it's tuesday, march 15th. coming up on "early today." it could be "d" day for the republican and democratic front runners looking to bury the competition with winner take all states up for grabs. a major military move by vladimir putin forces the u.s. to rethink strategy. for the first time ever the nfl acknowledges a link between football and brain disorders. a shift for america's favorite sport. plus sony buys michael jackson's music catalog for $750 million. how much do couples spend on love before getting married? and free styling at the white house. ♪ i'm going to say some free styling that you never heard ♪ ♪ constitution, the potus i'm

free styling you know this ♪ "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm danielle serino and today is shaping up to be another super tuesday. but the story that continues to light up the trail is the violence and protests. inciting a riot after a man at a trump rally sucker punched a protester last weeked. he decided the evidence does not meet the requisites of the law under north carolina statute saying we will not be seeking a warrant against mr. trump or his campaign. and trump's surrogate sarah palin didn't mince words about her opinion of the protesters. >> what we don't have time for is all that petty, punk-[ bleep ] little thuggery stuff that's been going on with the, quote, unquote protesters.

>> now, all this serves as a backdrop for today's contests in florida, ohio, illinois, missouri, and north carolina. john kasich is looking for his first win this election cycle in the home state of ohio. while marco rubio's home state of florida could be his last stand. the democrats are locked in a battle of their own but most of their focus is on trump. >> reporter: it's march madness for republicans. >> the people that are supporters of donald trump want to see america be great again. that's what it is. >> reporter: on team trump, chris christie and sarah palin who's now heading back to alaska. her husband todd injured in a snow mobile accident. >> thank you for your prayers for my husband. >> unlike the other people running, he has a real track record. >> reporter: trump crushing the competition in florida, marco rubio's home state. >> tomorrow is a choice between optimism and fear. >> reporter: but in the buckeye

fear, kasich is clinging to a small lead. why is it still neck and neck with trump here? >> i don't think it is. i think we're ahead and we're going to win here. >> a lot of voters don't want to waste their votes. they don't want to cast a vote for somebody they think can't win. >> reporter: ted cruz taking a swipe at trump's bluster. >> if he were to go out on an avenue and shoot somebody, i wouldn't vote for him. >> bimbo. >> fat pig. >> real quotes from donald trump. >> reporter: but if trump sweeps florida and ohio, he'll extend his commanding lead. but if he loses ohio, he has to get 60% of the remaining delegates to clinch the nomination. peter alexander, ohio. i'm kcasey hunt.

>> when you are inciting mob violence which is what trump is doing, people remember mob violence that led to lynching. >> this guy is a pathological liar. it's hard to fact him because he never has any facts. >> reporter: sanders' criticism part of a strategy after he started name checking bernie at rallies. >> he is the strongest against donald trump. i think hillary clinton has a number of flaws as a candidate which trump will be able to exploit. >> reporter: both sanders and clinton on a mad dash. the big prize will be ohio. >> winning ohio will be huge for the sanders campaign. just like winning michigan was. provides enthusiasm for supporters and money for his campaign to continue. >> it's also a test to see if clinton can make inroads with young voters. "snl" mocking her attempt to appeal to them by sounding more like sanders. >> you're angry, and i'm angry too.

because the top 10% of the top 1% controls 90% of the wealth in this country. >> reporter: but clinton might have the last laugh if she holds onto her commanding delegate lead. casey hunt, nbc news, charlotte, north carolina. 793 delegates are up for grabs tonight for the democrats. for the republicans, 358 delegates are at stake. and while much of the focus for the gop is on florida and ohio, don't overlook illinois, missouri, and north carolina which actually have more combined delegates. meanwhile, the latest nbc news survey monkey poll shows hillary clinton ahead of bernie sanders by 13 points nationally. while donald trump continues to hold a commanding 20-point lead. in a surprise move, russian president vladimir putin says he's withdrawing russian military forces from syria now that peace talks are underway. putin made the announcement monday. he says his forces have helped

syrian president bashar al assad. later it released a statement saying president obama spoke with putin by phone about russia's withdrawal and that mr. obama welcomed the news. meantime, syria's civil war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and created millions of refugees. an american man who traveled overseas to allegedly fight for isis has been captured in iraq. kurdish fighters say the man was trying to escape isis when he stumbled into kurdish held territory and surrendered to them. they found this virginia driver's license on mohamed jamal quais. meanwhile the pentagon says it believes omar the chechen is dead. he was injured in an air strike in syria earlier this month. according to the monitoring group, the syrian observatory, that's the latest report. one of the hottest shows to

