>> come on over. >> hoda, hoda, hoda, hoda! >> i found your biggest fans. >> we love you, hoda! you guys, that was so nice. yes, i will -- i'll take a picture. >> it's your fan corner. >> i'll be right here. >> okay. coming up, we have another great big star. not just peppa pig. we've got hugh jackman here. oh, yes. we're going to talk about his role as the greatest showman to buzz around the movie. and why that movie almost wasn't made. >> that's pretty cool. >>> and what you need to complete the holidays besides presents? cookies, of course. we're going to dress up the classic butter cookie, not one, not, two, not three, but four. >> yummy. first, megyn, what have you got coming up? >> so how about that roy moore stunning loss last night in alabama. why steve bannon is crying in his soup. and then we're going to talk about lotcas. this is not just about merry christmas and the ugly -- what is that, fruit cake? >> fruit cake. >> it's about the smushed tater tot. and it's awesome. and also faux fur and how to wear it. it's very confusing. faux fur. >> okay, megyn. we need some f

hoda? savannah? >> there's a lot to be done there. bill, thank you very much. >>> with christmas just four days away, the holiday travel rush is picking up steam. millions are keeping a close eye on the weather. there's a lot of storms out there that may be threatening to slow you down. al has what you need to know. hey, al. >> hey, guys. aaa says 107.4 million people will be traveling. this is a record. 97.4 million by car. 6.4 million by air. the other 3.6 million by trains, busses and cruise ships. we're starting to see this first storm get itself together right now in the rockies. going to see some problems for denver today. that precipitation spreads all the way back into parts of southern minnesota. here's what we're looking for for today. for the plains and the midwest, snow developing throughout the day. possible travel problems from denver, along i-90, i-80 and the airport in green bay. we move into tomorrow. rain and snow disrupting travel, stretching from boston, cleveland on int

hoda? >> peter, thank you very much. >>> now on to that scathing on ted from billy bush in this morning's "new york times." in it, he takes the president to task over their notorious exchange during a taping for "access hollywood." nbc's white house correspondent, kristen welker, has that story. krist kristen, good morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning to you. everyone remembers that now-infamous "access hollywood" tape that nearly cost then-candidate trump the election. well, in recent weeks, mr. trump has reportedly been questioning the authenticity of the tape. now overnight, billy bush, who lost his job over the controversy, is speaking out. his message, the tape is real and the president's denial hit a raw nerve. this morning, an old controversy now back in the spotlight. >> hello, how are you? >> reporter: former tv host, billy bush, taking aim at the president overnight, over that now-infamous "access hollywood" tape. >> grab 'em by the [ muted ]. >> reporter: bush writing in an o

we need it around here, hoda.aid of joe napoli of california. his wife joked about getting a fake tree this year. >> well, we re-use it a lot of times. >> no. >> then we can get a glade candle that smells like the tree. >> i don't know what's happened to you. i know i can't solve it. so i'm just going to let it go. >> that video has been seen more than 4 million times. people were quick to make a meme of joe's disappointed face there. devin tweeting, me looking at 2017 and leaving for 2018. don't worry, joe ended up getting a real tree. his reaction started this discussion around here. we thought, we're going to ask you, real tree or fake tree? our twitter poll here, i thought it'd be a little more toward a real tree, but it is split. 55% and 45% there. let's look at ours. savannah, is that real? >> sure is. >> hoda, who shrunk your tree? what happened? >> look at haley sticking her tongue out. >> uncle al, real tree? >> real tree. >> carson. >> i have two trees. this is my first, which is real. i put lights on an

savannah and hoda are both out. it is 14 degrees out on the plaza right now.couple from the bahamas? are they sure this is what they wanted to do? goodness. we begin the half hour with your news at 8:00. we're not alone. more than 200 million americans are battling bone-chilling temperatures this morning. the worst is yet to come. ron allen is in erie, pennsylvania, where the snow finally stopped falling. ron, good morning. >> reporter: yes, it has stopped falling sheinelle and they're hoping this is a break in the action to get to work cleaning up and digging out of all the snow that's here. a historic record-breaking holiday season. i think at last count there were 65 inches of snow. that's 5.5 feet that fell in a four-day period. a snow emergency in effect, but now that's been lifted. again, they're hoping to get to digging up and out and cleaning up all of this snow. just like much of the rest of the country, they will be doing it in bone-chilling, cold temperatures. we are in the teens and single digits here. just when you thought it might be over -- well

