to 50 mile an hour wind gusts, and then calming down and more sunshine in the forecast for the weekend as we get ready for st. patrick's day. westbound 92, continued issues. it looked like a series of disabled vehicles is causing the slowing west 92 to the peninsula. use the dumbarton bridge instead of 92. the "today" show just moments away. we're continuing "today in the bay" on roku and other streaming platforms. san jose mayor matt mahan is joining us to discuss the search for the city's new police chief, the increasing homicide rate and how he's working to clean up city streets. join us for our 7:00 a.m. newscast next at nbcbayarea.com. >> thanks so much for allowing us to be a part of your morning. . good the battle over tiktok coming to a head this morning. >> the future of the popular app

good wednesday morning. battle over tiktok coming to a head this morning. >> it is march 13th. good morning. this is "today." time's up. this morning the house voting on a possible ban of tiktok over its ties to the government of china. >> bytedance's ownership of tiktok is a threat to national security. >> the app fighting back in a pr blitz, galvanizing its users to flood congressional phone lines. >> call them and tell them to stop the ban. >> what's next? and is the clock really ticking for the popular platform. president biden and donald trump set for a 2024 rematch after clinching their party's dominations. and on capitol hill, a heated hearing. the special counsel who cleared president biden of wrongdoing but raised questions about his mental fitness on defense. >> the relevance of the president's memory was necessary and accurate and fair. >> the reaction from both sides of the aisle and the potential impact on the campaign.

country in crisis. new unrest in haiti. armed gangs rampaging the capitol after a fight erupts after the prime minister's decision to step down. straight ahead, the growing violence and the american families caught in the chaos. image issues. more questions than answers surrounding that doctored photo of princess kate. the pressure mounting on the royal family. will they finally address the concerns head-on? we're live in london. all that plus sneezing season. an early start to those dreaded spring allergies. where you can turn for some much needed relief. and grab and go. a one of its kind restaurant set to revolutionize the food world. >> there are no tables, no chairs. >> to make fast food even faster. today, wednesday, march 14th,

2024. from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb from studio 1a. >> hi, everybody. good morning. nice to have you along with us on a wednesday morning. we will start with a critical vote on capitol hill that could decide the future of tiktok here in the u.s. >> the social media platform is used by more than 170 million americans with members of gen z turning to it more often than instagram and facebook. in fact, it was the highest grossing app of last year, generating nearly $3 billion in revenue. >> the reason some lawmakers want it banned, national security concerns and possible risks over user's personal data

and spying, misinformation, the chinese government's involvement. we have it all covered for you. let's start in washington with nbc's savannah sellers. good morning. >> hey there. good morning. so the legislation would force tiktok's chinese parent company to sell it off or face a ban in the u.s. saying it poses a security threat. this morning, chinese-owned tiktok wading into american politics as they are voting on a ban the wildly popular app if it is not divested by its chinese parent company, bytedance, within six months. tiktok encouraging its users to come to its defense.

>> save tiktok! >> you need to make your voices heard. >> call them and tell them to stop the ban. >> sending influencers, along with its ceo, to washington where it has a healthy lobbying operation and even releasing ads. >> tiktok helps me to achieve the mission that god put me on this earth to do. >> lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are concerned about the potential for the chinese government to access the data of tiktok's 170 million plus american users. >> this app has the potential of being a mass surveillance tool against the american tool. >> chinese companies including bytedance are compelled to share their data with the chinese government. tiktok has repeatedly denied that tiktok is an agency of the chinese government, adding this legislation has a predetermined outcome, a total ban of tiktok in the united states. and lawmakers are also worried about tiktok's influence on young people's mental health. a former google executive turned critic told "60 minutes" look no further than how different china's version is. >> they show you science experiments at home, patriotism videos and educational videos.

they ship the opium version to the rest of the world. >> and there are concerns about misinformation spreading on the app in an election year. >> they can make you believe things that are not true. >> as the candidates are weighing in. donald trump has recently signals opposition to the ban after previously supporting it. kellyanne conway is defending tiktok on capitol hill and she told trump many of his supporters are on tiktok. president biden, for his part, said he'd sign the bill that could ban tiktok, even as his campaign uses the platform to court voters. >> the state of our union is strong and getting stronger. >> now, tiktok says it does not believe a divest deal could be done within a six-month time frame. we reached out to tiktok over its concerned about the impact on the mental health and the differences with the chinese

version of the app. we have not heard back, but the company says in the past it offers screen time limits for many people. >> thank you very much, savannah. let's turn to kara swisher, the author of the new book "burn book," a tech love story. i don't know how much love you have for tiktok this morning before we get into the particulars, can you just lay out for people, particularly young people because they love it because they keep in touch with their friends and they love their tiktok what is the national security issue here >> well, there is a couple there's obviously surveillance that's a concern what the legislators are thinking about more is propaganda can you imagine china owning nbc

or "the washington post" or a big company. they're not allowed to many people think of this as a media company. our u.s. companies are not allowed access to china. so that would be among the concerns that they're doing. it is probably an influence of china on these companies, whether they say or not, because that's what happens throughout chinese companies. >> by the way, just noting that china bans international platforms like facebook and x from its own borders you mentioned surveillance the bill before us would say to tiktok's parent company either divest yourself and sell to a u.s. owner, for example, or you will be banned isn't the cat kind of out of the bag? i mean, the 2020 congress report found that china is already building massive databases of americans personal information to help the chinese government to further its intelligence gathering. hasn't the ship sailed >> no, because it keeps sailing. this is an ongoing information war. it is all happening in cyber space.

the more information you have, the more data you have, the stronger you are going to be and, so, i think the worries are is that this is -- you know, we worried about this hanging over the u.s. a lot of people put this out as 100 million spy balloons propaganda is the focus, along with mental health. >> it creates an opportunity for a sale do you think that will be likely to happen, someone would swoop in and buy tiktok, so you still have your tiktok, you just wouldn't have it linked and functionally owned by the chinese communist party. >> well, if it is. let's be clear we don't know that one of the issues is what do you get when you buy it because they won't give us the algorithm. if they give us the algorithm, we can see if they have been spying and using propaganda. what do you get? you get the tiktok name and the users and you can create the magic of tiktok.

there will be lots of buyers for this thing it makes a lot of money. it is the most popular app it is a great brand. the question is can you remake it if you pull it out of the current configuration it's been. >> tiktok has been on a major pr blitz. i see ads all day long they have lobbyists on capitol hill they actually asked their users, many of them minor children, according to lawmakers, to flood congressional offices with phone calls saying don't take away my tiktok do you think it's work something. >> i don't think so. i think it is actually a backlash against it. it's heavy handed. what are they going to say they have to say we're good for america, i guess that's a good argument for them. i don't know if it's going to work because, you know, for the obvious reasons i think congres. >> all right, president biden, meanwhile, says he will sign a bill if it comes to his desk.