hit broadway in decades visited the white house yesterday. the cast of "hamilton" performed for the first family and others as part of a student workshop that included the show's creator. he was free styling in the rose garden. >> this is serious business right here. >> are we in the rose garden right now? >> we are. this is the rose garden right here. must be a little nerve-racking. i hope i don't drop these cards. drop the beat. ♪ he's holding up some words i'm going to say some free styling that you never heard ♪ ♪ constitution the potu ♪ i'm free styling you know this ♪ ♪ obamacare i'm looking up because it was hopeless ♪ ♪ i'm not done it's the oval office oh my gosh i can't believe i'm there ♪ ♪ it's so much intimidating than if it were square ♪ ♪ opportunity knocks and i can't stop ♪ ♪ i'm here with the president ♪ and yo the mike drops

>> how good is that? you think that's going viral? that's going viral. >> i did not see those words prior. now listen closely to this next clip. looks like snow covering the roads, it's actually hail. golf ball sized precipitation caused hazardous road conditions. that's according to the state's department of corrections. meteorologist bill cairns is here with the primary date forecast. >> slippery. >> yeah, dangerous. >> the hail was yesterday in arkansas. we had some in north carolina and also in ohio. actually a tornado in ohio. thankfully better today. the concern today with the severe weather season, about every day we're going to have a region we're worried about. today it's going to be the southern great lakes and the ohio valley. 19.5 million people at risk of severe weather. primarily hail and damaging

winds. if we get any of those tornadoes, we're going to watch the davenport to springfield area here. as far as voting state gos today, we are going to be voting today in illinois. looks like most of the storm will be after the polls are closed this evening. in the west, we are watching snow moving still in the central portions of the cascades. we have been watching a good deal moving through. this is going to be about it. we're going to dry it out for the most part. we'll have decent weather. doesn't look like any of the rain is making it over the olympics. so today's forecast, we're looking today in florida, we're fine. north carolina looks great. very mild, warm air here. as far as areas of illinois, storms late, very late this evening towards chicago. no problems there. and in missouri, just northern missouri will deal with stormy weather. l.a. today, 79 and sunny. san francisco, that's a great day for you. we will see peaks of sun eventually from portland nort at a mild early

spring day, much of california and nevada. so the voting state, the weather should be just fine. severe storms in illinois should be late tonight. >> well, the turnouts even in the days with the worst weather, people were still going. thanks so much. up next, we'll tell you the next successful way to stop smoking. plus the nasty aftermath of a water main break caught on camera. you're watching "early today." always on the rise. symptoms worsen because your heart isn't pumping well. (water filling room) about 50 percent of people die (dog whimpering) within 5 years of getting diagnosed. but there's something you can do. talk to your doctor about heart failure treatment options.

because the more you know, the more likely you are... (dog whimpering) to keep it pumping. take care of whatealthy makes you...you. aveeno® daily moisturizing body wash and lotion with active naturals® oat. used together, they provide 2x the nourishment for beautiful healthier looking skin. aveeno® naturally beautiful results® pepper discovers jimmy dean delights, made with real egg whites, lean cut meats, and whole grains. an excellent source of protein, it fuels her up with energy to help power through her morning. with jimmy dean delights, good mornings lead to great days. don't buy makeup that settles hi,into lines, it ages you.ce from the future get simply ageless makeup it floats over lines and you look beautiful! simply ageless from olay... and easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl no, no, no, no, [music]

people are both soft and strong... yey! which is why our products are too. angel soft. when i grow up, i want to be a teacher, a scientist, or maybe a dancer. ♪ but learning is hard when you're hungry. that's why for years kellogg's has helped provide millions of breakfasts to kids who start school without it. and with your help, we can all grow into our dreams. ♪ detective jacai colson may have been hit by friendly fire. police say colson was responding to a man firing shots near a police station while the man's brothers allegedly filmed the incident. all three have been arrested. north korean leader kim

jong-un ordered tests of missiles that could re-enter the atmosphere from space, according to a newspaper. south korea disputes the claim but this does raise concerns after the north announced it develops a miniature nuclear warhead. and a house review on concussions, jan schakowsky asked jeff miller about a direct link between football and the degenerative disorder cte. >> certainly dr. mckee's research shows a number of retired nfl players were diagnosed with cte so the answer is yes. >> miller stated he's not a doctor and admitted there's questions to be answered. but his acknowledgment is believed to be the first by a senior nfl official. a new study finds that people who quit smoking cold turkey are more likely to be successful than those who cut down over time. medical guidelines go against