savannah, hoda? >> we'll keep our eyes on it. steve, thank you very much. >>> for the first time, the pentagon is acknowledging a secretive program that investigates ufos. it's getting a lot of attention. hans nickel nichols is at the pentagon. >> reporter: the pentagon is bracing for more questions about this program that they acknowledged for the first time over the weekend. to investigate ufos. why they say they shut it down. what they could learn about visitors to our planet. and most importantly, would visitors come in peace. the pentagon, this morning, addressing their own real-life x-files. this from f-18 fighter pilots, dispatched to get closer eyes on an aircraft. it was moving erratically, appearing to defy the laws of phoenix. at 8,500 feet, and then hovering the next minute. the f-18 pilot told "the new york times" it was unlike anything he had ever seen. >> the navy jets couldn't keep up with it at times. one of the pilots, we quote, looking down into the water and saw a huge object under the water. and another objec

savannah, hoda, both off. 15 degrees on the plaza. >> ah! and folks are still >> especially brave. >> i have to tell you, once we go below 25, i kind of are lose track. it's just freezing. >> it is. literally. >> uncomfortable, yeah. >> we are far from alone, as we said. extreme cold gripping much of the country shattering nearly century old records in some states and not going away anytime soon. we have it all covered including an impact on your new year's eve plans. start with nbc's ron allen who remains on duty in snow-covered erie, pennsylvania. good to see ya, buddy. how are you holding up? >> reporter: doing just fine, craig. here they're hoping that today they finally catch a break. the snow stopped falling. the snow emergency lifted, first time since christmas, after what can only be described as an historic, record-breaking holiday storm. now the cleanup, and dig-out, there is snow and ice everywhere and like most of the country they're also facing bone-chilling, >> the ice on the front of my house is so thick. >> reporter: this mor

think about it this way, hoda.ne vinegar, worcestershire. and a little bit of celery. a lot of times we throw out the leaves. save them. they have a fantastic flavor. it gives it a nice brightness. we're going to chop up the celery leaves here. and put in some of the ingredients. this time of the year, cherry tomatoes are nice and tweet. red onions and hol pain ojalape. we have our spices here. you can use your favorite spice rub. spices will bring lots of flavor without bringing extra fat. >> when it's raw, you rub that stuff on? >> yes. let it sit for 30 minutes. this is the skirt steak. >> look at that. >> this is what you want to see. see how nice and crusty that is? the space will create flavor and also a nice crust on the outside. >> all right. you can see the grain is going this way. you want to go against the grain. that will make it nice and tender. you see how beautiful this is? >> yes. >> this is like an infomercial. i love this. for $19.99, it's all yours. we put the tomato relish on top. lots of flavor

hoda, savannah. >> all right. gabe. thank you. >>> this is the big day in washington when it comes to the russian investigation t. president's son, donald trump jr. is testifying on capitol hill and he will face some tough questions about that 2016 meeting with the russians who promise dirt on hillary clinton. nbc news' national correspondent peter alexander is at the white house with more. good morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning. donald trump jr. set for a closed door interview with the house and senate committee today. he is expected to face questions with the house entanglements with russia and that trump tower meeting in 2016. it comes as new information ob taend exclusively by nbc news is shedding more light on what trump jr. was looking for from a russian lawyer at that meeting. the russian lawyer in her own words, 51 pages of written testimony to the senate judiciary committee obtained exclusively by nbc news, the lawyer sell e telling investigators at that june 2016 trump tower meeting, donald trump jr. as

savannah, hoda?> we'llee >>> for the first time the pentagon is acknowledging the existence of a secretive program that investigated reports of ufos. it comes in a report from the "new york times" that featured bizarre video, it's getting a lot of attention. hans nichols has more on this. >> reporter: this morning the pentagon is bracing for more questions about this $22 million program which they acknowledged over the weekend to investigate ufos. among the questions, why they say they shut it down, what they could have potentially learned about visitors to our planet and most importantly would visitors come in peace? the pentagon this morning addressing their own real life x files. this video is from an f 18 fighter pilots dispatched to get closer eyes on a mysterious aircraft. on radar the egg shaped mass was moving erratically, appearing to defy the laws of physics, flying at 80,000 feet, then 20,000 feet the next. the pentagon won't way then this took place but the pilot said it was unlike anythi