others have noted the biden campaign just joined tiktok. kara swisher author of "burn book," thank you for being with us. appreciate it. >> thank you. the long is very determined to do that. rematch of president biden and donald trump is now set. they became the presumptive nominees overnight, crossing the delegate threshold by winning tuesday's contests following heated testimony on capitol hill focused on the president, his handling of classified documents and his memory and age nbc's senior white house correspondent gabe gutierrez has more. >> reporter: hoda, good morning. the special counsel robert hur was in the hot seat. he was drawing fierce backlash from both sides, and this morning the stage is set for the longest general election campaign ever overnight, president biden and former president trump officially clinched their party's nominations with primary victories in multiple states,

setting up a high-stakes rematch in what is expected to be a bitter, costly and lengthily general election campaign battle. >> we're the official nominee of the republican party, which is a big deal. >> reporter: it comes just hours after former special counsel robert hur was grilled on capitol hill. >> we identified evidence that the president willfully retained classified materials after the end of his vice presidency we did not find evidence that did not rise to the level of the proof beyond a reasonable doubt. >> hur also defended his assessment that the president would present himself to the jury as an elderly man with a poor memory. >> my assessment about the relevance of the president's memory was necessary and accurate and fair. >> but republicans slammed his decision not to prosecute. >> joe biden broke the law, bu because he's a forgettable old man that would appear sympathetic to the jury, hurou

that decision, didn't you mr. hur, you would chose not to press charges. >> you understood you would ignite a political firestorm with that language, didn't you >> congressman, politics played no part whatsoever in my steps >> it found president biden's old offices, his delaware home and garage were returned democrats say that's the main difference between his case and the one involving former president trump who allegedly insreused others to destroy evidence hur pushed back and exonerated president biden. >> you exonerated him. willful retention has a -- mr. hur it is my time. >> the white house insists the report does clear the president. >> the conclusion was simple, that there is no indication here the case is closed it is time to move on. >> republicans want audio recordings released. the white house says the transcript was enough.

all of it as the 2024 presidential campaign ramps up president biden will be on the trail later today in a crucial swing state, wisconsin hoda >> all right gabe, thank you. all right. craig joins us now good morning. >> good morning. good morning to you as well. there are mounting fears this morning that chaos and violence in haiti could spiral further out of control after the embattled prime minister said he will resign and there are growing concerns for americansbi who remain trapped in haiti. nbc's marissa parra joins thus morning and she has been following this story >> reporter: good morning. we're just learning a new team of marines was sent to haiti to ramp up security for the american embassy there as we're seeing a growing humanitarian crisis terror in the streets of haiti,y

fueled by the gang rule that has left the people that live there paralyzed by here. >> they hear gunshots in the streets in many neighborhoods of port-au-prince. >> reporter: amid some of the worst violence the country has ever seen, the prime minister answered calls for his resignation, announcing his plan to step down after a council was put in place to find his replacement. but the transition is unlikely to be easy gangs have banded together, taking control of the country. that's notorious gang leader jimmy sheris, calling this the start of a bloody revolution against an apartheid system. evacuation is one of the only ways out american author mitch albom was visiting the orphanage he runs when he found himself stranded. >> the roads were closed the borders were closed. we had no way out. >> reporter: he was one of the lucky ones, evacuated by helicopter now calls to stabilize the country without escalating violence intensifying. kenya pausing plans to deploy 1,000 police officers to stifle

the violence critics say it is time for outside nations to step back. >> we have never let them choose their leaders. the u.s. needs to give them space. just one time. >> reporter: but as medicine and flood supplies dwindle, a humanitarian crisis is growing. >> i'm ringing the alarm bell because you have this baseline level of hunger that's already very high and this is worsening things even more. >> reporter: without a clear path to peace or a time line for transition, humanitarian organizations fear time isn't on their side. >> if it takes that long, you are worried it will cost people lives. >> yes, this is going to cost more lives of the most vulnerable people. >> reporter: and we're learning more about mitch albom's morning hours of yesterday morning by evacuation he said it happened in the early

morning hours yesterday morning. in a statement released overnight, he shared they had been air lifted in the middle of the night for where they have been sheltering in place for over a week. he expressed how grateful he was but how his heart still aches for everyone left there in the middle of this crisis and he ended that statement with a plea to us all. he said, please don't forget about them. >> indeed. marissa, thank you. this morning russian president vladimir putin warned that russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if there is any threat to russia's existence or independence putin said it would be a significant escalation if th u.s. sent troops into ukraine. however, he added that he believes president biden understands the situation and he does not think the world is headed to a nuclear conflict the biden administration said they are sending weapons to ukraine. they will not send troops to ukraine. by the way, this is a short-term funding while congress is working on a larger emergency aid bill. more to get to, including those enormous lottery jackpots. they are starting to get

everybody's attention across the country. nobody won the top prize last night in the mega millions drawing. that sent the jackpot soaring to $792 million that's the sixth largest prize in that game's history the power ball not far behind, $559 million that's add them up that's $1.3 billion. okay for those of us good at math the next powerball draw something tonight, and the next mega millions drawing is on friday night >> perfect timing. i can borrow 20 bucks from roker. he's back. he's back! >> guess what, so is winter into the rockies. yeah, we're talking some real winter weather, unfortunately. but there is also springtime storms coming. five million people impacted with storm watches from montana all the way into the southwest we're talking upwards of 48 inches of snow in the front range and the foothills. you get into denver, they could

be looking 10 to 20 inches east of i-25 by thursday, 8 to 16 inches. this could be their biggest snowstorm in three years ahead of this system, we have storm damages, possibly damaging hail winds wind gusts up to 60 miles an hour could be a tornado or two. we're talking about tennis ball sized hail and then thursday from chicago all the way down to dallas 21 million people at risk for damaging hail, wind gusts, tornadoes possible the area we're most concerned from peoria all the way down to tyler, texas heavy rain stretching from the upper mississippi river valley, and especially down through the lower mississippi, anywhere from one to three inches of rain. we will get to your local forecast in the next 30 seconds. you never stop surprising us, bailey. right? i'm great. you are great. i wonder if bailey's ever done a book report.

be nice to your sister. what flea bit him? pets aren't just pets. they're more. this flea and tick season, get 20% off your first pharmacy order at chewy. good wednesday morning. the time is 7:19. a beautiful sunrise behind me over the golden gate bridge, marin county and stretching into parts of the east bay and south bay as well. we're going to dry out and warm up over the next couple of days, but this is going to be met with really gusty winds, especially into tonight. the overnight hours of thursday, and then starting to calm down as we go into friday, enjoying a nice warm weekend ahead for st. patrick's day and spring arrives on tuesday. back. there was a whole fiasco that

happened while you were gone. why the royal family has yet to address it. we're following it live from buckingham palace. and the keeping the sniffling and sneez

