. good morning. standing by his man, president-elect trump goes on office for his pick of rex >> rex is friendly with many leaders in the world that we don't get along with. some people don't like that. that's why i'm doing the deal with rex because i like what this is all about. >> as some new yorkers turn their eyes to the sky and get a scare. why it was all security for the incoming commander in chief. buzz aldrin speaks out for the first time since his emergency evacuation from the south pole. this morning, what he's saying about that harrowing journey and

john glenn. indecent proposal, a bizarre scene at an alabama gas station. police pulling their tasers on a man in front of his girlfriend. >> i will. >> turns out it was all an elaborate proposal. she may have said yes, but a lot of other people are saying no. and breaking overnight, actor alan thicke dies suddenly of an apparent heart attack son. the touching tribute to the 69-year-old "growing pains" star from his family, costars and many fans. today is wednesday, december 14th, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> and good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on this

to, the death of alan thicke. >> i went to bed early and i saw that and it took my breath away. there is something about the guy who had been part of "growing pains" and he's a frequent guest with us on our show. >> you cohosted one of the hours on the show. >> he has a way of making everyone next to him better. look ott alan's twitter feed later today if you get a chaps. old. miguel is live with more on this. >> good morning. alan thicke was playing hockey with his teenage son in burbank when he suffered an apparent heart attack. his death shocking to his tv fans and friends and family. >> he said dad, i swear, i'm ready for total responsibility. >> jason, you are not ready for

alan thicke played loveable dad jason seaver. >> does mom know about this? >> how do you think we met? >> a tv star, perhaps as popular on television as he was if real life. >> there has been a marriage there of my real life as a father, single father, as it turns out, and the jason seaver character. >> on tuesday, 69-year-old thicke, a was on the ice with his teenage son when he suffered a heart attack. >> i said, alan, they want you to sit up. he said no, i'm good on my back. i'm breathing. i'm fine. i've just got pain in my chest and i feel numb. >> born in canada, thicke was a tv host before and after he became an actor, always in demand. thicke had recent appearances on

"fuller house." just hours before his death tweeting season two "fuller house" looking good. i even like the ones i'm not in. a tuesday and father of three, thicke's famous son, musician robin thicke on instagram writing, he was the best man i ever knew, the best friend i ever had. alan thicke wrote the theme songs to some of the most popular shows in including "different stroke," and "the facts of life." tuesday, his own life ended too soon, but his legacy is cemented as the loveable dad so many will remember. . >> overnight, "growing pains" costart curt cameron said i spent monday through friday with

with him. chelsea and i send our prayers to the family. sharing the love. >> others are weighing in, as with well. >> there are so many tweets. john stamos tweeting this. loved this guy, loved his self-depp indicating sense of humor. charming, funny, sweet. such a combination. we'll miss you. >> and ellen degeneres saying america loved alan i'm so sad he's gone. sendsing so much love to his family. just 69 years old. let's turn now to politics. president-elect trump using the latest stop on his thankou tour to defend picking exxon bil ceo rex tillerso as etary of state. this as people watched the revolving door of politicians, business leaders and stars like kanye west now visiting trump tower. 'vot it all

on his thank you tour, donald trump heaped praise on his secretary of state pick speaking directly to critics of rex tillerson even as that of ti eclipsed by more thtrics right here at trump tower. donald trump in wisconsin feeling festiv >> we are going to say merry christmas again. merry christmas. >> hi lighting his pick for secretary of state exxon mobil ceo >> people are looking at this resume and, honestly, they've never seen a resume like this before. >> but some republican senators remain skeptical, including john mccain questioning the friendship between tillerson and russian president vladimir putin. >> he was given an award by vladimir n. i was sanctioned by vladimir putin. and that concerns me a great deal. >> but trump is casting those global relationships as an

with many of the leaders in the world that we don't get along with. and some people don't like that. they don't want him to be friendly. that's why i'm doing the deal with rick. >> if tillerson is confirmed, it guaranteed trump's four most influential departments will be led by white men. the first time that's happened since george h.w. bush's first cabinet in 1989. also at the event last night, house speaker paul ryan was booedy the hometown crowd. but trump,rying to mend defense, sort of. >> speaker paul ryan. i've really come to -- oh, no. i've come to appreciate m.hi he has been terrific. and, you know,honestly, he's like a fine wine. every day goes by, i get to appreciate his genius more and more. now, if he ever goes against me, i'm not going to say that. >> also joining trump's team,

head up the department. he's raising regular flags for environmentalists. the revolving doors at trump tower keep spinning. among the greatest guest, bill gates. >> his admistration is going to get rid of regulatory esvecl a hav anmerican leadership through invasion is one of the things that he gets wind and w interest he's had ti entertain those like joe lewis and jim brown. >> he is wide open to helping us change what hasn't been changed. >> but stealing the show, kanye west. >> we've been friends for a long time. >> upstairs, the famous rapper posed for photos obtained by tmz al tonidmp and daughter ivanka. dist later tweeting he wanted to

hinting about his own political. and for thei president-elect, a proposed truce from the celebrity chef jose entreas. following trump's inflammatory comments about mexican im fwrants. andr suggesting they skip the suits and donat group instead. also this mornin donald trump isaking his pick for e an who just a few yearsgo s he ed to eliminate that very agency. and today, right back here at trump tower, donald trump will host a summit with some of the leaders of the tech world, including the heads of google, amazon, apple and facebook. hoda. >> peter, thanks so much. >> as peter did mention, the president-elect is also facing scrutiny over what he plans to do with his business empire during his time in the white

the story. andrea, good morning. >> good morning, matt. as peter said, the president-elect is postponing that news conference. it was scheduled for tomorrow to explain how he's going to avoid conflicts of interest as the the. today, facing new questions about how he will wall off his business interests from the country's interests. candidate donald trump's biggest selling point, his success as a businessman. >> i built a phenomenal business with incredible, iconic assets. depire, stretching back four cld become a cal liabity. trumpostponing tttere renc cfe this week. now promisinging one in the nea ture, in the new ar. also eve mandated by law to doi will be leaving my businesses before january 20th turning his company over to sons don jr.nd eric and other executives pledging no new deals

office. that's not good enough for senate democrats, warning trump about potential conflicts of interest. calling on the president-elect to divest his holdings and establish a real bli trust, not one controlled by his family members. following the lead of past presidents. that's something trump dismissed almost a year ago during a republican primary debate. >> but i would probably have my children run it with my executives and i wouldn't ever be involved because i wouldn't care about anything but our country. >> two lawyers f bush says trump's latest announcement falls short writing if trump maintains a ownership interest in the business and his kids are running them, that is an invitation for scandal. arguing if trump's businesses continue to receive foreign government payments, he will actually be violenting the

