. >> savannah! we got boop, popcorn. >> in her brief life, savannah martin reached far beyond the experts expectations. learned more than doctors ever thought she would. >> what's that? >> one. >> two? three? >> when savannah was diagnosed with severe autism at 2 they told her mother not to expect too much. >> she's never going to look at you, she's never going to talk to you, you're never going to hear i love you and this was hard. and thankfully i had amazing people in my life who said don't give up, never ever give up, you fight. >> intensive therapy helped, so did her mother's almost constant attention. >> i did everything i could, i was always with her. >> you wanted to do everything to keep her safe. >> i showered her with it that morning about. >> beth remembers a bright sunday and savannah was still in her church dress. >> she loved to watch ramen noodles. kids with autism like to see that, the ralen noodles to spin in the microwave. >> four minutes, four minutes, just enough to answer the c

that's right, savannah. we focused on revamping your space so i gave you your spare room a much-needed makeover and just wait, everybody, until you see the transformation. >> so we're here in your office and you told me that you're the typical start today candidate. >> i have a room in my house that is just turned into clutterville. you live in a new york city apartment and you start collecting stuff, especially with a new babe and sadly this room has kind of become the clearing house for just extra stuff. it doesn't really have a design. it needs help. it really needs your help. >> so while savannah is on the apartment to turn her stuffed room no a dream space. >> what do we have here? >> all right. not bad. i think just simple. i think we need to sort of spruce it up a little bit. so let's see what very have, some books, a little baby vail sock or one of them. oh, look, one ice skate. i didn't know savannah ice skated. savannah has her wedding dress front and center. i wonder if she tries it owner day. we

what happened to savannah hamlin 18 years ago almost took her life. she was on life support and doctors recommended she be taken off. she now lives with what her mother calls a different ability. savannah hamlin almost never came home. >> no emotions. eyes were closed most of the time. savannah was only 9 years old, left her with a traumatic brain injury and on life support. >> i wouldn't sign the papers to take her off life support. i wouldn't sign. >> larry: what she did do is spend years hoping and praying. >> she would twist her wrist. >> larry: a little movement. >> and then i could see her tongue come out a little bit. >> larry: for a little girl who couldn't move her head or any part of her body at one time. it was a major accomplishment. and now, she talks with head movement. with a nod while her mom goes through the alphabet. she spells out what she wants to say. i asked her what her year was for the new year. >> quit picking on me and shave his mustache. wish. beach or hike trails. >> larry: for that, she's got her eyes on an all-terrain whe

savannah. thanks. coming up on trending, brace yourself for the most epic celebrity face mash-up ever. >> and five surprising ways you're being impacted by plummeting oil prices. some good news and some not so good news right after this. i appreciate you coming by. absolutely. the market's been pretty volatile lately. there is a lot at stake here, you know? look jim, we've been planning for this for a long time. and we'll keep evolving things. so don't worry. knowing what's on your mind and acting accordingly. multiplied by 13,000 financial advisors. it's a big deal. it's winter. eat winter snacks. freshman. campbell's. you say avocado old el paso says... zesty chicken and avocado tacos in our stand 'n stuff tortillas . (record scratch) you say stand n' stuff tortillas old el paso says... start somewhere fresh does the smell of a freshly bound presentation fill you with optimism? do you love your wireless keyboard more than certain family members? is your success due to a filing system only you underst

((savannah chavez this is my 4th day (laughs) )) ((sharie johnson)) ...is 22-year-old savannah chavez. ((savannah chavez it has been fantastic, honestly )) ((savannah chavez their just so excited about everything and their just so much fun and they energize you )) ((sharie johnson)) it's one less vacancy the school district has to fill. 698 licensed teachers are currently needed. 90 percent of vacancies are in at-risk schools... those schools seeing the biggest enrollment numbers. and before the next school year, even more educators will be needed. ((meg nigro, executive director for recruitment & development based on patterns and trends, we're projecting that we're going to need to hire an additional 2,900 )) ((sharie johnson)) that includes the current number of vacancies, despite the number of new educators since august. ((meg nigro, executive director for recruitment & development for this school year so far, 2,006 teachers we've hired which is amazing )) ((sharie johnson)) ccsd has a tentative agreement... increasing their starting salary to 40,000 annually... up from 35,000. and