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again in control of some of their ancestral lands. the area doesn't look like much today, a parking lot along fourth street in west berkeley. it was once ohlone land with a shellmound the size of a football field that served as ceremonial and burial grounds. the city of berkeley brokered a deal contributing $1.5 million so a women-led indigenous land trust could buy back the property for $27 million. their vision is an open space. california's mega high-speed rail project between san francisco and los angeles is facing major funding hurdles. project leaders need an additional $100 billion to complete the bullet train from san francisco to los angeles, so this week california high-speed rail project's ceo testified at the state senate transportation committee. they say the project is also short several billion on central valley segments. let's get a look at the forecast.

cinthia pimentel is in for kari. >> we are drying out and warming up over the next couple of days. the temperatures for today will be mainly in the 60s. i do want to warn you that there is a wind advisory that goes into effect tonight and lasting all the way until friday. so that's a long stretch of time. it's also going to be a high wind warning for the sierra, if you want to beat the crowds you have to be careful with the passes and all of that gusty wind, possibly 100 mile an hour wind gusts. now, as we go into your seven-day forecast in san francisco, once we do get past this wind, it will be a nice weekend ahead, getting ready for the st. patrick's day parade and our inland valleys war

we're back at 7:30 at ic

look at that a live look at iconic tpc sawgrass in florida, home of this week's 50th players championship guess what you will catch all the action on nbc. and our good friend mike tirico is there he will join us with justin thomas that's all coming up in our next half hour. >> we know what carson will be doing today. >> exactly. >> beautiful let's start with the latest on that royal photo fiasco. >> it continues. the firestorm that surrounds the edited version of kate and her children is only growing >> nbc's holly hunter is standing by at buckingham palace with the latest. >> reporter: oh boy are people still talking about it kensington palace still saying

mum, but that is not stopping the swirl of speculation take a look. everyone from casual royal watchers to conspiracy theorists are weighing in on that mother's day photo, released and recalled, dissected and still be talked about for a brief moment, social media sleuths on high alert, even digging into this snapshot of the prince and princess of wales earlier this week wondering if it too had been altered. nbc news found no evidence o that and the agency says the images have been cropped and lightened, but nothing has been doctored. >> a picture can be interpreted a million different ways it is almost like confirmation bias if you see something, you will believe it. >> reporter: at this moment, it would seem the trust in anything showing the princess of wales is relatively low. >> they tried to quell those conspiracy theories and that has backfired and increased the lack of trust there is in what kensington palace is saying and kensington palace is saying and

doing. >> reporter: so for now, the jokes -- >> hello, doing. >> reporter: so for now, the jokes -- >> hello, everyone it is me kate middleton from castle in england. i am definitely kate and not impersonator. >> reporter: and impressions, finger pointing and genuine concern are spreading like wild fire across global social media. >> kate, are you okay? >> reporter: and perhaps the real question. >> either we're all collectively losing it or we have the right to be concerned. >> reporter: even yesterday at the white house, a light hearted response with the white house press secretary. >> are you comparing us to what's going on in the uk? >> reporter: kate has previously discussed her passion for amateur photography. >> it's really capturing those moments that feel real to you. >> reporter: she's usually behind the lens with her three

kensington palace tries to right the ship. >> this is such a dust up. it keeps getting bigger. kids, but the palace said william took the picture in question and kate did the editing, all adding to the confusion that led to a wild week on social media as kensington palace tries to right the ship. >> this is such a dust up. it keeps getting bigger. i'm not sure if it is just me, but i'm not sure why it is so huge however, i did note that the royals are saying they did expect to see kate go out to her royal duties after easter. is that what we think will happen >> reporter: that is right this is what kensington palace keeping telling us she will be out of public view until after easter does that mean after easter sunday or after easter break when the kids are off? we have tripping the color in june that we would normally instagram live and be like, hey, y'all.

i'm fine. calm down, you maniacs. that's our pr advice. >> i like it. still ahead, the big stars that will be joining us for the olympics opening ceremony in paris. >> also, the downside to an early taste of family at, but, hoda, we will we're talking about an earlier start to the spring, allergy symptoms why our symptoms could be even worse this year. we will break down the newest treatments for some much needed relief right after this. osterou that means panoramic. and as many portraits of me as your heart desires. (woman) how about none? (boy) none. (man) yea none feels right. (vo) trade-in any iphone in any condition and get a new iphone 15 pro and an ipad and apple watch se all on us. only on verizon.

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the to i shall if arrival of spring is just six days away but as a lot of people already know, allergy season has already started. >> less than a week away check out this map, folks. we're already seeing higher pollen levels in the south >> all right what are the best ways to keep your symptoms under control. dr. john torres is here. >> it's not my fault. >> with all the answers. so what? we're expecting a more severe allergy season >> more severe and longer. what typically happens is we get trees, grass, weeds, in that order. trees in the spring, grass in the summer, weeds in the fall. now the trees are lasting -- instead of ending in october, they're lasting until december, the weeds. the trees start kicking in in january instead of kicking in in march. so this confluence of seasons

are hard hitting times. that's the concern a lot of people have right now. >> so if you get them and they're bad and a lot of people have those, should you immediately go to a doctor? what are you supposed to do? >> not necessarily. for march. medications to take. when you start looking at allergy symptoms, we have all had it, the watery eyes, scratchy throat. if you start getting wheezing in particular, that's a big concern. you need to go see the doctor. on the other hand, you start looking, is it cold, is it flu, is it allergies. how do i tell the difference fever, it's something else aches and pains, you might get a little something with allergies. and then exhaustion. if you have had allergies, you know you can get fatigue but if you get extreme exhaustion, it's something else as well. neck down probably not

allergies. neck up, probably. >> i've had allergies for years and would take over the counter stuff. a few years ago, i switched to a neti pot. >> we have a lot of over the counter medications that we used to have to prescribe to patients and now they're over the counter. antihistamines and nasal steroid sprays are really good at getting your allergies under control. that's one thing when you start taking these medicines, you want to start early. once you start getting the symptoms set in, they're harder to take care of. if you know it is going to be a bad allergy day, take your medicine in the morning. >> what about your neti pot? >> i should start using it now. >> you want to use it early. >> a lot of people use those. >> i have used them before it is a lot. if you don't know what it is, it can gross you out. >> if you know, you know. >> if you know, you don't want to know. >> mr. roker, get that visual out of your head. >> all right.

here we go. unfortunately, with all this warm weather we've had, we have a critical to extreme risk of wild fires. in fact, there are severe predictions saying we could have a wild fire outbreak over the next 48 hours in this region up to >> mr. roker, get that visual next 48 hours in this region up to oklahoma city, amarillo as well in fact, spring is way ahead of schedule unfortunately punxsutawney phil was right. record march warmth from fargo to concord we're looking with all this warm weather, the first leaves are getting, to dr. john's point, this is why allergy season started so early the first leaves on plants and shrubs 1 to 3 weeks early. so we are looking at all those shrubs out there and by the way, the cherry blossoms, this is yesterday. out of six, they're at a stage four right now peek bloom forecast march 23rd to the 26th.