>> the idea thatde drom day by own p inte, his bunt s matter.y'sinrest, tha an willp's daughter, atol i kushneras key adver during the campaign and now someone in the transition. could may a part in middleast negotiations overseas now, clashes are raging in waraved alepporn g. where did that leave thousds largescity >> good morning,da.r that the

over after four years of war. but there are reports this morning of shooting and shelling and it is quite clear that civilians are far from safe. they were mea toevacuated along with rebelshis morning. that has now bn abandon. an exodus of misery. te of thousands fleeing an slaught. but the b wn remain empty. rebels and regime blaming each other for breaking a cease-fire deal. that was meant to end the fes final assault by president assad' fces and the rebe ' lasstd. it notver yet. one activist posted wt he said

vilians are terrifhat they calln meages. >> nobody to go they're maybe 300 meters away. >> every bomb is a newmassacre. save aleppo. save ni? the day of alpo's war being brutal. .n.the u alleging more than men nd womener assad's officials in cold bloo ing american fry at the u.n. >> is there2w literallyothing that can shame you? >> president assad's troops are celebrating victory, their biggest yet, denying they've massacred civilians. but in a cy of war crimes, no one is safe. well, the u.s. is protesting what's happening in aleppo, but

change it. president assad's forces are now in almost complete control of aleppo and of all serious major cities. matt. >> bill, thank you very much. here at home, all eyes on the federal reserve, expected to wrap up a policy meeting today by raising a key interest rate. nbc's alley velshi is here to help us walk through this. ali, good to see you. >> good to see you with, matt. >> everybody is saying the interest rates are going up, it could be a quarter of a percent. thatnd yet it signals something positive. >> signals that the fed thinks the economy is good enough to handle an increase. an interest rate increase is like t theappingreaks on a car. it slows the economy down just a little bit. if you lowered interest rates, that's hitting the gas a little bit. those are the only tools the fed has. >> but it is a rate hike nonetheless. how can people expect to be impacted by this in the

they will go up. variable interest rate mortgages, credit card loans. now, not all of those costs are tied directly to the fed, but the fed rates that tell. you'll see 30-year fixed rates about a month ago going up with anticipation. >> another way that you're going to see an impact, the stock market has been shoring, the dow is near 20,000 territory. >> so i'd rather not predict because we get our wrg off with stock markets. but stock markets become less apaling becre now herptions and investments that pay interest. when interest is basically zero, why would you invest in anything except the sck market if you have money? >> and you're predicting without predicting. >> yes. >> let's leave people with good news. where might this help them? sglalths bit more money in your bank account, in your cd. not much. right now, you get under 1%.

percentage point. still lower than inflation, but for the savers who have not been getting rewarded for it, a little bit of a reward now. and if the this increase works, the fed will do it a couple times over the next couple of years. >> a little bit is better than nothing. ali, appreciate it. anks vmuch. more dramatic testimony is t expected today in the federal trial of dylann roof as prosecutors lay out new information about how he planned that massacre at a historic church in south carolina. charleston. >> hoda, this morning with we're expecting to hear from the prosecution's final witness, one of three survivors that awful night at bible study who says dylann roof only spared her so she can tell the story. these newly released videos played in court show roof in target practice. investigators say he was carefully planning out to carry out his rampage and have even

court, they retraced his steps using gps data, alleging he stopped a plantations and other historic sites in the months before the shooting. prosecutors laid out his racially inflammatory writings, voters of the confederate flag and a potential hit list of other churches found in his car. during roof's chilling confession, fbi agents asked whether he wanted to kill any more black people. roof is charged with 33 federal counts, including hate crimes. his defense team has offered to plead guilty in exchange for the death penalty being taken off the table. prosecutors have refused. >> roof has lawyers right now, but he has told the court that he wants to represent himself during sentencing. after the defense calls a few witnesses this afternoon and the prosecutioning wraps up its case. closing arguments are set for tomorrow. >> thank you so much. so we're going to go outside in a little while. we've decided on no coats today

be the last day for a long time. >> i didn't decide on no coats. >> you'll be wearing a coat. anyway, we are talking about some blizzard-like conditions. look at this. this is michigan. they are looking at a ton of snow. i mean, almost like whiteout conditions and a lot of folks around the great lakes are going to be looking at the same thing today. and we're also talking cold air and winds. windchill advisories and hes.?lion dakotas all the way to new england under some sort of windchill advisory. it feels like 25 below in rgo. minneapolis, 8 below. green bay, 7 below. chicago, same thing. as you look at thursday, we still have these windchills. look at the air temperature in chicago. blow tomorrow morning. as we move into friday, more of the same. windchills well below zero. near that from new york city into the great lakes and cold

we're looking at lake-effect snow advisories or warnings for about 5 milon people and in western new york, upwards of a foot and a half of snow over the next 36 hours. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next

with and that's your latest weather. >> busy man today. coming up, an exclusive conversationith buzz aldrin. that's his first since that emergency evacuation from the south pole. what the legendary astronaut is revealing about his health scare and his tribute to his friend, john glenn. >> and then on a new "do they work," we're trying out gadgets that promise to make your life

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7:30 now on wedneay morning. it's the 14th day of december, 2016. we have a nice crowd out there. one lady holding a sign that saysrl it's going to be cold out e. meanwhile inside studio 1a let's get a check of the headlines. we have sad news. family and friends remembering actor alan thicke this morning. the star of the '80s sitcom "growing pains" died suddenly of an apparent heart attack. he was playing hockey with his teenage son at the time.

