Transcripts For WCAU Today 20171221

Growing again. Corporate america gets out the checkbook for employees. How long will the good times roll . All that, plus new bombshell. Mckayla maroney claiming usa gymnastics tried to buy her silence on abuse. The new ad that could scare you out of ever texting and driving again. What made Prince William get on his high horse . Today, thursday, december 21st, 2017. Announcer from nbc news, this is today. Live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. Good morning, everybody. Welcome to today. Nice to have you with us on the thursday before christmas. Just when you thought you couldnt love the royals any more, he gets on a horse for that little girl. Why do we love it when they do dorky things . Because theyre just like us. We have breaking news. In australia, a driver rammed his car into a group of pedestrians. It happened in melbourne. There is a suspect in custody this morning. Police say he did it deliberately. Bill neely has the latest. Good morning. Reporter good morning, savannah. This happened at the start of the evening rush hour, right in the center of australias second biggest city. Probably the biggest intersection in melbourne. A deliberate act, say police. Terrifying, but they still cant say it was terrorism. This was no accident. The victims mowed down by a man whose intentions, say police, was to injure or kill. A highspeed collision witnessed by hundreds on crowded streets. A white car plowing into pedestrians. This the scene filmed by a bystander seemingly moments afterwards. People rushing to help the injured. A man believed to be the driver is being searched and handcuffed by police. At one point, they slap his face. While all around him, the injured, many of them seriously, are being treated by passersby and first responders. Witnesses say the driver accelerated through a red light, ramming into 50 or 60 people crossing the road. At this site, we have 14 people injured and several are critical. At this stage, we believe it was a deliberate act. Reporter one witness said the driver made no attempt to brake or swerve. Another saw people flying through the air. A preschool child is among those seriously injured. Police say the driver has a history of drug use and Mental Health issues. Hes a 32yearold Australian Citizen of afghan decent. He is a person who weve known as victoria police. He had historic adult matters. Reporter it is the second incident in melbourne this year. In january, a man drove a car into a crowd of people, killing six. Police say that was not terrorism, but they built concrete barriers to prevent a highspeed ramming. Barriers the driver of this car avoided. Several of his victims clinging to life this morning. So police say they have no evidence or intelligent at this point to indicate any connection to terrorism, but in another quite bizarre twist, when they arrested the second man who they say had been filming the incident on his phone, they find he was carrying a bag of knives. So counterterrorism detectives are still working on this, and they are ruling nothing out right now. Hoda . Savannah . Theres 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. Theres 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. Were 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. Heres what were looking for for today. For the plains and the midwest, snow developing throughout the day. Possible travel problems from denver, along i90, i80 and the airport in green bay. We move into tomorrow. Rain and snow disrupting travel, stretching from boston, cleveland on into nashville and down into dallas for rain. As you get up into upstate new york and new england, along i90, were looking at snow. Then we move on into saturday. Rain for mobile to portland, i70, i95. Atlantas airport, jfk, boston, everybody in the northeast. Moving on into sunday, were watching another storm system get itself together. Rain from the cape to savannah. Snow developing across the ohio valley. This is going to be very interesting to watch. On christmas day, could be a big storm along the northeast and new england coastline. Lakeeffect snow. Heavy snow possible for new england. Guys, we are actually going to have to watch this very carefully. We have a lot going on right through christmas. A lot of people travel on christmas day, so this could be very, very interesting. Okay. Interesting is one way to put it. Al, well keep in touch with you. Thank you. Also this morning, politics. The president and republicans are still savoring the passage of the biggest tax overhaul in decades. This is the republicans most significant victory since taking control of white house and Congress Last year. Millions of americans will soon feel the impact. Some are already. We have two reports for you, beginning with nbc White House Correspondent kristen welker. Kristen, good morning. Reporter good morning to you. There is still a sense of celebration here at the white house after republicans passed that landmark tax bill, giving President Trump his first major legislative win. What hes calling a Christmas Gift for the middle class. But before lawmakers can start their christmas break, its back to work with the government set to run out of money tomorrow. This morning, fresh off their historic tax reform victory, its crunch time again for republicans. With a possible Government Shutdown looming tomorrow. Overnight, many gop lawmakers insisting theyll find a way to keep the government open despite lingering battles. Im optimistic we can get there. Were not there yet. Well know more tonight. Reporter and while republicans try to work out a spending deal, theyre still relishing their biggest legislative achievement yet. A Major Overhaul of the tax code. Its always a lot of fun when you win. Reporter it is a Campaign Promise kept. Were going to have the biggest tax cut since ronald reagan. Reporter and on wednesday, the president was practically giddy as he took a victory lap at the white house, flanked by house and senate republicans. We are making America Great again. You havent heard that, have you . Reporter mr. Trump, who clashed with Republican Leaders after the failure to repeal and replace obamacare, had nothing but high marks. I want to thank Mitch Mcconnell. What a job. What a job. And i want to thank paul. Reporter thats House Speaker paul ryan, who was among the republican lawmakers heaping praise on the president. Something this profound could not have been done without exquisite president ial leadership. This has been a year of extraordinary accomplishment for the trump administration. Reporter Senate Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell also gave President Trump a Louisville Slugger with his name on it to celebrate what he called a home run on historic tax reform. Arizona senator jeff flake, who is not seeking reelection and is sharply critical of mr. Trump, one of the few republicans who didnt attend the party. I can only take so many of these, stand around and clap things. Id rather be here. Reporter whats in the bill . It will lower taxes for eight in ten americans, including most middle and working class families, but those taxes expire in eight years. Corporations will see the largest cuts from 35 to 21 . Cuts that are permanent. Republicans are betting the benefits to business will trickle down and boost individuals and the economy. At t and nbcs Parent Company comcast announcing employee bonuses, something the legislation doesnt require. The bill passed without democratic support. They say it will hurt the middle class, and with polls showing the bill is widely unpopular, democrats are bouncing. Officially cements the Republican Party as the party of the wealthy and the party of big corporations. Reporter the tax bill also repeals the obamacare individual mandate, something that could lead to higher premiums and 13 million fewer people being insured. Republicans say Many Americans will see more money in their pockets starting in february. The president could sign the bill into law by tomorrow, but that timing could also shift. As for funding the government, well, the expectation is republicans will strike a shortterm deal. The house is expected to vote later today. Savannah . Hoda . Kristen, thank you. We want to focus on corporate americas response and the surprise bonuses for hundreds of thousands of workers. Nbcs Stephanie Ruhle is with us. She covers business. We were just talking about this yesterday, with speaker paul ryan. Would corporations take this money theyre getting and plow it back into the economy . On the first day, it seems some have done that very thing. Listen, theyre doing something, but theyre literally doing the least they can do. Now, its a positive for anyone at at t or comcast or boeing or wells fargo. Its great to get that 1,000. It is great to see minimum wage get pushed up and people get 15 an hour. But we have to take a step back. This is day one. From a pr perspective, youre darn right, those companies should have done something. They without a doubt have a relationship with the white house. They know that there were protesters in washington. People are going, hold on a second, my taxes are going to go up, and corporations are going to get billions of dollars less they have to pay . What are you going to do for me . This is a great gesture on the part of these companies, but thus far, it is a gesture. For example, an at t does have a merger pending, correct, before the Justice Department . Its not being cynical. Theyve got a merger. We know the president has an issue with cnn. The department