for fast, reliable internet. comcast business. beyond fast. good morning. ready, set, snow. powe-bul back-k winter storms about to bear down on the entire country froal california the way to maine. dangerous conditions from snow, ice and freezing rain, and a travel nightmare through the weekend. al's got what we need to know. from bad to worse. the u.s. economy now expected to take a much bigger hit than firstmthought, f the government shutdown, the ripple effects from the fight over the presidens border walhat could be about to hit your pocketbook. hotel horror. an american among 14 killed during a terror attack at a popular luxury resor in kenya. what his grieving family is saying this morning. officials onorhe hunt f those

involved. all that plus on the hot se, the pick for attorney general parts w th president. william barr makin clear the russia investigation is not ah witc hunt. race against time. americans called in to help rescue a toddler trapped in a . well we'll take you inside the operation that's captivated the world. >> and extremely unhappy.ol netflix rls out its biggest price hikeever, and a nation of bing watchers relts today wednesday, january 16, 2019. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> m goodning and welcome to today. nice to have you with us on a wednesday morning. ready to get cold? >> ready. it's rare that the whole country is affected from coast to >> this affects every single one

of us. let's talk to al what you got? >> we start out west where officials are going door-to-door about evacuatns because of the mudslide possibilities. then you get into the sierra. we're talking upwards of three feet of snow over the next couple daysn some of the upper elevations. here is what we're looking at. we've got heavy showers and thunderstorms rolling in fanm san sco all the way down to san diego. right now we've got windes adviso blizzard warnings, flood watches, high surf advisory, winter storm warnings and fsh flood watches. rainfall amounts generally widespread two to three inches. mudslides, flooding will be a problem. we'll see upwards of eight inches of rain. that system makes its way to the east. thursday, snow for cleveland and buffalo, for the appalachians. a quick round of rain and snow. by friday it's in and out, dropping maybe a o inchr two, but that will be the o worst it. here is the real big weather

maker. thisecond storm system, the one that will cause problems for california today, by friday it's bringing snow to denver, omaha, chicago, heavy rain down into the southern plains. saturdaytrhe snowches from st. louis, cincinnati, buffalo, boston, new york city. then we're looking at that late day snow in thenortheas it's heavy rain along the coast. by sunday, the back side of thii system bring much colder air. let's look at some of the snowfall totals right now. don't want to give you actual accumulations. we're seeing moderate snow from central missouri all theinay the northeast with especially heavier snow from western pennsylvania into new england. we've talking possible double digits. moderate snow in new york city to illy. there's also going to be a heavy rain event. widespread one t two inches of rain from the coast of new england, new york, down into the del marva peniula. look how far down the rain goes? all the way down intois louna and texas. guys, this is going to be a very

potent storm. back to you. >> al, thank you very much. to fresh concerns about the government shutdown. new information from the trump administration shows it's impacting the economy far greater than previously estimated. now tens of thousands of furloughed workers are being called back to work without pay while others are now turning to food banks to help make ends meet for their families. nbc's tom costello is at one opaling near the n memorial in washington, d.c. tom, good >>morning. eporter: hoda, good morning. this is run by celebrity chefdr jose an. he's not here today. he's in puerto rico. this is chef jason. he's got t quinoa going early this morning. chef tim has the tomato soup going early this morning. expecting 2,0 federal employees to come for free food later today. we're seeing this acros the country. acts of kindness, free food and food banks, just as the signs that this is going to be a significant economic issue, they're really starting to show

thei signs. wall street concern the shutdown ripple effect could soon damage the u.s. economy. jamie diamond, the ceo of jpmorgan chase warning first quarter economic growth for the entire country could be wiped out if the shutdown continues march.h delta airlines say it's costing $25 million a month in lost business as government employe and contractors are not flying. with faa inspectors on, furlou delta is delaying the rollout of its newest aircraft, thea-220. >> we're not taking sides but we need to get the business moving again. >> reporter: mitch mcconnell says he would not override a trump veto if congress vote to reopen the >> with regard to border security, of course not. >> reporter: both congress and theresident are getting paid, though mr. trump dones his

money. 42,000 men and women in the coast guard are among those going without pay. >> it impacts your your overall stress level. if this keeps going on for a long time,oi it's to have an impact on everyone's operational readiness. >> reporter: the commandant writing in party, to the best of my knowledge this marks the first time in ourtion's history that the service members in a u.s.rmed force have not been paid during a lapse in government appropriations. i recognize the anxiety and uncertainty this places on you and your family. in kodiak alaska, biness a king's diner is down 50%. >> we all depend on themery much. we just want them to know that.h we'reind and we'll help in any way we can. >> reporter: a miami airport restaurant is fee ngtsa rking without pay.

>> a little meal goes a long way to their pchology and self-esteem. >> reporter: florida to california, tennessee to masshusetts, food ban for strapped government workers. in iowa, farms were supposed receive federal loans to offset the trade war, but those loans are now delayee american astronaut on the space station is still being paid, but her support staff at nasa isn't. ck on earth, anger from some of the 95% of nasake w who have been furloughed and are paying theprice. a bunch of government unions -- workerst unions req a federal judge order the trump administration to start paying federal worrs who are working without pay. that judge declined, so that means the shutdown continues and the workers continue to work without pay. meanwhile, the food bank today here opens at 11:00. back to you. >> tom, thank you. now to the fight over william barr, the president's pick for attorney general. he was on the hot seat on capitol hill yesterday for start of his confirmation hearings. he vowed he would not interfere

with robert mueller's russia investigation. nbc white house correspondent peter alexander has the latest. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you. we're not expected to see lliam barr todays outside witnesses will testify on the nominee for the attorney general's. beha barr, who is poised to assume control of the russia investigation in front of top lawmakers tuesday committed to protect the special counsel's inquiry, but also suggested robert mueller's report itself might not be made public the senate judiciarytt com on the hunt for answers. >> do you believe mr. mueller would be involved in a witch hunt against anybody? >> i don't believe mr. muellnv would beved in a witch hunt. >> reporter: getting william ak barr's on president trump's attack on the russia investigation. >> this is a witch hunt. >> reporter: barr repeatedly defending the man leading the inquiry, his friend bob mueller. >> i said bobt is a strai shooter and should be dealt with as such. >> reporter: grilled with his

past criticism of the russia investigation and unsolicited emo he shared with t president's lawyers last year, barr refused to say whether he would recuse himself from the inquiry even if ethics officials >> under what scenario would you not follow their reco iendations? >> i disagreed with it. >> what would be the basis of that disagre be? >> i came to a different assessment. >> assuming no good cause. n assuming no good cause. >> i would carry out that instruction. >> reporter: he insistedhe president would be crossing a red line if he interfered with an investigation for personal reasons. >> if a president attempt intervene in a matter that he has a stake in to protect himself, that should first be looked at as a breach of his constitutional duties. >> would he release the mueller report in full? barr pledged to be as pans apparent as legally allowed.