president-elect trump thanks supporters at a late-night rally in wisconsin. during his speech he also heaped praise on his pick for exxonmobil ceo rex tillerson for secretary of state, briefly addressing tillerson's ties to russia. >> rex is friendly with many of the leaders in the world that we don't get along, with and some people don't like that. they don't want him to be friendly. that's why i'm doing the deal with rex, because i like what this is all about. >> mr. tmpl more rallies this week in alabama. >> i don't know if you guys saw this, but military planes and helicopters fw low over new york city briefly on tueay and usion.me wespread ofcials tlews the flseruthorized in cofaa, the secret service request tm for aerial mapping tied to security for mr. trump. in the past, similar flights were conducted in chicago for president obama, in texas for george w. bush. i will tell you, i wasalki

when you see a plane like that flyingo low over the city. >> a lot of people in new york were calng into local television stations trying to figure out what was going on. when youea it -- >> yeah. because after 9/11, we are not used to seeing planeslyow over the city. >> we'll begin with , your exclusive conversation with ndary astronaut buzz aldrin. >>oh, my gosh, what an icon. we traveled to the kennedy space center in florida to tk to buzz about his historic trip to the south pole, th that forced him to be evacuated and theoss of his friend and colleague,ohn glenn. >> that's one small step for man, o giaeap for mankind. >> jy 20l@th, 1969, buzz ,aldrin along with the late neil armstrong, become instant american icons as the first humans to step foot on the moon. >> we feel that this stands as a

explore the unknown. >> now nearly half a century later, aldrin is still trying to tisfy his own curiosity. earlier this month, the 86-year-old attempting to cross antem off of his bucket list, venturing to the south pole but a health scare cuts the trip short. >> we get the news that you had to be evacuated. what happened? >> i got out of breath. you know, that's nothing new except it's a little more conctrated. 's heavy stuff and not much air to breathe there. >> at an elevation of 9,000 feet, aldrin begins showing signs of altitude siness. he's evacuated from the scientific research station and ken to a hospital in new zealand where he spends a week recovering from congestion in his lungs. >> were you worried at all? maybe you shouldn't come on this trip. >> when turning back is as

press on because you've got an objective, especially when they tell me that i just set a record. the oldest guy to the south pole. see, now it was worth it, really. >> while he was hospitalized, aldrin learned of the passing of his friend and fellow astronaut, john glenn. honoring glenn with this tweet, calling him a world space icon. the two space pioneers first met 1953 whi serving as fighter pilots during the >> while yere covering, aeroohn en typical,all-americp dha sn though he was amarine. but henew how t fly that airplane, i can tell you that. >> an amazing he's bn really pioneering trying to get people t go mars. lly wan that's the

others >> interesting what he said about when you get to a point you may be having difficulties but going back is as hard as going forward. that's what the south pole is all about. >> i was shocked because we already had him on the books to do an interview for our living legend series. when i got the word, i knew i wouldn't have chance to talk to him. he's amazing a. >> still tons of spunk and energy and personality. rsonality plus, this guy. >> back to work. >> let's show we have a system that's going to start in california and we're all in the northern tier of states going to feel it. you can see tons of moisture now making its way into the pacific northwest and northern california. flooding is a really big problem as we get on toward the latter part of the week. over 6 million people under flash flood watches, upwards of 10 inches of rain possible for northern calorniandf southern oregon. this system makes its way across the country. milis, snow on f evening. chicago, snow.

into the northeast and midatlantic states with an icy mix from chicago all the way to gtonwashin snow into new york, on up into boston. we could be talking about upwards o 3 to 8 inches of snow stretching from the pacific northwest all the way into the northeast. we're going to get to your local forecast -- t >> a lot of weather going on. get your latest on the weather channel on cabl

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7:41. we have more of o special rossen reportsie now called "does it work" and this time we're heading into the kitchen. poent josseef r i itiga reo try out somethregne. hey, jeff ea gooo yorning me rig now across am w cool wt b to shave a few minutes off your morning routine? you've seen all the commercials, products t prose to do it, making your life easier in the kitchen from cooking to cleaning, and theyk cool too. but this morning before you buy them, we're trying them. first up, the angry mama. hot>> the tempered little lady that deep cleans your microwave with the power of steam. >> the commercial says it powers ca mees. rease to dsolve hard >>t wipe clean and you're

a bowl o tomato sauce so it splatters. i follow the mama instruction ding water, vinegar and a squeeze of lemon. then putama in for seven minutes. she spins and spins, uil -- >> i'm going to take the angry mama out like that. rai' g a cloth and see what we can do. wow, it does come right off, look at that. it comes right off. now let me caked on the plate. >> that gunk won't come off. the maker of the angry mama telling nbc news for more caked on food, consumers may need to pour the remaining liquid onto the plate and run the microwa another minute or so to further soften the spill. next up, this product called the rollie egg master. >> the best easy pan-freeway to make perfect eggs every time.

instructions and it says you have to spray some cooking spray into the opening there, so we did that. then we cracked two eggs and put it right into the rollie. second egg right in. and then we just let it go for six to eight minutes and we should get perfectly cooked eggs that come right up. so we wait. >> and wait. and finally. >> it's been eight minutes. they say you should pour it o oh, my god, look at that. >> i cut it up and take a bite. >> tastes fine. i've had better, i've had worse, but the bigger problem here is this egg is not fully cooked through. the maker of the rollie telling nbc news the food may be poured out at any time during the cooking process for a desired taste. and cook times vary depending on many factors.