savannah, hoda. >> all right.ey, thank you very much. >> the question is who are the winners and who are the losers in all this? nbc's stephanie is here to make sense of all of this. steph, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> everyone says the big winner in this whole thing, you put corporations up on top. >> without a doubt. i mean, this is a bet on trickle down economics so the republicans are betting if you give corporates a break, they will then hire more people, give them higher wages, build factories, but that's a big bet. by lowering corporates tax rates, they're currently in the high 30s and now down to 21%. that's a huge break. wall street is getting a break because all along we heard carried interest, which is another kind of hook-up. president trump said all along the trail he is going to get rid of that loophole that pads the pockets of hedge fund managers. >> exactly. where they don't have to pay the same capital gains tax that you do. that still going to be in there. tax preparers, third. this t

hoda? >> kristen, thank you so much. >>> 8:04.a couple years ago, simone biles was at a texans football game. she tweeted that she would like to be a nfl cheerleaders. she was inviteded to join the cheerleaders team. she decked out in the uniform. she took it seriously. she worked out with them all week. she doesn't just hanging out with the football players and cheerleaders at the game. she also met houston rockets great, hakeem olajuwon. just stands at 7 feet call. biles is 4'9". she went toe-to-toe with someone. you may remember this photo of simone biles and shaquille o'ne o'neal. and there's lebron james and simone briles. >> i love it. she brought her a-game. >> you know she always does. >> glad she had fun. >>> a lot more to come this morning. including food, fun and family. we're going to share our favorite holiday traditions. >>> and we'll take you inside the world premier of "star wars: the last jedi." you're welcome, savannah. >>> first, let's see what's coming up on "megyn kelly today." >> it was just a matter of time.

good morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning.istmas day, nearly 200,000 americans are spending their holiday away from their families and loved ones, deployed to 177 countries, iraq, afghanistan, somalia, and beyond, serving their country. it's america's longest war. for the 16th year, troops are carving up a christmas feast in afghanistan. this captain, a doctor, has been here for two months. her husband and 18-month-old son, home in austin, texas. >> i think it helps to feel like there's a sense of purpose here. and i fit into that and i have an important role to play. that helps me deal with the fact that i'm away from my small child and husband that i miss stationed here. and this year, the pentagon announced more are being deployed. part of an open-ended war against the taliban and isis. around the world, america's military touches nearly every country on earth. in all seven continents an on every sea. in hot spots like syria, the baltics, the korean peninsula. as the white house puts it, threats don't take a holiday. as nor

good morning. >> hoda and savannah, good morning. parties. not this year. in the post-weinstein era, companies are sending reminders of inappropriate behavior and cutting the alcohol. it's a new day for office holiday parties, in the wake of scandals rocking hollywood, media and politics. this behavior in the office -- >> here's santa. hey, little girl, what would you like for christmas? ooh. you've been a very naughty girl, i see. >> reporter: that's exactly what advertising firm fcb wants to avoid. sending a preparty memo to staff, outlining stupid fun for responsible fun. examples -- if we aren't in the office, do titles matter? yes. colleagues are colleagues and that doesn't change with geography. if i'm under the mistletoe, can i take advantage of the situation? if it takes greenery to get a kiss, you shouldn't be kissing. and if i ask someone, would you like a drink, is that okay? sure. that's thoughtful. come on, just have one more is not. >> i think the level of awareness of what's appropriate and what's not, as increased sig

savannah, hoda?> thank you. >>> we are getting a clearer picture of what happened during the october ambush of american soldiers in niger. an investigation says david le david johnson was not killed at close range. the associated press learned that johnson died in a hail of gunfire, hit as many as 18 times after fleeing militants. his body was located two days later. four soldiers were killed in that ambush. >>> also making headlines, the fight against the historic wildfires in california. a break in the winds helped the crews over the weekend but not before new evacuations and the destruction of multimillion-dollar homes. nbc's steve patterson in ventura, this morning, with the latest. hi, steve. good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, this is a race against time. firefighters on the attack hoping to take advantage of that break in the weather before those heavy winds return. this morning marks two weeks since the blaze broke out. more than 8,500 fire personnel now on the front lines. some worki