the latest bloom was april 13th. guess what since 1931 to 1960, the average peak bloom date april 6th, in the last 20 years that's moved up a week. we're looking at march 30th being the average bloom date so get out there and see those cherry blossoms. good wednesday morning. the time is 7:43. we're checking in on san francisco over the next couple of days, and along the peninsula. it's going to get pretty gusty as we go into this afternoon, along with all of that sunshine that will continue as we go on into the weekend. temperatures are going to start to warm up. look at friday's highs in the low 70s, and it's going to continue to be a nice weekend as we go into st. patrick's day on sunday. spring begins on tuesday and weather. guys >> all right, al thanks just ahead, a morning boost on the way. plus fast food even faster with popular chains racing to fill orders in record time, we

have an exclusive look inside what could be the chick-fil-a of the future it's coming up right after this. carson joins there is a push to make fast food even faster. food even faster. >> guys, good morning. can you”? baby: liberty. how many people did you tell? only pay for what you need. jingle: ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ baby: ♪ liberty. ♪ hey! asthma's got you going through it? popular chains are trying to not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occurred. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. may cause headache, injection site reactions,

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and take back what's yours. abbvie could help you save. carson joins. there is a food even faster. >> guys, good morning. popular chains are trying to shake up the way we get our meals. emilie ikeda is here with a behind the scenes look at how chick-fil-a is trying to change the game good morning. >> chick-fil-a is calling its new restaurant in new york the fastest yet. the company hopes by the time i finish my sentence, for instance, somebody could walk in, get their food and be on their way. it's an example of how fast food chains are using tech. this morning the race to make fast food even faster is heating up chick-fil-a preparing to open the doors to what it calls a first of its kind ground

breaking restaurant in new york city >> there are no tables, no chairs. >> no tables, no chairs. this is all about fulfilling the order and carrying food and drink in a fast and seamless way. >> reporter: we got an exclusive first look ahead of its march 21st opening here is how it works you place your order on the mobile app ahead of time and then you come into the restaurant the space just 400 square feet you come over to this board. you are watching for your name to move from preparing up to ready. when you come up to ready, you tell the worker your name. up to emily. he will grab your order for you, hand it off. thank you so much. and then you are good to go. chick-fil-a believes this is its fastest concept yet. nationwide, 50% of chick-fil-a transactions are mobile orders that number is higher in cities like new york. the trend turbo charged by the

pandemic how important is it to keep up with customers' interests and trends. >> chick-fil-a wants to focus observing the customer in the way they want to be served. >> reporter: dining in has plummeted by 50% since 2019. while dashboard dining, eating in your car, has surged. how do you like to get your food from a restaurant like chick-fil-a. >> drive through strictly. hungry for speed and solitude. wendy's has been investing in artificial intelligence and taco bell is testing a drive through that drops meals from the skies. >> here it comes >> reporter: and mcdonald's has a highly automated restaurant that serves food on a conveyer belt but some fear too much technology could cut jobs and take a bite out of the experience. >> i like personal experience myself i see a lot of the automation taking away from that. >> reporter: so, guys, of course i have to come bearing gifts by the way, later this year, you

can actually get your chicken biscuits via ski lift style conveyers. that's another idea being rolled out in atlanta. four lanes of cars weaving below. there will still be an employee that will actually hand it to you. >> chick-fil-a is already about the fastest out there. >> i don't know. friendliest. >> look at mr. healthy over there. >> yeah. i'm training for paris >> what did you get? >> parfait out west, we have in n out burger it takes longer to get your burger, but i think some people like that. thank you. >> the restaurant is not opening today. it is opening next week. even when we were shooting there, we saw all these customers trying to get in, so safe to say it is highlybeen a but we have another one. >> i have another one for you,

both involving kids and food. this little guy right here really wanting to try a pepsi. so his mom obliged and said, go ahead. you can have a sip. and this is how it went. anticipated. i think that's probably a no that was a shiver. anyway, first intro to carbonation, i guess it's all been milk and apple juice up to that point and that drink has a kick. a little girl saw a package of muffins on the counter and decided, i will go for it. little did she know her mom was watching her the whole time. here is what happens when she finally gets caught. the classic this, drops to the floor, hiding under the counter. who could blame her? it's a muffin. you got to have it. >> cute. >> all right, cute. guys, coming up in

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lowering bad cholesterol can be hard, even with a statin. diets and exercise add to the struggle. today, it's possible to go from struggle to cholesterol success with leqvio. with a statin, leqvio is proven to lower bad cholesterol by 50% and keep it low with 2 doses a year. common side effects were injection site reaction, joint pain, and chest cold. ask your doctor about twice-yearly leqvio. lower. longer. leqvio® good morning to you. it is 7:56 right now. i'm laura garcia. here is a look at what's happening now. breaking news we're following, the u.s. house has voted to force tiktok's parent company to sell the app to an american company or face a nationwide ban. scott mcgrew has been following,

the vote wasn't close. >> it was an overwhelming win for the yes vote, coming from both parties. the vote just taken. before you worry about the future of your tiktok habit, do know that while the measure did pass the house, it's not even scheduled for a vote in the senate. nor is it clear the proposed bill is constitutional. tiktok says if it does become law, it will challenge it in court. laura, a lot more coming up on our 11:00 a.m. news. let's check the forecast. cinthia is in for kari this morning. >> we are drying out and warming up over the next couple of days. san francisco won't be left behind. however, we do have to deal with some gusty wind speeds at times, later on tonight and definitely through thursday. that will be the windiest day over the next seven. as we go into the weekend, nice and still staying warm for st. patrick's day on sunday and the parade. your inland valleys, aside from the wind, we're going to warm up nicely. i see friday and monday being the warmest days over the next couple of days, and spring

begins on tuesday. overall, not a bad forecast once we do start to bring down those wind speeds a little. >> looks good. thank you. and thank you for joining us as well. anothe local newsr you can make money the hard way as a bullfighter or a human cannonball...

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>> amid concerns from lawmakers over national security and user safety. we're live with the latest. then cutting the middleman. a look at the new upgrade that could prevent this. so would you be willing to pay to block off the middle seat? the details straight ahead. then keith morrison one-on-one. the "dateline" legend known for his voice. >> hello. i'm keith morrison, and this is a "dateline" mini mystery. >> opens up to hoda about the loss of his stepson, matthew perry. >> how are you and how is your wife aftermath matthew's passing?