>> i don't know what -- at the end of the day what would be le reable. i don't know what bob mueller is writing. >> reporter: the former ag back for another stint, asserting his own >>independence. will not be bullied into doing anything i think is wrong by anybody, whether it be editorial boards or congress or the president. >> reporter: later offering his own views the president's use of the term witch hunt. >> i think it's understandable that if someone felt they were would viewused, they an investigation as something like a witch hunt where someone like you or me who doesn't know the facts might not use that >> rep top democrats are teterm. raising questions about the nominee. or he was clearly testifying an audience of one, that person being dtrump. >> reporter: the white house says president trump did watch some of his nominee'shearing. when pressed on differences between barr and president trump's views of the russia

inquiry, the press secretary here, sarah sanders said barr is a very honorable man doing what he believes and the preside respects that. barr could be sworn in by mid february. savannah, hoda. another story overseas we're keeping an eye on. the investigation into this brazen terror attack on an upscale hotel in kenya. at least 14 people have been killed including an amerin businessman. nbc's kelly cobiella joins from nairobi with the latest. kelly, good morning. >> reporter: craig, good morning to you. a sombeay here in kenya and st an active scenl behind me. government officials say kenyan security forces are stillea ng this hotel complex. just a few seconds ago we heard yet another explosion coming from behind heree the still grenades and people inside that complex according to officials. so the president of kenya says the crisis is, in effect, over

and all of the suspects are dead. the deadly assault began tuesday afternoon with an explosion that targeted three vehicles in a parking lot at the luxury hotel complex in nairobi. it was followed by a suicide bomb in the hotel's lobby. secuty camer showing gunmen storming the building to begin their deadly rampag - >>- employees are running all over the place. people are screaming. >> reporter: terrified guestsca esd from windows, hiding wherever the could. dozens of armed police moved . some soldiers leading hundreds of people tole safety others with guns drawnte hund inside the hotel forhe killers. those outside trying to make sense ofhe eayos. >>rybody was just running everywhere. >> reporter: american jason spindler was al among those

killed in the hotel. >> i saw one american guy. they tell me he died. >> reporter: spindl's mother sarah confirming to nbc news overnight that she was informed of hiseath by the u.s. embassy. in a statement she added we all miss him so much and it's so sad that such a bright young person is taken away by terrorism. he was trying to make a positive change in emerging markets. the terror group al shabaab claiming responsibility for the attack a statement. five years ago this same group attacks the nearby west gate shoppi shopping mall killing 67. kenyan's president addressed the nationwide tecre all the assailants dead. >> we have dealt with the threae sively and shown our enemies and the world that we as a country are ready to deal with any threat to our epnation. >>ter: the u.s. state department has condemned the

attack as, quote, aenseless ac of violence. jason spindler, the american who was killed, was actually a survivor of the 9/11 tacks. he joined the peace corps and later became a ceo of an nternational business consulting firm based in nairobi. he had lived in nairobi for fiv years and was ready to celebrate his 41st bthday next week. >> kelly thank you. british prime minister theresa m faces a no confidence vote today after her plan to leave the european eun used suffered the biggest defeat of any prime minister in history, that deal rejected by 230 votes. more than a third of lawmakers from her own party voted against her proposal. a lot more to get to including the newetails emerging about the wisconsin teen's alleged abductor. authorities say he was making

plans for a new career even as he held closs captive. nbc's ron mott has more on that story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. before october, theruome crime that jayme witnessed, the urbralr of her parents was unthinking heebl in this small town. those who kw the suspect, they say they can't believe he's the one charged with orchestrating it all. this morning people in two communities are wondering what if. >> i feel bad, being so close and realizihat i didn't>> do. reporter: joan and tom said they didn't think to call 911 after they heard the gunshots after the night james patterson shot and killed james and denise closs and kidnapping their daughter jayme and holding her captive for 88 days. >> that's what i can't live down, that we could have made a difference. >> reporter: tmp criminal int against patterson reveals authorities may have just missed him. investigators say the 21-year-old told them about 20

seconds after he escaped from the closs home with jayme bound his truck, he yielded to three passing squad cars. those deputies rponding to the 911 call j. patterson applied for a job online the day before jayme away, writing i'm an honest and hard working guy.no much work experience but i show up to work and i'm a quick learr. heisted he was in the marines for nine months in 2017. he waser discharged a only five weeks in 2015, indicating the character of his service was incongruen with marine corps expectations and there was a $50,000 reward tied to this came. the couple who made the 91 call to say jayme was safe in their home. they say they don't want the

money. if anye deserves it, it's her. >> a long haling process for that littlegirl. a climber who got lost on oregon's mt. hood is safe this morning. he was found by a news helicopter from k, our nbc affiliate in portland. you can see him waving his arm . rescuers were able to reach the hiker. meanwhile, the eerienced climber was not hurt. we bring in al. we're just going to beonanging every word. we're ready. >> we'll show youhat we have to talk about. aking itscy travel way through the upper ohio river valley.on snowy condi through the rockies, turning much colder in the plains. that next big storm lurking off the pacific northwest coast. we'll get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds.

good inmo i'm storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell. skies mostlythlear out e. sun coming up seven b or eight minutes from now. boy do we need the sunshine. it's cold. temperatures in the mid teens for most of the suburbs. mid 20s around the city. it will be a quick warmup. we should be above freezing before lunchtime. afternoon highs peaking in the low fots for most of theea for tomorrow, a chance of a little slushy rain-snow combination tomorrowafternoon.

coming up, the desperate search for a toddler trapped for days after falling down a narrow well. a team of americans just called in to help overnight. we'll be live with the laeest. i have a question for you. is savannah really leaving the "today" show to start her own skin care line? if you read the y internet might think that's true. we'll take a look inside and investigate tho fake ads. they're everywhere online. >> we're going to miss you. >> going to make some news this morning. n >> first this is "today"c.

just ahead, you have an allergy to penicillin? maybe not. the surising resulf a study that could impact 30 million americans. n> thenflix and bill. the price hike that's not sitting well with binge watchers this morning. first, your local news and weather. off, and neither will i.

and i treat my mbc with everyday verzenio- the only one of its kind that can be taken every day. in fact, verzenio is a cdk4 & 6 inhibitor for postmenopausal women with hr+, her2- metastatic breast cancer, approved, with hormonal therapy, as an everyday treatment for a relentless disease. verzenio + an ai is proven to help women have significantly more time without disease progression, and more than half of women saw their tumors shrink vs an ai. diarrhea is common, may be severe, and may cause dehydration or infection. before taking verzenio, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection. verzenio may cause low white blood cell counts, which may cause serious infection that can lead to death. serious liver problems can occur. symptoms may include tiredness, loss of appetite, stomach pain, and bleeding or bruising more easily than normal. blood clots that can lead to death have also occurred. talk to your doctor right away if you notice pain or swelling in your arms or legs, shortness of breath, chest pain or rapid breathing or heart rate.