savannah and hoda? >> peter, thank you very much. >>> now, to the scathing op-ed from billy bush, in "the times." in it, he takes the president to task for their exchange during a taping for "ak tess hollywood." >> reporter: good morning to you. everyone remembers that infamous "access hollywood" tape. it nearly cost candidate trump the election. he has been questioning the authenticity of the tape. now, overnight, billy bush, who lost his job over the controversy, is speaking out. his message, the tape is real and the president's denials have hit a raw nerve. this morning, an old controversy, now back in the spotlight. >> hello. how are you? >> reporter: former tv host, billy bush, taking aim at the president overnight, over that now-infamous "access hollywood tape." >> grab them by the -- >> reporter: it comes after a report in t"the new york times" last week that in recent days, president trump has continued to see doubt of his appearance on the "access hollywood" tape. telling people close to him th

. >> reporter: good morning, hoda.just incredible to see every hillside here along the coast on fire. take a look and you can see it closer up. fire officials say the topography here makes this so dangerous. they are worried about that fire raging down these hillsides into these populated areas. that's why now 30,000 people have been forced to flee their homes. this morning california's coast in flames. santa barbara county full of fast moving inferno. >> this fire has i8iosified every single day. the first night it burned five miles in less than three hours and it's continuing to do that. >> reporter: nearly 6,000 firefighters are battling the thomas fire, the region's largest blaze. are working their seventh day co fire in the midst of erratic winds filled with flying embers. the firefighters gather here, one in the truck has been injured they are trying to treat him. this is where they're trying to make a stand. >> it's three-quarters of a mile >> reporter: parts of carpet rea and month seed dough under mandatory ev

hoda, savannah? thank you. >>> we're keeping an eye on the first snow of the season for millions of people from dylan is in for al this morning. >> from texas to new england. >> hello. >> houston is 31 degrees so it's a very bizarre situation. baton rouge has only seen measurable snow 23 times and right now is the 23 times. here's the snow from southern texas which extends 2,000 miles up into new england. we have winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings in effect. this includes the suburbs of atlanta where we'll see delays at the airport. winter we had they ared advisories, too. we've got the cold air on the western side of this storm system. so the immediate coastline of north and south carolina, that's all rain. but you go inland a little bit where the air is colder and we're going to see that snow continue to pile up. so let's take a look at some of the snowfall estimates we're expecting. jackson, mississippi, about 2 inches of snow. these purples and where we get into the 4 to 4-inch r

hoda kotb is gaining traction. >> it's friday.e're so happy. >> reporter: since she started filling in, "today" shot to number one. the ratings with hoda co-hosting continue to hold up. she'll be back next week. our source tells us, she'll be in the co-anchor chair for the foreseeable future. and there's more fallout. lauer could lose a new zealand ranch he recently purchased reportedly worth $9.2 billion. new zealand requires that all foreign inverss are of quote good character. an official is doesing this with his representative and seeking further information. and we'll continue to follow this story to bring you the latest developments. >>> now to the "gq" men of the year party. where one of "time" magazine's silence breakers, terry crews, opened up for the first time about why he is suing his alleged sexual assaulter. >> this is the deal. you say i'm sorry when you step on someone's foot by mistake. but when you stab them, i'm sorry is not enough. that's what the lawsuit is about. it's about accountability. >> reporter: in the

savannah, hoda. >> bill neely. bill, thank you so much. >>> lots more to get to on a friday morning including the massive wildfire burning in southern california. it turned deadly thursday when a firefighter was killed battling those flames. 32-year-old cory iverson was assigned to the thomas fire which is burning north of los angeles. the circumstances of his death are still under investigation, but his body was taken in a procession to the coroner's office with firefighters standing in streets and on a freeway overpass. iverson leaves behind his wife, who is five months pregnant, and a 2-year-old daughter. the thomas fire is now the fourth largest fire in california history. >>> now to a move by the federal government that's sparking protests and threats of lawsuit. the fcc voting along party lines to repeal the so-called net neutrality rules that are designed to keep the internet fair and open. >> it could mean big changes to everything from the pages you see to how much you pay for streaming services. nbc's cit