>> it peels hard boiled eggs. >> the commercial says it takes the hassle out of the whole process. >> let's give this a shot. we tehe egg, we take small side and tap it on that. then we come here, tap it on the table. small side up like that, and here we go. uh, no, this didot this did not work at all. >> so i try it again. small side up. there it is. and no. the shell is still on it here and it comes right off like that. and ain. nope, didn't work that time either. the shell is still on and the yolk i coming out. nope, nope, nope nope. does not work. >> the company saying it based on sound scientific principles, but there is a learning curve to

in the end, for these products didn't wor as advertised, but there's always the old-fashioned way. >> my first time in the kitchen in many years, as you can probably tell. the lesson here, do your research before you buy these products you see on tv instead of just ordering online. most of them have reviews online and some videos of actual customers using them so you can look at that before you buy it. >> your series is reminding us of how lazy we are. oh, my god, we can't peel an egg? >> the peoplt were traing you a little bit wi t learning curve. maybe someone more qualified uld make it work. >> with a ltle bit of upper body strength. >> allght, jeff, thanks. up next, tamron has the story behind what couldene of the most controversial wedding proposals you've ever seen. ?

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unusual to say the least. we showed it to you earlier.n t with the sto behind it. tamron. >> good morning guys. dywan mcpherson reached out to the police department for a little help. things went off the rails. he worked with officers to set up a fake stand-off at a gas station. his girlfriend was expecting to go on a date but instead arrived to see police pointun boyfriend. she tried to diffuse the situation asking mcpherson to hand over his n. instead he reached into his pocket, kneeled there and pulled out a ring. her panic turned to happiness, the cheers you hear there. she learned that police were actually holding unloaded stun guns. she called it the perfect proposal and, gue what,otppi evyone is agreeing with it. here's some of the tweets. no type of % joke, prank, prom

never be funny. nothing funny or romantic about a staged police brutality engagement proposal. mcpherson said it was supposed to be a positive statement about police brutality and apologized to anyone who took it the wrong way. let us know what you think about it. use #orangeroom. guys. >> apparently the police department thought that it would be a good way to show that the police can work with the community. >> i think there are other ways to do playing of that could have said all. wow. >> thank you. >> thank you. om c mastering irresistibly smooth. the lindor truffle from the lindt master chocolatiers. a hard outer shell with a smooth center. welcome... to ttiay. unwind. experience the melt.

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there, we've been looking at the table. first let's get to some headlines. here's the news at 8:00. >> we begin with the death of alan thicke. i'm miguel almaguer. known as america's tv dad, alan thicke was playing hockey with his teenage son when he suffered a heart attack. this morning he's being remembered by those who knew him and those of us who just felt like we did. >> does mom know about this? >> how do you think we met? >> best known for his role on

alan thicke played loveable dad, jason seaver. >> you can't have this many people in the bed. >> a tv star perhaps as popular on television as he was in real life. >> there has been a marriage there of my real life as a father, a single father as it turns out, and the jason seaver character. >> on tuesday, 69-year-old thicke, a long-time hockey fan, was on the ice with his son when he suffered a heart attack. on twitter, carter thicke writing you are a legend. i love you. born in canada, thicke was a tv host before and after he became an actor. always in demand. >> break a leg, kid. >> thicke had recent appearances on the nbc drama "this is us" and the show "fuller house." >> he played sort of like a very like all-american dad.

grash yated him ton audiences. he was beloved. >> kirk cameron who played thicke son on "growing pains" released say statement saying in part i spent monday through friday for seven important years with alan thicke as my tv dad. i am shocked and truly heart broken today at the news of his death. alan was a generous, kind and loving man. i am so blessed to have grown up with him. thicke's real-life son, musician roth writing he was the best man i ever knew, the best friend i ever had. a friend and father both on and off screen that so many will remember. this morning two words seem to be reverberating across hollywood, shock and sadness. alan thicke was just 69 years old and seemed to be in great health before he passed. matt. >> miguel, such a sad story, thank you very much. now to politics. silicon valley leaders are

some of those leaders are worried that when trump is president he'll stifle innovation and infringe on consumers' digital privacy. among those planning to attend, apple's tim cook, amazon's jeff bezos. meantime the president-elect made a stop in wisconsin last night as part of his thank you tour. he praised his controversial secretary of state pick, rex tillerson, calling him a fierce advocate for america's interests around the world. authorities in boulder, colorado, confirm they're looking at new review one of the country's most famous unsolved murders. the body of 6-year-old jonbenet ramsey was found in the basement of her family home the day after christmas nearly 21 years ago. the new tests would tap into an fbi database that includes the genetic profiles of more than 15 million known offenders and suspects. a recent investigation by media outlets in colorado apparently uncovered serious flaws in the interpretation of previous dna

coming up, new shoes from natalie. she'll join us to reveal her "today's" original that's meant for a good cause. and then on trendi, the video proof that dylan's husband is really anxious for that baby to get here. and we're catching up with one of hollywood's biggest stars one of hollywood's biggest stars and busiest stars, ben affleck. i will awaken your sixth sense mom. so you'll notice every little thing. try johnson's new extra moisturizing wash and cream. a rich nourishing bath routine. with ten times more moisturizer. so you can notice other things mom, like how much i love you. so my daughter tells me you don't eat meat? uh, nope. (cheering)

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grandma is so happy to be here for your very first christmas. i hear you're quite the expert at waking people up in the morning. let me show you how grandma does it. your daddy made this when he was a little boy. this is your dad at my house, where he had his first christmas. thanks for making the coffee.

me too. look who's here! it is coming up on 8:11. i think it is time to trend. >> absolutely. >> so tuesday we were talking about how to find the perfect gift for the person on your list, but what do you do when you get a gift from someone and you open it and you simply do not like it. how do you handle that situation? >> i say i like it. >> i do too. >> i totally say i like it and thank you and wow. >> is it convincing? >> i think so. >> you start thinking of who you're going to give it to. oh, thank you. >> i always say where did you find this? oh! >> that is good. >> in a new survey from groupon, 73% say when they get a bad gift, they pretend to like it.

the gift giver. they give them a long hug and that way it avoids those awkward question. >> maybe this has happened to you guys before. you go to starbucks, give your barista your name and when you get your cup the name is nowhere close to yours. one guy said his name was mark with a c and here's what he got back. there's a conspiracy theory floating around online about it comes from the youtube channel super deluxe. it says starbucks does this on purpose. they think it's a way to get free advertising when people post all those wacky misspellingings. >> do you think that's true? >> no. >> i don't think the barista really is that invested. >> let's see yours, al, what have you got? >> roper. >> like i'm on "three's company." >> what have you got?

tamron? >> why tracy? >> because i think it's easy. >> they get matt right. >> how about mine. >> this is what they used to call me in new orleans and sometimes it happens. it's photocopy. >> you order your coffee under photocopy? >> but you give them your full name when you go there? >> we dug too >> you know who i think i am? i'm hoda kotb. i'm photocopy. >> this next video comes from the what were they thinking files. check out in yacht race. watch this closely. the yachts, these are big yachts speeding through a harbor but nobody told these other pleasure boaters that this race was happening. that's a ferry, that first boat. look how close this is.