is 22-year-old savannah chavez. ((savannah chavez it has been fantastic, honestly )) ((savannah chavez their just so excited about everything and their just so much fun and they energize you )) ((sharie johnson)) it's one less vacancy the school district has to fill. 698 licensed teachers are currently needed. 90 percent of vacancies are in at-risk schools... those schools seeing the biggest enrollment numbers. and before the next school year, even more educators will be needed. ((meg nigro, executive director for recruitment & development based on patterns and trends, we're projecting that we're going to need to hire an additional 2,900 )) ((sharie johnson)) that includes the current number of vacancies, despite the number of new educators since august. ((meg nigro, executive director for recruitment & development for this school year so far, 2,006 teachers we've hired which is amazing )) ((sharie johnson)) ccsd has a tentative agreement... increasing their starting salary to 40,000 annually... up from 35,000. and

i'm savannah levins. and i'm deon guillory. the winter >>> good wednesday morning, thank you for waking up with us here on news 19 this morning. i am savannah levins. >> and i am deon hillary, the winter weather continues for the second can -- consecutive night. we had temperatures below the 20s. below freezing, that is what it is better to find out how much longer these temperatures are staying with us let's go to meteorologist, efran afante. you said we have to bundle up like the michelin man? >> you do like to say that. >> i do like to say that, because as cold as it is, layer upon layer, upon layer is definitely what you need this morning. temperatures are for the most winnsboro 28, camden 25, sumter chill it feels more like it is 23 degrees in winnsboro, feels like 23 saluda. here in columbia 26, wind chill

matt and savannah. >> all right, al. thanks. now to more of our exclusive conversation with president obama as he prepares for tonight's state of the union address. >> we covered a lot of subjects and we cover a lot of ground. we actually toured the white house as we talked about how the office has changed him, both as a leader and as a father. this staircase here, where does this go? >> this goes up into the residence so if we have a state dinner or some very formal function michelle and i will go from the residence on the second floor and we willll walk down. >> at the end of a long day, is it possible for to you walk up those stairs and ever leave the job completely downstairs? >> well, first of all, i never actually use these stairs. >> that's ceremonial. >> that's ceremonial. when they say they are a 24/7 job on this one they are not exaggerating. you take it with you. the one time that i can take it i've been pretty religious about dinner at 6:30 with michelle and the girls and when i'm sitting around the dinner table then

savannah. >> all right, al. thank you. jennifer lopez, of course, one of the busiest stars on the planet, and this week she's adding even more to her hectic schedule. natalie recently caught up with her. >> that's right. she's joining the family. she's starring in "shades of blue," a new police drama right here on nbc. it's latest endover for one of the most successful and well-known brands in entertainment. jennifer lopez is a powerhouse, from music, film, to fashion. i want to dance >> and now she's returning to television in the new nbc drama "shades of blue." >> you have to do exactly as i say. >> you play a brooklyn detective. >> very tough, single mom of a teenager. >> lopez plays a single mother and resourceful detective who becomes an fbi informant against her own unit. >> go after cops who aring their communities apart. >> i loved about this story. >> yeah. >> and this piece mostly that it was very human, you know, where people at the core are good, but we do things that are questionable all the time. we make bad

savannah? >> peter alexander, thank you. >> does it come down to shoes? >>> one man who didn't get into the presidential race, vice president joe biden. now, he is expressing some regret over that decision. nbc's senior white house correspondent chris jansing has that part of the story. good morning. >> good morning, matt. joe biden has always been a politician who wears his heart on his sleeve. more than two months after he stood here in the rose garden, president obama, at his side, to announce he would not run for president. biden says candidly, he wishes things were different. >> sure, i regret it every day, but it was the right decision and i plan on staying deeply involved. we've got two good candidates. >> that decision was made with his head, not his heart, following the death of his son beau. he concluded it was too late to mount a challenge to hillary clinton and bernie sanders. at 73, this would have been biden's last shot at his lifelong dream of becoming president. he said the demo

savannah and willie? >> senator sanders has to watch out if he's going to box you. >> she has the hands up. nice technique, andrea. >> thank you, willie. >> thanks so much. >>> as we mentioned, we are monday. we will be live in des moines for the important caucuses. >> donald trump's newest ally, sarah palin, will be joining us during that special edition of "today." >>> moving on to the ongoing occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in oregon. the fbi has just released video of this week's fatal shooting of the group's spokesperson. joe fryer son thisis on this story. good morning. >> good morning. the occupation is still not over. four people remain at the the fbi alreaea releasing video from tuesday's deadly confrontation with the occupation's leaders, saying it wants to lay out an unfiltered view of what happened. >> reporter: when authorities decided to pull over and arrest members of the occupation as they drove two vehicles down a remote highway, an fbi plane was up above, recording it all. the vi

