today, thursday, december 20th, ef18 "the nightmare be. christmas. millions of holiday travelers bracing for long delays with that massive storm beginning its march up the east coast. so shoul you leave now or wait it o? al's got the aners. backlash. president trump under fire after declaring victory over isis and syria frpts we have bet beaten them and we've beaten them dly. >> the pentagon blindsided, top republicans slamming the move. >> to s they are defeated is an overstatement and is fake news. >> why vladimir putin is applauding it ts morning. airport chaos, drone sightings forcing offials to shut down one of th world's

busiest airports. thousands of passengers now stranded. the impact being felt across the globe. hose stories, plus courtroo showdown. a key day for h.vey weins the fate of his criminal case hanging in the balance. we're there live. mystery in the sky. a strange light streaks across northern california sparking a big guessing game on social media. so what was it? and crunch time. wh want your packages to arrive before chr ttmas? well,oday is the deadline. we have everything you need to know about shopping and shiasing he clock ticks down. today is thurs20y, december th, 2018. > >> announcer: from nbc news this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. welcome to "today" on this thursday ymorning. tos the deadline unless you want to pay a lot of extra money

to send your packages. >> that's right. >> a lot of pple will b doing that. >> yes. this is the heart of the holidays right now. we are talking about weather. you may want to ship yourself wherever you are going. the airpos could be a problem. >> we have it covered, the roads, airports, the last-minute mailing frenzy. we are starting w. >> thank you for getting your first weather from us. here we g 71 million people affected by flash flood watches from florida to new england. heavy rain is starting. two inches falling per hour in pas of florida right now. here we go. the low pressure gets itself together, starts pushing to the northeast. so the rn spreads north into the mid lent i can. there is a riskor severe weather in florida, could be isolated tornados tonight into tomorrow. travel delays with gusty winds. we start to see snow. the heavy rain ends by saturday, but not before the damage is done. here are the impacts.

17 million people at risk for severe weather in florida. tornados, damaging winds, and heavy downpowes. re also looking for heavy rain stretching from florida, isolated amounts of five inches on the ca coast, four inches or more. into new england we could see ur inches. minor to moderate coastal flooding. th is the most number of floods in 2018. 33 floods. we are not done yet. look at the new england coast all the way down into ocean city. 35 to 40 miles to 60 machine wind gusts. the wind advisories and high wind watches go through early saturday morning. a real mess, guys, but done by saturday. back to you. >> thank you. for more on what you facthas you brave roads, rails, and airports we have gabe gutierrez in atlanta. gabe, good morning. >> reporter: hi, savannah, good morning. we are along i-85 in atlanta where we are already starting to see some rai coming down. youan look from our dashcam right here, traffic moving along

at a pretty good clip on i-85. but that congestion is expected to pick upnghrough the morni and really getorse here throughout the day. let's look at some traffic cameras through florida. orlando getting slammed with heavy rain. broward coorty, a, also seeing some congestion. this is expected to be the busiest holiday travel season on record. aaa predicting more than o112 million people, 4% more than last year. the vast majority will hit the ad. drivers getting a gift though. gas prices way down. the national arage $2.36 a gallon. more than two don states have at least one station with less than $2.00 a gallon. big impacts at airports. we have live pictures from atlanta and miami, starting to see some lines, but no major delays delays or problems ust other airports to watch, charlotte, raleigh, orlando. tomorrow in d.c. and new york. today is the busiel traay

of the season. travel will be tough tomorrow as tll. the better days travel will be christmas eve and christmas day. now, back here in atlanta you can see again remember already starting t get that rain. it's expected to get worse here throughout the day and we e expecting more congestion. as al just ntned, the national weather service expects that 71 million people will be over the r flooding next few days. savannah. >> all right. it's going to be tough out there. stay safe, gameball. thank you. bash lash facing president trump over his decision to withdraw all u.s. tryrps from s. key allies are pushing back. white house correspondent prer alexanas the latest on the story. good morning. >> reporter:rn good g. outrage and trufrustration is t reaction among many of the president's allies i congress blasting his decision to withdraw all american troops from syria. lindsey graham calling it disastrous to our national security. a move seemingly made by the president alone who this morning

is defending his decision on twitter writi, getting out of syria was no surprise. >> this morningru president r. laring victory over iidsieose >> we have beaten them and we have beaten them badly. we have taken back the land. onow it's time for troops to come back home. >> paying tribute to the american troops who died in syria. >> we won and that's the way we want it and that's the way they want it. >> rorter: his abrup announcement about isis facing fears and a mediack push from republican allies. >> i have yet to find a person in the administration, the national security team, that thinks this decision was a good decision.e to say they defeated is an overstatement and isake news. it is not true. >> reporter: some comparing the president's move to his edecessor's 2011 pullout from iraq. >> honestly, this makes what obama did in iraq, it's

reicatinghat, but in many ways it's even worse. >> reporter: president enump's sudd decision blind siding lawmakers as well as senior officials at the pentagon and state department. the pengon saying it' already started the process of returning troops home. an estimated 2,000 said to be there at times, adding the campaign against isis is not overut is transitioning to the next phase with no additional details. e president's move appearing to ignore the recent advice of top national security officials. >> it would be reckless if we say the physical caliphate is defeated. wit regard to stabilization, we have a long way to go. >> reporter: the four-year american-led assault is oducing results. they have lost 99% o its territory with 50,000 fighters killed. a seniorio administr official arguing the u.s. mission was to defeat isis. not to end the syrian civil war. this morningid russia prt

vladimir putin weighing in calling any u.s. military presence in syria already mplegitimate and seeming to troll president taying the u.s. has said many times it is leaving afghanistan, but it's still there. and compounding concerns among the president's critics, a number of close u.s. allies in the war against is isis have reportedly said they were notte cons or given any prior warning before the ,announceme that it will only enboldin russia and iran. >> we have been talking about a possible government shutdown this weekend. over nighthe senate passed a stopgap funding bill. wh >> they have extended if passed by the house and president this effort to february when they will have to deal with it again. the house still needso vote on the short-term spending bilw that has no oney for the wall. the president has been completely silent on whether he woul sign it. white house aides tell me they would like to review the bill efore they make a judgment

here. the pressure is building on the president. some of his closest allies ine ouse calling on him to veto it, arguing he will have less leverage next year once democrats take over the house. by the way, conservative media outlets are calling out the president, accusing him of a etre retreat on his promise to build the wall. >> peter, thank you. breaking overnight, a chaotic sce at one of the world's busiest airports. london's gatwick airport brought to a halt because of drone sightings. thousands of passengers are facing long delays before the holidays. nbc's kelly cobiella with the story this morning. what's up? m >> goodning. yeah, this was a real problem at gatwick. it's been going on now for more than 15 hours. the airport s completelt down and all because of a drone. it was spotted several times overnight and into the morning once the sun was up,in f over the airport's only runway.