of justice has gotten in the mix. Comcast benefitted last week. You asked, who benefits from the Net Neutrality . Big companies. Boeing, huge contracts with the government. Wells fargo, fifth third bank, they certainly like that Mick Mulvaney is in charge. It is a great pr move. It is not long term yet. All right. Stephanie ruhle, thank you so much. The top democrat on the Senate Intelligence committee is warning President Trump against firing special counsel robert mueller. Virginia senator mark warner said wednesday that growing criticism of muellers russia investigation is concerning, and that calls for President Trump to remove mueller are irresponsible and reckless. He said attempts to fire mueller or pardon anyone in the investigation would lead to a constitutional crisis. In the United States of america, no one, no one is above the law. Not even the president. President trump said recently that he would not try to push mueller out. Also on this thursday morning, were learning more about the terrible bus crash in mexico. It killed 12 people, and most of the victims were american tourists on a cruise ship excursion. Today, National Correspondent craig melvin is here with the latest. This is heartbreaking. It is a tragic story. A mexican tourism official confirming eight americans are among the dead. All but 4 of the 18 who were hurt have been released from local hospitals. They could be heading home soon. This morning, devastated families are searching for answers. Theyre trying to understand how a routine day trip to see mayan ruins could have ended like this. A bus carrying tourists down this mexican highway flipping over tuesday morning, claiming at least a dozen lives and injuring many more. Among the american victims, andy fritz and his wife, jodi, and five members of one family. 11yearold david bahar, his mother, anna, and his grandmother, all died. 15yearold david bahar and his father were hurt but managed to survive. When the bus got flipped over, i saw people escaping from the bus and screaming because, you know, its blood everywhere. Fellow cruise passengers expressing shock and sadness. Maria Valdez Martinez was going to be on the bus, but decided at the last minute not to go. Translator thankfully, we didnt go. The bus was traveling from the cruise port at mahah mahahu toward the mayan ruins when it flipped over. It didnt appear other vehicles were involved. It wasnt because of a tire explode or Something Like that. Seems like the bus just lose control. Mexican investigators are working to try and figure out what caused the crash. A state official said theres evidence that the bus was being dri driven at, quote, immoderate speed. The driver who received medical attention is not being held by police. According to the state prosecutor, could be charged at a latest date. The bus was carrying passengers from two Royal Caribbean cruise ships. The company is doing all it can to care for its guests, calling the accident heartbreaking. The driver has not talked about the accident yet. The bus Company Posted a statement on its Facebook Page expressing profound sadly about the tragedy and pledged to cooperate with investigators and support the affected passengers. Hits so close to home. So many people have taken the cruises and gone on the excursions. Thank you, craig. Meantime, the family of a bridetobe who was shot to death by a Minnesota Police officer earlier this year is speaking out. This after a prosecutor blamed investigators for failing to produce enough evidence to file charges. Nbcs ron mott has more on this. Good morning. Reporter good morning to you. This case has captivated the twin cities and much of the nation. Was this officer justified in using deadly forced against an unarmed woman . In australia, her dad is speaking out and demanding some answers. In the five months since 40yearold Justine Damon was killed by a Minnesota Police officer, her family in australia has kept a low profile, speaking at a Memorial Service this summer but saying little else. This morning, theyre calling for justice in the wake of recent comments by the county prosecutor, critical of the investigation conducted by the States Bureau of criminal apprehension, the bca. What are we to think . We are apprehensive that perhaps the bca have not fulfilled its promise. Reporter the familys outcry coming days after attorney mike freeman, whose office will determine whether the officer will be criminally charged, was caught on cell phone video at a holiday reception, blaming officers for a lack of resolution in the case. I need evidence, and i dont have it yet. Let me just say, it is not my fault. So if it isnt my fault, who didnt do their job . Its called investigators. They dont work for me. They havent done their job. Reporter a frustrated freeman also said officer knorr still refused to answer his questions, using an expletive to describe a second officers account of what happened that night. [ bleep ]. Reporter monday, the prosecutor apologizing for the outburst in a youtube video. I was wrong to discuss the agencys work on the Justine Damon case in a public setting. Reporter the controversial shooting happened july 15th near damons home, when the officer sitting in the passenger seat of a Police Vehicle fired across his vehicle and struck damon when she appeared outside of the vehicle door. She called 911, reporting what she thought was a sexual adult in the alley behind her house. Her family in australia has raised the volume on their grief. They looked me in the eye and said they were committed to getting to the truth of the event. We were grateful for their promise, so we could better understand why and how such a tragic event could occur. Reporter in his apology video, the county prosecutor there said he would update the public next week on the status of this case. Nbc news obtained a statement from the bca. In part, bca is committed to conducting a fair, impartial investigation. Back to you. Thank you so much. Back to al. Everybody is hanging on your forecast because of the holidays. Thats right. Lets show you what we have going on right now around the country. Again, were looking at some more winds picking up. Im sorry. In southern california. Critical fire danger there. Above average temperatures in the mid mississippi and ohio river valley. Sunshine along the eastern seaboard. The big storm system getting itself together in the rockies. Well get to your local forecast deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la la la. Oh when you walk by every night talking sweet and looking fine. Tis the season to be jolly. Fa la la la la. Oohh. Im so into you. What fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight. Its just a sweet, sweet fantasy bab. Its time for the holidays. Holla back holla hey. Hurry in to old navy for up to 75 off the entire store. Get last minute gifts for just 3, 4, and 5 bucks at old navy. Good morning, im meteorologist bill henley. Bundle up if youre heading out the door, its cold this morning but the clouds that are moving through theyll move out. Well get sunshine and temperatures warm normal to this time of year. Up to 40 degrees in the suburbs. New jersey, 43 degrees with mostly sunny skies at the shore also up to 43 this afternoon. And right up to 40 degrees with much like the winds yesterday in the lehigh valley. Delaware will be clearing and 43 later on. Have a great day. Latest weather. Al, we need you. Hang in there. Okay. Coming up, an explosive accusation from gold medal winner mckayla maroney. Did usa gymnastics pay her to keep quiet about abuse allegations against the teams former doctor . And the powerful, new ad to stop you from reaching for your phone when youre behind the wheel. First, this is today on nbc. Still ahead, help for anyone flying with Holiday Gifts. What you should not bring if you want to avoid hassles when you go through security. Plus, what had Prince William galloping like a horse. And prince harry and Meghan Markles just released en its almost christmas dad. Its raining men the weather girls hi. Hi. Nanana a little soul a little tune to play to make the good times roll here we go nanananananana nanananananana here we go crazy square eyyyyy crazy square uh oh from our crazy delicious family to yours. Crave those crazy squares achoosnap achoo snap achoo achoo snap snap achoo achoo feel a cold coming on . Zicam cold remedy nasal swabs shorten colds with a snap, and reduce symptom severity by 45 . Shorten your cold with a snap, with zicam. Gstores are now open 24 hours. Take an extra 20 off when you spend 100 or more and get kohls cash for you short on time . Buy online and pick up free in store give joy, get joy right now at kohls. Its the final days of the ford year end sales event. Im on top of the world, hey. Its your last chance of the year to get our best offer of the year zero percent financing for seventytwo months, plus an extra onethousand cash back across a full lineup of ford cars, trucks and suvs. So hurry and save big on americas bestselling brand. Its the final days of the ford year end sales event with zero percent financing for seventytwo months plus an extra onethousand cash back see your ford dealer before jan 2nd and save. One day, well save the lifwith your help. D. St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital is leading how the world treats and defeats childhood cancer. We wont stop until no child dies of cancer. And families never receive a bill from st. Jude. Because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Give thanks for the healthy kids in your life and give to those who are not. Visit stjude. Org or shop where you see the st. Jude logo. 7 26. Good morning, im tracy davidson. A chilly start to the day. Lets get a look outside with first alert meteorologist bill henley. Bill. Clouds are moving east this morning and starting to break over philadelphia, too. So well wind up with enough sunshine to warm temperatures in the 40s this afternoon. Low 40s. This morning, colder air and a breeze where you have to bundle up as you head out the door. 19 it what it feels like in wilmington. 