>> and the keith craze straight ahead. >> and saddle up. a major announcement from beyoncé about her highly anticipated country album. everything you need to know coming up in "popstart," today, wednesday, march 13th, 2024. ♪♪ >> from henderson, kentucky. >> it's her 70th birthday today. >> good morning to our grandma. >> at our 20th anniversary trip in california. >> shout-out to oklahoma. go tigers! >> mother-daughter trip from norwalk, iowa. >> on a girls' trip! >> visiting from johnson, iowa. >> from san antonio to "the today show". >> hey, savannah and hoda! hoda i turn 10.

>> so sweet. we will begin with the house voting this morning on a critical first step toward banning tiktok in the u.s. over at national security concerns. many of the country's 170 million users pushing back hard on the bill. savannah sellers joins us from washington with the latest. good morning. >> good morning. so this morning chinese-owned tiktok is taking center stage on capitol hill with a vote scheduled hours from now. the bill has the potential to ban tiktok in the u.s. if it's not divested by its chinese parent company, bytedance. they are cautiously optimistic they have the two-thirds vote

they need in order to advance this. at issue here is whether the app poses a national security threat. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are concerned about the potential that the chinese government could access personal data of the app's 170 million american users. with the congress department warning they could do so to further their foreign policy agenda. tiktok repeatedly denied they are owned or controlled by the chinese government. they also say that six months would not be a realistic time frame, saying it has a predetermined outcome, a total ban of tiktok in the united states. they launched a lobbying effort on capitol hill. also, the presidential candidates are weighing in. former president trump opposing the ban and president biden saying he would sign it should it make it to his desk. savannah? >> all right. we'll be watching today. thank you very much. the november rematch between president biden and former president trump is officially on nbc news projecting that each candidate secured enough delegates to clinch its party's nomination after sweeping yesterday's primaries. trump's projected tuesday night

victory sends him over the 1,215 delegate mark needed for a lock going into a republican convention in july president biden reached his magic number, 1,968 delegates, after georgia's primary. officials in pittsburgh were investigating a massive house explosion that killed an 89-year-old man and his 87-year-old wife the explosion was actually felt for miles around it levelled the couple's home right down to the foundation and set fire to a hill behind them, as you can see here. the large pieces of debris flew over the surrounding trees damaging nearby houses as well although the official cause is not yet known, investigators say there was a private gas well and also propane tanks on the property. >> we have all been there before, sitting on an airplane after boarding hoping nobody will come and squeeze into the middle seat next to you. well, frontier airlines says it has the answer for that situation.

on tuesday, yesterday, the budget airline introduced a new seat upgrade program where the middle seat is blocked off you can choose an aisle or a window and no one is sitting next to you. it is only being offered for a limited time that upgrade starts at $49. >> that would be kind of a cool thing to do. >> i mean, it is. >> for $49, then you have a big seat. >> yeah. stretch out. >> i know. man spreading. i thought the same thing coming up on "popstart," beyoncé dropping big news, folks. what she is revealing about her country music album. but, first, our can't miss conversation with legend keith morrison opening up about his remarkable career. the stories that have stayed with him through 50 years in the business and his family. we'll share it all with you coming up right after this but this is my story. ( ♪♪ )

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he's thinking squirrels. we are back at 8:10. we have a special conversation hoda, you caught up with our friend and colleague, sensation keith morrison, who you know well >> i have known him for 25 years. i have to tell you he is and has always been the kindest and gentlest show. he recently joined me as a guest on my "making space" podcast there was a lot to catch up on but i started off by asking him about the keith craze. >> hello i'm keith morrison, and this is a "dateline" mini history. >> gq is regularly parodied on

snl. >> what did they find when they opened up the trunk of that car. >> it was my boyfriend's body. >> oh, my. >> and crowds of fans stop him for selfies at different events. >> i just don't get it at al but, you know, it is quite nice. people are very nice to me. >> he has been humble since the day i met him. won't say himself, but the attention is very much warranted. over the last handful of years, "dateline" exploded with 11 number one original podcasts and 1.4 billion down loads keith's famous voice, the main character. >> these are great stories, and you are unshackled when you are doing podcast story telling, so i love doing them. >> keith joined the friday news. magazine in 1995 after a career

at both nbc and in canadian tv over the span of his more than 50-year career, keith covered stories worldwide, interviewing everyone from veterans to student protesters to the biggest names in entertainment for the last few years, true crime has taken center stage "murder in the hollywood hills" is about a band of women off camera lives a relatively quiet wife in california with his wife of 43 years together they raised six kids, including the late actor matthew perry, who was just 10 when keith and susan married. >> i never tried to replace his dad, but i was there for him and he knew it and, you know, we were close >> their family suffering an unimaginable loss in october of 2023 how are you and how is your wife after matthew's passing?

>> well, it is a -- as other people have told me hundreds of times, it doesn't go away. it is with you every day it is with you all the time. and there is some new aspect of it that assaults your brain. and, you know, it is not easy. especially for his mom toward the end of his life, they were closer than i have seen him for decades and texting each other constantly and, so, he was happy. and he said so and he hadn't said that for a long time. it's a source of comfort that also, you know, he didn't get to have his third act, and that's not fair as he said himself, if i suddenly die, people would be shocked, but not too many peopl? >> did it surprise you?

>> it was the news you never want to get, but you think some day you might. so yes and no, i guess is the answer would be surprised >> yeah. do you -- do you still feel his presence do you sense him >> you know, we do this funny trope of "dateline" that lit up a room, the center of the room well, he was, and he was always the center of attention everywhere he went that kind of personality, he was goofy. he was funny but even if he didn't say a word, he was the center of attention. so, yes, i mean, if it's gone, but you still feel the echo of it everywhere. >> matthew's passing coming just

a year after the release of his memoire, which chronicled the actor's long battle with addiction. >> as he put it himself, it is a disease and it's a very, very difficult one to beat. he felt like he was beating it, but you never beat it. and he knew that, too. >> keith, i'm really sorry. >> yeah. well, thank you. >> i'm really sorry. in the wake of matthew's passing, family and friends have started a foundation in his name. >> the goal is to do whatever can be done to help organizations rescue people in difficult situations and get them some help >> keith doing in life what he does so well at work, amplifying the voices of others no longer half a dozen other people, a couple of television camera