this morning planes are , grounded passengers stranded. one of europe's busiest airpor, london gatwick, closed for hours. airport staff first spotted a drone flying close to the runway at 9:00 local time last night. >> since then the drone has appeared and disappeared appeared and disappeared through until 2:00 in the morning. at 3:00 in the w morning reopened the airport, feeling it had gone, and then it came back again at 3:45. >> reporter: more than 6,000 passengers have been diverted. families waiting for loved ones arriving for the holiday are frustrated. >> there was a drone in the air. the planes couldn't land. >> amsterdam? >> yat. all we know. we can't confirm it. ere is nobody to ask. >> reporter: drones are banned from flying within over half a mile from the airport perime nr, yet droneear misses have tripled in britain from 29 in

2015 to 92 last year. in april 2017, planes were briefly grounded at gatwick after a drone sightg near the runway. and a year earlier in 2016 a british airways pilot said a drone actuallyollided with the plane as it camen for a landing at london's heathrow. it landed safely. the study shows that even a sml drone can do catastrophic damage to a plane likehis. dozens of police officers are searching for the rogue drone operator while passengers try to salvage their holiday travel. and this morning gatwick airport policeay they doo believe this is a deliberate act to operations at the airport. hoda and savannah, they say they do not believerots t related. >> ridiculous. thank you so much.ur we to craig. you have another big story? >> gooda morning. ot of folks paying attention to this. harvey d movie mogul weinstein appearing in court here in new york city.

a judge is expected to rule on the fate of the criminal case against him. nbc's stephanie gosk is at that cour. steph, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning, craig. yeah, thing hearing this mor is critical. one of the most serious charges against harvey instein has already been dropped leaving some to wonder if the criminal case against him is starting to fall apart. this morning a pretrial hearing could bring harvey weinstein's criminal case to a screechin halt. if the judge agrees with his high-powered defense team and drops the charges against him. as many as 100 women have accused the movie mowing of sebl misconduct, includinome of the most famous women in hollywood, angelina jolie, mcgo. it ignited the mooerz movem bey movie industry. the case in new york city, only criminal charges weinstein faces, stem from incidents with just two women. one who says he rapeder in

2013. another who says he fced a sexual act on her in 2006. the 66-year-old pleaded not guilty and hisefense team has been hitting back hard for months arguing that pub lc pressureed prosecutors to charge their client instead of evidence. >> harvey weinstein was one of the mos vilified people i have ever been representing in a criminal case and we started on a very unlevel playing rfield. eporter: earlier this fall the district attorney's office dropped one of the most serious charges when it was revealed an ny investigator did not disclose an interview that contradicted one ofhe alleged victim's stories. the defense is saying prosecutors whheld exculpatory evidence from the grand jury, including emails theybl say esh a consensual relationship between weinstein and one of his alleg accusers. in a filing, prosecutors responding in part that the defendant has a misguided and

antiquated view of how a rape actim should reactfter having been assaulted does not change this reality. weinstein has vehemently denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex, but his accusers are watching the case closely, saying a conviction could be a symbolic win for them all. >> i do think if the court dismisses the charges,ismisses the indictment, dismisses the case, that they are going to be many, many women who are very disappointed, who will feel that the criminal justi system has failed them at least in the case of harvey weinstein. >> reporter: so there are three possibilities this morning. a judge could throw out all of the charges. that would end this case. they could sen it to trial on one or thremaining charges. the third possibility is an evidentary hearing where both

sides provide evidenceefore th judge made his ruling. that would slow down this trial considerably. back to you. >> thanks. we do haveto lot more to get this morning, including the last-minute holiday shipping ru. if you wanour packa to arrive this time for christmas, themis the last day to get into the mail without putting a huge dent in your wallet. nbc's kerry sanders is at a ups facility in florida. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. a goo number of 137 packages every minute you see flyingre b re gifts. so this morning a warning to all procrastinators. today, if you want to get your presents to wre it's going on me for christmas, today is the last day for two-day shi ing. it's here. holiday shipping d-day. the final hours to get those gifts bought and in the mail in time to make it underneath the w christmas trehout costing a bundle. >> to be there by the nd. reporter: ron hall from

dallas, texas, says he always waits until the lastwh minute. >> because i'm a procrastinator. >> reporter: he is notne. the national retail federation says 61% of holiday shoppers waited until these last few days. tick-tock feels the of a looming deadline qui lik 18 toes 24-year-old mal. experts say they are classicor procrastinatand the pickiest shoppers. >> got to fin something. >> reporter: an hours long hunt with these guys and in the end onlyne present. show of fingers, how many people are left to buy for the holidays? four. >> two. >> three. >> reporter: for everyone who still needs to mail gifts, don panic. if you get to the post office today you can still take advantage of first class or priority mail. and a ups and fedex it's the last day for two-day spping. waiting beyond today, not a lot of great options. even ifou can still send

something with the big three shippers, every day you delay gets costlier. fores the of the last-minute shoppers, retailers are readyr fo you. the sunday before christmas is bigger than black friday. 61% of americans who plan to send gifts yet to do it, guys. so if you haven't done it, craig, then you probably should start thinking about doing it.kn you , i gave craig a hard time the other day, ribbing him about being a procrastinator. so i have your gift so i can get off your naughtyt. l when the belts get started up again, it will be on its way to you. there it goes.th belt is starting up. >> i'm looking forward to that t t. >> tnk you, kerry. >> all of it today. >> you are? >> yes. we are doing all ofur shipping

today. let's show you what we ve going on right now. much of the weather is happening in the eastern half of the country. othowever, we have another big storm coming into the pacific northwest. we will be watchin tt. mild temperatures continue from the plains all the way down into the southwest. again flood risk in the mid-atla ic states and snow into the northern mississippi river valley. we will get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds.

good morning. clouds are moving in fast. no rain just yet. it's a cold and dry start to the morning. upper 20s and low 30s now. flood watches issued for later day, tonight, into tomorrow. could easily get one to two inches of rain. download your nbc washington bp. temperatures wil in the cold low 40s all day today. jump to near 60 by midnight tonight and very mild and rainy tomorrow. >> a big warmupwe coming. will tell you about that. >> thank you, al. coming up, elizaea dushku her silence, detailing sexual harassment claims. and then ancestry kits are one of the year's mt popular holiday gifts. what you need to know before you get or give first, this is "today" on nbc.