20 for most of the area, most of the rest, 24 degrees. And we will warm in the area before it gets colder overnight, tracy. And now to traffic with first alert traffic reporter jessica boyington. Jessica, what are you seeing . Trooper road eastbound seeing slowdowns. From the drive time from the schuylkill and even into the high 30s at least and it is at least still moving out there. Look around gravel pike and main street, a crash. A wouldbe victim shot a man who was being robbed. We blurred his face to protect his identity. Todays wouldbe robber is expected to be charged. Today calling for an end to homelessness. Homeless memorial day remember, the homeless and formerly homeless. Well have another update in 25 minutes. Join us weekday on nbc10 news from 4 00 to 7 00 a. M. Today show continues in a few minutes. Have a great day. What do you think . Hey, think ben will like it . Yeah, was i the only one hearing the angelic music . Im serious, i never know what to get him. Just tell me you got him fios too. Sigh. Mrs. Layne, fios is a 100 fiberoptic network. That, plus this sick console, hell be like whaaaaaattt. Your new tech is best on the 100 fiber optic network. So get fios. Now just 79. 99 per month with a 2year price guarantee with a 2year agreement. I gave you my heart were back at 7 30. Thursday morning, december 21st, 2017. Great version of that song. Christmas, just four wake ups away. Theres a lot to get to. Well start this half hour with a check of the headlines. A tragic story breaking overnight. Chaos in australia. A car plows into pedestrians early this morning in melbourne, injuring more than a dozen people in what police say was a deliberate act, but not connected to terrorism. Police arrived to the scene within minutes and arrested two men. At this stage, we have 14 people injured and several are critical. Its always a lot of fun when you win. White house celebration. Republicans pass their landmark tax bill without any votes from democrats, securing President Trumps first major legislative win. We are making America Great again. Mounting outrage. Child sex abuse survivors blast the Catholic Churchs decision to hold a funeral for disgraced Cardinal Bernard law today at st. Peters basilica. Pope francis expected to speak. In the clear. Tennis star Venus Williams will not be charged in that fatal car crash she was involved in earlier this year. And christmas miracle. Police recover dozens of presents stolen off the doorsteps of boston amazon shoppers. Those robbed hoping to reclaim their gifts today, thursday, december 21st, 2017. All right. Were going to begin this half hour with disturbing, new information on olympic Gold Medalist Mckayla Maroneys lawsuit on the sex abuse she claims she suffered for years at the hands of the teams former doctor. Nbcs Stephanie Gosk joins us with more on this story. Reporter good morning. Mckayla maroney was a member of the fierce five who took the london olympics by storm. While the world was applauding her gold medal win, the young gymnast was being sexually abused by thenteam doctor larry na naslarry nassar. She accuses usa gymnastics of signing a deal with her four years later, giving her money in exchange for her silence about the abuse. Mckayla maroney anchored the fierce five team in 2012 with incredible performances on the vault. Unbelievable reporter earning gold and silver at the london olympics. But a new lawsuit says her career was cut short. The young athlete suffering severe depression after years of alleged sexual abuse by team doctor larry nassar. According to the suit, maroney believes nassar took thousands of photographs of her, continuously, obsessively and compulsively. Including while he was abusing her. Maroney believes the photos were shared by nassar with other pedophiles. In september of last year, reports first surfaced of nassars crimes against young gymnasts. In december, maroney went to usa gymnastics according to the complai complaint, to get help for psychological treat mentreatmen. They agreed to a settlement, her lawyer says, for exchange in signing a disclosure agreement. You dont put a gag on them saying, we know you were molested but you can never talk about it. Reporter usa gymnastics says the concept of confidentiality was initiated by maroneys previous attorney. Not usa gymnastics. Her current attorney says, the agreement was written by usa gymnastics lawyers and designed to do one thing, keep their secret from the public. Maroney wants the previous usa gymnastics settlement overturned as unlawful and is suing the organization, nassar and his former employer Michigan State university. Maroney went public with her story in october, despite the agreement. Writing, in part, i had a dream to go to the olympics. The things i endured to get there were unnecessary and disgusting. At the time, usa gymnastics publicly commended maroney and other accusers for their courage. Because of their strength in coming forward, predators can be held accountable for their actions. They would try to look good by acting like they wanted her to come forward. That statement is the height of hypocrisy, and it is despicable. Reporter two other members of the london team, aly raisman abused them, too. He is a monster. It is disturbing, what he did to me and so many other people. Reporter raisman has been critical of usa gymnastics. I was told to keep it quiet and they were handling it. They didnt let me help. Reporter nassar is in jail, awaiting sentencing on sex abuse charges against seven young girls in michigan. He also pleaded guilty to federal child pornography after investigators found 37,000 images in his home. The former doctor will likely spend the rest of his life in prison. The usa gymnastics statement says that Attorney Gloria Allred represented maroney when she signed the nda during last years agreed settlement negotiations which are, by law, supposed to remain confidentiality. Allred had no comment. Michigan State University had no comment, citing the ongoing litigation. He was able to continue to work for a year and is astonishing. Thanks, stephanie. Lets switch over to al, who has a check of the weather. Yes. I want to take a moment, get the kids here, because we have proof about rudolph, okay . This is very important. The fact is, think about the song, rudolph the rednosed reindeer. Then one foggy christmas eve, santa came to say, rudolph with your nose so bright wont you guide my sleigh today when you put high beams on with fog, because of the short wavelength of the white light, it is scattered by the fog and it creates glare. Well, if your nose emits a red light, it is a longer wavelength and it cuts through the fog. Guess what . According to smithsonian magazine, there is a reindeer species thats also known as caribou in north america and parts of siberia and sweden that actually have noses with a distinctive red hue. In fact, rudolph does exist. Yes yes yes, he does. Were going to need him right around denver and parts of the plains, where we have snowy, cold weather. Above average temperatures in the eastern half of the country. Some fog down through the gulf coast. Wont good morning, im meteorologist bill henley. Bundle up if youre heading out the door, its cold this morning but the clouds that are moving through theyll move out. Well get sunshine and temperatures warm normal to this time of year. Low 40s for philadelphia. Up to 40 degrees in the suburbs. New jersey, 43 degrees with mostly sunny skies at the shore also up to 43 this afternoon. And right up to 40 degrees with much like the winds yesterday in the lehigh valley. Delaware will be clearing and 43 later on. Have a great day. Get that weather any time you need it. Check out the Weather Channel on cable. Did vail enjoy that . She believes santa, but the smithsonian is good proof, too. Of course. More ahead, including a new ad that will shock you into never texting and driving again. Then if youre flying and bringing gifts along with you, well tell you what is and is not allowed on your flight. Also ahead, some images to brighten your morning. How about this . Harry and meghans First Official engagement photos. Id say theyre in love. Theyre in love. Nofuss recipes to make holiday entertaining a little easier. chris the very first time i met bruce i saw on his lapel hes got a purple heart. bruce we started talking about the service. I outrank him. chris [laughs] yeah. Meals on wheels reaches so many people. Its impactful beyond anything ive ever done in my life. bruce the meals and his friendship really mean, means a lot to me. vo through the subaru share the love event, weve helped deliver over onepoint seven million meals to those in need. Get zero percent financing for 63 months on select models, plus well donate two hundred and fifty dollars to charity. The unique formula with nourishing almond oil leaves skin smoother moisturized for 24 hours. Enjoy smoother skin and now try new Oil Infused Lotions moisturize with indulging scents that moment when who youre going with is more important than where youre going. Wher life takes us, we go