>> i still find it remarkable that you can be in a room with half a dozen other people, a couple of television cameras, lights everywhere, and the knowledge that what you are saying will be seen by millions of people and they do trust us these are truly, truly, truly deep and difficult things to get through, but i come away from those conversations, that it's a gift we're lucky people, you and i. >> we are. we are >> wow >> isn't he -- first of all, if you love keith already, you saw a whole other side to him. and he's never spoken about matthew. i was almost afraid to ask him about it because you know when you love something so much, you're like, that's his private stuff. but he wanted to speak about him. i was so honored that he chose to do that. >> i think your friendship and your long relationship was so evident there because he really shared his heart with you. and you could just see that's a heart in pain, a heart not -- that was in pain, that is in pain. >> and keith is really

protecting his wife's heart, too, because he kept saying that throughout, like my wife is really, you know, having a difficult go here. but he's a good human being, keith is >> we just love him. and that was the podcast, so there is a lot more. >> yeah. >> we should mention so making space is the name of the podcast. wherever you get your podcast, you can find it. you can also scan the qr code on the screen, and it will take you where you need to go and that extended conversation. >> drops today >> yes, i think so, yeah. >> that was great. how about another check of the weather? mr. roker back in the building >> yes, sir. we are looking at mild conditions here in the east into tomorrow severe storms unfortunately will start firing up in the mississippi river valley a big fire is texas on into the southwest. know inc good wednesday morning. the time is 8:18 and there's a lot of sunshine that's ahead our way but also some gusty winds. we will be under a wind advise vi later on this afternoon

continuing into friday and those gusts could go anywhere from about 20 to 50 miles an hour. so be careful with those changing conditions. as we look ahead into the weekend, we are gradually warming up our inland valleys will be in the mid-70s as we get into friday and continuing with a nice weekend for weather. >> best time of the morning. >> always power through. >> we will start with beyoncé this one is sure to get the beehive buzzing. last month beyoncé dropping a pair of genre-bending singles. they flew up the country music charts now we're getting details. the project will be called act 2 cowboy carter, really leaning into the texas roots according to the queen of country herself, ms. dolly parton, yesterday it was

revealed that maybe a cover of "jolene" will be on that record. >> all right we'll keep the country theme going. post malone is up next, paying tribute to toby keith, performing his hit, "as good as i once was" on stage ♪ ♪ >> you guys didn't ♪ >> you guys didn't kno post had it in him >> wow >> you talk about waiting for a.

next up the "barbie" actor word up quite an appetite with fellow win gosling for the famous pink performance during the oscars. after the show he took to social media. went around to all the parties and raided all the food. so we'll start with th countr it started with a little box of jimmy kimmel, the host, put a snack box under your seat. that got 3 out of 10 stars next up, the governor's ball this got 11 out of 10 stars. he wrote, this was insane. wood fired pizza, pecking duck i did nothing but inhale food. he rated the "vanity fair" party at 7 out of 10 you can't go wrong with their in n out burgers. he made another stop at the madonna party. he was too full. he didn't eat anything there we'll hear all about this on hoda and jenna you have to ask him about it. >> we will. >> finally paris 2024.

the countdown is on for the summer olympics. last night our buddy, not al's, mike tirico stopped by to make this special announcement. >> it is an honor to announce for the first time any where that this year at the summer olympics in paris, the opening ceremony will be hosted by yours truly, peyton manning and kelly clarkson. >> well, that's big news. >> fun >> a different direction. >> also joining that crew, savannah and hoda. you guys will be down there. explain the opening ceremonies it will be different than the cascade of athletes. >> it's really different it will be boats and athletes on them, on the river sein. hoda and i were hoping we would be on a boat. >> on a bridge. >> like on a bungy >> right they will put a big tub of rose at the bottom so i will have motivation. >> that looks great.

that will be a lot of fun this summer there kicks off on friday, july 26th nbc, peacock and telemundo you can hear more on the kelly clarkson show later today. speaking to mr. tirico, it is the 50th annual players' championship 144 players made their way to florida to compete for the big prize. $25 million purse. we've got justin thomas and mike tirico joining us for the action preview. guys, good morning good to see you today. how are you feeling in florida >> we are going great. hoda and savannah will join us the two people watched the world go by. we're so happy to have you with us, ladies we're happy to have justin this is the players' championship it is the one that means the most to them

and this guy won it in 2021, as you know, carson, major champ as well great to have jt with us. >> mike, it is not a major, but it is a major. this is a big week basically the field is deep, the money is the biggest the course is so hard that nobody has ever successfully defended this championship that could change this week with scottie scheffler who comes off winning at the arnold palmer last week. he has a new putter. and, of course, your 2024 champ to your right. >> yeah, this guy. why don't i let justin tell you why it is so hard to win here. >> yeah, i was going to say. i feel like that was a setup to say me yeah, it's a great course and a place i feel like that it's just -- it doesn't specifically fit one kind of golfer it truly has anything from risk/reward to a lot of birdies, water everywhere, so it is a great challenge. >> tell me who you are playing go ahead. >> yeah. last year it looked like there

was a stretch where it was, again, difficult for you back now it seems like you can win any week, coming off t12. >> i'm excited this is a golf course i feel comfortable when i play. yeah i'm just excited to tee it up. hopefully we have some weather like this every week and see if we can get it done. >> carson asked the question i was going to ask let's jump to this the 17th is the most famous. it is a par 3. it is 138. will you hit a shot for us >> yeah, first shot of the day this should be good. yeah i will back foot a little bit. >> all right 138 yards, this par 3. i won't tell you how many times in the tournament justin has hit it in the water. >> how many? >> six but i feel god about this one right now. >> you wouldn't make a good

caddy right now. is that a wedge? yeah, this is a wedge here >> what's usually one of the most scary shots in golf. >> how is it >> it's pretty good. coming down left of the hole beautiful shot we'll take four of those all week. >> yeah. >> thanks for being here with us and best of luck we look forward to watching you this weekend. >> thanks so much. mike, you're up. >> you know, unfortunately local news and weather are coming up so i can't do it sorry. i'm sorry. >> well played >> starting tomorrow on nbc golf channel and peacock, it is great. they put microphones around that famous island green on 17. when someone does hit it in the water, it is the loudest it is like i jumped into the swimming pool. >> just ahead, we brought in an organization expert to share the good morning. it is 8:26. i'm marcus washington. well, california's mega high speed rail project between san francisco and los angeles is

facing major funding hurdles. this week, the project's ceo testified at the state senate transportation committee. leaders say additional $100 billion is needed to complete that segment. they say that the project is also short several billion dollars on the central valley. get a look at what's happening across the bay area weatherwise. cynthia, how's it looking? >> we're going to be drying out and warming up over the next couple of days but there is also some wind we need to talk about. it will be later on today. you'll feel it by tomorrow, the windiest of the next couple of days. by friday, we start to warm up in san francisco into 70s. that's nice. and into the st. patrick's day parade, nice and dry. inland valleys, nice and sunny there and going into the weekend, we see the sunshine continue and continue to welcome spring with some lovely

temperatures. >> thanks. we'll have another local news update in 30 minutes. see you back here then.

