking pictures. we were able to get a view of the earth. >> reporter: the earth in full view as no human being had seen before. >> i took a picture of the full eart first full earth color shot, which is my favorite picture. >> reporter: onc in lunar orbit, anders' assignment was to shoot photos of the moon's surface. on the crew's third pass, orman tweaks nk the position of the spacecraft. >> all right. we're going to roll. >> wnd boy,e they surprised. >> it was in the turning around looking forward process when i

saw this thing coming out of the corner of my eye indo the w it turned out it was the earth. >> oh, my god, look at that picture over there. that is the earth coming up. wow, is that pretty. >> hey, don't take t that,t's not scheduled. >> frank brmen in the process jokingly said, you can't do that,t' anders, not on the flight plan. >> reporter: because nowhere in nasa's schedule was it, oh, take pictures of the earth while you are up there? >> exactly. right. >>s a beautiful shot. >> when the earth came up over the lunar shorizon, tha when it really impressed me as to much more delicate the earth was and colorful. >> reporter: it wasas chris eve 1968 and soon there was another task at hand. a broadcast from space. on earth an audience of about a billion people. did they tell you, well, you should say something or you reading is? did they give you any instruction? >> hardly any instruction. about as much instruction as we

have of how to take a picture of th earthrise. >> reporter: commander borman decided the crew would do ain re do you remember what part you read? >> the first part. >> reporter: do you mind reang it? >> in the beginning god created the heaven and the earth. the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep. d the spirit of god moved upon the face of the waters and god said, let there be light. apparently thated really sho mission control. they weren't expecting that whatsoever. >> reporter: apollo 8 splashed down in the spask onecber 26th. and the photo which came to be known as earthrise was published a few days later. >> it must be the most astonishing photograph anyone has seen. >> reporter: while it would appear on a stamp and in countless magazines, the camera it was taken on all but disappeared until recently. there is a place in kansas

called the cosmos sphere? wanted tou see if might be interested in taking a look at that. >> what is that? ishat hasselblad? ter: it's yours. >> i didn't take very good care of it, did i? that is something else. i am trying to think how it works. >> reporter: happily, when the time came, he knew. the result nothing less than an image for the ages. >> my gosh. >> my mouth is on the floor. >>le exactly. alone this whole idea, what happens when nl armstrong walks on the moon can't happen unless these guys go up and orbit the moon. the whole thing, no human being d ever gone up there. you have to hit the brakes at the right time to catch the moon'sou orbit. ifdon't, you fly around the moon and come screaming back to earth again. this was huge >>science. t's so strange how emotional

that moment is even all these years later, rig? >> well, christmas eve. can you imagine? from outer space? >> thank you. >> we want to watch that story again. this is a news4 today newsbreak. >> good morning everybody. 8:26 on this wednesda december 19. i'm aaron gilchrist. ot's get to melissa molett. she has a look a first4 traffic. >> good morning. taking a look at the roads northbound 270 at clarksburg road cleared out of the way. southbound looks good as well. inner loop approaching theam ican legion bridge, an earlier crash. take a live look right now. it is very slow. arlington northbound 395 at glebe, right lane blocked by a broken down vehicle. >> thank you. we will have a look at ourne forecast whe come back.

good morning everybody. sunshine and cold for still below freezing in most of the suburbs. afternoon highs the upper 40s to right around 50 degrees. you want to download our nbc washington app and give me a follow or likedi on social to stay ahead of tomorrow's soaking rain that's coming in. hef rain likely tomorrow afternoon and evening. cloudy and mild on friday as well with more showers lingering

around. the good news is we will be dry for the weend. >> thank you. and you can get the latest news and weather anytithe . just open c washington app.

♪ ♪ come on its lovely weather for ♪ sleigh ride together with you ♪ outside the snow is calling and friends are calling yoo-hoo ♪ ♪ giddy up giddy up let's go ♪ let's look at s thehow ♪ we are riding a wonderland of snow ♪ ♪ it's grand just holding your hand ♪ ♪ we are riding along to a song on a wintry fairy land ♪ ♪ our cheeks are niez and rosy and comfy cozy are we ♪