together. Interwoven. Exclusively at kay, jared and zales. Interwoven. And roomba from irobot gets to work using two multisurface brushes and powerlifting suction to grab and remove everything from fine dust to large debris. Daily dirt doesnt stand a chance. You and roomba from irobot. Better together. Whoo testis this thing on . huh . Cmon your turn mmmm. Where do pencils go on vacation . loud speaker pencilvania pencilvania laughing frosted just right. Crunch in every bite. Kelloggs frosted miniwheats. Im singing in the rain, just singing in the rain what glorious feeling im happy again, the things that matter most happen one morning and one cup at a time. This holiday, the best gift you can give, is your time. Volunteer at ighbhorhoodofgood. Com. State farm. Welcome back. In the days ahead, nearly 100 million americans are going to hit the roads to reach their holiday destinations. Were among them. We have new warnings for you about the dgers of texng hour, you can go the length of two basketball courts in two seconds. Even if you keep your eyes off of your phone and on the road, what about the guy next to you . This week, millions of americans are filling up, buckling up and hitting the road, making their way to visit loved ones for stris. The stress of driving over the holidays high, the dangers may be even er recently, traffic deaths in the u. S. Saw their b 50 years. With the fst six mons of 16dent issue also taking on new urgency. With road safety groups warning drivers are twice as likely to crash while texting as they are while driving drunk. The threat now the focus of a new ad campaign. A father killed after texting with his home. Highlighting how distraction can lead to tragedy over the holidays. Back here at understand how dangerous it is. Reporter the 19yearold was texting her boyfriend while driving. With her last message saying, i cant wait to see you this weekend. Moments later, her car veered off the road and crashed into a tree, killing her instantly. She was a good kid. I couldnt ask for a better one. She wanted to do goodngs in life, and all that is gone. Reporter corlet is now working with the local Sheriffs Office to turn her tragic loss into the focus of an campaign. We want people to take distractions out of their life while behind the wheel. The text message,hone call, whatever yr doing in your car,s it worth the few seconds that could change your life forever . Repter this week, police are sur tbe o ma has a safe holiday. Florida is among the states now increasing the penalties for texting while driving. You know,gu atate trooper said to me recently, it is incumbent upon each one of us to tell our spouse, tell the person sitting next to us, to tell our kids put the darn phone down. It has no place when youre in a car. You may not be popular, but you may save a life. Back to you. I know. I mean, ive done it. Ive been the recipient of it. I would say everything we care about is in this car. Yes. We cant look at our phones. Absolutely. Thank you so much. Carson is back this morning in the orange room. Hoda. Hey, everybody. The video reigniting the christmas debate. Christmas debate. Real or fake christmas tr nick is a logistical mastermind. When it comes to moving packages on a global scale, nobody does it better. Hes also an avid cookie connoisseur. Dig in, big guy. But when it comes to mortgages, hes. Less confident. Fortunately for nick, theres Rocket Mortgage by quicken loans. Its simple, so he can understand the details and get approved in as few as eight minutes. Apply simply. Understand fully. Mortgage confidently. Rocket mortgage by quicken loans. Mortgage confidently. This pitchmas, lets accafinish this. [ all cheering ] hell yeah. The bellas, we show them that we are not a joke. End on a high note. [ vocalizing ] what a beautiful group. Everyone of them going nowhere. Rated pg13. I just finished months of chemo. But i dont want to talk about months. I want to talk about years. Treatments have gotten better, so. Im hoping for good years ahead. Thats thanks to Research Funded by the american cancer society. The same folks giving me free rides to treatments, insurance advice, and a place to stay during chemo. I need that stuff like you dont know. And now that you do, please give at cancer. Org. Its whats inside isthe person who opens it. X. Give ancestrydna, the only dna test that can trace your origins to over 150 ethnic regions. Save 20 for the holidays at ancestrydna. Com. Therbottle of tropicana pure oranges squepremium. O each and absolutely no space for added sugar, water, or preservatives. Tropicana. We put the good in morning. Gstores are now open 24 hours and get kohls cash for you give joy with fine fragrances an American Girl doll or Diamond Jewelry and youll get kohls cash presents for them, kohls cash for you give joy, get joy right now at kohls [ various sound effects ] it only takes 15 minutes, to bring holiday cheer. Get the Party Started with delicious chex party mix. Even if you dont buy one from us. Because maybe youre already buying a car somewhere else. Or maybe you want to shop around. Or, maybe you dont want to drive a car at all anymore. Like, maybe you want to ride a camel into the dessert and take a deep hard look within. Just figure some stuff out for awhile. Thats cool. Whatever your plans for buying a car, carmax is the place to sell your car. Okay, lets do this, tina, tchicktchick. Here we go, tchicktchick. I believe in ya tina. Cmon now. Ah, we can just hang out here. Lines . An develop fine lines what lines . The chapstick total hydration collection. Our advanced skin care formulas instantly smooth and transform your lips. Chapstick. Put your lips first. Sleigh bells ring back at 7 50. Guess who is back in the orange room, right where he belongs, after wrapping up another successive season of the voice . Our friend, carson daly. Thank you for the plug for the voice. We need it around here, hoda. People have preferences when it comes to getting a real or fake christmas tree. That can be said of joe napoli of california. His wife joked about getting a fake tree this year. Well, we reuse it a lot of times. No. Then we can get a glade candle that smells like the tree. I dont know whats happened to you. I know i cant solve it. So im just going to let it go. That video has been seen more than 4 million times. People were quick to make a meme of joes disappointed face there. Devin tweeting, me looking at 2017 and leaving for 2018. Dont worry, joe ended up getting a real tree. His reaction started this discussion around here. We thought, were going to ask you, real tree or fake tree . Our twitter poll here, i thought itd be a little more toward a real tree, but it is split. 55 and 45 there. Lets 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 and ornaments. It was too small. We took the ornaments off. Then we got a new tree. Before and after. Serious. Thats fun. Were getting great trees. Send them to us. Use the hashtag orangeroom. Thanks. Why some latenight hosts why some latenight hosts are n ot why some latenight hosts are n as soon as i became a parent i changed as a person, drastically. I tried hard to quit smoking. But when we brought our daughter homeas it. How. In this home we are grateful. For the things we have. For those we love and for making it to the grown up table. What matters most is made at home. No family pays st. Jude fbecause all a family, should worry aboutd. Is helping their child live. And play. And definitely play. Visit stjude. Org or shop where you see the st. Jude logo. Whoo testis this thing on . huh . Cmon your turn mmmm. Where do pencils go on vacation . loud speaker pencilvania pencilvania laughing frosted just right. Crunch in every bite. Kelloggs frosted miniwheats. So this is the allnew chevy equinox. Its gorgeous. It offers rear seat reminder, builtin 4g lte wifi. Apple car play compatibility. Wow. And teen driver technology. Thats crazy. Now to get all of these features, youd need all six of those crossovers. Thats insane yep, and you still wouldnt get everything thats in this equinox. Wowww. Six cars in one. Use your employee discount for everyone to get forty five hundred dollars below msrp on this 2018 chevy equinox. Find new roads at your local chevy dealer. Announcer nbc10 news starts now. Just a few minutes before 8 00. Good morning, im tracy davidson. Lets take a look 24th. With bill henley and the forecast, bill . Tracy, the temperatures are starting to warm up just a little. Were seeing more sunshine as the clouds thin out. Still clouds over the suburbs but clearing out nicely over the city. 32 degrees right now. By the afternoon, 40 degrees but not a lot warmer than that today. The temperatures will be in the low 40s as winter arrives, winter solstice, at 11 28 this morning. And were seeing the traffic with the details from first alert traffic reporter jessica boyington. Jessica. Yes, were seeing route 413, this accident scene here, a few vehicles involved here off of the shoulder. A few more there. And watching the accident on lafayette street and mill street. At the jersey shore, an overnight fire, the blaze started on west maple avenue in West Wildwood just after midnight. No one was hurt. In west philadelphia, three men suffered injuries in a burning building on south 54th street. One man is in critical condition. The other two are in stable condition. And joe biden will be at the barnes noble at 10 00, the book promise me, dad, written after beaus death to brain cancer. Well have the news from 4 00 to 7 00 a. M. Im tracy davidson, the today show continues in just a couple minutes. Thanks for watching. Have a great day. Michael im thankful that im alive and have a second chance. James im thankful for the help and the opportunity that i received. Darlene im thankful to be able to help people in crisis. Vanessa im thankful that addiction is treatable, and that help is available. Christie new jersey is experiencing a heroin epidemic fueled by opioid painkillers. But if you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, i want you to know we are here for you. This Holiday Season, choose help. Call 844 reach nj or visit reachnj. Gov. Its 8 00 on today. Coming up, breaking news. Holiday shoppers in australia mowed down by an suv. At this stage, we believe it is a deliberate act. More than a dozen injured. A suspect now in custody, as Police Search for a motive. Well have the latest. Plus, travel smart. Heading to the airport with some Holiday Gifts . The Important Information you need to make sure security is a breeze. And aliens in new york . Look what you made me do look what you just made me do the latest viral prank from think modo that has people running away. On thursday, december 21st, 2017. Merry christmas. Who do you want to say hi to at home . Amanda and dad down the street in our hotel. Wow, they came a long way. I like this. Al roker. 