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♪♪ hey, everybody. welcome back. it is 8:30. morning. happy birthday to all. yeah they got you right here. welcome to everybody in rockefeller center today >> happy birthday. >> okay. >> wow, wow, wow. >> this is a crowd. >> coming up, they heard roker was back. >> waiting patiently. >> coming up this half hour, organization effort will help us get our homes ready for spring cleaning she has some great products to maximize your space and also cut down on the clutter. >> it is especially sunny in our studio today because our friends from sesame street are here. i think that's grover. he has his nose in a book.

it is national reading day we have to have jenna there, too. >> jenna, i need your book, too. looking forward to that. >> st. patrick's day is almost here this morning, we will get an irish whisky in a glass. the traditional way of doing things here, looking forward to that story for sure. >> we love that. and speaking of all things irish, we will continue the fun with an early st. patrick's day feast on the plaza making irish sausage rolls and some irish cream for your coffee. >> right now mr. roker we have been waiting for you welcome back how about a check of thesea boa. heavy rain down to the southeast.

snow continuing in the rockies. sunny and mild out west. on saturday, a weather? >> all right let's look ahead to the weekend. we are talking about friday, a wet day up and down the eastern sea board. heavy rain down to the southeast. snow continuing in the rockies sunny and mild out west. on saturday, a nice day from the pacific northwest. we will see record highs showers and storms in north texas. sunday, sunday we are looking at mostly sunny skies from the plains all the way down to the southeast. gulf cou good wednesday morning. we're checking in on san francisco. we are warming up dapd drying out but there's a wind advisory this afternoon through at least friday morning as we see those wind speeds coming offshore anywhere from 20 to 50 miles an hour. especially through our mountain passes. be careful on the roadway. aside from that, start planning your weekend ahead with lots of sunshine. temperatures in the 70s for st. all right. let's go around the horn and while we do it, i want to

tell you, our fearless leader stephanie. she's powering up at our coffee cart, getting ready to share small things from morning to bedtime to look and feel your best that's it. all the way around the horn. oh, guys >> all right, al just ahead, in the next half hour, we're tackling your spring cleaning, your organizational needs, all kinds of tips but, first, this is "today" on

we're back at 8:36 with

"shop this list." spring is in the air. that means it is time to reorganize. tips to transform your home. scan the qr code at the bottom of your screen, you will have ev target. >> everything is from target i'm there basically every morning for my clients with two cartsful. >> and everything is a good price point. >> everything is under $30 and a few items have a special discount today, so it is a great deal. >> let's get organized i keep the baggies in the container it comes in, but you have a better option. >> i do. those boxes that they come in can be very flimsy and they don't always fit in the drawer this is a great solution take the top off and fill the bags you can buy in bulk, too and if you need to keep your pantry organized, it's a five-minute fix. >> okay. so lacy suzanne is nice, but it

is good for all your shower needs. >> yes i think a turntable is the greatest organizing product of all time this is extra special because it is a little larger and it also has these removable dividers so you can adjust them based on the size of the bottles you have. >> so you can make them bigger or smaller so they don't have to fit. >> it's great for underneath the sink you can do it under the fountain sink for the oversized hair products spin it around nothing gets lost. >> i don't really have a lot of pictures anymore to organize. >> you have photos in the back this is the solution. >> okay. what do we do here >> this one actually is on sale up, put the pictures inside,

close it and side it back in. then i like today. it is 20% off in all the different colors you have these slots, open it up, put the pictures inside, close it and side it back in then i like to label right on the top. >> of course you do. i like it. >> you can do it by person you can do it by event >> whose dog is this >> i don't know. >> you can also use it for cables it is a really multipurpose organizers just label it on the top and close it. >> so you can stick it wherever, under your bed or whoever you need to be. >> this might be my favorite thing you have on the table. all the batteries all over the place. >> yes, batteries are a tricky one. then you end up buying them and then losing them again. >> yeah, yes this is the product to help you stop okay you can organize it by size, and it comes with a tester, so you can test the battery and make

sure it is good. you're ready to go. >> i love it brilliant. easy to put in and out, too. all right. take us to the end there what is this >> these are storage cubes from brightroom what's so great is that the front is clear you can unzip them, pull out what you need, zip it back up. these are on super sale today for 30% off. i use these in a lot of my clients home for out of season stuff, for sweaters, great for purses it comes in three different sizes. >> perfect >> and they stack up, everything stays protected. you are good to go. >> all right is this a laundry basket >> actually, it can be a side table. >> what? >> yes it's like a night stand. you can put it in a guest room. >> put rows in it, yeah. >> you want to know a really great hack for it? head to today.com/shop. today does earn a commission

from purchases from this segment which solely feature products from target. over to you. >> read to me, jenna. >> okay. well, it is national stuffed animals, kids stuffed >> you guys love to read. >> do we yes! >> we'll read to you after the

♪ we are back with three special guests, jenna and our other two wonderful little ones who made the trip from sesame street for a very special reason >> it does my heart good to see abbie and grover here. march is national reading month. abbie and grover are celebrating with us. guys, happy national reading month. >> hi! thanks for having us. >> abbie, can we ask you a question >> sure, sure, sure. >> what do you love most about reading?

>> what i love about reading is it takes me to different places in my imagination. like when i read a book, i can imagine i'm on the moon. i can be in a fairy garden i could be swimming with platypuses. >> i have learned about them because i love books on nature. >> we learned so much. grover, what is your favorite kind of book >> my favorite kind of book? any book about chickens. >> he loves chickens >> yes if there is a chicken on the cover, in the title or a chicken reading on sesame street, i have to have that book. >> he's not kidding. he loves chickens. >> abbie, for any of the parents that are watching, what does it feel like when your parents read to you why is it so important that they do that? usually my little brother rudy who is really fun

to read with because he laughs like a pot belly pig. but sometimes my mommy and daddy do voices. remember when i said about like we get to explore different places. >> well, we have a lot of fun we even act out the book. >> how fun >> i like to read books with my mommy, too she actually calls me her little audiobook because i like to follow her outloud and read wherever she goes. >> that's so cute! >> abbie, what is your favorite kind of book to read >> i like books where people show courage you know, where people get to be a hero and they stand up for someone because it gives me the courage that i could do it, too. makes me feel like a hero inside. >> i just noticed you were wearing the most beautiful necklace is that true >> this necklace right here, she is a fire fly. i named her hope because hope brings light yeah. >> oh, abbie, do you know

something? guess who has a book out that has hope in the title? hoda has a book called "hope is a rainbow". >> and my daughter's name is hope just like your fair fly. >> i knew that because i like hope i have talked to her before. >> you did. >> that is so special. that would be a good -- >> that means a lot. thank you. >> you should read the rainbow book to us. >> do we have the rainbow book probably not but next time. >> okay. >> we promise. >> okay, thank you thank you, ms. jenna. >> before we let you go, what's been going on on sesame street how is everyone doing? can you tell them we said hi >> they all say hi to you, too. >> we love them so much. >> you have to come visit us again because we love it. >> we will. >> we can all sit on the stoop together and read the rainbow. >> thank you, guys. >> thank you so much sesame workshop rounded up

resources for your family. you can find them on your website. hope is a rainbow i hope should be always there. >> i hope it was there thank you, abbie thank you, grover. coming up next, we will meet a female whisky making team. sorry, abbie and grover. keir simmons will have that story coming up. but, first, this is "today" on

>> hi, al. >> welcome back. st. patrick's day, of course, almost here. and this morning, we are going to take a little trip to ireland. >> well, nbc's keir simmons did, at least to, meet the women that started producing irish whisky in a very historical way hey, keir. >> reporter: hey, guys i often spend my mornings in the pub. explains a lot, right? top of the morning to you.

listen, when you think of ireland, you often think of whisky, of course. but did you know that the ancient irish tradition of bonding, which is blending and boxing whisky actually died out a long time ago until a group of incredible irish women decided to bring it back ♪ reporter: i paid a ♪ the emerald aisle to meet a team of women reviving a lost art and a history lesson, ireland's tough past has been intertwined with whisky. the irish rebels used to hide here and i guess maybe take a little whisky on their way running from the british, right >> it was known as a safe house. so if you were on the run from whoever was chasing you, you would always find a warm bed, a glass of whisky and a warm fire to rest by by. >> she started eight years ago.