>> and there was a guy getting engaged on that boat. >> and by the way, it's not like these boats all of a sudden appear. they're big, you can see them coming. >> and to maneuver away, wow. we love this one, our friend dylan just left on maternity leave. she's supposed to give birth any day now. she's not the only one who's ready for that little baby to come out. her husband, brian, is too so he tried this. he tried to scare her into going into labor. >> go in labor. >> oh, my god. you can't scare me like that. >> did it happen? did it work? >> it didn't work. it didn't work. >> what could have gone wrong? >> doesn't it tell you everything about dylan? she just said, oh, don't scare me like that. >> her energy is gone. >> i want her to do it today because it's my sister's birthday. >> it's all about you, there's

>> here we go, first up, the surprising season finale of "the voice." our friend carson doing the honors of crowning a winner. it came down to sundance head and former child star billy gilman from team adam. the winner, sundance. that gives blake shelton his record fifth victory as if winning the show weren't enough, sundance got another gift playing with kiss. ?? ? i want to rock 'n' roll all night and party every day ? >> sundance, how cool is that name? wasn't the only kiss fan in the house. carson could not resist. do you see carson in that picture? >> yes, i do. >> he'll be back tomorrow. next up, though, hillary duff hitting back at the haters. she recently took her 4-year-old son, luka, to disneyland and posted this picture.

her own child on the lips. i hate this story. she did not mince words in her response. for anyone commenting that a kiss on the lips with my 4-year-old son is inappropriate. go ahead and click a quick unfollow with your warped minds and judgment. that tweet has now been liked more than 5,000 times. i don't understand, why do people have an issue -- this has happened before. it happened with david beckham, help me everybody. >> judge judy. everyone wants to be the judge on this. >> it's crazy. she says got plenty of other nice people following her. that's just nuts. >> people do not -- they're not shy about sharing their opinions online. >> what sensory does that hit -- >> how long do we have? >> move on. >> thank you. now some big news from uber. willie slipped in during popstart and talked to the company's ceo exclusively. willie, hey, good morning. >> good morning. good to see you guys. the idea for uber came in 2008

the founders couldn't hail a taxi and thought there has to be a better way. today the company operates on six continents and is estimated to be as valuable as some major automobile manufacturers. this morning, an exclusive announcement. uber's self-driving car is coming to a new city. since its founding in 2010, uber has evolved from a name to a verb. 50 million people uber worldwide. more than 5 million trips a day, making for one of the fastest growing companies in ceo, travis calnick. >> you definitely don't have time to look back and see where you've been and can only see so far ahead. but if you enjoy the ride, if you enjoy the drive, that's all that matters. >> the latest frontier is self-driving cars, a program uber started earlier this year in pittsburgh, now ready for a bigger city. the company's hometown of san francisco. >> ultimately we'll make the

people die from human error on -- die on the roads every year worldwide. so the opportunity when software ultimately gets it right is that you have a dramatic reduction in number of people injured and killed on the road. >> it's the job of uber engineers like eric mayhoffer to make sure the self-driving cars can handle those obstacles. >> right up there on top, the black chickenke thing is a laser. >> with all those lasers and cameras, for now uber puts an engineer in the car to ensure a safe ride and put passengers at ease. >> our objective is to make the car a better driver than you, and that will happen. an elevator was a scary concept. they needed to have a person in the elevator to make them feel comfortable using it. then the person wasn't in an elevator and now it's a normal thing. >> seat belts, yep, yep, yep.

drive. >> it will read every traffic light that's up there. >> the cyclist right here. >> you'll see him. do you see him? >> the car knows not only that there's something there but what it is specifically? >> we love to drive this road because it gives us a lot of different obstacles. >> a lot for the car to look at. wow. >> yeah, people don't care. like what is that? >> that guy. he's looking back at the car like uber car's fault. >> so i asked travis about the concern that will cost human jobs. he points out the widespread use of the cars is still a ways off and that eventually they will expand not just uber's business but the larger ride-sharing industry, he says, create get need for more employees. one thing i'll point out, i know there's some fear about that. first of all, they keep an engineer in the front so you feel better about this. this car will not break the law. so if there's a yellow light, it's not going through the yellow light, it stops. if the speed limit is 55 on the

55. it's the most law-abiding driver i've ever met. >> it uses gps. >> it uses lasers, all kinds of things to identify the road. it's got a lot more than the gps >> and that's your latest weather. matt. mr. roker, thank you very much. oscar winner ben affleck is once again putting on his director, writer, producer and actor hat

night." his role in "route law" in 1920s and '30s boston. take a look. >> ain't too many people had much success doing that. >> we'd like you to try. >> and what would the reason be? >> self preservation. he needs to stop shooting at my clubs. >> clubs. what kind of clubs? i belong to the greater tampa rotary club ever seeing you. >> do you think we got where we are by letting in inbred muscle us? >> good morning, ben. good to have you back. by my count this is your fourth directing gig. >> yes. >> when you get projects coming across your desk, what makes you decide to direct one versus staying in front of the camera. >> naturally obviously some of it depends on what's attached to

movies. i was in a classic movie phase. i got this script and it just felt like a great love letter to those classic hollywood gangster movies of the '30s and '40s and i really wanted to direct it. >> does any part of the decision come with how complex the role is? in other words, if it's an extraordinarily complex acting gig, do you feel comfortable saying i can divide my time in front and behind the camera? >> i think if it's a really tricky directing movie, that direct in it as well but it feels pretty natural to want to act and direct in movies. >> in one is based on a novel, i think it's the second time you've done that. what is it about his work that draw you say and you like so much? >> dennis is just a great writer. he has t, sort of punchy characters and crackling dialogue and very visual. the images kind of jump off the page. he deals a lot with moral ambiguity. just interesting stories.