44 years . 44 years. Youve never had a fight . Thats right. You didnt say anything. Our bucket list is a photo with al. Good morning, everybody. Welcome back to today. Glad youre with us. It is thursday. Is it . 21st of december. Here we go. Four days until christmas. Its knocking on the door. It is. Lets get right to the news at 8 00. An suv slammed into a crowd of Holiday Shoppers in melbourne, australia today. It injured at least 19 people. Police are calling this a deliberate act and a cowardly one, as well. Nbcs chief global correspondent bill neely joins us with the latest. Reporter good morning, everyone. This happened at the start of melbournes evening rush hour, right in the center of australias second biggest city. Police say a 32yearold driver deliberately rammed into dozens of pedestrians. Witnesses say he accelerated through a red light and made no attempt to brake or to swerve. So this was no accident. Video taken minutes afterward shows a man, believed to be the driver, being handcuffed by police. At one point, an officer slaps his face. Police say he is an Australian Citizen of afghan origin who has a history of drug use, assault and Mental Health issues. They say theyve got no evidence or intelligence to indicate a connection to terrorism. But in another quite bizarre twist, when they arrested a second 24yearold man who they say had been filming the incident on his phone, they found he was carrying a bag of knives. So counterterrorism detectives are still working on this. Theyre ruling out nothing right now. Strangely, there was a similar ramming just a few veet street in january, when a driver killed six people. That was not judged terrorism. 19 people injured in this incident. One a preschool child. Four of them are in critical condition. Hundreds of people, of course, witnessed this. A crash that is still a mystery, savannah. Bill, thank you very much. After a turbulent year, President Trump is basking in his first legislative triumph after making good on his Campaign Promise to deliver a big tax cut before christmas. Nbcs chief White House Correspondent Hallie Jackson joins us with the latest on this. Good morning. Reporter good morning. The president is clearly feeling triumphant today, and so are republicans in congress, heading into the new year. Today, ready for another celebration of their tax cut bill. This time, not at the white house but at the capitol. There is also more work to be done. The government is set to shut down at midnight tonight. Congress is scrambling to cut a deal to keep the lights on. It sounds like right now, there will be a vote in the house today on something shortterm. Punting the big battles over spending and immigration until after the holidays. In the meantime, for republicans, it is all about the afterglow of the tax bill passage. Now that the president is ready to sign it into law as early as tomorrow, possibly. Most americans will see a tax break, but the bill boosts businesses and the wealthy more. That has democrats howling. Not a single democrat supported this plan. The republicans are making the bet that benefits to businesses will trickle down to everyone else. Weve already seen Companies Like at t and comcast, nbcs Parent Company, linking new employee bonuses to those corporate cuts. But the bill does not require other companies, any companies, to do anything similar. The white house says people will start to see the impact of the tax cuts in their paychecks, hoda, starting in february. Hallie jackson, thanks. Now to the morning boost. What you got to pick us up . People are stressed this time of year, but this may be the cure. Sometimes going to the grocery shore can be maddening. One employee at a store in massachusetts managed to bring the hustle and bustle of a Holiday Season to a complete halt. Take a listen. Hear the angels voices o night divine thats the voice of an employee in massachusetts. The store hired another musical act to entertain shoppers, and he was just doing the sound check. He brought everybody to tears. Turns out, he was a singer in brazil before he moved to the u. S. Two years ago. Wow. How about that . He hopes maybe he can pursue that dream. I hope so. He gave me chills. That is beautiful. Thank you. Coming up, are you flying home the next few days . Are you bringing gifts . Well, we have a guide for everything you can and cannot bring through security. Also ahead, what had Prince William showing off his dance moves . And breaking overnight, harry and meghans new engagement photos. First, a look ahead to megyn kelly today. Four days until christmas, and we have you covered. Lastminute gift ideas, fun crafts for the kids when home from school, wrapping oddshaped gifts and megyns month of merry. She loves doing that. Her voice has gotten strong from doing that every day in december. Plus, a remarkable woman using her camera to bring the magic of christmas to deserving give joy, get joy at kohls stores are now open 24 hours and get kohls cash for you give joy with fine fragrances an American Girl doll or Diamond Jewelry and youll get kohls cash presents for them, kohls cash for you give joy, get joy right now at kohls nice man cave nacho . [ train whistle blows ] what . stop it mmhmm. Weve been saving a lot of money ever since we switched to progressive. This bar is legit. And now we get an even bigger discount from bundling home and auto. I can get used to this. It might take a minute. Swing and a miss slam dunk touchdown together sports touchdown a dogs big life, is measured in wags. And when you feed your dog natures recipe, you fuel the wag with our premium recipes like chicken, sweet potato and pumpkin. Natures recipe. Fuel the wag. Daddy did you get my surprise . Its the Little Things that make life rich. Ritz. At zales, we believe a diamond kind of love is all about that look right there. Shop the zales season to sparkle sale to save on dazzling Holiday Gifts. Now through december 24th. tis the season to save and sparkle more than ever. At zales, the diamond store. Us. Its what this country is made of. But right now, our bond is fraying. How do we get back to us . The y fills the gaps. And bridges our divides. Donate to your local y today. Because where theres a y, theres an us. Welcome back, everybody. If youre planning to fly to your holiday destination and you want to come baring gifts, we have important info to know before you head to the airport. Before you try to get it through the tsa. Contributor editor from traveler magazine, good morning, mark. Morning. Happy christmas. First is wrapped presents. Nay . Yay. Ive gotten one through. You can take them but probably shouldnt. This beautifully wrapped gift is allowed on the plane. But if a tsa agent xrays it and says, i want to see whats inside then you have to open it. Youre chancing it. Put it in a gift bag. If you have to arrive with a wrapped gift, put it in a bag. Pull it out and put it back . Candles. Ill say yes, you can bring a candle. Not the lighter but the candle. Ill say no. Al roker whispered to her in my ear. So this is another maybe. If you take you cant take a gel candle because it falls under the rules around liquids. Wax candles you can take on board. This happened to me, tsa agents will see the wick in the xray and often need to manually check the candle. Itll give you extra time in security. What about the glass, too . There are lots of reasons they want to look at it. They should let you on board with it but, remember, itll take longer. Okay. Sadly. Must tell you, this seems like a nobrainer. You cant bring your wine. Sadly. I wish it were open and we can toast the holidays. You cant bring a big bottle of wine. Youre taking a lovely bottle of champagne home, you cant do it. You can bring the miniatures because they fall under the tsa rules. Whats the fun . Put it in the suitcase. Sometimes the shops will sell champagne if you want to pay the big prices at the airport. There are workarounds. I wouldnt want someone to pack a beautiful bottle of champagne and have to leave it at the tsa checkpoint. The snow globe seems like a no. Ill say no because it is liquid. Liquid in it. I love that you notice that. People just see the solid part. Again, lotion and snow globes, both fall under the tsa rules. Remember, 311. One person, one quart gallon bag, and everything inside it must be 3. 