>> she started eight years ago the process called bonding used to be the way whisky was produced in ireland. bonders bought from distilleries and did the bottling some aging and blending it before selling it at their pubs and grocery stores like this grocer that did it this way more than 100 years ago. she resurrected the name for the first whisky bonding company in ireland since that time, and her special blends are attracting attention. >> this is one of the world's best single malt that won last year. >> here is where the magic happens. >> i wish folks at home could smell this place brown sugar, hazelnut. >> there are thousands of gallons of whiskies from all over the ireland of ireland. they're sitting here maturing and gathering flavor so that we can pull them out after many years and blend them. >> time to see these masters at work

>> okay. let's make some unique st. patrick's day blends for our friends in 1a. savannah guthrie, sweet sophisticated. >> maybe a little rum as well. very important to make sure that both of the casts really get to know each other. >> all right that is perfectly savannah hoda kotb, she's got her morning boost. how about a whisky that we can call evening boost >> sherry again. but we're going to maybe add a stout cast to that. >> oh, wow. >> big and round, but lots of >> what's fruit. >> craig melvin, he's a bourbon man.

>> it's fully matured in bourbon for about 15 years all those vanilla notes. >> that's perfect for a southern gentlemen. carson daley, rock 'n' roll. >> what's more rock 'n' roll with beer and a whisky chaser. 70% stout pass and 30% bourbon pass. >> carson, here's your total request line so i need a whisky for my friend who is refined but a lot of fun. a little bit cheeky, al roker. >> okay. i think the best solution for this is we take a little bit from every single pass. >> here's what's happening in our irish neck of the woods. cheers, everyone happy st. patrick's day! >> happy st. patrick's day >> reporter: happy st. patrick's day, everyone. i love when we asked for a bottle for al roker, they just poured every whisky in blend everything >> you did a great job, keir. >> we have our special bottles here. >> they nailed it. >> beautiful. >> mine is delicious, by the way. mine is called rock 'n' roll

tastes like slash, you know, daring. >> mine was evening boost. >> there you go. >> this is very cool. >> yeah. keir, thank you for that. >> thank you so much and the ladies of jj corey, appreciate it so much. >> great job cheers. >> they hand delivered it, actually >> all right how long have you going to hang out in that pub for? >> yeah, exactly. >> keir actually lives there. >> all day and the night. >> it's the london bureau. >> all right let's raise our glasses and some smucker's jars first up, happy 101st birthday to naomi rosenthal from new york city always emphasizes the positive beth sifferman is 100. she spends time with her loved ones, which is easy because she's got 11 children, 24 grandchildren, 27 great grandchildren. grandchildren. happy 100th birthday to mr.

robe happy 100th birthday to mr. robert moore of st. petersburg, florida. he says the secret to longevity, lots of laughter, doughnuts and whisky. >> you will live forever. >> lilian bradley is 100 enjoys reading, cross word puzzles and george clooney good for her happy 100th birthday to charles bair from kansas this lifelong travelers lives by the motto, don't worry be happy and happy 100th birthday to juanita taylor spent 42 years as an educator and counselor in her home state and happens to be the aunt of nbc correspondent blayne alexander. >> way to go >> happy birthday! >> we know where blayne gets it. >> this is really good whisky. >> i'm sweating. >> it's strong >> it will be a good 3rd hour. >> oh, gosh. imagine the 4th hour shades of kathy lee.

>> all right we're back with the 3rd and 4th hours of "today. but, first, a check of your local news and weather cheers

well, it is 8:56 for you right now and there is breaking news. pro palestinian protestors, they have shutdown access points to sfo. i want to show you some video in from the group behind the demonstration. they say they are disrupting traffic, blocking security check-in entrances as well as traffic leading to the airport. they are calling for president biden to issue a permanent cease fire in gaza. the actions come after protestors staged several similar actions last week in lax as well as along the bay bridge and golden gate bridge. this is all happening this morning at sfo, so if you are headed to the airport to catch a

flight, you should expect many delays. not only inside, but getting to the airport. you can see right here or in that video, people stopping the traffic there. they're holding up signs. those inside the airport we saw in some of that video, they are literally chained together with locks and chains as they block. demonstrators have musical instruments making noise as they chant inside the airport. >> and it's making it very difficult for folks to get into the airport. it is always a busy time at sfo. even our crew, our photographer that was headed to the scene out there, had a tough time entering the airport. so you must check ahead if you have plans to travel in or out of san francisco. these are pictures that are inside of gate a. they're at the sfo international terminal. the protestors themselves, they started coming into the area in the last 45 minutes. overtaking it with many, many people there.

>> people inside the airport, if you're able to get inside, they have been able to take some of those travelers getting them inside the area where the gates are. the terminals are. but of course, it is going to be a tough time for anyone heading to the airport and even once you get inside, that can be a tricky situation. typically, we say leave two hours early but it's going to be longer. they don't know how long this is going to last but they are working to clear traffic for those traveling in the area. there are the protestors inside the airport at sfo. they're calling for a permanent cease fire from president biden. they have blocked off areas of the airport. many of the protestors are chained together. they are blocking areas and that will take some time because they are blocked. excuse me, they are can he recollect theed connected through locks and chains. they have drums.

they are making their presence known inside the airport. a trying time for anyone traveling there to sfo. this is not the first time we've seen something like this. we saw in the bay area some time ago where protestors, pro palestinian protestors, they were blocking traffic on the golden gate bridge as well as the bay bridge leading into san francisco. we also heard of something similar last week down in los angeles as lax. >> that's right. so let's take a look at, this is an inside video from the airport this morning where you see as you had mentioned, look at their waistbands. they're chained together. their arms interlocked. they are chanting. they are holding signs up. we're seeing this. some of the actual terminals as well as people walking around independently. we saw in previous video, people just walking around with their protests signs and what not. we don't know how lengthy this actual chain is of people that are trying to get their point across there at sfo, but it's