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save on beauty. stores open til 10 pm, christmas eve. only at target. this is a news4 today newsbreak. >> 7:26 is your time on this thursday, december 2h,18. good morning to you. i'm eun yang. >> and i'm aaron gilchrist. in the news thiod morning, a jury will begin deliberations in the trial laquan phillips accused of setting his girlfriend on fire while she was pregnant with the child. our prince george's bureau chief acee wilkins will pospdates on twitter. take a look at this video now. d.c. police are searching for these two people. the video shows them robbing and attackingf woman outside her logan circle apartment last week. now we want to check on your commute with melissa molett. what's going on? good morning. a couple of problems. alexandria inbound 35 at duke, a crash blocking two right lanes.

outbound a slowdown because of some response. a live look right now you can see thoses big delbound. inner loop american legion bridge crash blocking two left lanes. beltway has that problem and outer loop approaching georgia as well. later today on news4 tommy mcfly will show fouro ways stay fit during holiday travels. >> and how to turnoo hotel into gyms. that's on news4 at 4. >> a check on your forecast is next.

good morning everybody. it is cold outside thisrn g. most areas are only in the low 30s at best. temperatures this afternoon will only inch their way into t low 40s with thickening clouds and rain later on in the day today. heavy rain likely for this evening and overnight tonight as this storm comes up the east coast. be ready for one to two inches of rain, heaviest of the rain

during the overnight hours tonight. mild and shoryomorrow. colder and drier for the weekend. >> another local news updatein 25es. >> back to the today show. ♪ introducing fresh step clean paws, with low-tracking litter, your vacuum becomes a cat toy.

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music.nderful holid this is the philadelphia boys choir and corral. we will hear them throughout the morning. >> we don't bring just a little choir. it's going to be great. we will watch more of them later on. a check of the headlinesse the h is expected to take up a short-term spending bill that nould prevent a partial government shutdhis weekend. it does not contain any money for president trump's border the senate passed the measure overnight. it keeps the government funded to february 8th. some conseatives are warning the president that he will suffer major political damage if he signs a bill that does not includeoney to build the wall. north korea says it will never give up i nuclear weapons unless the u.s. removes its own nuclear threat first. that statement comes at a time when negotiations torevent a potential nuclear crisis are deadlocked. north korea has been insisting that no progress can be made until u.s. economic sanctions are lifted. after their histori meeting in june, president trump and kim jong-un had pledged to work

towards complete denuclearization of the korean peninsula. social media lit up last night after a mysterious object streaked through the ses over northern california. some pictures, it looked like an unusual glowing otoud. in rs, it appeared to be a ball of intense brightness. some people thought this was space junk or a rocket launch, but the only lift-off scheduled in the area had been scrubbed. exatrts at the nnal weather service are saying this object of fascination probably wasust a meteorite. >> or santa doing rehearsal? >> could have been. all right. now to the latest black eye for cbs. actress eza dushku speaking out for the first time accusing herorme fr of repeated sexual harassment. morgan radford with more on that. good morning. >> good morning. you remember that just last week learned that dushku settled with the network for $9.5 million. but the details about what happened, they are just now coming out as part of the les

moonves investigation. now the actress is telling herf sidee story in a "boston globe" op-ed. she is fighting back agast comments in that times timrepor that she says amounted to deflection, denial, and spin. >> i'm depending on you. >> reporter: eliza dushku onlap ared in three episodes of the cbs show "bull," butcehe experieft lasting scars, she says, because of her treatment by the show's star, michael weatherly. >> and he deserves a world-class litigator. >> reporter: known for her work on "buffthe vampire slayer" says her role was supposed to o-pand and she could have become alead on the drama. that didn't haen, she says, because she objected to what she described as repead sexual harassment and workplace bullying by weatherly. >> we have got a problem. >> what's that? >> they don't want to rve. >> reporter: dushku says weatherly, a long-time member on ncis, would have

gotten away with it except some ofiois beh was caught on video. according to dushku, weatherly was caught on camera offering to take her to his rape v filled with lubricants and long fallic things. he shouted in my face, i will take you over my knee and spank you like a little rl, the actress w weatherly did not return nbc's request for comment but he sent to "the new york times" last week that included an apology to dushku that read in part during the course of taping our show i madejo some s mocking some lines in the script. when eliza told me she wasn't comfortable with my language and attempt mortified to have offended her and immediately apologized. dushku taking issue with those comments, saying don't want to ar that i have a humor deficit or can't take a joke. i did not overreact. i too a zwrojob and because i dt want to be harassed i was fired,

adding weatherly never apologized. cbs declined to comment, but did confirm the settlement toushku tellin "the times," the allegations in miss cuche cue's claims are on example that our work is r from done. >> can't be good for business. >> reporter: despite the settlement, weatherly remains show, which ie now in its third season. dushku says that weatherly used to brag about his friendshipnv with les m, adding he used his relationship with the former cbs boss as a threat. >> all right. >> interesting to hear from her about that. thank fu. tim another check of the weather. mr. roker. >> good morning. l we areking at coast to coast warmth. the jet stream up to the north. so it's unseasonably warm from southern california to the pacific northwest today. chicago you are going to beng flir with the mid-40s. boston will be 48. tomorrow we may actually see record-setting temperatures in

the northeast. new york city into the low 60s. boston as well. indianapolis 39. phoenix almost 75 degreesbo nine degrees average. this weekend the warmth continues from southern california to the northern plains and even into the northeast. t's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. good morning. i'm storm team4 meteorologist chuck bell. it is mostly cloudy and cold outside this morning. most areas in the low-to-mid 40s. temperatures will stay in the upper 30s and low 40s for the daylight hours today. temperatures go up after the sun goes down ads warm air and heav rain coming up the eastern seaboard. t low 40s durin afternoon. near 60 by midnight. ngthe low 60s tomorrow mor with lots of rain, one to two inches possible. have youwashington app. storm latest on the coming up. >> thank you. still ahead, then year ivi reew. the historic events and people we were talking about in 2018.

on the 30tve anary, why the beloved movie "working girls" is resonating with a whole new generation. then obamacare-claus. a sweet surprise for a group of kids unable to be at home for the holidays. home test dna 101. what you need to know before you give or get one coming up right after this. ar gifts coming up ar gifts coming up right after this. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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today." look who has come home. >> we missed you, carson. >> i am surprised my security pass still works. thank you. >> this morning on in depth, a christmas gift that's becoming very popular. ancestry kits. >> how do you use these dna tests to make sure you and your family get the best possible experience? joe fryeras some answers. good morning. >> good morning. ore leading dna kits on the market all pretty much the same. which one might be right for you and your family dends on wha you are hoping to discover. no matter who you are, your dna is almos guaranteed to reveal some surprises. merry christmas. now, spit into t tube. it might not be the most romantic present you wilis get th year, but home dna testse might b among the most popularp oviding valuable information about where you come from who you really are. >> dna tests are an incredible gift because you can give someone such ana persozed experience about who they are. >> reporter: 23andme and its