4 fluid ounces. Is this okay . A small one. Put it in your toiletry bag, and its okay. Ice skates. Im going to say no. Theyre on blades, for crying out loud. Ill say yes. I feel like hoda is the pro here because she is right. Okay, thats never been said. Honest to god, never. Oh, it has. Never. Maybe youve traveled a lot. You can legally take them through at the security checkpoint, but take them out of your bag so the staff can check them manually. Finally, batteries. What do you think . I say definitely, yes, you need them for the toys. Id follow her. Youre absolutely right. In fact, you should take batteries into the cabin. In the new year, some airlines are changing rules about checked luggage. The smart luggage with batteries built in that you can charge devices on you cant put into the hold. Batteries can be a fire risk in the hold. If in doubt, put batteries or items with batteries into your carryon bag. Why are they a fire risk in the hold but not the cabin . Theyre reachable in the cabin and the staff can put out any fire. Learn something every day. Mark, thank you so much. Hoda, since you knew all the answers. Lets get a check of the weather from al. Announcer todays weather is brought to you by zales. Tis the season to sparkle more than ever. Zales, the diamond store. Looking at whats going on today, weve got snow stretching from denver to green bay. That may cause some airport delays. We move on into tomorrow. Rain building from dallas to cleveland. Airport delays from boston all the way down to dallas. Well be watching that. Snow also in new england. As we get into saturday, going to be a real mess along the east coast. We could see major storm systems develop, causing snow for a White Christmas on monday in the northeast. Last time new york had one was good morning. Im meteorologist bill henley. Bundle up. Its cold this morning. But the clouds will move out and well get sunshine and the temperatures warm to normal temperatures this time of year, very low 40s for philadelphia. In new jersey 43 degrees with mostly sunny skies at the shore. Right up to 40 degrees with much less wind than yesterday in the lehigh valley. Delaware, 43 later on. Have a great day. Thats your latest weather. Guys . Al, thank you. Time to trend. Thank you so much. We are excited. Not only is jenna here. Yeah. But kathie lee. I mean, hello. Christmas came early. Not for have many people. Anyway. We are four days away. I know we all love Christmas Music. Kathie has a hit Christmas Song. Yeah. Two. No account for taste. Sing one. Glory, hallelujah on monday, im going to sing it right. Sounded good to me. We are ready for trending because it has a Christmas Music theme. Buzzfeed created a game that puts a modern spin on our favorite holiday classics. Can you guess the Christmas Song from the emojis . Fun. Well start easy. Grandma got run over by a reindeer. Next, next. Next one. I saw mommy kissing santa claus. I love this game. No need to yell, kids. Santa claus is coming to town. Yes. What is it . Santa claus is coming to town. The next one . Baby its cold outside. Good. Next . Supposed to be getting harder. O holy night. Next one. Turn back christmas, santa claus. Return Christmas Santa come back and dont oh last christmas, i gave you my heart theres no heart. Im sorry. Okay. Whats this . 12 days of christmas. Oh, wow. Nice. You guys were almost perfect. What was the other one . Last christmas. I dont get it either. Needed to be a heart. You guys did great. It was fun, right . Carson daly . Pop start. Has Ellen Degeneres returned it into a game show yet . Give her 20 minutes. Itll be on primetime nbc tonight. Well start with Prince William. We know about the royal wave, bow or curtsy. Are you aware of the royal gallop . Check out this video of Prince William at the royal variety show, showing off his new moves. Please, sir, will you gallop for us . Oh oh, my gosh. Im sure the internet will put ganggmemes to that. Kensington palace releasing harry and Meghan Markles new engagement photos. Thats hot. What is the date . May 18th. 19th. Be there on the 18th. Be there early. Rehearsal dinner is the 18th. Beautiful photo. Jimmy kimmel shared a photo on instagram. Jimmy assembling a giant food truck toy for his daughter. He said it took him four hours. Who would buy such a gift . Heres the caption. Dear carson daly, thank you for your terrible gift. It only took four hours to assemble but jane loves it. Thats payback. He got his son, jackson, a nerf blaster a couple years ago, which was big and awesome. With it, he got 1. 2 million extra nerf darts and theyre all over my house still. There you go, buddy. Lets go to the daly click. Our pals at thinkmodo, theyre known for viral video pranks. Their newest video has new yorkers running for their lives. Check this out. Oh [ bleep ]. [ bleep ]. Oh [ bleep ] oh. [ bleep ]. Oh, hell no amazing stuff. Thinkmodo created the video for next months xfiles premiere. We couldnt resist pulling the same prank on a few of our own. Its just there. Oh [ bleep ] i thought i was going to ah what the hell is that . Slomo. Dylan hasnt returned to work since. There you go. Hang on. Wheres hodas . I was here for hodas. Too much cursing going on. Carson, kathie lee made an appearance for a couple reasons. She looks hot in leather. But also, we have a special contest. Were throwing a wedding. Who is getting married . Not me. They have to qualify. So were looking for one happy couple. Do it while youre happy. Say i do with us, okay . John cena is going to officiate. He agreed. No, hes not yup. Were going to pick the couple. Viewers can vote on the details, the cake, the ring, the dress. Honeymoon. All of it. If you want to get hitched with me, hoda and john cena and live happily ever after i do send us a 60 second video of the two of you sharing your love satisfactotory. You have until january 2nd to get the videos in. You have bonus points if you go to creativity. Make us laugh. Go to kathie lee and hoda. Com. Hit the connect button for more information. Itll be good. So fun. Itll be a lot of fun. When you get divorced, come back on the show and well do the whole thing, too. Im kidding. Will you sing at the wedding . I have to sing by monday. I have to get this voice in shape by monday, okay . Its fun. Great. Carson, we have the legal forms here. Lets pause and get a check of whatever is coming next. Announcer this portion of share kind neness is brought tou by the y. Supporting kids and families in 10,000 communities for a better us. Now to a story that really shows us what the holidays are all about. Jenna has that one for us. I loved this day. Photographer wendy wellington, with a little help from santa and her community in pine bush, new york, makes Magic Moments for very special kids. Look at me and smile. I love santa. As a photographer, you see beauty through the camera. I do. I do see beauty in the kids eyes, the way they look at santa. Yay, they made the good list. We started taking pictures at the studio in 2009. A family came in to get pictures. So this little girl, what did she ask santa for . For underwear. That was all she wanted, underwear. It just we all kind of looked at her and we thought, what little girl asks for underwear . When we looked into her, it was a single mom that was really struggling. Give me a highfive. How are you guys . Wendy wellington was inspired to help struggling families at christmas, with magical moments with santa. Where she takes free family portraits. She hands out invitations to local teachers and nurses who pick the families going through tough times during the holidays. Here we go. Each family is invited for a special photoshoot at wendys studio. One year, a father had negotn down in front of santa with tears in his eyes and said, i lost my job this year and i didnt think i was going to be able to give any gifts to the kids. We dont judge any family for coming because you dont know what is going on behind the doors or why they were nominated. Its always been wonderful. The people that come. And the Community Chips in, too. To provide a hot meal and the perfect gifts for santa to surprise excited, deserving kids. Thank you what about for you, mom, the fact that the Community Comes together for this and santa looks out for your kids . This is a really incredible experience. Last christmas, both of my children were hospitalized in two different counties, in two different hospitals. So this is such a gift. Look thank you so much. My pleasure. Why was it so cool . Because i never knew i could actually go to like this place and get presents from santa. A dentist, the police, firefighters, the bank. Yeah. The doctors. Your entire community is behind this. Yes. What has that taught you about where you live . We just have a Great Community that weve grown up in, and we have such support. We love to give back to the kids right in our backyard. Whats your favorite part of all of this . I love to see the kids opening their gifts and the excitement on their face. It keeps you going every year, to do it again and make it bigger and better each year. You know . More toys. I think it is wonderful that these kids that might not get a lot, it makes it worth it. Can you say, i love santa . I do. You do . Its a photo but also so much more. Capturing the joy of children and the importance of giving back. The true meaning of the holidays. Wh what has this taught you about the goodness in people . That just helping is what gets you through. It humbles us every year, of what were doing. It makes you realize what christmas is all about. Its to give, not to receive. Thats what we do. Its been wonderful. Can we say, i love santa . I love santa i love wendy wellington. I know. Its one woman who had an idea, who then changed her community. I think if you ever feel like youre overwhelmed, what can i do, to watch one person change the world like she just did in her community thats the christmas spirit, too. The whole story embodies it. We get wrapped up in shopping and gifts, but a simple act of giving means so much. Also, she knows shes a photographer. This is something i can do. She built something all around it. Also to see these parents who now have this relief because their kids are celebrated. It was incredible. Jenna, that was awesome. Thank you, jenna. Merry christmas. Coming up, were going to eat, folks. Ee easy appetizers. Simple Stocking Stuffers. We have everybodys lastminute good morning. Its just before 8 30 on this thursday. A frigid start out there, bill. Cold start to the final hours of autumn. Temperatures have started to climb a little bit. We still have three hours to go before winter arrived. Temperatures have started to climb now. Look at the cold. Unionville in the 20s. Well warm into the very low 40s this afternoon. Jessica boyington is keeping an eye on the first alert traffic out there. Looking like a parking lot on 95. There are some cars literally parked here into the shoulder. 