♪ let's take the road before us andg a chorus or two ♪ ♪ come on it's lovely weather for aid sleighre you ♪ >> wow. wow. wow. right.is okay big finish! way to go, guys- guys. a beautiful rendition of sleighride. how about them? >> amazing. they are s sll singing pretty. thank you. >> so proud. >> yeah. we will hear more from them ahead. meanwhile, there are three days left in our annual toy drive. george, one of the stars of the

new bumblebee mie. where is shaupwna and matt? where are you from is. >> s/* sz st. louis, missouri. >> thank you for being here. you ar i like how you looked at her. she said so. >> as they say, happyife, happy life. >> that's right. you're a smart man. where is the baby. >> she is at home with grandma. so nice to meet you. shah for watching us. we appreciate i our new best friend. >> how cute. the cuttit. we med bumblebee. you will hear justin theroux's voice in it. he is starring in a new m bie

about ruer ginsberg. we will talk to him in a little bit. >> and then we will talk to one much new york's most sought after chefs, ryan hardy. he is here putting a ntwist on family burger night. >> that storm is developing through the gulf causing e problems for ttern hatch half of the country. strong winds through the western plains. sunshine in the northeast and the at the eastern third country. a mess. severe storms, rainy and windy weather back into the pacific northwest. sunshine from the plains into the southwest. a sunny andar cold to your wednesday morning. most of the outeying suburbs

below freezing this morning. have a jacket ready to go. afternoon temperatures the upper 40s to 50 degrees. not a bad day to be outside today. but rain, heavy at intimes, rol or the second half of your thursday and thursday night. rain will taper to showers and be very mild on frida with temperatures in the 60s. and then we should be dry for the weekend into christmas eve. >> little bonus. ♪ o come ye to bethlehem >> thank you. thanks to the choir. sheenle is talking about someone's lack of a gen thumb? >> yes, meet savannah's ficust. pl isn't it beautiful? we know it's been failing, sook you o social media for answers writing, crowd-sourcing this. why is my ficus dying? i water it once a week. it sits next to the h window.

e only had it four months. i talk to it and greet it and treat it like a membe of the family. where did i go wrong? hashtagave ficus. it turns out you aren't the only this.ruggling with andy cohn writes, i have been through three, so if you find out let me know. a author jill kargman, i am serial killer of trees. you have hundreds of sugges aons. a lot oice conflicting. so we called an expert to diagnose your fus. here's what christopher had to say. >> okay. >> get your hands in there, in the soil, an inch or two down. >> it's moist. >> it is. d ann here it's sitting in a lot of wy er. >> yeah,sband is mad because i kind of ruined the floor. >> the damage was occurring in an irregular way. it was affecting one kind of haot. and whenis the case, it's usually some kind of biotic factor like a fungus. >> my ficus has a fungus. although your ficus has a

fungus, it can be saved. here we go. you just need to snap off the infected pieces to stop the fupg fungus from spreading. he says give some tips for all owners. feel deep into the soil to knowi when it nee be watered. it can never get too much late and row indicatate itvery week. to see savannah's full visit from the expert head to today.com. >> hashtag save ficus. i actually think anybody who has mlants and struggles with them will learn a lot fur expert whether you water it too much, about the light. he says a lot plants that are ld today might have the fungus or whatever already. >> wow. >> so you kind of have to check it out. >> could we get a ficus cam we can check in on it? >> my husband has been telling me for months, my ficus is dying. i am like, it's not dying. >> do you talk to it? >> i do talk to it.

that't why i d know why it's not thriving. >> call andy cohn. >> yes. the busy justin theroux on his roles in two highly anticipated movies. first, this is "today" on nbc. highly anticipated movies first, thi.s

we are back with justin theroux who s in a new ruth bader ginsberg bio pic called "on the basis of sex." >> she plays a legal director at the aclu who isn exactly confident in ruth's ability t argue a major case on her own. >> you took the argument away from me. >> nobody took anything away from you, ruth. you weren't robbed in the middle the night i was giving you this opportunity. >> you gave this to me? >>n fact, i did. and get your emotions in check. >> you first. >> well, , well. justin, welcome. ou tangled with the wrong lad there. we will get to that in a minute. but we have to get to kuma, your

beloved dog. does he come around with you when you go on intervis? >> she comes with me pretty much everywhere. new york is pretty ch dog friendly. >> she is hiding sheechlt is like, i am out. things are your >> yeah, they are. >> i love her collar. very blingy.av >> how long you had her? >> eight months or so. >> she is really mellow. chilled out >> she is chill. it's early for her. >> exactly. time change. jet log. let's talk about the movie. we had felicity and arm mueller investigati investigation -- armie talk about it. i wve your caption. couple alert. >> i wish. yeah. no. we met her. it's one of those moments u are rarely star struck by anyone these days.