competitors athey are seeing a huge spike in sales this time of year. how reliable are these kits? experts say the science is solid when it comes to finding matches with relativesut less accurate aout tracing your ancestry to specific country. >> people have said may grandmother is trying because she believes she is 100% irish and it told her she is scandinavian or german. >> reporter: if the tests show you have relatives you didn't know about, believe it. that can create its own set o issues. >> lots of surprises can be fun and exciting, and some are unexpected. was. mine >> reporter: kathryn st. clairh founded t facebook group dna mpe friends toupport people like herself who found out from dna kits that their father or mother isn't their parent. cal >> i would change the warnings to say don't take this test thinking that there is a possibility that you are going to have unexpected findings. take this test with the expectation that you are going

to have unexpected findings. >> reporter: those surprises can be emotionally devastating, st. clair say in some cases a profound loss of identity. she believesitna are still valuable tools that sometimes provide crucial health information. they make great christmas gifts as long as everyone understands what they might uncover. >> once you get past the shock and sadness and learning to adapt to your new reality, it's like you see the world clearer now because you have a stronger confidence you know who you are now. >> reporter: both st. clair and the companies who make these kits say they hope dna leads to greater acceptance and betterab understandint identity and racial heritage. >> i think it's a powerful tool for having those discussions. at the end of the day though, any two people arey9% geneticaidentical. >> reporter: the federal trade commission warned in a blog post last year that hacks happen. 23andme and the other retail companies say they do not share

customers' data with law enforcement or researchers without consent. users have to go through several steps if the wish to share their dna records with law enforcement. back to you guys. >> all right. >> what would want to do it? >> you did it? was ah, found out where from senegal. it's like having maury povich in a box. >> is it what y bargained for? >> that's right. >> i wouldn't do it. >> you wldn't? >> i'm dying to do it. >> you have one, don't you? >> yes. and my mom gave it to me last year and i keep forgetting to do it. i wo much i never have time. >> to spit in a>> tube? i'm very busy. >> i just forget. i don't know. would you do it? >> i'm dying do it. >> be careful. storyone for a >> what was most surprising? >> you know what? we should go mmercial. >> oh? really? >> you start to hear from, you

know, cond, thir fourth cousins. >> oh? >> all right. wow. >> don't get me in e.troubl >> all right. guys, coming up, the thrills of the winter olympics, the magic of the royal wedding as we get ready to bid farewell to 2018. the stories that impacted and touched our lives this year. first, these messages. i'm kinda "ehhhhhhhhhhhh" about buying one. you're "ehhhhhhhhhhhh?" well, it's more like a "mnaaaaahhhhhaa-ooofff." hmmmmmm. not "hmmmmmm," it's like a, "mneeeeehhhhh?" are you sure it's not "phfoooooof?" yeah, it's like a cross between "phfoooooof" and "agagagagaguh." ohhhhhh... well, i've got good news, carmax will buy your car even if you don't buy one from them. ahhh-haaaaaa. mmmmm-hmmm. hoohooo. hoo-hoho. haaaa. hey hey! weeeooo-weeeoooo. okay, okay, okay, okay. where ya goin'? no no, yeah. i thought we were making noises. . hurry in to old navy and get up to seventy five percent off the entire store, with last minute gifts from three, four, and five dollars!

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this is a news4 today newsbreak. >> 7:56 is your time on this thursday, december 20, 2018. good morning to you. i'm eun yang. we want to check on your commute with melissa molett. how is itng loo >> good morning. a couple of problems in virginia. arlington northbound 395 at glebe broken down vehicle blocks two right lanes. take a lookse at t delays northbound 395 at duke street, crash blocking two right lanes. that live picture is not pretty on 395. outer loop of the beltway those delays are growing on the american legion bridge. inner loop delay as well. >> thank you. e will take a breaknow. we will check your forecast next. stay with us. hey, batter, batter, batter, batter.

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temperatures in the mid-to-upper 30s now and clouds moving in sfas and rain not far the last couple of dry hours before heavy rain moves in this evening a overnight tonight. flood watches are already posted. it will be cold if the low-to-mid 40s all day. jump to near 60 by midnight tonight and mild and rainy b tomorrowezy but dry weather back for the weekend. >> thanks. another local news update in 25 minutes. back to "the today show" after this short break.

it'"8:00 on "today. coming up,e "the nightmarbefore christmas. that massive storm already affecting the east coast bringing heavy rain and flooding and making for a messy christmas commute. so how bad will it be? al has your forecast. plus, the year that was. good morning and welcome to "today." >> a look at all of the politics, pop culture, and people. >> he can't hurt you anymore. >> no. >> froms the olymp opening ceremony to the royal wedding. >> we go inside the events that shaped 2018. and 30 rockin around the christmas tree. savannah, al, and carson team up mo spread holiday cheer by pluck

ago family f the plaza for abi surprise. >> oh, my gosh! >> i didn't bring any cheese. >> today is thursday, december 20th, 2018. ♪ >> mother son duo from california. >>ra celng our e-year anniversary. >> "today's" number one fan from murfreesboro, tennessee. >> celebrating my birthy and our anniversary. >> i'm having a baby, woo! >> i love that. congratulations! welcome back to "today." we are so happy you are with us on this thursday morning.ge hu huge holiday crowd outside. we haveot the crowd. we have got the chorus from philly. >> i know. >> they are still out there. >> we have a whole holiday pe situation hapng. let's start with the news at

8:00. the president facing pushback from both sides of the aisle over his surprise announcement h is pulling all american troops out of syria because of his claim isis has been defeated. it caught lawmakers, the pentagon, thetate department off guard. republican senator lindsey graham says it is, quote, fake news to claim that isis is defeated. this morning the president's tweeting,th doeusa want to be the policemen of the middle east getting nothing but spending precious livre and in trillions of dollarsti prot others who in almost all cases don't appreciate what we are inrepublic. vladimir putin said maria butina plead l guiltyast week to avoid a long prison sentence. as part of a deal with deral prosecutors, butina said she acted under the direction of a russian official to infiltrate

groupsdi inc the national rifle association. it is go time for holiday travelers who need to out run the stormy weather. al has been keeping h eye on it. what's the latest? >> we have got breaking news we have a tornado watch in effect for a good portion of flora until 4:00 p.m. this afternoon. we are going to be watching this system pushing in bringing in heavy rain already. in.ng storms coming rainfall rates up to two inches per hour. avel delays today. airports atlanta, charlotte, miami,t f lauderdale, possible delays to st. louis, detroit, also into chicago. on the roads today i-75, atlanta to miami, atlanta to raleigh on i-85 r i-85 and i-95 miami to washington, d.c. tomorrow we will be looking at more of the same. heavy rain delays from atlanta, charlotte, d.c. to boston on the roads i-77, charlotte to cleveland, i-80 chicago to new