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and that's why we use nothing but the very best sausage that money can buy. paint yourself a beautiful morning. 7:26 is your sometime on this wednesday, january 16, 2019. good morning. i'm eun yang. >> i'm aaron gilchrist. you can see a bad crash on the beltway. of the >> right to melissa mollet. >> a big mess outer loop at old georgetown road. only one right lane is getting by. chper 4 showing the pictures. the backup, 8 1/2 miles. if you're heading to virginia, get on the outer loop at old georgetow georgetown, get off at new hampshire avenue, take colesvilleav or georgiue into town. outer loop southbound 270 at

middle brook, crash blocking two lanes. southbound atgo mory, crash cleared. delays still hanging around. the domino effect of the government shutdown continues. federal employees may run into nancial trouble if they have student loans to pay. >> tonight susan hogan has suggestions on what y should right now if you can't make your next payment. there are a few school delays in virginia. all of them at the bottom of your screen and on the nbc washington app. >> your forecast is next.

good morning everybody. no weather worries today other than the subfreezing start this morning. temperatures in the upper 30s and low 40s. another freeze tonight. tonight clouds come in and chances for rain and wet snow later in the day tomorrow. could get .5 inch to an inch, mainly on grassy areas. we'll keep a close eye on that. dry friday afternoon and night. lot of rain and possibly snow

mixed in over the weekend,too. >> chuck, thank you very much. another local news update coming your way in about 25 wnutes. re now back to the "today" show after this short break. have a great day. you know, people don't actually use hashtags when they talk. #thisgirldoes dlike that. no one evs that. stop it. sboom #youstopit havertys 2019 kickoff is on get an extra $100 off every $10 you spend... ...on furniture that's already marked down. it's savings on top of savings! havertys #lifelooksgood

back now, 7:30. that is a 7:30. that is a piece of history in aon sec of the tappan zee bridge. they'll replace it with another o one. >> i feel like my 2-year-old, always knocking over theblocks. i take that bridge frequently back home. >>ot anymore. >> not anymore. the newbridge is nice. new check of the headlines. new concern that this gernment utdown is impacting the

overall economy far more than previouslyestimated. jay me diamond, the ceo of jpmorgan chase is warning first quarter growth could be wiped out if this shutdown continues through march. in the tameantime, d airlines says it's costing $25 million a month in lost business because government employees and contractors aren't flyingym e. overall, the irs is calming concerns that tax refunds won't be issued on time. recalling 46,000mpyees without pay ahead of the tax season. a big shakeup at the university of north carolina all surrounding the removal of a controversial monument. just hours after it was removed, forcedlor carol folt was out. she authorized the removal of the monument space and announced she would resign from her position in may. the unc board of

governors called for departure at the end of this month instead. the statue itself was toppled last august who called the monument racist. > a seventh graelder from michigan is making michigan for his outstanding play on the football field. his name is isaiahrs l. remember that name. he's the youngest football player to ever receive a scholarship offer from a division o, schohat coming from jim harbaugh himself. the head coach of the university ofch miigan. harbaugh saw that 13-year-old quarterback play on tuesday, was apparently so moved by the performance, he picked up the phone and reached out to marshall's dad. because of the mrules, can'te it official until his senior year in high school. isaiah must be a heck of a quarterback. >> seventh gra and got a college offer. i guess harbaugh believes in the olderly bird gets the worm theory. >> apparently. we have an update on the on massive operao locate and rescue a toddler who fell down a

well in spain. nbc's chief global correspondent bill nly has the latest. >> good morning, guys. it's now day four. it's clear for the parents of that little boy, every day is torture,he father saying this morning they are broken, almost dead but s clinging to hope. more equipment and more rescuers have been brought in, including people who were involved in one other miraculous rescue, and a miracle is what they're praying for. >> reporter: the site of a n ofay picnic is now the s a desperate international rescue. on the hillside, new holes are being dug, rcuers flown in, heavy equipment sent and delicate sensors deployed to listen for any signs of life frld 2-year yulan. his father braved the cameras this morning. you can only imagine, he said, what this is like. my wife is broken. we are dead inside, he says.

but weope we have an angel to get my son out of there. the parents had another son who died of heart failure age 3. the boy's distraught mother writing on social media that her guardian angel won't let his little brother die. rescuers have found a few of the boy's hairs in the soil they dug out. since sunday, only silence since the moment he luscreamed,ing down a well as deep as a 30tory tower block. the boy's candy and plastic cup were found deep dow the ll. now a parallel shaft four feet wide is being dug to allow rescuers to be lowered down to the y's level. a team from sweden is bringing equipment used to pinpoint dozens of chilean miners trapped in a shaft seven years ago and finally rescued after two months. last year a dozen thai boys trapped in a cave were feared dead but rescued by divers.

so in spain today, even at the rim of a foot-wide hole there is hope that a little boy might be saved. authorities say they think they can reach t smot whe the little boy is within 24 to 48 hours, but there is noig that he's in an air pocket and only evidence that, in efact, may be covered in soil and rock. it's not looking good.th ities are investigating who dug the well and why on earth it wasn't fenced off. >> you just pray for a miracle in a case like that. we turn now to al, a busy day in the weather. >> big football weekend later in the day, the sents will h been playing, take a look at what's happening in kansas city. on sunday temperatures will be 20 to 30 degrees below average. arrowhead stadium at the start

of the game, central time,5:40 could be light snow. 12 degrees for that game. the record cold nfl game ice bowl, december 31st, 1967, 13 below. they won't be close to that. cleveland by sunday, 18 degrees. 30 in memphis, down60 to in tallahassee. cold throughout much of the country by the weekend. next big storm making its way to california. that will cause coast to coast mistery. acie travel to upstate new york and western path at's what's going on around the country. here is what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning everybody. i'm storm team 4 metk rologist chll. first rays of wrchds's sunshine finding their way on to the downtown buildings in washington. mperatures below freezing across the area, mostly in the teens for the suburbs. manassas the usual cold spot

down to 9 this morning. 14 in montgomery atunty. tempes will be above freezing by about 10:00 this morning. afternoon highs b today will in the upper 30s and low 40s. another cold day tomorrowith wet snow possible late in the day tomorrow. cold rain over the weekend. have you ever been told you have an allergy to penicillin? there's a new study that claims pretty much everyone that has been told that, it isn't true. coming up, theoey questions ask your doctor. plus the future of fertility, the breakthrough for young cancer patients who may want to start their own familye day. plus what happened when jimmy fallon performed alongside lin-manuel miranda. have you seen the ads that claim peoe are leaving their jobs to start their own line of etics. asking for a friend. just exactly what are they selling and is it true?