hoda will do some selfies. >> you know how we do.have made a second appearance. >> they're christmas tree hacks. >> the trees didn't just come out of the forest. >> hey. >> there they are. >> carson is in the orange room, with a real feud between a late-night host and a politician. >> there's a feud by jimmy kimmel and candidate roy moore, who has been in the headlines for headlines of sexual misconduct. it happened when kimmel sent a person to his rally. he appeared as a defending before being kicked out. >> he's a man's man. e you got this, judge. i'm his number one fan. they're kicking out your number one fan, judge. number one fan. i believe in the judge. and i don't believe in the ladies -- >> well, moore didn't take kindly to the stunt, tweeting, jimmy kimmel, if you want to mock our christian values, come down here and do it man-to-man. kimmel responded, said, sounds great, roy, you tell me when you get some christian values and i'll be there. and kimmel doubles down on the meeting on his show thursday night. >> let's find a p

hoda is going to join us in a while. but first this development, a major development in the russia investigation. micha michael flynn has been charged and will plead guilty to the fbi. pete, good morning, and tell us about this charge and what the guilty plea means. >> it means he will shortly be appearing in federal court to say to the judge he agrees to plead guilty, and that hearing will be happening any minute now. it's one charge of lying to the fbi about two separate conversations the fbi says he had with the russian ambassador a week apart, on december 22nd the fbi said he asked the russian ambassador to delay or defeat a pending u.n. resolution, and a week later he asked the russian ambassador to moderate russia's response to the sanctions the obama administration imposed against russia that very day in response to russia's meddling in the election. the indictment here, the information, the court document says on january 24th, he was interviewed by the fbi and falsely denied he had those two conversations with ru

thank you forhe about ma boots. >> i lovehese, hoda.>> that's one of the most important things you can have. >> these are cute and comfy. not only globally are they helping but they gave over 5,000 pairs to the hricane victims ere ith>> they have little oner little ones. >> they start at 9. >> oh, my. >> very cute. >> they have to make seat belts for these. >> one of these years we'll get used to this. >> i love you pickheif international. >> they donate to all sorts of places in third-world countries, fresh water, food. >> livestock. >> literally give a goat or a cow. >> i love you can give someone for the holidays a goat. if you wt to hand them a gift, there are coffees, chocolates from ecuador, t guatema, that help the farmers in the countries. they are delicious. >> they are. >> hold on! >> brace yourselves. >> that one was a little nicer. >> i figured out what you have to do. wear flat shoes and bend. charities are great, but i love that this was aocal charity. >> yes, yes. >> so thistle farms, tell us a little bit. >> i don't know

hoda and savannah. >> all right. peter alexander at the white house. >>> now, to one of the harrowing moments at one of the world's busiest airports. the faa look is looking into a close call on the runway at jfk. tom costello covers avaviation. what happened here? >> reporter: this happened in the rush at jfk. a belarus flight was coming in for a landing on runway 13 left. he was supposed to go to 13 left. instead, he lined up on 13 right. just as a delta regional jet was preparing the take off. it happened as a republic airlines plane, flying as delta 4231, was cleared to take off from washington. when a pilot looked up, he saw an airbus a-320, on the runway. control called on that regional jet, known as brick yard, to stop. as another controller radioed the inbound plane, volaris. >> you're lining up for 13 right. you're lining up on the wrong runway. >> wrong runway. >> reporter: the controllers ordered volaris to wave off and go around. >> go around. turn left. heading 100. >> that's heading 1 oo, volaris. >> re

savannah, hoda? >> all right, kasie, thank you. >>> also this morning, there is new fallout over president trump's recognition of jerusalem as israel's capital the move sparked outrage even before wednesday's official announcement and the chorus of critics grew louder overnight. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel has more on all of that. hey, richard. >> reporter: good morning. as you can probably see, clashes and civil unrest have broken out here in the west bank. we are on the outskirts of the palestinian city of ramallah. these protesters have begun setting fires, they're burning tires to create a smokescreen and they are throwing stones and other debris, it's difficult to see, but behind this smoke are israeli troops and they have been firing volleys of tear gas occasionally to drive the demonstrators back. all these protestors say they are here for one reason -- because palestinians, they say, will not give up on their right to jerusalem no matter what president trump says. in a day