york, and on fi-m raleigh all the way up to boston. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. good morning everybody. it is cloudy outside, not raining yet. oh, there is a lot of rain coming our way, and cold, too. cold and dry, 3 mid-to-uppe around the area now. we will stay only in the low 40s for much of the daylight hou today. temperatures will go up after sunset. up to near 60 degrees by midnight and the rain heavy at times overnight tonight. flood watches are posted fo tonight i tomorrow. storm team4 weather alert, download our nbc washington app to stay ahead of the storms as they move into the area. >> that's your latest weather. guys. >> thanks. time for the morning boost. >> it is, indeed. former president barack obama put smiles on a lot of faces th a surprise holiday visit to children's national hospital in washington, d.c. ♪ >> the formerie commander in chf wore a santa hat, handedut

presents and hugs and get well wishes to everybody, praised the hospital staff for helping families through these difficult times. >> they have nurses and staffrs and docnd people whore caring for them and looking after them and listening tohem and just there for them and holding their hands. that's the most important thing there is. >> the former president spent more than an hour and a half at the hospital giving spirits a boost. the surprised faces when he walked in the door, they are ike, what? >>exactly. >> that's cool. ad just ahe this morning, we are looking back at the biggest stories of 2018 and how we covered them right here on "today" right after this. ♪ ♪ the beautiful thing about care, is knowing that it's always there...

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>> good >> good morning and welcome to et"today." >>'s get to our top stories. >> the nation mourns yet another senseless tragedy. >> hardly even imagine that this has happened again. >> 17 people were killed in parkland, making this one of the deadliest mass shootings in american history. >> thousds of people turning out for a vigil toem rember the victims. >> weon't want thoughts and prayers. want action. >> scott peterson, he was the armed sheriff's deputy onatuty day.ar were you a cowd? >> never. i never thought for af moment o being scared or a >> an estimated one million in the national school walkout against gun violence. >> up to a half million

protesters for the mar for our lives. >> y fightour life before it's someone else's job. >> mass shooting at a maryland newspaper. >> i thought i was going to die. >> yout up the capitol. >> horrific shooting at the tree of life synagogue in pittsburgh. ♪ >> 11 innocentim lives ced. >> this is your home. your house o worship. >> it's my home and it's been d desecrated. >> it happened again. the gunmen opening fire at a country dance bar fo southern caia. >> pulled out a gun and started shooting. >> at least 12 people killed, including a sheriff's sergeant. >> he died a wero. save lives. >> terrory mail. >> an explosive device. >> a total ofbe 15 nog analyzed. the terror targets outspoken itics of president trump. >> how many of you?

>> we have breaking news and it's good news. boys soccernd team their coach found alive. >> they are scrambling to figure out how to get the out of that ooded cave. >> race against time in thailand. >> all 12 boys puld outalive. >> a remarkable end to a nearly three-week ordeal. tragic boat accident in branson, missouri. >> among the victims, nine members of the same indiana family. >> a shocking grand jury investigation out of pennsylvania. hundreds of priests molested more than 1,000 children. >> there was a systematic cover-up. >> the pope apologizing. >> confronting the sins of the church. >> theha latester in the u.s. scandal. >> a judge sentencing larry nassar to up to 175 years in prison. >> ius signed your death warrant. >> emotional day in court. >> young women lining up to face their doctor.

>> hvey weinstein facing a number of charges. >> i all, 100 women have come forward. >> les moonves stepping down after more women came forward to adduce him of sexual misconduct. >> comedian bill cosby wing up hind bars this morning. >> rosanne barr tweeting a racist comment. >> those comments prompted abc to cancel the popular breit of "roseanne". >> facebook under fire. >> mark zuckerberg will testify before congress about security lapses and facebook's role in the spread of fake ws. >> it was my mistake and i'm sorry. >> fresh outrage over those massive job cuts announced by again i motors. s kind of hurting right now. >> a situation unfolding in hawaii. mount kilauea volcano erupted ag on. a wall lava consuming everything in its path. >> it's unclear when the two people evacuated will be able to return home. florence's fury. the eyewall is onshore. >> thi area absolutely pummeled. >> it's 700 miles wide.

it is a big storm. >> flooding, damage, and power outages quickly piling up. >> it's crazy right now, guys. nd>> devastati destruction. hurricane michael, of the strongest storms to ever hit the u.s. >> there has never been a "capital gazette" 4 storm to -- category 4 storm in the panhandle. >> utter destruction. >> whenou felt couldn't get worse,ld another wifire. >> california's crisis grows. >> raving this area. >> the town of paradise now hell on earth. >> the death toll grows higher. >> the most destructive wildfire in califora history. we wanted to come here to say thank you. >> thank you forg comin and thank you for having us. we need this hope. >> let's talk fortnite. the newest video game craze. we are worried about you. >> have you bought your lottery tickets yet? >> tonight's mega millions drawing is a world record. >> this one ticket matched all thrs numbe why didn't we buy our tickets in

south carolina? >> what were we thinking? >> the long droughts over. >> it was an epic back and forth. t >>he eagles flew. >> the capitals are stanley cup champions for the first time st congratulations to the world series champion on red sox. >> breaking overnight, that major twist in the russia investigation. >> investigators are zeroing in on the president's inner circle. >> steve bannon. >> hope hicks, other current and former members. president's inner circle will be questioned. >> mueller appears to be zeroing in on the question of collusion between the trump campaign and russia. >> no collusion. no collusion. >> president trump suggesting he won't sit down with robert mueller. >> one-two punch. the president's men guilty. si>> the predent turned down the direct opportunity to call out putin. >> hope that both countries are responsible. >> an abrupt change of tone.

president trump holding vladimi putin accountable for russian meddling. >> weheegin with t immigration crisis. >> the border battle intensy ying. >> theare not coming >> the world has been following the journey of that caravan of asylum seekers. now they have reached the ntrder. >> pre trump signs a new order sending troops to trd mexican boer. >> the president defending the use of tear g on migrants. >> a clear message to the caravan. turn go back home. the border erupting over the ti trump administ's zero tolerance policy separating children from their parents. >> migrant were kept behind chain-link fences. >> in a crisis along the border here, it's only growing. >> pinsident trump eg his own policy of separating families at the border. >> we are going to keep familiet together, the border is going to beust as tough. >> president trump announcing judge brett kavanaugh as his nominee to the supreme court. a combative start forre btt kavanaugh's supreme court

nomination. >> the uncertain future of brett kavanaugh. the woman who accused him of sexual assault is going public. blazezy ford. >> this is a morning that will be recorded in history. >> two lives laid bare with the country watching. >> do you believe brett kavanaugh assaulted you? >> 100%. >> this is a circus. >> the porn star versus the president. stormy daniels and donald trump. did she have a sexual delationship with the pre? >> yes. >> the white house denying president trump had an affair with stormy daniels. >> michael cohen. >> sentenced to three years in prison. >> telling the judge he helped cover up the president's, quote, dirty deeds. >> president trump and kim jong-un come together for unprecedented talks between the u.s. and north korea. >> an image that seemed all but impossible. >> this is complete on denuclearizati of north korea. >> i think he is convinced kim

jong-un that he isetter off giving up nuclear weapons than keeping them. >> kim said the world will see a major change. >> turmoil in the west wing. >> the president hayes fired attorney general jeff see ions. >> hophicks. >> ghosn. >> rob porter. >> ryan zinke. >> mcmaster. >> mccabe. >> nikki haley. >> y another cabinet shake-up. >> maybe people don't want to work for trump. believe me, everybody wants to work in the white house. >> the race to elect day, it is on. >> vote republican. >> if you're a democr, you better be voting. >> it is election day. you can feel the buzz in the air. >> democrats have recaptured o controthe house. first time in eight years. >> it's about restoring the constitution's checks and balances. >> in the senate, republicans pump up their power. >> it was a contest for who we are. >> americans waking up to a new reality. >> the midterms make history.