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t >hi this morning on "in depth," an investigation into the free trial ads you've probably seen on popul websites and social media that use fake headlines and endorsements including a certain member of the "today" family tol help sheir products. >> i have to be honest, we're doing this story so people will stop texting me, are you leaving the "today" show. no, i'm not. nbc's gadi schwartz is looking into this. this is disturbing because people are getting scammed out of money. >> good morning, savannah. these websites catch your attention with a bold headline about your favorite celebrity using star power to trick you into getti a free trial of the product they support. the headlines are completely fake and those produ really are free. how are these companies selling

free trials and how are they getting away with it? this morning we're about to show you. the websites seem so real, ads click-worthy. bogus headlines and adds showing up on places like faceboosi ung fake celebrityndorsements to sell you on skin care products or weight loss supplements. th say you only pay for shippinghe then ty slam you with the total cost if you don't return theproducts. from ellen degenero to joanna gaines. it even happened to our co-anchor savannah t guthrie,s one claiming she's pursuing her new sn care line. >> people i know well would text and say i hrd about your new career moves. >> i can understand why people aulieve it b it looks real. >> savannah tweeting this i true.

it's a scam. one fan darlene smithayg i was suckered in and i'm trying to get my money back i'm such an avid fan of hers and i watch the "today" show every day. how they hooked you in? >> yes, for savannah. >> the actual pages with the fake headlines about savannah are still up even though the links on the sites don't work. >> even ia link no longer works, that doesn't mean the same claims are not being made for theroct somewhere else. >> so let's break that down. the companies design ads and when you click on the ad, the affiliate gets a commission. when the links stop working, the filiates create new ones. the better business bureau says it's received almost 37,000 complaints and reports about free trials in the last three years. how do you track these companies down?'t well, they d make it easy. we tried. >> ts isaz difficult schwartz with nbc news. we're trying to reach the owner

of a company that makes a product livaderma. >> we tried another number. -eother de. we switch over to a toll-free customer service number. >> i was calling about some complaints associated with the product livaderma. i was hoping to speak to a manager. >> she putse on hold. >> ten minutes. >> there's no manager. we're trying to figure out why there are fake advertisements selling your product under the names of several recognizable celebrities. so you're a customer service agent and you're not in a position to answer that because you're not aware of that. >> i asked something she might know. >> is theit a time l for customers to use their free trial. they get 14-dayio per to try the product. where is that stated? it's on the website. >> she wouldn't give me the

website. we found it buried on a page. the bbb says these websites usually don't lists. addr and the only address they might get is a p.o. box for the return address on the package. sometimes that's just the fulfillment center it was shipped from. this one in florida has been linked to another product using 'tvannah's name. >> we d have anything to do with the client's marketing or how they do their we just get orders and ship out. >> reporter: so it's up to you to look out for yourself. >> it didn't e there. that customer service agent gave me an e-mail address over the phone. we reached out but it bounced back. we reached out to facebook to find out why these ads and headlines keep popping up. the company says rads like that don't belong on facebook, they're misleading, spammy. they removed the ads aboutnn sa we found. they're continuing to improve detention efforts. you can help. facebook says you can report any

ad by clicking on the three dots on the top right corner. >> people have great intentions. they think, oh, i want that skin care line. isi, how do you know if this a scam ad? is there something you can look for. >> the first thing you do is gokle it. chut the product name on bbb.org andhe see if are any other complaints about it. always read the terms and conditions on those websites before you buy an hing, especially if they say it's free. check the website or the social media accounts for the celebrity endorsing the product. if they're not promoting it on their own pages, chances are they don't really support it. i checked your instagram. it looks like you like soup and theeagles. and my kids. if i was going to start a company, it would be like ail te company, queso, it's not going to be skin care. do you know how much makeup i have on. >> my dadot scammed, he bought

weight loss bills endorsed by blakeshelton. he said tell your buddy blake -- blake was like i have no idea what you're talking about. >> you d haveice skin, you know. >> well, thanks, but that's not it. > up next, the uproar over price increase ever. that's right after this. hi, tom. hey, how's the college visit? you remembered. it's good. does it make the short list? you remembered that too. yeah, i'm afraid so. knowing what's important to you... it's okay. this is what we've been planning for. thanks, bye. that's what's important to us. it's why 7 million investors work with edward jones. (sigh)

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it's raising subscription prices byo 13% 18%, the company's biggest price increase since launching its streaming service. here is what it looks lik for the 58 million u.s. subscribers the basic plan goes up a buck to $8.99 a month. the standard and premium plans up .00. in a statement said we change prices as we continue investing in great entertainment and improving the overall netflix experiencehe many expectompany to focus on creating more original t, conthows like house of cards, stranger things and like the new movie bird box. news sparked backlash online. johnny saying thanks netflix. you just lost a subscriber. josh adding 300 original shows no one will ever on the other side, no problem, good product and prices still lower than it could be. the new prices will be applied

to existing subscribers. this comes on the heels of a potential crackdow on password sharing. a software engineery recen unveiled the way that they are of theg to cut down some shared accounts. if you know someone with a netflix account, you can use eir information. at can hit subscribers down the road.eh ders and investors think it's a good idea. > coming up, jimmy fallon with the "hamilton" cast.

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7:56 is your time right now on this wednesday, january 16, good morning to you, i'm eun yang. right now you're looking at chopper 4 of a bad crash on the outer loop of the beltway this morning. let's get tosa mel mollet. >> still jammed through that area. outer loop at rockville pike, 3 miles per hour. a nine-mile backup at the top of the beltway because of this crash, up at old georgetown road. right lane squeezing by and delays back to new hampshire avenue. outer loop out to river road, l only tes getting by. southbound 270, crash in the left lane. e virginialy beltway issue is clear, but 66 and moving pretty well. we'll take a break and check your forecast next. stay with us.

sunshine and a subfreezing start for most of the area. teens and 20s as you step out the door to get your wednesday going. it's going t stay cold today, but above freezing, far enough to have lots of melting for today. tomorrow, cold and cloudy with a chance of rain and wet snow late tomorrow afternoon into tomorrow evening.

it's 8:00 on "today," coming up, double trouble, back to back the countryo sla coast to coast with snow, snow, sleet and heavy rain. where is the winter weather headed and how will it impact your weekend plans? al has the latest forecast and what you need to know. plus, the future of fertility. we're ting a look at a medical breakthrough for children fighting cancer. >> some day he's going to ask me can i have kids, can i do this? i'm ready to take these steps. i can now loo back and say i've done all i can to have that for yoam andng it up. jimmy fallon joins lin-manuel

miranda and the cast of "hamilton" on stage in puerto rico. "the tonight show" take in all th island has to offer including some special surprises you won't wt to miss. today wednesday, january 16, 2019. ♪ >> from the farms of strassburg, virginia. >> to new york city, high, kids. high to my mom in suffolk, connecti > shoutut t fodhamor ♪ >> celebrating my 30th birthday inhe big apple. >> from chino hills, california, hi dad. good morning everybody. welcome back to "today." it's wednesday morning. utat is a hearty crowd. it is not warm o there. we're so happyor those folks standing out there. we can't wait to say hi, also.