>> good morning, savannah. already a lot of disappointed passengers getting here to find out their flights have been cancelled. today at laguardia 10%. flights already cancelled for the day and that number is expected to grow as we go through the day and the next 48 hours as the weather deteriorates. it's really a mess nationwide. nationwide over the next two days. that will affect some 100,000 air travelers. many flights from here, of course, already cancelled to places that are beginning to see the bad weather. like charlotte where american airlines as gabe said cancelled all of its flight into and out of charlotte. already seeing the snow and ice. keep in mind that's an american airline hub so that throws a wrench into the entire system. they have seen about 500 flights into and out of charlotte over the last couple of days. a couple other airport you want to be careful flying into and out of the next couple of days and call your carrier. baltimore airport, seeing almost 300 delays and washington dulles and

savannah. >> all right. peter alexander in washington, thank you. >>> a reminder, we are taking our entire show to the white house tomorrow. matt is going to sit down with the president. we'll also catch up with live with vice president joe biden. we'll show you some rooms rarely seen in public. special edition of "today" live from the white house. that's tomorrow morning. >> very cool. al will be doing the weather from the white house today. a first check. weather here in l.a. >> all right. speaking of cool, we've got a lot of chilly weather to talk about. this frigid air coming out of canada, and, boy, it is bone-chilling. look at those temperature drops. we're talking 6 degrees below average in detroit, new york city feels like 18 degrees and feels like 18 in charlotte and here's the difference, 24 hours ago, 24 hours ago it was 26 degrees warmer in d.c., 15 degrees warmer in new york city chicago, and there's another reinforcing blast of colder air coming in for today. you'll see that air making its way

savannah. >> all right. a thanks so much and now to our start today series helping you begin the new year on the right foot. jenna bush hager is here right there with all of us, a quest to get back into the gym. all shedding the excuses, right? >> we sure r.my biggest and most legitimate execution for the gym is the fact that i'm now a mom of two, i'm tired, all the time, and every second that i'm not at work i want to be with them, but i'm dedicated to being healthy for my family so i grabbed a certain mom friend for a workout with our kids. >> so, we like to work out together every once in a while. >> we do. >> we've never tried it with an accessory called a baby. >> is that pop? >> poppy. >> our instructor/baby wrangler for the day new york fitness guru taryn toomey who created the class to get moms back in shape after having a baby. >> got the large babe, i've got the small baby. >> the lucky one. >> that's why she looks so good. >> on a little ride with our baby, there we go. >> come on. >> my belly has

savannah? >> all right, al, thank you. just ahead a potential game changer that could be coming to the twitter feed. >> but first the president moved to tears and what happens when politicians show their emotions right after this. weight watchers has changed. our all-new beyond the scale program puts the focus on you and not just the number on the scale. lose weight while eating healthier, with all new smartpoints. and move more by including fitness in ways that work for you. see how good you'll feel with the new weight watchers beyond the scale program! join for free now and lose 10 pounds on us. the citi double cash card comes in very handy with cash back twice on purchases. earn once when you buy, and again as you pay. that's cash back now, and cash back again later. it's cash back d\j vu. the only card that lets you earn cash back twice on every purchase with 1% when you buy and 1% as you pay. with two ways to earn, it makes a lot of other cards seem one sided. ibs-d. you know the symptoms when they start. abdominal pa

savannah. you can say home it's better to do so. >> al has been busy all morning tracking the storm and telling us what we can expect. >> power outages, talked about that and seeing them start to crop up in and around the metropolitan atlanta area and back through memphis and nashville and charlotte and we're going to continue to see these power outages possible from boston all the way out to memphis. the other thing, winds will be a big factor in this. the damage scale. look at the winds as the morning wears on into tomorrow. 50 to 60-mile-per-hour wind gusts, downed trees and moderate damage. coastal flooding a big problem. coastal flood watches and warnings. the high tide times, we're looking in saturday morning, 7:42. 7:38 in ocean city and up in new york city 7 :31. there's another high tide on saturday evening and that continues on into sunday morning, but that one won't be today snow along i-95 and the heavy rain and snow wall makes its way up the coast and 50 to 60-mile-per-hour wind gu

savannah. let's talk politics. the presidential race, donald trump held his first rally in vermont last night blocks actually from democrat bernie sanders' campaign headquarters. the event drew a lot of supporters and protesters. let's start our coverage with nbc's peter alexander. peter, good morning >> reporter: town of burlington, vermont, was on edge anticipating trump's visit, especially after his campaign handed out thousands more tickets than they had seats. vermont, of course, is a deep blue state, not typical trump territory, and the candidate spent a lot of his night battling protesters. in the liberal bastion of burlington, vermont, bernie sanders country, the trump show felt more like the set of jerry springer. >> trump, trump, trump! >> reporter: repeatedly interrupted by protesters the republican front-runner taunted >> get them out. get them out. confiscate his coat. you know, it's about 10 degrees below zero outside. >> reporter: even berating his own security. >> come on, security. move faster. we