more women elected to office than er before. ♪ >> ready to perform? >> yes! >> welcome michelle obama. >> what would you say nowyo abo motto? do you thinkt stands? >> hope wins out. >> do you feel like you oh her an apology? >> i do. i never talkedr. to >> james comey, of all people, how could you not stand up to the president? >> have you known he is a liar? >> absolutely. >> why don't you want to work for him? >> savannah, slow down. >> i said, wait, you don't know? she was like, know what? i was like, you'reng goi home. and screams. >> how do you begin to say thank tu? how? nk you is not big enough. i think i have to walk it out. >> i had a moment where i thought i was going to die. i had never experienced

something like that. >>fa ng criminal charges. how does that feel? >> it brings up a lot of bad feelings. oh, boy. that's crazy. i'm sorry. >> it's overwhelming. >> yeah. >> what does this conviction mean to you? >> people are believing us finally. >> do you think in your hatrt th justice was served yesterday? >> this is bigger than larry nassar. >> he can't hurt you anore. >> no. >> as a victim of sexual abuse, i am furious at people who don't believe it. >> this cannot be easy. it can't be easy to talk about. >> there is not a day that goes by that i don pray for the opportunity to go back to that day. >> hi dada. >> and make it different. >> there are hundreds of thousands of childret are ready to be your child. you're a forever parent the minute you acche love of that child. >> i don'tven know how to say thank you, but thank you.on >> you get tired sometimes

of always being strong? do you ever get tired? >> all the time. >> yes. >> all the time. >> you have to forgive others for you to be forgiven. ♪ but now i'm found ♪ was blind but now iee >> welcome to pyeongchang. >> gden once again. >> you are the only person h w who has ever won gold in this event. >> i can't believe it. oh, my god! gold looks so good on you. >> we did it for the u.s. >> yes. gold f mikaela shiffrin. >> gold and silver looks pretty good on you. look at that. >> baby, it's gold outside.

>> numbersix, oh! >> i heard you guys. i heard the entire crowd. >> he made himself proud and all of us proud, too. >> i feel honored to share my story with so many people. >> bringing it here at. the olym >> must be so special to watch. >> words can't descre it. >> one last time in the olympic downhill. in competing for my country. >> never bet aga. >> yes. >> cross-country gold medal fo the u.s.! >> amazing. amazing. >> you know what? gold medals, 23 gold medals. ♪ >> this morning a london hospital. >> literally they just tol me in my ear, it's a boy. >> no. >> i am not making up.'s fficial. >> louie arthur charles. >> we have a lot of people up with us this morning.

it's a t wedding world eagerly awaits. >> wow! >> prince charles walked the bride down the aisle. >> i, meghan, take you harry. >> love changes lives. must admit to being a little bit nervous at the beginning. >>av harry and meghan g the people what they wanted, a kiss on t steps of the chapel. >> and there they go! >> youot them. >>ha m >> meghan markle and prince harry announced that they are expecting their first child next spring. ♪ >> i come before you and assume the presidency in a moment rich with promise. >> we're going to miss you, the best father a son or daughter n have.

>> i love you, precious, with all my heart. to know that you love me means my life. >> when we lost you, o we lostne of the greats. you taught us humility and grace. one of your final emails to m s simple and true. you wrote, i am watching you. i love you. ganny. >> john mccain returni to washington for the last time. >> he had a romanick view of our nation to his last breath. >> you don't go alone. christ goes with you. he loves you. >> let's talk about food. let's be honest. delicious.sc >> schlemielimazel! hasenpfeffer incorporated! ♪ at last i am free ♪ i don't hurt anymore

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>> wow. you kind of feel like crying a little? >> yeah. >> first of all, you don't realize all that stuff happened in that year, especially ending in the people we lost. >> i know. it's incredible to thinkmu s has happened. you know, i always feel somewhat conflicted because there is so much sad news. oh, my gosh, that happened. i feel so grateful to worke h and so proud of our crew. >> it's jarring when that piece opens up and how many shootings you had to cover. >> yes. how many times you said it happen again? >> yeah. thoughts and prayers. >> and then you juxtapose that with the olympic games where there is nothing but joy and elation. >> that was anu 16- piece. that takes a village. we want to thank you our editors, david emanuel, tony

rivera, michael, tom, jackie, graphic artist patrick, carly raer, aaron farley and -- >> yes! this is a news4 today newsbreak. >> good morning. 8:26 on this thursday, december 20th. i'm aaron gilchrist. let's get to melissa molett. she has a look at our first 4 traffic. >> inner loop heavy delayso the american legion bridge because of an earlier crash. you can see the beltway has some sldowns as well on the outer loop approaching georgia and also the outer loop near the american legion bridge from a different crash. bound 395 at duke everything is out of the way but we are still slow constitution avenu at 17th street northwest, a crash blocking lanes there. >>ou all right thank we will have a look at our forecast whether we come back. stay with us.

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one more way we go beyond. call today and pay just $49.95 a month for fast, reliable internet. comcast business. beyond fast. good morning. cloudy skies outside. not much rain just yet. grab your umbrella. temperatures in the upper 30s to around 40 now temperatures will stay in the cold zone, low 40s through the daylight hours and rise after sunset tonight. heavy rain overnight tonight.

storm team4 weather alert for the flood watch for tonight into tomorrow. and rainy tomorrow. drier weather returns just in time for the weekend. >> chuck, thank you. get the latest news and weather in the nbc washington app.