on-camera spotlight in the film industry. i would imagine far and away. >> yeah. >> what does boston bring to a project? what as a story teller, as a director, what do you get, which i know you love boston, what do you get from the city of boston? >> i think there's a specificity to it. it's not generic. it's not just anywhere usa. it's a real place that's rooted in a certain set of values and it's very concrete and you know -- you might not be sure what boston is, but k when you see it. >> good news/bad news. good news is the last time you directed a movie, it was "argo" and it won the academy award. the bad news is the last time you directed a movie, it won the academy award. how much pressure? >> there's pressure every time you make a movie. >> pressure from outside or from within? >> from within for sure. i put a lot of pressure on myself to make every movie great and work as hard as i possibly can. luckily i had great partners, great crew, fabulous cast, it was well supported.

awards. can we also tell you that we had your brother, casey, here and i watch you smile. he was here not long ago. he's getting an awful lot of talk for his roll in "manchester by the sea." i know you've been a big supporter of the movie. he didn't seem to be all that nervous about the hype of academy awards for him. are you? >> i'm very excited. it's -- knock wood, i think it's great. i cast him in a movie years ago. i've always known what a great actor he is. i'm so glad to see it's really thrilling. >> do you think he fully understands what would change in his life and career if he were to be so lucky? >> you know, i think it's very hard to understand those kinds of changes when they're happening to you. it's like when you'r middle of a car accident, you're not really aware of the fact that you're about to crash into a wall. >> slow motion. >> exactly. >> by the way, there have been brother combinations that won academy awards, i think like ten times. one sibling combination,

shirley mcclain. so no pressure here. so how are you doing? >> doing great. looking forward to christmas. the kids all got their lists ready so we're in good shape. >> do you want to whisper what the big gift is for kids this season? >> i'm afraid i have to keep that top secret, otherwise i'd get in trouble. >> yours are younger than mine but we can share some ideas afterward. it's good to see you. >> thank you very much. >> i'm going to tell people "live by night" hits select theaters on christmas day and 13th. just ahead, we'll do some shopping. the biggest holiday gift guide ever and it comes up right after

i'm...vince vitrano alongside brian gotter...lets get a check of the weather.. it is apparently possible to rob a bank with only a piece of paper.police in waukesha looking for a woman in a blue hoodie. investigators say this woman in sweatshirt.. walked into waukesha state bank yesterday and demanded money

have a weapon... only some sort of note.police did not tell us what was on the note... and did not say how much money she made off with. they are still looking for her this police in waukesha also investigating several massage business for criminal behavior... ...with charges expectd to come soon. several people connected with these businesses were arrested. police wouldn't tell us exactly what was going on... but said the arrests are related to prostitution and

?? >> we're back now, 8:30 on this wednesday morning. it's the 14th day of december, 2016. will you look who that is. look whour morning. that is megan mullally, one of the stars of the new movie "why him" collecting gifts for our annual holiday toy drive. we'll talk to megan in just a couple of minutes. also ahead, the ultimate gift guide for absolutely everybody in your life, so whether there's something nostalgic or something cutting edge, if you haven't finished your christmas shopping, we've got it all covered. >> and we are so thrilled, our pal natalie joining us to fill

inspiring young ones to have fun and get fit at the same time. nobody better than natalie to do that. >> queen of fitness. meantime, charlie has had an exciting week. he took the train down for the troop celebration. charlie met some of the biggest stars backstage and was happy to sit ringside so we're proud to see him supporting our military veterans perfectly in line with his by the way, you can catch the annual tribute to the troops tonight at 8:00 p.m. on our sister network usa. you did great, buddy. >> all right, kids. let's say a quick hello to our celebrity elf, a favorite, megan mullally is here. >> hi, megan. >> megan just rolled up. you just made it, didn't you? you just made it under the wire. >> i walked in and walked right out here to you. >> so what plans do you have for the holidays?

out? >> good answer. >> i'm accepting your invitation. i don't know. no, we're just going to go to oklahoma city and see my 95-year-old mom. yeah. >> can we just talk about "why him." it looks like the most fun group of people making that movie. we've been hanging out with some of your friends on that. >> uh-huh, i've heard, yeah. it was such a fun movie to shoot. i wish we were still -- i could still be doing it now. it's a really funny movie. a lot of huge laughs in it and a great cast. >> you're going to be back with >> you're not leaving us. >> you are not leaving. >> by the way, "why him" hits theaters on december the 23rd. >> yeah. >> by the way, can we do a little bigger "will & grace" reunion, please? >> we'll try to get the gang back together. >> she said yes. >> mr. roker, check of the weather. >> let's start off with today, and we are looking at a big storm system moving into the pacific northwest. lake-effect snow and bitter cold in the plains. southern tier of states actually temperatures a little above

we've got more lake-effect snow around the great lakes, western new york, upstate new york and we're looking at heavy rain. central california into the pacific northwest with snow through the plains and frigid conditions move into the mississippi river valley. that's what's going on around got a nice group of folks here. a few of your favorite things. one of my favorite things is making sure when i need the

the weather channel on cable. guys. all right, al, thank you very much. now to today's stress-free holiday and our biggest gift guide ever. >> ever. don't believe us? just take a look. the gifts start here all the way around the studio. so many, in fact, we won't be able to fit them into one segment so guess what we're going to do? we are going to stream it all live on today.com, anything we don't get to now you're going to find on our website but it's all style director. lori, good morning. >> good morning. thanks for having me. >> you hand picked all of these for us. >> we did. along with the "today" crew and good housekeeping. >> this one is flying off the shelves. >> did you play nintendo? >> i have a different version. this is $60 and as matt said it is flying off the shelves. it is the mini version of the original that was in 1985. you can get it at bestbuy.com.