you see #mytodayplaza. that's our wint wet you to send in your videos using that hashtag. >> all you have to do is record a quick message, where you're watching from, give a shout-out to the show and then upload it using that hashtag. you can do that on twitter or ag inm. a double dose of extreme winter weather about to hit most of the country. it's going to be rainy and icy. some areas can get the heaviest snow they've seen in years. al is on top of ait of good morning. >> good morning, guys. we have that first storm coming. into californ it's bringing rain, wind and snow. in fact, we've got million people under a wind ad blizzard watch, winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories. rainfall generally in california two to ur incs. uld nin inches. flash flooding and debrisflows. in the sierra, upwards of three feet of snow. that storm mayes its across. by thursday bringing snow to

cleveland and buffalo. it's a quick round. it moves through rather quickly, especial along the east coast. by friday it moves into the northeast. again, a dusting. maybe one to two inches of snow. this second storm, this one makes its way from california friday. bringing snow to denver, omaha and chicago. avy rain as you make your way into the southern plains. by saturday, the snow stretches from arkansas into the northeast and new england. changing oefrl to heavy rain from i-95 from new york down to washington, d.c. but then by sunday afternoon, back side brings more snow, so ht will end as snow. snowfall amounts rnow, we don't want to put numbers on it. butw moderate s from northern missouri into new england. heavy snow from centr ohio into new england. there's going to be a lot of rain with this we're talking from one to three inches of rain from coastal new england all the way back down into arkansas and texas. so big effects for muchhe of t

country right through sunday. guys? >> al, thanks. i congress will ski recess next week if there's no breaktough on border wall funding and the government shutdown. the economic impact of this shutdown is turning out to be worse than expected. nbc's tom costello is at a food bank for government workers opening at the naval memorial in d.c. good morning. >>useporter: we're a few blocks away from capitol hill to put this into context. we're at the world central kitchen. the non-profit emergency food relief started by celebrity chef otse andres. i've with me chef tim right now. how many people are youin expe today and why are you doing this? >> we're preparing meals for al li over 2,000 people. we don't know what to expect. at our core, this is what we do is feed people in erneed, whe it's natural disaster or what we're going through now. it's just important to be here and what we do.

>> you're about a half mile from the steps of capitol hill and even less from the white house which is really kind of astonishing, puts it all into perspective. keep ts in mind. 800,000 federal workers and their families affected plus all the contractors affected. 42,000 coast guard men and women yesterday learned they weren't getting a paycheck. yet they're out on the water, often in dangerous missions whileilheir f members back onshore have to go to food banks to get food for their kids and diapers. it puts it intoxt cons this rolls on day after day after day with no end in sight. hoda, back to you. >> tom, thank you. major medical news this morning. a report says 95% of americans who have been told they have an allergy to penicillin do what does that mean for you and dren?ch dr. natalie azar is here. that's a breathtaking number. st people who think they have the allergy don' how did this happen?

>> we've known for a couple years now that ofhe 32 million people who are reported to have a penicillin allergy, greater than 90% of them can take penicillin safely. why can that happen?t a times what happens is people mischaracterize an adverse reaction to an allergic reaction. somebody may haveaua or upset stomach and they call it an allergy.t one thing t can happen, kids have a virus, ippropriately t given antibiotics and develop a rash when viruses can be accompanied by a rash. they're mistakenly told they have a penicillin allergy. >> if i'm viewer, i'm confused. i think i have an allergy. why should iry to take it? >> the reason there is the goal of treating with antibiotics is always to use the most narrow spectrum possible. when you sta using these broad spectrum antibiotics, number one, much more expensive aed nto the antibiotic resis

tapt problem. we le penicillins because of their narrow spectrum and they're relately inexpensive. >> so what do you recommend? >> for people who have a docunnted allergy their record and also for clinicians, you've got to be diligent about aski what their reactions are. a real allergic reaction, hives, wheezing, shortness o breath. if there's any concern at all, best thing to do is see an allergist and get tested. >> dr. natalie, great information. >> thank you so much. a littlebo morning t. you ready for this one? here is what happened when the world's most famous redhead, prince harry, spotted little girl that said gingers unite. >> can you say hi? >> can i give you a hug?

>> what's your name. >>eliza. >> i do love the color of your hair. gingers rule, don't they? >> 4-year-old got the real treatment. harry stopped and chatted. i'm sure the mom is likeomg, i can't believe this is happening. what a sweet moment. >> i saw a picture on instagram th her with her little sign and the red coat. i can see why he stopped. >> the gingers are a proud people. he gingers i know. much more ahead on this wednesday morning including the re of fertility. how an entire group of people who didn't have much hope of starting families may get another chance. theplus their story gripped nation. one year later, how the survivors of the so-called house of hrors in california, how they are doing now. first these messages. a language we cannot understand. ♪ [ telephone ringing ] -whoa. [ indistinct talking ] -deductible? -definitely speaking insurance.

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(voice) (danny)know what impressing the heck out of me. also, giving a shih tzu an updo. pet care ain't easy. 12 hours? 20 dogs? where's your belly rubs? after a day of chasing dogs you shouldn't have to chase down payments. (vo) send invoices and accept payments to get paid twice as fast. (danny) you deserve a treat. and by treat i mean cash. bacon-wrapped cash. josie...it's time to get yours! (vo) quickbooks. backing you. moving? that's harder now because of psoriatic arthritis. but you're still moved by moments like this. don't let psoriatic arthritis take them away. taltz reduces joint pain and stiffness and helps stop the progression of joint damage. for people with moderate to severe psoriasis,

90% saw significant improvement. taltz even gives you a chance at completely clear skin. don't use if you're allergic to taltz. before starting, you should be checked for tuberculosis. taltz may increase risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection, symptoms, or received a vaccine or plan to. inflammatory bowel disease can happen with taltz, including worsening of symptoms. serious allergic reactions can occur. for all the things that move you. ask your doctor about taltz. we are back now at 8:13 with an adate o story that an update on a story that stunned the nation and madewo dwide headlines. >> talking about the so-called house o parents accused of torturing and enslaving most of their 13 children. >> one year later, we're learning more about how those children are doing now. nbc national correspondent

miguel almaguer has more. >> prosecutors say david and louise turpin inflicted unbelievable abuse on their children. last year one of the older inildren escaped threw a window and called 911, le to their arrest. six of the children are minors and remain in the care of theco ty. the seven adult children are living together. through their attorney, they're shing more aut their lives. inside this southern california home, investigators say david d louise turpin abused 12 of their 13 children age 2 to 29 years old, some of them beaten, shackled and sar fd. >> do they realize the magnitude of what they've >> i'm not sure. they came from a situation that seemed normal to them, and now they're in aew normal. so i think they may spend a long time processing the two. >> the seven adult turnon children their story made

headlines. >> none of the victims wereo allowedhower more than once a year. >> reporter: now a year after theirtarents' arr on abuse charges, the turpin children are learng to live on their own. >> for the first time they're able to make their own decisions and decide what they're going to eat, decide where they peer going to go, what they're going to study. >> reporter: how long does it take to adjust? >> they'retill becoming independent. they'll tell you it's a lifelong hiing. >> reporter: theren haven't spoken to their parents since their arrest but will face them in court if they testify. >> reporter: are they prepared for that? >> that worries them. not something they're lking forward to at all. >> reporter: their parents pleading not glty to 50 charges of torture, false imprisonment and child abuse, facing phesibility of life in prison if convicted. >> theyryo w about their parents. at times they do miss their otrents. >> how can they be bitter? >> they're not bitter. they really take every day as

tuesday. >> reporter: the adult turpin children who were so malnourished that police thought they were minors, say they don't want to be seen as yctims. >> tant people to know that they are survivors. they want to be indep >> reporter: together they have endured the unimaginable and as a new family have a new life. >> what's the relationship like between the older turpin children and t younger turpin children? >> well, the older children are extremely protective of the younger ones. so when they do have time togeer, it's a lot of nurturing. there's a lot of reassuring. and one of the thingshat they're grateful for is they've got each other. >> reporter: according to their attorney, the adult regularre childrenn regular contact and have frequent visits with the younger slings who are in foster care. they're curious about what is

being said. they say they want to share their stor together. ow they're focused on starting over. a remarkable story from a remarkable group of survivors. guys, back to you. >> that says so much about the human spirit that they are able to come together, support each other, t to create a new life. they're incredible people. e will switch gears now. al isg watchin closely what's happening in the weather. >> here into california with rain and snow that's eventually going to make its way coast to coast.' snn the rockies. turning colder in the plains. icy travel inpp the ohio river valley. plenty of sunshine from the mid atlanttes down into the gulf coast. that's what's going on around the country, here is what's happening inr neck of the woods. a cold start this morning. the sun is sun shining. klat will help warm things up rather qu a few n the 20s, even spots in the teens this morning, 58 in prince george's county, 15 at dullesrp t. up to 20 in afternoon temperatures in the low 40s for most of the area.