♪ we wish you ♪ new year ♪ ♪ we wish you aer christmas ♪ ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ we wish you a merry christmas and a happy new yearoo morning. it's 8:30 now. it's thursday morning. it's the 20th of december, 2018, and what a beautiful tre we e having. a great crowd and a great performance thisorning from the philadelphia boys choir and chorale. they came if from philly. we are so happy have their talents with us.

and we've got even more music just ahead. >> but first, check out who is collecting donations on the promenade. it's our man john cen catchim in the new "bumblebee" movie. hey, john, i don't know if we will be able to pull him away from his duties. >> john! >> john, come over. >>ook at that. >> he won't stop. >> john won't stop. john! >> can't stop. won't stop. >> okay, okay. a few more. just a few more. okay. all right. >> john is in the new "bumblebee" movie. [ cheers and applause ] >> i made it! i made it! it's chaos overev there. ybody giving toys away. >> how on earth are you playing a bad guy in the "bumblebe movie? >> i don't know. you g you've got to watch the movie.ta irt out maybe bad and as the movie goes, i don't know. we'll see. >> money night "the voice" finale in los angeles bumblebee was there in thee. audie

h at was it like to work w bumblebee? >> he would change on a moment's notice. a carbo and then a >> we have to call an uber? >> he could take us everywhere. that was regood. >> you doing something with make-a-wish? >> yes. myself, haley stein fielfeld, be of "bumblebee," lighting up the empire state building with 20 make-a-wish families. we are going to give them the experience of being in new york for the holidays, which as you know i the empire state building and they will see "bumblebee" as well. >> john cena won'thiell you but we will. he has granted more wishes for ke-a-wish than any other person. >> it's a great charity and it provides awesome experiences like today. i am happy to do it. >> will you helps with our crowd moment? >> yeah. >> where is max? smax? max, it' your birthday. >> you know john na, right?

>> yes, sir. >> you are 12 years old? >> yes, sir. >>kou loo like you are 21. you are 12 today? all right. happy birthday. this is not only a robot, but also a car. that's bumblebee. that's from me to you. happy rthday, my friend. >> guess what? john cena has another gift for you. for everybody here. >> yes!nd fago is giving everybody here tickets to see "bumblebee"! thank you fandango! everybody is going to enjoy the [ cheers ] >> john cena, santa claus. >> "bumblebee"! >> again, "bumblebee" theaters tomorrow. >> yes. >> and john will be back co-hosting. >> "bumblebee" is going to be out tonight. will see you at 10:00. we are going to keep this rolling. i love it. . all right. guys, we are celebrating theiv 30th asary of a beloved movie. this might be my allime favorite, "working girls." >> plus, a little holiday magic.

wait until you seeur one of epic surprises we had for a family who came to new york to check out the sights and sounds of the season but it turned into something we hope cooler and more special for them. >> in the thirdour of "today," last-minute gifts that also help a good cause. but first, before all of that, mr. roker, a check of the forecast. >> announcer: today'ser is brought to you by kay jewelers for all the moments, for ve, forever. let's look at the holiday weekendtaorecasting off with saturday. we are going to be looking at gusty winds in the northeast new storm system in the pacific northwest. milder through the plains. sunday, sunday! sunshine on the east. n thwest storm firing in, a weak clipper across themi issippi river valley. christmas eve lots of sunshine in eastern two-thirds of the untry. mountain snow out west. christmas day, a white christmas in the rockies and california mountains. sunshine around the rest of the country. ien you have that's your weekend forecast. that's what's going on around the cout'ry.

here's whappening in your neck of the woods. good morni. i'm storm team4 meteorologist chuck bell. cloudy skies overhead. it's cold outhe. only in the mid-to-upper 30s across the area now. temperatures will only be in the low 40s for much of the afternoon with almost no sunshine at all today. rain becomes likely later this afteoon and this evening as temperatures climb after the sun goes down to near 60 by midnight. low 60s with heavy rain t overnighight into early tomorrow. flood watches are posted. nbc washington app t follow the heavy rain as it moves in. >> that is your latest weather. hoda. thank you.go 30 years today "working girls" hit theaters, and at the time nobody expected it would become an anthem for women everywhere. >> it became a cultural touchstone of the how the workplace was changing and the movie's message of empowerment still resonates, maybe now more than ever. >> i have a head for business.

>> those were the fam that summed up tess mcgill. she became the champn of the working girl, a fiercely determined assistant who uses her ambition, smarts, and charm to climb the corporate ladder. >> you read "w"? >> i read a lot of things. you never know where the big ideas could come from, you know? >> the film's cast was stacked with big names like harrison ford, sigrney weaver, and joan cusack. >> coffee, tea,>> me? the leadingctress, melanie iffith, was barely a name at the time. >> the studio was trying to make something out of this they wanted a name to sell it. melanie was s committed to playing this part that she said i will go through this entire script with you. i really don't care. i want to play this t'part, so start at the beginning. everyone knew when she opened her mouth ando got i the part of tess mcgill that that was tess mcgill.

>> do not ever speak to me like we don't know what happened. you got me? >>stne of the big films of 19 # 8, "working girls" received five oscar nominations winning the original song for "let river" by carly sim. the film captured the fashion at the time like the shoulder pads, flashy jewelry, and big hair. and we can't forget about the reeboks and tube socks. >> it's such a '80s visual, you know. these women hustling to andm f the office wearing sneakers, which were nott fashionable a the time to go with skirts and office tire. >> but "working girls" was much more than a hit romantic comedy. >> you're late. >> the film highlighted sexual harassment and women fighting for respect in the workplace. >> i am not going to spend the rest o my life working my [ bleep ] offnd getting nowhere because i followed rulet i had nothing to do with setting up, okay? >> in a past interview for "today," griffith herself smed

it up best. >> you don't have to pretend to be somebody else. you don't have to take on airs of being somebody else. just be true to yourself. be honest about what you really want to do in life. >> "working girls" was a ahead of its time. 30 years later the #metoo movement is taking on the sameo issues in the film face in the '80s. >> it's impossible not to watch this movay and think about how far we have come and thein reck that hollywood is going through right now. while some things have changed, not everything that is changed. >> tessil m served as the voice for many working women and what the example of future could be. >> she got to be a full person. she got to be sexy. she got torte s she got to be sophisticated. that is something that i think a lot of woman at that time didn't feel that theyere allowed to be, especially in the workplace. i think that's what was s citing at the time. but it's why it stood up so well. >> we're wearing our reeboks.