>> yes. >> i love this. >> this is the echo dot. this is like a personal assistant at amazon. what we love about it is you can call an uber from it, order a pizza from it, it can play music. you can now get cleaning tips from the good housekeeping institute. >> people love personalized stuff. >> that's my grandmother's recipe down there. you can take recipes, poems, pictures, minted.com will foil press, letter press them for you, really personal. we go from this is the hp sprocket photo printer. >> you put it in your purse. >> i got one with you, matt. it's portable. and you just print it. it's wireless. so fun for the whole family. hoda, you'll have to help me out. >> okay, i will. >> this is the irig karaoke. all i want for christmas is you. portable karaoke, so fun. >> jewelry. >> the forever gift.

it's real gemstones, real sapphires, under $100. high quality, incredible price. >> how do they do this? these roses last a year. >> they start at $39. they're dipped in a wax-based solution that is safe, nontoxic. it starts at $39. great gift, lasts for the whole year. >> i have one in my house, it's going on six months. >> speaking of selling out, this is the pot that has the strainer. >> you pour out the water. >> it's so cool. also i like warm butter. this knife, it's a heat conducting knife. now, i probably have enough body heat. see how it's melting the butter as you go along. >> no. oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. >> $20. speaking of body heat, good

are in. anything with a fishtail. these are from blanki e-tails personal creations and mom even gets in on the action. >> i love a cozy. anything cozy. >> feel this. >> faux, faux. >> faux fur. let's make that very clear, faux fur from restoration hardware. so sumptuous, a great thing for anybody's home. >> this is a throw? >> it's a throw but it's huge, >> i colored this so thank you very much. this is from oh my. and these start at $10. they're frameable color posters, giant. you can get them for the kids, for the family, really fun. >> grownups are coloring. >> how many different versions are there? >> there's so many different versions, italy, paris, usa, dinosaurs, fantastic. >> as we get closer, i can see you did color this. you have some line problems here. it's great from a distance, it

all right, look, we're going to pause here. we're going to keep this going streaming live at today.com to talk about the rest of the gifts. again, you can find the entire list, including ten more bonus ideas from lori on our website as well. >> meantime, up next on "today," getting in shape with super fast workouts, some as short as ten minutes. first, this is "today" on nbc,

workout trend that's making a lot of waves recently. it's called high intensity interval training or h.i.t. and it's designed for busy people who don't have several hours to spend in the gym. dr. jordan metsel has a new book, "workout prescription." busy people who don't have time or people who don't find that much enjoyment in working out. this is a way to get it in and get it done.

time at all, my last book was for people that had an hour. if you have 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes. if you're a mom and have a commute and have two kids, this is how to put high intensity workouts in a short period of time. >> how is this different than 30 minutes on a treadmill or 45 minutes on a bike. >> if you only have ten minutes, i can give you a great ten minutes. the key thing about that is that you really need to talk to your doctor before you do these intense workouts, especially if you're over 40, because we want to make sure evebo healthy. i have people doing these from 5 to 80 so they're helpful. >> so this would vary from individual to individual and age group. >> that's right. >> so you break it down into 10, 20 and 30-minute workouts. let's look at the ten-minute workout. what are we doing? >> we're going to start with a three-minute warmup just to get your muscles nice and loose. then you get to rest and catch your best. then we have six minutes of high intensity interval training. this is people doing jumping jacks just to get our muscles --

we just filmed. now i'm doing something called a squat or jump squat. i'm strengthening glute muscles, quads and hamstrings. this gets your heart rate up and strengthens your muscles at the same time. this is a plank with a pushup so that challenges the core muscles and it's really super helpful for that. and then so that's the second part of our hit. the third part we'll put in a different exercise, which is coming, which is again this >> let's go to the 20-minute, what's the prescription for that if you have the extra ten on your hands? >> again, the three-minute warmup you'll start with. then take your rest and we'll put in six minutes of h.i.t. and then rest and then nine minutes of h.i.t. these are things like different types of lunges. we have a burpie. >> let's go to the 30 minutes.

one-minute rest and six minutes again. >> that's right. in the 30-minute we'll have one-minute rest, six minutes of h.i.t., one minute rest, nine minutes of h.i.t. you're just doing 15 minutes of h.i.t. total, this is 20 minutes total to get your full time in. >> what are the overall benefits, that you're building your strength, your endurance, what's the overall benefit for us? >> people may be scared of intensity, but i'm here to tell you that intensity is wonderful for people to ramp up your metabolic furnace. if you have 10 or 20 minutes, we can give you a great workout. it's safe, it's healthy and can do great things for you. >> new year's resolution, a lot of people will say i'm going to launch in, how do you keep the motivation going? >> we run these classes for free all over the city as heart of our iron strength community program and we have people of all ages. if you can do it with a family member, get your son, your daughter, your partner or your

h.i.t. workout and make a little community in your area, that would be super helpful. but if you have 10 or 15 or 20 minutes, i can give you a great workout with this and i want you to not be afraid to do that. >> thank you so much. up next, natalie's push to get your kids to be healthy and active. she'll reveal today's original. but first this is "today" on nbc. at t.j.maxx, marshalls and homegoods, we've always believed the holidays should be about joy. it's why we have amazing prices on thoughtful gifts, everyday.

we're back now, we're back now, 8:46, with our next installment of today's original. over the last few months we've each created special products to raise money for various charities. >> matt, you made those thank you cards, savannah designed those adorable t-shirts with spiritual gangster. al, you crafted that great burger at shake shack. this morning it is natalie's turn. she's at the reebok showroom in l.a. natalie, hi. >> hey, guys. i don't know if i can top al's

i'm so excited about that because you know how much i love running. i've run a couple of marathons. and i'm really excited to share my passion of running. i've teamed up with reebok to create a special shoe for kids for my "today" show original. running is my meditation, my therapy, my time to rock out and even my time to pray. with the rhythm of my stride, i often think es clear my head and find my inner cheerleader, who is always pushing me to my limits. this is why i run. for my "today's original" i worked with reebok to design kids' running shoes because i know my love of running started when i could first lace up my shoes all on my own. and now as a mom with two boys, i am passionate about fitness. >> the reebok brand has always been a brand that's about empowering people.