plenty of melting today. another refreeze tonight. colder tomorrow afternoon with rain and wet snow moving in. could be a half annch to an inch or more of wet snow mainly ter the sun goes down tomorrow. >> that's yr latest weather. mr. melvin. thank you very much. >>rson daly i pass things off to you. first up, last night "the tonight show" aired from puerto rico. he took the sw on the road to support efforts to help rebuild the area after hurricane maria as well as check out lin-manuel miranda's reprisal role in "hamilton." why just see "hamilton" when you can be in it. ♪

♪ >> that's pretty cool right there. stepping back into the role of alexander hamilton is like riding a bike in new york city, meaning has been a few obstacles along the way. for theos m part, you know exact elo what do. yesterday alicia keys was announced as host for the grammy awards. she posted a video sharing the exact moment she got the gig. needless to say, she looks pretty excited. however, when she broke the news to her kids, they were a little less impressed. >> i got some good news guys, ess what? i am going to host the grammys. >> what's the grammys. >> there you go. can't win them >> the 15-time grammy award winner will be the fifth woman

in history to host the award show and the first to do it in 14 years. the 61st grammy awards take place february 10th. our congrats to alicia. >> finally a new episode of six minute marathons outtoday. guess who swung by for around of questioning? country superstar shaniya twain. >> best concert you ever went to? >> oh, definitely -- that's really tough because i've been to a stones concert. >> you have? >> what tops that? in cuba. >> i think that's the best concert ever. >> what tops that? >> a shaniya twain concert. >> have you ever been starstruck? >> yes. i wash awkward w madonna. i've never met brad pitt, but i know i'll be awkward. >> love the foreshadowing. shaniya answered with 17 swered questions. you know the marvelous president

trump amazingal and amy schumer hold the record with 25ti qus. a little useless trivia for you. >>hank you, carson. thanks for theplug. now to our special series, the future of fertility. >> this morning we're talking about a unique program providi hope for young cancer patients who may want to start families of their own some day. nbc senior correspondent kate snow has the prom. >> this program at children's hospital of philadelphia looks beyond helpi a patient beat cancer, it looks to their future. trying to help both girls and boys. a recent breakthrough specific to boys who haven't hit puberty yet could help today' cancer survivors become tomorrow's fathers. >> repter: sam was dealt a tough hand at the age of 2. he had cancer. >> he had canr that started in

the prostate, had nowhere else it would go. it ballooned out into his bladder. by the time he was diagnosed, he was 2 years, three months old, the size of aef grit. >> the same day they received this devastating new, dr. jill ginsburg came to see them. >> she had a brand new study sha ed us to be a part of, a per facility preservation she said the treatment that sam is going to undergo, he most likely wil not be able to have children when he was older. that didn't seem like a buying deal to me at the time. but what seemed to be a big deat wat jill was looking to my son's future. after a diagnosis we got that day, i thought, wow, there's hope he's going to make ough this. >> she's talking about him in the way future. he's 2 y rs ol >> absolutely, absolutely. >> reporter: the study was born out of iuccess fighting childhood cancer, the curate as high as85% when chemotherapy is used. in boys, that lechemo, w

lifesaving, can destroy cells that would later produce sperm. >> in the younger patients, the boys who haven't gone through pub berity, they're n making mature sperm to be able to save. n the past there have been no options. >> reporter: ten years ago they began asking the families of boys if theyld volunteer for a study. >> we found in animal models they're able to restore fertility using frozen testicular tissue. te we w to sort of see if we could translate that to humans. >> reporter: here is how it works. while the patieed ised for another procedure, doctors remove a tiny bit of testicula tissue, send some to a lab for research and freezehe rest, hoping one day in the future after the boy is cancer-free, they could reimplant thatmpissue and p his body to start producing sperm. but that tiny sample doesn't have enough sperm stem cells, so they needed a way to make more. >> to think about putting it

back intoie the p to restore the sperm forming ability would take millions and millions of these cells. so the roadblock to date has always been how to expand these sperm forming cells in the lab. that's the step we think we've over come now. >> reporter: the breakthrough came in this lab headed by dr. ndra riam. >> how many would you make? >> we made llions. billions. we can grow the fever and ever. >> reporter: the researchers have not attempted to reinsert a sample of billions of sperm producing cells into an adult man yet, but that's one path tor faod. another option would be maturing the cells in a petri dish and using t resulting sperm for in vitrofertilization. >> how far away are we from reaching those milestones? >> within ten years. >> that's for the boys that are young right now, that's hope for them. >> exactly. >> repster: that inclu sam.

he's 12 and nearly ten years cancer-free. right now he's busy playing with his brothers, but his mom can't help but look to the fuayre. >> some he's going to ask me can i have kids or i'm ready to take these steps. i can look back and say i've done all can to have that for you. >> to hopefully make that possible. >> you think you w to have kids when you're older? >> yes. >> you want to be a dad? >> yes. >> reporte for this young cancer survivor, a shot at a family of hiswn oneday. >> this breakthrough in the lab focused on reproductive tissue for young boys. dr. ginsburg and colleagues are also looking to help girls. they're saving a sample of ovarian tissue that can be reimplanted when a girl is older and cancer-free as well. >> any coordination, multiply from 0100,o a billion, that that same thing could be used for girls? >> totly different for girls because we have more eggs

already. it's kind of complicated. but it's different ocesses, but they're having some success. >> amazingou breakt. >> wow, wow, wow. coming up, funny man sebastian -- this is a "news 4 today" neoo break. morning, 8:26 on this j wednesday,anuary 16th. i'm aaron gilchrist. m melisslet has a look at the first 4 traffic look. >> outer loob of the beltway, five miles per hour from an earlier pash. outer lt old georgetown. solidels at the top of the beltway. burtonsville and 129, a dump truck versus a car. all lanes shut down. we'll have a look at our forecast when we come back. ay with us. stnenger is rebuilding a wborn's heart...

and restoring a father's faith. it's standing tall after one surgery... not six. stronger is being a typical kid... despite a rare disorder. stronger is finding it earlier ... and coming home sooner. stronger is seeking answers... and not giving up, until you find them.