ho hoda? back to you. >>> 7:18. let's go to al with the weather. >> let's show what we got going on right now. we have severe thunderstorm happening through the southeast. could be some flooding. windy conditions in southern california. good news is, these are not the drier winds. but there's a little more humidity to them. biting windchills in the northern plains. brisk in the northeast. we're watching that storm system coming out of the rockies. we'll look at that, what it means for your travel in the means for your travel in the holidays comin you can now reserve a car online and carmax will hold it for you up to seven days, for free. you come in when it's convenient i know this because i'm from seven days in the future. now don't be frightened, seven days in the future is a glorious place. after all you had two good hair days in a row... perfect. right out of bed. and this car you reserved on carmax.com is still being held for you, for free. pretty sweet. or as we like to say from seven days in the future... ah.

savannah and hoda? >> our thoughts are with everybody there. natalie morales leading us off. thank you, natalie. >>> hundreds of thousands very forced from their homes and many are now sharing harrowing stories and dramatic videos of their escapes. nbc's national correspondent miguel almaguer is in hard-hit ventura county. miguel, good mornin flames ripped across these ridges. there were more evacuations ordered. when families return, this is what many will find. they'll be rebuilding their lives over the holiday. for many, it was a harrowing escape from the flames. >> reporter: fire closes? >> we need to get out of here. >> reporter: thousands of evacuees in a race for their lives. how intense were the flames? >> all i saw was orange. >> reporter: bianca witnessing the terrifying flames firsthand. staying behind to protect her home in bel air and sending her kids out of harm's way. her house standing but her neighbors lost everything. bel air, home to mansions and movie stars, looked like a hollywood set. towering flames sweeping across the exclusive neighborhood. a structur

hoda. >> you know what it's time to do? >> trending. >> to trend.eenie bit of a christmas song. we're going to play two seconds of the song. and i don't know it, either. >> name that tune. let's have the first one. ♪ >> run, run rudolf. >> is he right? you are right. ♪ >> al is so good at this stuff. >> next one. >> all i want for christmas is you. >> mariah carey. all i want for christmas is you. >> we're getting them on two -- you're getting them. ready? let's go again. go. carson. >> santa baby. >> gwen. >> santa tell me. >> ariana grande. >> oh, okay. sorry. >> i only know the classics. >> let's go one more. ♪ >> paul mccartney. >> is it? >> simply having a wonderful christmastime. >> nation king cole's christmas song, highways my jam. >> let's hearing it. they won't have it -- >> agagwen stefani and blake shelton. >> you make it feel like christmas. >> how did you know that? >> i love that song. >> okay. one more. . >> rocking around the christmas tree. >> wow. >> really? >> al r on oker is no fun to play with because you get every single one r

. >> reporter: hoda, good morning to you.ator john mccain has not voted here in the senate all week, as his battle with brain cancer is intensifying. both he and his family are struggling with this devastating disease. senator john mccain battling brain cancer. >> doing just fine. >> reporter: hospitalized at walter reed this morning. his office saying in a statement, the treatment is for, quote, normal side effects of his ongoing cancer therapy. adding, senator mccain looks forward to returning to work as soon as possible. >> the treatment is very difficult. john has kept his senatorial duties at a level that blows my mind. >> reporter: mccain a war hero, held prisoner in vietnam. the 2008 republican nominee for president, now battling the same deadly brain cancer that killed joe biden's son, beau. >> i think about beau almost every day. i was told -- i'm sorry -- that this doesn't get easier. >> look, one of the things that gave beau courage, my word, was john. beau talked about your dad's courage. not about illness but abo

ho hoda? back to you. >>> 7:18. let's go to al with the weather. >> let's show what we got going on right now. we have severe thunderstorm happening through the southeast. could be some flooding. windy conditions in southern california. good news is, these are not the drier winds. but there's a little more humidity to them. biting windchills in the northern plains. brisk in the northeast. we're watching that storm system coming out of the rockies. we'll look at that, what i >>> good morning. i'm storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell. skies are mostly cloudy. the sun is just about ready to come up in the washington area. northwest winds averaging 15 miles per hour. so breezy and a little chillier today than we were yesterday. temperatures will hold steady in the upper 40s to around 50 degrees pretty much all day long today before falling into the 30s by 7:00 this evening. so we'll turn a little colder. tomorrow, sunny and chilly. back to clouds on friday. and rain but mild on saturday. >> and that's your latest weath