>> of course we are. >> by the way, the guys are like this. what movie. >> i love the song, the carly simon song. >> y'all have no idea what the movie is? >> i heard of skit. >> they me, what is your favorite scene? i was like, every scene. every scene is my favorite scene. it's the best. >> i like the look though. >> yes. i tried to wear this look in the '90s. >> you did? >> it was even less cool. >> what were you doing in the '90s? >> i was an intern on capitol hill. i would wear my pantyhose and put my sneakers and tube so ys. >> didr hair look like melanie? >> i tried. by the way, they say theywoight turning girls" into a broadway -- >> oh, yes. >>! >> supposedly cindi lauper is working on it. >> we will be there, right? >> yes. all right. by the way, w put more of the original interviews from the our ing girls" cast on website on today.com.

just ahead, you never know what wil happen when you visit us. our day full of surprises for an unsuspecting family who happened to wander up on 30 rock. first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪ om

weback . new york city is mad durysg the holi every season millions of people flock to 30 rock for a glimpse at the tree. >> we thought it would be fun to surprise a few fans with a personalized h personalized holiday tour "today" show style. >> therowds have gathered outside 30 rock and one unsuspecting georgia family is about to have a very mer morning. the hall family. yes, that's their name they have flown in from atlanta to celebrate daughter annabel's a12th birthday to see new

york at christmas. they think we've stopped them after the show for a quick interview. >> it's very breathtaking and i ju can't believe we are in new york. >>hi mea, the last thing they'd expect is the ultimate christmas photobomb. ♪ deck the halls with boughs of holly ♪ >> happy birthday! that's for you. >> nice to meet you. >> did you just come to see the tree? >> no, we came to see you guys. >> you did? well, here we are. do you have time to a little tour around here? >> yeah. >> all right. let's go! >> the famous rockefeller rink right there. do you like to ice skate? >> sometimes. i am not very good at it. >> another new york city christmas tradition, the salvation my bell ringers. ♪

>> okay. now, this is another quintessential part of new york, dodging traffic and jaywalking. >> this is a pretty awesome birthday. oh, my gosh! oh, my gosh! >> i didn't bring any cheese. ho ho ho! look out. it's "the nutcracker." >> they are actually from the ballet. >> are they really? >> yes. the new york city ballet. yikes. >> how ahautt? >> i know. >> our own private ballet. >> don't step on anybody's tail. >> to your left, left, left right left. >> this is where the rockettes are, right? >> yes. >> what's next? >> over there is so cool.av they h these big shiny ornaments. >> it looks so real. >> who is cold? who would like some hot chocolate delivered by the world famous radio city music hall >> oh, my gosh!

pi! >> to kee you guys warm. >> thank you. >> we have another surprise for you guys. tickets to see us athe radio city special! >> yay, now we're lking. >> there can't be any more s. surprise >> i think there is one more. >> no. >> one more. it's really not the holidays until santa shows up. >> ho ho ho! >> here he is from macy's. here comesnd santa a hislv ees! >> ho ho ho! i want to give ts to you. >> aw! and this is for you. >> aw! >> give santa a hug. wonderful. have a wonderful holiday here in new york! >> we love you, santa! >> merry chrisas, nta. >> they cut it out. we were trying to give him our

list. we have been very good. >> by the way, how awesome was that for the family? >> you never know what's going to happen if you roll up to 30 rock, right? >> they were adorable. >> it was awesome. >> they were shock c. oming up next, we are heading back outsideor another festive performance from the philadelphia boys cho and chorale. first, this is today right here on nbc. ♪ it's not the holidays until... all your streams come true.

[ kids laughing ] that jerk is ours. play home alone. watch your holiday favorites however you want and find them faster with the x1 voice remote. now that's simple. easy. awesome. switch to the entertainment you've been streaming about. get started with xfinity internet, tv and voice for $79.99 a month for 2 full years. click, call or visit a store today.

>> announcer: the citi concert series on "today" is proudly presented to you by citi. >> we have been loving the beautiful sounds of the philadelphia boys choir and chorale this morning. for more thans, 50 yehe grammy nominated and emmy winning group has bee rforming all over the world from the sydney opera house, notre dame-catdral in paris and carnegie hall in new york. led by, jeffrey smi who is a choir alum.

leonardo garcia joining us here. first of all, grammys, emmys, traveling the world. how much pctice does it take to get to that level? >> they rehearse twice a week throughout the year. when they are young wethtart at 7 years old. training program for a year or two before they are in the actual performing choir. >> how does it feel to be singing in these wonderful spots, honey?>> great. >> what's your favorite song to sing? >> i like all of them. >> what are you going to sing right now? >> this is a new arrangement of silent night. it's actually the 200th anniversary of the christmas carol. we thought it be appropriate to sing that today. >> all right, guys, ta it away. ay.

♪ silentig ♪ holy night ♪ all is calm all is bright round yon virgin mother and ild ♪ ♪ holy infant so tder and mild ♪ ♪ sleepn heavenly peace

♪ sleep in heavey peace ♪ silent night ♪ holy night ♪ son of god ♪ love's pure light ♪ radiant beams from thy holy face ♪ ♪ with the dawn of

grace ♪ ♪ jesus lord at thy birth ♪ christ the savior is born [ cheers and applause ] >> wow. wow, wow, wow. that wasamazing. >> that was beautiful. >> can we ask what your name is? cameron bowden. >> y'all wereng ama wow. gorgeous, right? >> i feel like i have never heard the song before until it was really beautiful.

thank you so. to the philadelphia boysd choir horale. you have made our holiday. >> yeah, y'all were awesome. we are back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

♪ >> look at that sweet baby. that does it for us on a thursday morning. what a beautiful morning. been a great day. boy, that baby is incredible. wow. >> merry christmas >> merry christmas! >> you guys, have fun today. bye-bye now. r christmas! >> you guys, have fun today. bye-bye now. y christmas! >> you guys, have fun today. bye-bye now.

this is a breaking news4 today newsbreak. >> 8:56 is your time now. it's thursday, december h 20th. e breaking news -- >> seems like we are having a hearing. it sounds like two people there from that crash overnight have

died. twoedestrians that were struck. inner loop of the beltway heavy delays to the american legion bridge right now. lver spring southbound georgia avenue after the beltway a crash blockinghe center lanes. 395 before washington boulevard we are talking about thosein und lanes still slow from two earlier issues. hank you. e will take a break now. we will check your forecast next. stay with us. here's to the stair takers, breakfast makers, step counters, outdoor explorers, faith restorers, appointment keepers,

fantastic creatures. farmer's market goers, cholesterol lowerers cell phone silencers. the new lease on lifers, and the positive thinkers. here's to you all that see every day as an opportunity to thrive your way.

good morning everybody. there is a lot of rain coming our way for the overnight hours tonight. already a couple of sprinkles moving into southern and the north neck. temperatures in the upper 30s now. we will stay inhe low 40sost of the day. mid-40s at most. jump to near 60 midnight with the heavy rain around and mild and rainy tomorrow. cooler and drier for the weekend though.

live from studio 6 a, this is "today." >> goomorning, everyone. welcome. st.it all happened so >> you made it. i'm jenna. here with al. carson is back from l.a. weissed you. and keir simmons is with us. w is everybodyfeeling? >> i feel great, but i just had ub soda las night at the anchor holiday -- >> wead a holiday party. only pple like us and 80-year-olds like to go at 4:30 for drinks. >> how many of you look atyo self and go how much do you love the people we work with? we look a