savannah is back in new york, and savannah, the people in this town are getting ready for the big event this weekend. >> yeah, absolutely. hopefully it will be a dry red carpet. i see ricky gervais is sharpening his knives. i bet we will gasp as he put it. >> exactly. i was not talking about the globes. i was talking about your arrival here. that's what people are getting excited about. >> please have the lavender tealights ready for me, matt. >> we will. look forward to it. lots to get to this morning. two terrorism-related arrests, one right here in california. this is sure to intensify that debate going on about refugees from the middle east. nbc's justice correspondent pete williams is looking into that. pete, what can you tell us? >> reporter: matt, good morning. both of these men will appear in court later today to be formally charged. officials say this is a case about fighting overseas, not about plotting attacks here at home. the justice department says a 22-year-old man from iraq aws mohammed younis al jayab was arrested while he was living in sacramento accused of lying to im

what she did do is spend years praying, working, and hoping that savannah would improve. and then one day. >> she had gotten to where she would twist her wrist. >>reporter: a little movement. >> and then i could see her tongue come out a little bit. >>reporter: for a little girl who couldn't even move her head or any part of her body at one time. it was a major accomplishment. hey, abc . . . >>reporter: she talks with head movement, with a nod. >> w wle her mom goes through the alphabet. she spells out what she wants to say. i askedder her what her wish was for the new year. >> quit picking on me and dad shave his moustache. >> and a vanna has another wish. >> to be able to walk along the beach or to hike on the trails. >>reporter: for that, she's got her eyes on an all terrain wheelchair. to buy one, she and her care giver, kristin, starting a business for decorative lights for any occasion. >> we are looking at the different craft supplies and savannah picked some out and we made our first couple and they sold so quick. >>reporter: and whenever she's out in public, sava

savannah? >> kelly cobiella, thank you. >>> let's turn to a round of dangerous el nino powered storms wreaked wreaking havoc across california. nbc national correspondent miguel almaguer, a few miles north of los angeles this morning. what can you tell us? >> matt, good morning. the l.a. river has dipped a bit, but it's been surging for days. for so many year here, it's been too much water, too quickly. >> reporter: overnight, more rain, another washout. this, the latest in a series of storms fueled by el nino. this professor wading through class. the lesson goes on. where there was fires days ago, there are now torre ent nts of mud. voluntary evacuations downhill, landslides. preparation. there's a whole bunch of sandbags around the house. >> reporter: with 19 million bracing for flash flooding, the warm waters from el nino are contributing to a conveyer belt of storms. slamming california one after another. in the northern part of the state, the forecast calls for 15 inches in 16 days. after

>> that's right, savannah. according to google, there are lucky numbers now, than any time in google history. people are turning to social media this morning to cope with their terrible powerball luck. here's a few of our favorites. mike wrote, i may have gotten carried away last night thinking of my life as a millionaire. looking up ocean front mansions. how much are helicopters. lamborghinis. where are the tickets? people are drinking their sorrows away. this was a good edit. a white out. the winning numbers didn't fool anybody anybody. look at this edit. those are actually the winning numbers. if we examine it, here's what a real ticket should look like. the letters down and the numbers across. here, these letters right there, there should be corresponding numbers and there aren't. some people thought this was real, a $2 ticket. >> that's a lot of work. >> those are actually the winning numbers there. consoling co-workers. so are we. wrangler is sad. he has a losing ticket, as well. wrangler, it's your one-y

savannah. >> all right, al. glitz, glamour, sparkle, hollywood best served up that and more at the golden globes. a breakdown of the looks in a moment but first let's recap the evening style. hole wood's host stars pulling out all the stops for the kickoff to awards season. >> i'm here on the red carpet. look at this. limos as far as the eye can see. >> good evening, everyone. the world famous red carpet. >> the a-list crowd shining like the golden globes statuette. >> are you blinging out here. >> showing some skin was definitely in. >> you look like a golden globe right now. >> i know. i feel like a golden globe. i'm feeling globe. >> tell me about your dress. >> it's valentino couture. >> not to be outdone, the men own. >> you were just named best dressed man in the uk, second year running. >> the host color on the red carpet on this night was white. >> head to toe, the ivory by >> i just love white. >> capes and sleeves kept these ladies warm on a chilly night. >> you don't like the word sexy. tough. >> you'