>> what did you talk about? the weather? >> i was nervous about making small talk. you can't be like, what do you think of my nts -- pants. she is incredibly intelligent. she started talking about the movie, which she liked very much. then she started talking about case law. and within about two minutes she is off in the distance intellectually. you can't keep up. >> you contact act in this movi. u're a writer. i thought, i wonder what justin was like as a kid. iondered i he devoured books? >> i am not at all. >> what were you look? >> very hyperactive. i was very fidgety. they used to call it ants in your pants. now there is a medical diagnosis ar that. i wa fidgety kid.

i didn't do particularly well io . >> did it surprise you since you weren't a reader, you became a writer? >> yeah. if anything, an ear for dialogue sometimes. i don't think i could write a novel or anything like at, or, you know, a real book. >> maybe youybould. it's in you still. >> yeah. >> did you know you wanted to be an actor? >> no. bthink it was by degrees. i was going to in the arts. i was never going to do any job thatequired math, you know. i didn't think spelling for that . yeah. no. it's one of those things that you -- i was passionate about it. i wanted to do it from an early age. i didn't have any plans. >> you have a couple of passions. you like what you do. you love your dog. and you love motorcycles. i was wondering what is that feeling like for you? what got you hooked when you ride across country? >> it's the s thing as like when you are 16 and get your driver's license and realize you can go here. there is something about just being on top of the vehicle as

opposed to inside it that feels fantastic. the bike sort of disappears when you are on it. >> i was going to say wind in ur hair, but you should be wearing a helmet, right? rctd wind in your beard. >> can kuma? >> she travels well. >> and you have a couple of projects, right? bumblee? >> that's coming out on christmas. fantastic movie. fantastic transformers movie. >> getting >> i know.ews. we are doing name dropping. oh,verybody has been by. >> we are so happy you came to see us. thank you so much. "on the basis of sex" from our sister company focus features select theaters on christmas day. opens nationwide you january 11. first, this is today on nrks.

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.

we are back with today food. a week night meal. ryan hardy executive chef of several popular restaurants in y newk. he is firing up the grill for a burger recipe from his latest hotspot. anod to see you, brother. >> , man. it's upstairs from legacy records. it's a cocktail bar focus kind of place that's very music driven fors. of course, wine is always there. we try to put together small plates that i think are -- >> we got to get to the burger. everybody has their own favorite recipe. do you have a esec right ingredient? >> it's the holiday. we have a few different thing that i think are interesting. it's winter. we are going to talk about black truffles. they are much more affordable than you think. this is ground beef, of cours we do a little dry aged beef

there. we will talk about parmesan, mozzarla, hot pepper, and a little bit of brown butter. this is a modeled version of a northern italian classic. >> we have the butter here. we are going to fry some herbs into tha butter. >> frying the herbs? >> yeah it gets crispy. rosemary and sage. the butr is browned. we put everything to the. chopped bck truffle. you can get canned. this is fresh black truffle. i take the herbs, parmesan, black pepper a chili flakes. put all of that in together. >> if you don't want to spend the money on the black truffles? >> do without it. it's fine. it's ten dollars for a can of black truffles. you can buy them at fancy food stores. >> like whole foods or something? >> yeah, definitely. we will mix that together make

me burger patties. from that, once that's mixed in. >> do you have a secret about the perfect patty? >> i like a four ounce burger. i think tt it cooks a little bit better. and it t allows you kind of feed your family faster. >> this is a cast-iron. ishat what you like? >> toy. and i think this is important. you don't he to cook outside on the barbecue. you can cook inside. everybody thinks about burgersi he summertime. it's cold outside right now. i cook in a cast-iron pan. put a couple of those on. and the i have got buns here. i put a little bit of butter. , yeah. >> got to have the butered bun. >> you like the pato bun? >> yeah. we make these buns at the raubt. we have a baky next to ada's. so that's kind of our secret here. i am a potato bun fan. >> talk about this side dish. >> you can't just have a burger. you have to have something on the se.

people love french fries. this is a healthier version of it. it's what i love to eat is roastedbl vege. >> pardon my reach there. >> get in there. >> acorn squash. it's been roasted. a little salsa with the nuts, the seeds with that. and then o olive, balsamic and barata on top. mozzarella on burger. >>y vgood. >> really good. >> and i like that tomatoey thing on the burger. >> we have a little bit of the mozzarella on the side. and then we have salted chilies here. one of the cooks in the kitchen, chelsea, this is some salted and fermented chilies that -- listen, put op your favorite hot sauce. so good. nk thank you. thank you, tyou, thank you. >> appreciate it. >> if you want to try out this recipe, today.com/food.