their employees to their be more human campaign, reebok inspires people to be their best. including kids. proceeds from the sale of my shoes will go to boksm build our kids success, a program that gives kids across the country an opportunity to do some physical exercise before their school day starts. why? because not only does it do the body good, it helps kids feel confident and learn better, too. according to the cdc, physical activity helps build and maintain healthy bones and muscles, helps reduce the risk of developing obesity and diseases such as diabetes, promotes psychological well-being and may help improve students' academic performance. yet for a lot of public schoolchildren across the country, physical education classes are one of the first to be eliminated because of budget cuts. so reebok stepped in to help fill this void by partnering with boks. first up, designing my kids shoes.

design team in l.a. >> i definitely want big, bold, fun, graphic patterns, you name it. think spots and stuff on the bottom. i love that. because i know that's what my kids like, too. let's do that one. i like that. i guess seeing it. that's the rock 'n' roll. from the laces to the soles. something like this. >> yes, that's on there too. definitely. our girls and boys shoes with a hint of the "today" show worked in. sunrise and sunset and our favorite color, orange. next, meeting some of the kids who would benefit from the sales of my shoes. i participated alongside them in a boks program in new york. >> boks teaches these kids to love play, to love movement. it teaches them functional fitness movements that they no longer learn because p.e. has been taken out. >> i've created some pretty cool-looking sneakers that i

get up and move some more. the proceeds of the sales of the shoe will go towards boks. how far will that take this program? >> if we can create that awareness through you designing the shoes and getting kids involved and becoming advocates, we can start to create a fitness revolution, and that's what we need. we need a fitness revolution. >> with the samples of my shoes ready, we asked the kids in my boks class to give the shoes a test run and they all seemed pretty happy with them. >> i like the neon orange. >> we're hoping by participating in this project with natalie that we can get more people to understand what is our simple message that everyone needs to be more human, and to be more human, you need to be physically active. >> my running motto, it's not how you start or even how you finish, it's really about how you feel as you go. i hope you will help share my

are we ready for the big unveiling now? here we go. my "today" show original. i've got these great kids from the boks program from the gladstone street elementary school. mariah, oscar, what do you guys think? they're awesome. look at them. look at the soles. they're so cool. i'm going to tell you guys how to get them. just go on our website, today.com right now, because supplies are limited. i want to make sure you get a "today" show original. now each purchase -- $10 of each purchase will be donated to a program at a school near you. the programs are widespread across the country, all 50 states. by the way, reebok has gotten us started off on the right foot with a $10,000 donation for boks programs across the country. so i'm so excited about these. and if you guys get these shoes now, be sure to text us, tweet us, whatever, hash tag us lace up and take a picture with your kids wearing them.

looking. how big can you get these, natalie? what size? >> well, matt, you might not qualify. i think the top is size 7. if you can squeeze your foot into a size 7. but they start at 10 1/2 for kids to 7. >> can we say how awesome it is to see you. we miss you like crazy. it's great to see you. >> i'll see you guys in january. miss you too. i love you, guys. log on now, great christmas gifts, guys. >> absolutely. we'll be back in a moment. but first, this is "today" on

smucker's celebrates "today" is sponsored by smucker's. with a name like smucker's, it has to be good. we're back this morning and we're celebrating more than just birthdays with our friends at smucker's. tamron. >> this is so sweet, guys. in honor of the holiday season, our viewers have been celebrating the most generous people in their lives. and donna shows her sister vivian saying she constantly gives to those who have less. jillian celebrating her husband and the sacrifices he makes to serve our country. and casey is honoring her mom saying she is the reason i was able to go to nursing school and help me with my kids the entire way. so keep celebrating special people in your life. go to today.com/celebrates and we'll be looking for it. guys. >> great idea, tamron, thank you

look who's sitting here on our couch with us. this is 16-year-old singer jackie evancho. it's been six years since you were on "america's got talent." you wooed everybody. you have come here to join us with a big announcement. >> yes. >> so tell us. >> all right. so i have recently been asked by the president-elect to perform the national anthem for the swearing-in ceremony at the inauguration. i am so excited. it's going to be awesome. >> so just a little event. oh, my goodness. call? >> i felt really honored. to be able to sing for the office, it's a great honor for me. >> it's not the first time you've sung for the office. you're 16 and you already did it once before. you sung for the obamas? >> yes. >> what was that like? >> that was awesome. i got to meet him, he was really nice. i felt really honored to have the chance to perform for the president again. >> it's still hard to believe that it was 2010 when we first met you.

>> and now we are here. has it still all sunk in for you, this roller coaster you're on? >> no, i kind of live in the moment. it doesn't really register until like years, years in the future. >> here's what's great, you're going to sing a little later from your new album, right? >> yes, yes. >> we're excited for that. >> so poised. >> i know. >> congratulations, by the way. >> thank you.

brian gotter...lets get a check of the weather.. the speaker of the house... booed in his home state... with a tepid defense from the president elect.on welcomed on stage by some republicans who largely abandoned him during the campaign. governor scott walker and congressman paul ryan were both there smiling. apparently the crowd of supporters hadn't forgotten they uninvited trump to a rally late in the campaign. ryan actually heard a mix of cheers and boos last night at state fair park. trump said of ryan he's appreciating him more every day... and called walker a great governor.

good morning today some life hacks to help prevent falls in the wintertime. make sure my mic is on. >> plus how one mother of three got rid of her baby weight for good. and some of our favorite musicians are back for a live performance. >> can't wait we're going to put you in the holiday spirit that'e ? ? [ music ] ? ? ? ? our tree looks great. >> doesn't it? >> we're in the holiday spirit having a little christmas music