because we don't just want your kids to grow up. we want them to grow up stronger. least the sun is sun shining. still awfully cold. temperatures mostly in the teens etand 20s to your wednesday started. highs today near 42. clouds tomorrow with a likelihood of rain and wet snow late tomorrow and tomorrow evening. that ends before the sun is up

on friday. a chance of cold rain on saturday and sunday that could with snow. chuck, thank you. you can get the latest news and weather any time in the nbc washington app. now back to "today."

puerto rico. tonig > hey everybody, 8:230 on thisda wednes morning. it's january 16, 2019. we're spping outside. al, what's the temperature roughly? >> about 28. outside.rees so we want to give a big hats-off to our amazing crowd who showed up in this freezing weather. is that crazy? where are shelby a john? >> right here. >> what?

savannah, don't know if you guys recognize these two, but they were here yesterday. >> yes. i lshe this . i've got you guys on record when i have to go to work unfortunely on the weekdays. i'm all about y'all. >> y'all are from denton,xa tes, celebrating what? >> our two-year anniversary. >> congratulations. >> you're a firefighter. >> yes, ma'am, in denton. comingk you so much for out two days in a row. >> when it is not warm out here. 've got to do a pick. >> we're ready. >> nice. >> happy anniversary.ha >> you. still coming up, we'll share a few laughs with sebastian maniscalco, now a huge hit i hood. looking forward to that. >> we all know our beautiful, fantastic, talented production assistant salma who is alwaysng brinweet treats into the office. they're good for us, don't ruin

our die et cera. er recipes made her instagram famous. this morning, she has new and delicious recipes, butlso exciting news. >> ooh, a tease. coming up in the third hour of "today" we'll catch up with medy legends eugene levy and katherine o'hara going back to sceir days to talk about their 40-year friendship and the new season of their hit show we can't say on morning >>tv. great show. also we'll be talking about the future of flight, taking it to new heights with the aircraft that could well change how we all fly. >> all right. first, al, a check awful the weather. >> oh, that baby. we've got to show that baby. >> hello. >> aswere, al. >> all right. now back to the maps. first of all, we start with icy travel through the ohio river

valley,r col the plains. next big storms comes in the west coast today. rain and snow. that h createsvy know for the sierra, flood threat for southern calirnia. first low brings light snow into the ohio river valley and eventually the northeast, rain down through the gulf. suhine back through texas. arctic chill makes its way back that's what's going on around the country. here is what's happening in your neck of the woods. here today, the sunshine out now. temperatur 28 in arlington, 20 in gaithersburg, still only 11 in manassas. little more cloud cover later on in the day today. tomorrow will become a mostly cloudy day. the clouds move in after sunrise. a cold finish to the dayra with moving in. could get a half inch to an inch of wet slushy snow late tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow evening. shouldn't be much of an impact your friday morning, but more cold rain weekend. >> that is your latest weather. hoda. get ready to laugh.

this guy here, sebastian maniscalco ihere. he sold out the garden four nights. he's with us today. you going to hang with us today? >> absolutely. >> first, this is "today" on nbc. am i going for it?

is this a morning thing? >> it's a morning thing. >> is a big week for a big week for comedian sebastian maniscalco. >> he's playing madison square garden. they had to add anothershow. a new netflix special out that we'll talk about in a second. first, a look at why he's one of the biggest names in standup. >> do you ever dress an infa? they have no core so it's -- sebastian maniscalco's expressive, physical comedy made him a hit with fans,

selling out places like new york city music hadl andon square garden. now he's starring in a new netflix special called "stay hungry >> go to a body shop? you ever go there. they're waiting for you to c in. they swarm the car. i thought i was at a cirque du soleil show. >> what did my sister have to say about you being gone for three >> also on the big screen in "green book." from ifcreen to the stage, sebastian maniscalco is a star or, as his father might say, a big shot. >> i got my father here, and he's planning a whole day today. dad, i'm playing radio cityto ght. you're too big now, big shot? you're big shot? youutan't go to lunch with

your father? >> big shot. hey, sebastian. we talked about your dad. you think your mom is watching you this morning? >> i td my mom i'm doing the "today" show. ene's like, you made it. it's hag. >> that's all it took. >> that's all it took. >>ongrats on selling out msg. that's if nue, right. >> the netflix special, the book. >> it's been nuts. i' alwaysad a great following here in new york city. i started at goth them comedy cl , now madison square garden. so, yeah, i think people are resonating with my cra father, my immigrantpbringing. >> what's it been like, this whole >> once i think i've hit a good milestone, another one happens. i'm really appreciative for all the success.

i've been doing this for 20 years. to with my family. i've got my wife here, my little daughter. my father is coming in, mother coming in. >> a bibby on the way, a little boy. >> a little boy. >> what are you going to do with a little boy? >> my father wasn't really patient with me growing, so i don't know anything. i don't know how to fix anything. i would start doing something and he would be like get out of here, i've got to go to work. so hopefully i can be a little more patient with my son and teach him the things he needs to know. >> green book did well at the golden globes. >> my father and i are watching it at home. my dad says why aren't you invi inthere? wasn't invited. hard to tell my parents that i don't have the authority to sit down at the table at the golde globes. somebody has to ask me to go.

he wants to go to the oscar- he wants to go. >> that's how it is with parents. >> he's like are we going to be red carpet? the what do you mean we? i can barely get there. >> you have so many cool things going on in your life. another movie coming out with this czy all-star cast. scorsese is the director "the irishman." >> person she, pacino, de niro. >> how doou get the call to get with this movie? >> i auditioned, came to new york city to. auditi >> did they pick you? >> i've had this on my radar for the last or four years. i said if you get a chance to get me in, get me in. they got me in. i screwed up the audition. i wa in there, toy meld you're looking really good for this part. and that's all i have to hear and i sabotage it. >> you're a long shot -- >> i'm like, all right. i got it. they told me i almost got it and

i unravel. >> what happened after the bad audition. >> they gave me another shot to do i on tape. they sent it in for score say zee. he liektd me for another role, this crazy joe gallo roll. >> sitting across from these a-listers, were you freaking out, praying you would make it through your lines? >> what did they say to you? what does person she say to you? >> i don't say anything. i'm hoping not to get fired. i'm not going to be talkingo them in between scenes saying, i loved you in "casino." i would sit with my hands folded. there was a part where we had to do lighting and we're standing eye to eye. i'm not going to talk unless he talks to me. >> about to start the scene. >> what are you doing? >> it was like a stare-off for two minutes. >> they fixed thelighting.

>> what was he ing? >> just looking right at me. >> is he in character? s i don't know what he in. i didn't want to ask. i don't know what he was doing. then at one point he goes your tie is not tiedight and he synched it. i got, oh, my god, h fixed my t tie. >> did you go to acting school? howid you get your acting chops? >> i take classes with an acting coach. any time i get a part, i work withr. but i didn't have any formal training. i didn't go t acting. >> when you step on the stage at msg and it'o full, you get a rush? do you get scared? what goeser on >> it's leading up to it which is the problem. once i'm on age, everything is fantastic. now it's like, at, wednesday? i wish the show was tonight. there's a lot of press involved with it all.