95 southbound at bristol and route 413 theres a crash here. Were a little slow on that southbound side too. Yesterday we had a water main break for the commute and its back. In philadelphia, three men are injured following an Early Morning house fire. Crews had to rescue victims from the burning building. One man is in critical condition, the other two are in stable condition. Starting next month septa will be phasing out tokens. Anybody with left overtokens can load them onto a key card. Narrator imagine a business. Man okay. Narrator bigger. Bigger. There you go. They make billions, but they have an idea. Ceo make regular working people give us a corporate payout. Hundreds of millions more each year narrator thatd be wrong, wouldnt it . Man definitely wrong. Narrator but thats what pseg wants. To cut a back room deal giving them a huge payout that you pay for with higher electricity bills. Ask your legislator to stop the pseg energy tax. Just hear the sleigh bells ringing 8 30 now on this thursday morning. It is the 21st of december, 2017. We got a great crowd out here. Getting a little chilly. Feeling like the holidays are upon us. Got some weather coming. Cute crowd. Yes. By the way, do you see that . Worldfamous Harlem Globetrotters are collecting gifts this morning. Happy to have them doing the honors, and thank you for donating. We have a crowd moment. Ill do what al roker does and run. Shes running. Come here. Hold on. Wheres the halter family . Wait a minute. Is this the halter family . Yes weve heard about you. What do you want for christmas . Puppy. Oh. Well, wed like to give you something for christmas. What else . We dont have a puppy, but we do have kevin will walk in with this gift bag for you guys. These are Stocking Stuffers for your whole family from our next segment coming up. We hope you enjoy this. Thank you you are saying . Go hokies over to you guys. Wow. We have simple snack ideas for your next holiday party. Or for the times when a friend or neighbor stops by unexpectedly. Love when that happens. Megyn stopped by, but we expected her. What do you have coming up . I never know what to get doug for christmas, ever. Men are impossible to buy for. Impossible. You can ask. That takes all the fun out of it. I agree. There are certain things you know hell like, but im talking about things you can buy at the store. Well have an expert come on wow and talk about what you can get for the man in your life. Well talk about how to wrap the weird stuff, like the bike or the skateboard, the dollhouse. What should you wear to your holiday parties . Then the end of the show oh, boy. Megyns month of merry. I almost tripped doing that with you yesterday. I have to stop. I dont have the core strength you have. Megyn, thank you so much. Al, a check of the weather, my friend. Starting off, of course, with today. Out west, unfortunately, red flag warnings. 40 to 60mileperhour wind gusts today. Southern california to Santa Barbara to south and east of los angeles. Elevated risk for over 9 Million People today. Were going to be watching that very closely. The rest of the country, big storm system coming out of the rockies, causing probably airport delays. Denver all the way up to minneapolis. Were looking at above average temperatures through the Midatlantic States to the gulf. Good morning. Im meteorologist bill henley. Bundle up. Its cold this morning. But the clouds will move out and well get sunshine and the temperatures warm to normal temperatures this time of year, very low 40s for philadelphia. In new jersey 43 degrees with mostly sunny skies at the shore. Right up to 40 degrees with much less wind than yesterday in the lehigh valley. Delaware, 43 later on. Have a great day. By the way, 11 28, winter officially begins here in the continental United States. And another big thank you to the Harlem Globetrotters, helping with our toy drive this morning. Weve already donated more than 15 million in gifts. Were going to add to the total with a special donation from sanrio. Here to tell us about that is t pop star and youtube sensation poppy poppy. Good morning, im poppy. Yes, you are. What are your friends at sanrio doing for our toy drive this year . This is the 18th year sanrio is donating. It is their biggest donation ever. 175,000 worth of merchandise. Including hello kitty . Including hello killty. Kitty. Why do you do this . Sanrio wants to bring smiles to the whole planet. We appreciate that. Thank you. Tomorrow is the last day to donate to our toy drive. If youre headed to the plaza, bring a gift. You can donate online. Go to today. Com for more details. Is it colder up there where you are . Yes. Anyway, lets go back inside to you. Announcer this portion of share kindness is created with our sponsor, the y. Supporting kids and families in 10,000 communities for a better us. Now to our special series share kindness. Our friends at the y are giving us a look at some of their programs helping members across the country. Sheinelle is here with that story. This is a good one. It changed me, ill tell you that. It did. So the y wants you to know that it is more than just a gym, right . It is a place for people of all ages to find the community they need. We talk with one student who says the support it provides to kids like him is something that can benefit people of all ages. Just 17 years old, hercules has already faced a lot of problems. I dont have food or i dont have a home tonight. That builds up in you, and you start thinking, you know, im at the bottom of the totum pole. Im in this dark hole, and i cant get out. Struggling with homelessness for as long as he can remember, by 15, he had lived in 20 different places. Whats the hardest part about it . I think the hardest part is just knowing that youre going through this moment and that you feel, you know, alone. How many times can you go to another student and be like, hey, im going through this . Hes now living with a family he knows from church, an hour commute from his school. Knowing youre not alone is something all teens, parents and families should know. There are so many generous people. There are people with good hearts out there. The y is a perfect example of that. The y, located on his High School Campus in los angeles, california, is now his home away from home. Regardless, you know, socioeconomic level, you know, come here, find a place, a safe place, first of all, and be able to interact with other students. Be able to be emerged in all of the programs the y has to offer. Just be in a space where all youre expected to do is be yourself. Jane lynch has been a member of the y in her neighborhood for nearly 20 years, and now shes a spokesperson for the y. There are very few communities for kids these days. Now the y is offering this opportunity for kids to have like a neighborhood. A place to go after school where, you know, Everybody Knows your name. You can have fun and feel safe and protected and cared for. We talk about things like this, and it almost sounds, you know it is a big thing to grasp, and then you meet a young man and it puts it in perspective. It does. It is about these individual kids finding a place where they can see more possibilities for their life than they would going home every night. Lynch says shes doing her part to give back to the y. Its about community. Its giving to the community. Give to your local y. You can designate where you want the money to go. You can say, i want it to go to the afterschool programs for kids. I want to support that so kids have a place to go thats safe and enriching. Joining in the spirit of kindness, we arranged for some gifts for gisome of the classm e classmates. Thanks to our friends, you have this decked out, stylish teen lounge, just for you. Oh, my goodness wow. You guys are also going shopping. Jcpenney is giving all of you guys gift cards to go shopping. Oh, wow sort of lik a blank canvas, you know,ous a student, as a young individual can come and sort of create. You dont have to worry about whats going on and why. One, two, three. Teen lounge. He was in the process of applying to colleges. Hes planning on majoring in phycology and theater. Right after we talked, he rushed to take a stats final, at, a came right back. Hes a great student. He was telling me there were times where hes getting ready to take a test and his stomach is growling and he was wondering where he was going to sleep that night. You meet him and he is so positive. Super smart. Beautiful, thoughtful. Warm and kind. Im forever changed. Not allowed to complain. Extraordinary. Great work theyre doing at the y to help kids like that. Thank you so much, sheinelle. Coming up next, were going to have some lastminute Stocking Stuffer ideas, and all of them are under 12. Like that. First, this is today on nbc. We are back with todays hasslefree holiday. The shopping is done. Wrapping is nearlynu is planned. Waitmiforgot about thestuffers we a here to help you. Lifestyle expert jen has ideas for all the members in your family. The price is right, right . 