and it's hoda morning boost time. >> take it away.u haven't seen in a really, really long time. well, there are two sisters who are living in australia. they rurnld home to port land, oregon, only one thing. they didn't tell their mom they were coming. so here's what happened when she got home from the store. >> these are my socks from football. >> how you doing? >> oh, my god! no! >> come on. that's it. that's all you need to watch. there is nothing breakable in the bag. who cares? >> i love the conversation five seconds before. it's like totally, put your socks in the laundry. and then the world changes. >> by the way, that hug goes on so long. it went on and on and on. >> so sweet. >> there's a lot for ahead. from half trees to decorating pineapples, we're checking out and debating some of the strange holiday trends. >> then we're going to talk to zach efron around the buzz vounlding his movie. >> first, let's see what is coming up. >> do you have trouble growing your eyebrows like out here? or ever get red splotches on your face?

what do you think, hoda? >> we can call that our crowd moment.ou're like me, you have company coming over this weekend. great game. packers/vikings. an all-out italian feast will keep you stuffed for the new year. >> siri must be a vikings fan. >> she went to college in green bay, so it gets complicated. >> very complicated. >>> megyn, what have you got coming up? >> this woman went in to deliver her baby. she had a premonition she would die. no one would believe her. they brought a crash cart in. she died, for 37 seconds. she came back. she's fine. she remembers the whole thing. and she will tell us all about it. even the doctors are saying, it's a miracle. >> wow. >> you have to see the story. >> that's amazing. megyn, thank you so much. >> this is our last chance. then, "megyn's month of merry." >> how could you forget that? >>> storms northwest and plenty of sunshine southwest and into the gulf coast. and clouds and sun through the southwest. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >>> wel

savannah and hoda off today.oments of the show. >>> there's a lot going on this morning. let's get right to your news at 8:00. a snowy christmas is giving way to dangerous travel conditions on the way home. ron allen is at logan airport in boston. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, sheinelle. terrifying moments for the passengers aboard a jetblue flight, arriving around 7:00 p.m. the flight landed safely. then, the passengers said the plane was skidding as it made its way to the terminal, fish tailing and doing a 180. the passengers were put on to buses and taken to the terminal. jetblue said there were no passengers injured in all this. a tough day at logan. at one point, they had to close the airport down, because of the zero visibility. no takeoffs or landings for about an hour or so. it was the first white christmas here in boston in nearly 14 years. a white christmas for much of the country's northern section, from the northwest to the northeast, feet of snow out west and inches of snow here in the nor

savannah, hoda. >> all right, kristin.nk you very much. >>> let's turn to a mystery a top aide to kim jong-un has not been seen for weeks leading to speculation about what has happened to him. nbc's chief correspondent has that story. >> president trump may have called him a sad puppy recently, but we know kim jong-un has a bite, executing them that betray him. one of his closest aides has vanished. he was elite, usually seen next to kim jong-un, his top general, close aide, and central committee member and now one of the disappeared, last seen two months ago. south korean intelligence reporting he's been purged for getting kickbacks and having an impure attitude to north korea's leader. charges serious enough to justify speculation he's been executed. crossing kim can be deadly. kim's uncle, also once his right-hand man execute for treason, allegedly shot. and then his brother poisoned by two women attacked in broad daylight at an airport. so we know kim has form and executed dozens of general, and many that were close to

hoda? >> caskasie hunt, thanks. >>> newman, a white house aide and former kw eer "apprentice" contestant is on the way out. it was a dramatic departure from the white house. hallie jackson has that story this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. you got that right. apnt into the residence to debate the terms of her exit. that is what we are told from one source close to the white house. with the white house official acknowledging the timing of ama rosa's departure was unexpected. all of it as one of the administration's famous faces says good-bye. >> i've always been a big ama rosa fan, but you're fired. >> reporter: from the "apprenti "apprentice" to the administration -- >> i want to thank my television star over here. >> reporter: now the exit. a white house spokesperson says newman is resigning, effective next month. wishing her the best in future endeavors. a source close to the white house tells nbc news ama rosa was escorted off the grounds after trying to debate the ter