up next, a festive performance from nhe york city children's chorus. another performance from the chorus. thef chorus angels. first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪

>> the citi concert series on od >> welcome backwe everybody. re back with the new york city children's chorus. they have beenin enterta us all morning long. has this not been the best morning? >> i wish you could be here every day. so glad y'all are here. it's cold out here. this is their seventh season. they are performing across new york and the world. we cou not leave without one more song. we want to introduce you to f them. mary h the director. good morning, guys. >> good morning. >> well, this is so exciting. what do you love about singing

in the chorus? >> i just love like the family here. >> yeah, the friendship. >> i love the w experiences get to have because of miss hough. >> is it hard to sing in the cold like this, guys? >> when you have your friends around, no. >> oh, gosh! mary, it must be difficult to become a member here? >> well, we audition a ove new york. kids from ages 4 to 18. ne show ey how up and work hard every week. >> we have to hear one more song, don't we? >> yes. >> okay. we are going to get out of the way. ♪ dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh ♪ ♪ o'er the fields we go laughing all the way ♪ ♪ bells on bobtails making spirits rightha ♪ ♪ fun it is to ride and

sing a sleighing song tonight ♪ ♪ jingle bells jingleells all the way ♪ ♪ oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh ♪ ♪ jingle bells jingle bells all the way ♪ ♪ oh what f it is toide in a one horse open sleigh♪ ♪ day or two ago i thought i'd take a ride ♪ ♪ the horse was leading ♪ ♪ oh jingle bells jingle bells jingle all the way ♪ ♪ oh wt fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh ♪ ♪ jingle bells jingle bells jingle all the way ♪ ♪ oh whato fun it is ride in a one horse open sleigh ♪ ♪ now the ground is white

♪ oh jingle bells jingle bells jingle all the way ♪ ♪ oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh ♪ ♪ jingle bells jingle bells jingle all the way ♪ ♪ oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh ♪ ♪ in a one horse open sleigh [ cheers and applause ] >> oh, wow! wow, wow. >> and you guys are amazing. we want to point out other amazing people out here, too. your momsad and d are standing over there. a wave for the parents in the crowd. congratulations, guys. that was awesome. so much fun. >> by the way, if you want to see more great moments and stories like this go to

today.com/allday. >> more music coming up in the third hour. we will see you ia little bit. this is a news4 toy newsbreak. >> 8:56e is your t on this wednesday, december 19, 2018. good morning to you. i'm eun yang. o we want to che your commute with melissa molett. >> good morning. alexanderan dorn street at eisenhower avenue crash with an overturned vehicle. eastbound 66 before fairfax county parkway a crash. we are seeing some delays there. and arlington glebe aty milit

all lanes blocked. icy goadways. we ating a lot of reports of ice on local roads. we will take a break now. w wel check your forecast when we come back. stay with us. you say. yes! ...oh, yeah! bring on the holidays! that's yes for less. everything you need to prep, cook and serve up the season. it feels even better when you find it for less-at ross. yes for less. we come back.

we come back. you know when you're at ross and you realize you are the the hostess with the mostest. yes! we come back. entertain in style all season long. it feels even better when you find it for less-at ross. yes for less.

good morning everybody. sun is shining. the warmup has started albeit a litt slowly. still some few spots below freezing this morning. up to 37 in gaithersburg. 35 in washington. highs today will be up close to 50 degrees. nothing wrong with that. rain could be very heavy at times. cond half tof the day tomorrow mild and showery through friday, turning breezy and drier in tima for saturda sunday. looks like we will be dry for christmas eve. >> thank you. get the latest news and weather anytime in the nbc washington app. have a great day.

live from studio 6a, this is "today." >> good morning, everybody. welcome. i'm al. we got jenna, sheinelle, craig, and jacob soboroff. sobo is in the house. >> sobo. >> goodo see you. hi i like it. >> one we don't like, just some sad news out of hollywood. of course, we've been talking all morning about penny marshall. everybody remembers her as laverne from "laverne & shirley." passing away at the age of 75 went from that sitcom to a groundbreaking female dirtor of classics. "big," "a league of their