12 and under. Easy to fi. Ailablt plas youre probably shopping anyway. Make it simple. The idea for these, you go to the stores. Youre not going to be online because right now were in crunch time. Go out, put your pants on. Put on pants that button, get in the car and go. All these things are useful, but theyre still unique. Things people will use. All right. First up, these are bath bombs. This is a new brand called being. Theyre 6. Drop them in a bath, and it is going to fizz up. This brand has the best scent. There are four scents. Really fun. Another beauty treat, cvs has a huge range of k beauty. The Korean Beauty imports. These are masks. Something for everyone. Theyre 3 each. Put this on your face . We have a picture of me doing it the other night. Before i come on air, i get ready with it. What does it do . Theres hydration. Something for everybody. Theyre great for stockings. Stroll down memory lane, lip smackers. Target has these vintage lip smackers. I love the strawberry. Now i cant get it open. Smells so good. Reminds me of being a kid. Awesome. Theyre great. If you want a fun game for the stocking. Also at target, this is coinhole. A coin toss game. It is table top. Its like a yard game, in the big scale. Im terrible at it. Fun way to keep everyone occupied. Pompoms are big, on slippers, on the side. Pompoms are huge. Hold navy has these. Theyre 10 right now. Theyre soft and cuddly. They roll up. There is a brand called all in the cards. They have these at target, 3 each. You can use it to personalize your bag. This is my bag. Makes it look fun with pompoms. Everybody loves coffee. This is a fun way to get it into a stocking. Yeah. For christmas morning, youre up early typically, so this is a great thing to put in a stocking. Bullet proof coffee. Whole foods stores nationwide. It is clean coffee. No toxins and gives you great energy. This is cold brew, and it is new. It is in this great pack. Put it in a stocking. Pour over ice. Taste good. We love. Marshmallows . I wouldnt think of putting it in a stocking. This is the glam marshmallow. This is candy cane. Mint chocolate chip. Its a fun thing for a stocking. Those are good. I know. I cant get started with these or theyll be gone. This is a fun, cute little one. I love this. I think this is so fun. American eagle happens to have all these cool Stocking Stuffers. This is a pocket disco ball. Bring the party with you. Plus it into your phone and youre set. Genius. These are chargers that you will never lose because theyre unique. Snowflakes, christmas lights, they can blink so they stay solid. Theyre 10 each. Everyone can use more chargers. Postit notes seem bland. I did not realize thats what these were. What a clever way. How cool is that . From pop, a container store. Youll never lose a postit note again because this is a great desk accessory. The end . This is fun. Maybe they wanted a motorcycle and theyre not getting it for christmas. Put this in their stocking. It goes on the bike . All of a sudden, it sounds like a motorcycle. There you go. 9. 99 at amazon. Get it on amazon prime. How fun. When we were kids, we used to put playing cards with a clothes pin thing. This is so much cooler than that. Keep your playing cards and use this. Thank you so much. Coming up, easy appetizers you can throw together when the unexpected holiday guests stop by. First, this is today on nbc. . Today, weve got a good one for ya. It is todays food. We have a quick and simple holiday fare. No one needs a complicated recipe when youre entertaining. Elizabeth is going to show us a fun recipe. This is the time of year people just show up at your door and i have to whip up an appi quick. It is going to hell in a hand basket. Thats where my life is right now, and i dont have five minutes. What is a quick one . This is the best dip in the world. Softened cream cheese, green onions and bacon. Everything everybody loves. We have mayonnaise. Were going to mix, mix, mix. Were going to add our scallions into this and let this go. Continue to mix it all up. Fabulous. Then were going to add some of the bacon. Some people only add the bacon on top. Were big bacon fans. We all are. Were going to add this. Im going to let you work on that. Id be happy to. Start spreading that in there. Bourbon works into this whole thin nndha pepper jelly glaze. My great friend, this is his favorite dip in the entire world. So now we put it on top. Its going to pop back into the oven for a few more minutes. The whole thing took less than ten minutes. While your friends are out there people were also stealing bacon and it worked out. So what is this . Something the kids love. Again, it couldnt be simpler. We h re. Yeah. You n even do sometim rshmallow you can drizzle more caramel on the top if you want it to be fine and fancy, which is what we love. Beautiful. Isnt that good . Also, your kids can help you out with this, as well. Where is your bourbon . I dont know. Ill get it. You left it. These are so easy. And the ritz crackers are a nice its really difficult. I mean, you have presents to buy. Youre trying to clean up your house. You have inlaws coming. You need quick and easy. This is the dip. Move the flowers out of the way. Hoda, this is one of the best things youll ever put in your mouth. Is it . The first time iade this, i made it six times like in a threeday period. Its absolutely delicious. Ridiculous. Come on isnt that wonderful . U top it with a peppe jel glaze. Fabulous. S t good. Ood. Little gin and tonic. For us, its like lunchtime. Youre right. We drink at lunch in new york. Well, yes. I love my job. City never sleeps. Elizabeth, thank you so much. Happy holidays. If you want these recipes and more, click on today. Com food. Were back in a moment. First, cheers, everybody, this is michael im thankful that im alive and have a second chance. James im tnkthe help and the opportunity that i received. Darlene im thankful to be able to help people in crisis. Vanessa im thankful that addiction christie new jersey is experiencing a heroin epidemic fueled by opioid painkillers. But if you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, welcome back, everybody. Its time for a lot of things, but it is time for birthdays, mr. Roker. Uhoh. With the gin and tonic. Itll be a good set your dvrs. All right. Time to celte some nice folks from smuckers. First up, happen by 100th birthday to lil rains. She likes to workout. Took up by pla tees in her 90s. Ruby is busy keeping track of her 11 grandkids, 19 Great Grandkids and 8 great Great Grandkids. Happy 100th birthday to frankoff moline, illinois. He walks at least one mile every day. End of the week, hes seven miles from home. Salty from venice, florida. She loves to keep in touch with her grandkids using facebook. Ellen jones from virginia, also 100, served ed as a deacon at h church over 80 years. Last but not least, happy 75th anniversary to rhoda and sam. These proud grandparents are from florida. They say the secret to a long and happy marriage is having a good sense of humor and a whole lot of patience. Awesome, al. Sounds about right. Excellent job. What do you have coming up . Ambush makeovers. Louis and jill went to the crowd, picked a couple lucky ladies and theyll get redos. This was delicious. Thank good morning. Im rosemary connors. Its just a few minutes before 9 00 on this thursday. Meteorologist bill henley is tracking a cold start to our day. It is a cold start, but were getting sunshine now and temperatures are starting to climb, just bumped up to 35 in the philadelphia. This afternoon first hours of winter, it will be typical chill in the air for today. Warmer weather starts tomorrow. Jessica boyington has the first alert traffic and shes following some backups. Were still watching 95 where we have an accident scene right around 413. We look good in new jersey. Heres 295 around route 168. Both directions look good. A would be victim shot a man who tried to rob him in philadelphia. Weve blurred the victims face to protect his identity. His parents tell u he works in security and carries a gun. The attempt eed robber is in th hospital. Philadelphia will join more than 150 other cities calling for an end to homelessness. Homeless memorial day remembers the homeless who died in 2017. The event starts at thomas payne pl plaza in center copies of his book at barnes noble. Get the latest with the free nbc 10 app. Have a great day. This morning on megyn kelly today, your holiday headquarters. Lastminute gifts for him, her and those tiny tots. Then its a wrap. Creative ideas for picture perfect presents. Plus, our month of merry rolls on. Just three days left. Were giving three gifts away today. What could they be . All tt and more on megyn kelly today, right now. Hi whew. Hello. Merry christmas