>> theuildup to it. >> it's exciting. come on. madison square garden, the icenter of new york city. >> three or four nights? >> two sghts, twows a night. still have tickets on sale -- >> not many. they're going fast. >> now it seems like you're there, right? now you can do anythin you want. you can have maybe your own thing, like a sign felt thing comes to mind. where do you see it going? >> i like doing standup. >> consult your dad i guess. >> if i can thrill my father, that would be fantastic. ng>> he'll have somet to say about this. >> yeah. tv iser not -- s an opportunity that comes along, fantastic. i'm happy doing standup comedy. >> sebastian, good luck, have fun. >> thanks for the cannolis. >> his comedy special "stay hungry" streaming on netflix. our superstar production assistant, resident foodie has

recipe that will satisfy our sweet tooths and no guilt. but first this is "today" on nbc. you have a lot of deadlines in your business, right? we miss deadlines, we don't get paid. what if you lost your network connection? you gotta be kidding me. chaotic. our gig-speed network lets you download files up to 20 times faster. and we go beyond fast with 4g lte backup for complete reliability. so, if you lose your network connection... ♪ ♪ you won't miss the deadlines.

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and we're back withtoday's food. we've got exciting news to share, samah dada our amazing lead production assistant by day al happensdada, our lead produc assistants also happens to be an instram car with. we've had her on the show before sharing recipes with healthy twists. but now she's going to be sharing little more with you online with a new "today" digital series called #cooking. with more on that, savannah. >> we're so excited. samah is right here to tell us all about it. i was just saying itppouldn't haen to a better, nicer or more talented person. >> thank you so much. >> tel us about #cooking, your new show. >> it's so fun. it's really like you're in t kitchen with me. cooking together some of my

favorite recipes, they're healthy but also a little indulgent. >> you'll make it easy for us. >> it's so easy. we've got it covered. >> remember when salma did her first segment, she had 35,000 followers. she's up to 100,000 followers. if you're not following her, this is your time. >> today we'll make a chocolate chip cake with a vegan chocolate frosting. ve minimal ingredients. eggs, vanilla. e base is tahini. if you don'tnow what tahini e., it's sesame seeds ground into a pa the consistency is similar to ol mond butter ort pea butter. >> where do you get it? >> any store. you're probably used to seeing

it in hum mass or topping roasted vegetables. it undercuts the sugar, balances out the chocolate. what i'll do is add in two hegs. we'll whisk this together. i will note if you can't have eggs, i you're vegan, we have an egg replacement you can u for this. basically what you do is mix two tablespoons of ground flak seed wie tablespoons of warm water. it gets thick and this gel-like consistency. it's easily replaceable with eggs. it's a little binder. >> all right. i'm whisking. >> now we'll add in our coconut sugar, my favorite unrefined sweetener. it adds this warm caramel taste to any recipe. then almond milk. >> that's not butter. even know that. >> and vanilla extract in there. >> we'rein prete this is all nice and whisked. now we're moving t on our

flour. >> our dry ingredieees. >> just on whisking? >> yes. >> i'll add coconut flour and baking showed da. these are amazing flours, i love to use these. great-free, gluten-free. a >> iume that i would whisk this until smooth. >> whisk thisu ntil smooth. eam that all together. once it's snies and smooth and once you've whisked in all the gredients together, we'll combine them both. you're getting a nice arm workout. >> this is how we're accomplishing our 2019 fitness goals, making this cake. >> we'll put it tog her and it will end up looking like this. >> yes, lookingth like . so we've got chocolate chips. you know i love chocolate. >> are those real? >> you want to make sure -- >> the whole thing is real,

carson. >> not so far. >> we'll fold this in. i've launched ts with parchment paper so when you bake out.ou can easily lift it >> dry paperer? >> you can put a little coconut oil. n't forget to top this with chocolate chips before you make it. >> let's do our vegan frosting. >> the frosting is really good. >> what's amazing with this frosting, there are only four gr ients. it's vegan, gluten free, dairy you would not believe it if you tasted it. i setimes makehis and keep it in the fridge for emergencies. there's always chocolate emergencies. >> we'll start wit almond butter. we'll add cocoa powder. a little maple syrup. >> more whisking.

exhausted. >> and almond milk. depending on what kind of almond butter you use, you want it to be nice and creamy. if you want it to be thinner -- >> can i ask another dumb question. why is it always? whisking i hate how the whisk gets dirty like this. >> an electric beater. >> you can do that, too. tt you want it thicker, add more almond . if you want to thin it out, add more almond milk. i can take over. >> i'm good. i need a >>workout. his is what we'll end up with, nice creamy frosting. >> you wait until that cools, right. >> yeah, about 30 minutes. it's a not huge deal when it's not 100% cooled. i've got >> you think i'm not up to it. challenge accepted, samah.

>> i'm that person. don't tell me i can't. >> we'll smooth it on. like spackling frosting. >> this is a gluten free recipe as well. you add a vegan frosting on top. >> what do you think? >> vy good. >> could you sprinkle a little sea salt on top? >> for sure. >> you know who i learned that from? sira daly. >> before you leave for the cosmetics company. >> ait le dessert line. >> dada eats on instagram. follow her. >> 10,000 followers. >> in ten minutes. we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. >>hank you, samah.

welcome we're trying to do an update on samah's instagram to see how she's >> up to 113,000. >> great. more 're looking for stories you'll love all day, check o today.com/allday. 15-year-old jojo siwa thank you to her online critics. >> our six minute marathon with shaniya twain. lots more forgiveness, she talks more abo forgiveness. very intriguing. speaking of country stars just ahead, a live performance lined up from cody johnson. a big name right now. >>omeone is cooking broccoli. i think it's your hour. >> first your local news.

8:56 is your time now on this wednesday, juary 16, 2019. good morning to you.i' eun yang. right now we want to check on your morning commute with melissa mollet and your first 4 traffic. >> very slow top of the beltway. outer loop, crash at old georgetown road. still have lanes blocked in each direction, ten-mile backup. i will tell you to take the icc

instead on come d 95 inside the beltway and work your way across east-west highway. chopper 4 headed to a brand new problem in burtonsville, eastbound 198 pushed off at 29, dump truck versus car.an all are shut down. melissa, thank you. we'll take a break and check your forecast next. stay with us.

it is a cold start this morning. everybody is still below freezing. watch out for patches of ice around. we will be above freezing this afternooh a high near 42 degrees. there will be a chance of cold rain mixing with wet snow later on today and tomorrow and tomorrow evening. a lot of rain over the weekend which wil likely endith snow and a big drop in temperatures sunday night. chuck, thank you. get the latest news and weather any time in the nbc washington app. haveat day.

from nbc news this is today, live fromdi s 1a in rockefeller plaza. and a good wednesday morning, everyone. welcome, thanks for sticking around, craig here along with al rok roker, dylan dreyer, sheinelle jones. >ood morning. ood morning to you as well. have you ever seen one of those ads, typically on ssoial media fothing fake, something that's not real? >> the challenge is you don't kn they're fake sometimes. >> because they do a good job. >> i assume they're all fake. >> do you? >> all ads are fake. >> some of them are so believable. i sawa one where it was like h kotb is leaving the "today" show. s she's startingn caroline. and then it said kathie lee. >> and