stopping abruptly. in hoboken, new jersey, a water main burst causing a sinkhole to swallow a car. the owner was getting breakfast and thought his car was towed until he saw the bumper in the street. now time to get business news with landon dowdy. >> reporter: good morning to you. michael jackson estate selling to sony the song catalog. but not songs jackson wrote. it's the latest for the king out of pop. meanwhile finding true love can be expensive. a new study shows it takes five years of dating and more than $20,000 before they decide to get married. the average date costs $43. but men say that the average they spent b on a date was $224. dinner and a movie tops the list

as the ideal date. and we all scream for ice cream. dairy queen is giving out a free small soft serve cone today at participating locations. and in turn they're asking for donations to the childrens miracle network. back over to you. >> don't you love when the ice cream man used to go through the neighborhood and the bells were ringing? kids would run out. fun. just ahead, first in sports. it's drake, the toronto raptor. is he the sixth man? find out now.

to help protect your dog or cat from fleas and ticks. with the performance you expect from a monthly topical in a non-greasy collar... seresto® kills and repels fleas and ticks for 8 continuous months. seresto®. from bayer. and clean and real and inside jokes and school night. good, clean food pairs well with anything. try the clean pairings menu. at panera. food as it should be. this is my retirement. retiring retired tires. and i never get tired of it. are you entirely prepared to retire? plan your never tiring retiring retired tires retirement

with e*trade.

this morning on "today," key players in the o.j. simpson trial are speak out against what they're calling dangerous inaccuracies in the popular u.s. crime series "the people v. o.j. simpson." let's get to darry brown. what you got? >> fewer headaches ahead for the nfl. they are moving towards a deal that would strip the commissioner of disciplinary actions on players for off the field. now to the nba. a wild alley-oop from j.r. smith to the king. he had to use his full extension to finish. but the jazz took this one. now to phoenix. game tied, final seconds.

>> puts it up. puts it in! with 1.2 seconds to go! >> yes. the suns nails the three for the game winner 107-104. and a weird one in toronto. rapper drake is talking to justin holliday who should be taking the ball out of bounds but is instead called for a five-second violation and a turnover. nice, drake. chicago bulls just notched their ninth straight win. this one over the tough toronto raptors with their second loss in their last 16 home games. final score, 109-107. and to england where a record is about to be broken. >> what a stunning performance! >> oops. yeah. he broke the half marathon record. but maybe next year the race organizers will get a smaller finish line banner.

just saying. and that's all for sports. danielle, back to you. >> all right, dara. thanks so much. just ahead, good news for all of you fans of royalty. and the movie beating "deadpool" in presale tickets. you're watching "early today." medicare part d prescriptions, walgreens says, carpe med diem. seize the day to get more out of life and medicare part d. just switch to walgreens for savings that'll be the highlight of your day. now preview the cost of your copay before you fill. you can even get one-dollar copays on select plans. people can forget their quiltbathroom experience. well but sir froggy can never forget. "what's worse", he thinks... "that my arms can never relax or my eyes can never look away?" ♪ this is my retirement.

retiring retired tires. and i never get tired of it. are you entirely prepared to retire? plan your never tiring retiring retired tires retirement with e*trade. bleeding gums? plan your never tiring retiring retired tires retirement you may think it's a result of brushing too hard. it's not. it's a sign of early gum disease... listerine(r) can help reverse... early gum disease in just two weeks. listerine(r). power to your mouth™! wopen up a lot of dawn. tough on grease...yet gentle. dawn helps open... something even bigger. go to facebook.com, dawn saves wildlife.

someone's hacked all our technology... say, have you seen all the amazing technology in geico's mobile app? mobile app? look. electronic id cards, emergency roadside service, i can even submit a claim. wow... yep, geico's mobile app works like a charm. geico. expect great savings and a whole lot more. welcome back. this was a picture yesterday right along the border of indiana and into ohio. this is phillipsburg, ohio.

look at that tornado in the background there. did do damage to a couple homes. knocked off a couple roofs. they did say it was an ef-1. and how about this video? that water is still collecting and heading into the big rivers. this is perry county, mississippi, where we're still watching and waiting for a couple of the major rivers to crest. so we still have problems out there today. hopefully won't see too many tornadoes. >> rough day. now to some entertainment news. things are looking good for the upcoming "batman v. superman" movie. analysts are predicting it's already made $25 million in ticket sales. "batman v. superman" hits theaters on march 25th. could another princess diaries movie happen? gary marshall, the director of the series' first two movie says

both he and anne hathaway are on board. last film was released 12 years ago. >> i never watched either. >> all right. netflix has unveiled a new trailer for its popular series "unbreakable kimmy schmidt." and jimmy fallon is back at pipt last night he tackled the election season once again. >> at a rally over the weekend donald trump was surrounded by secret service agents after a man tried to rush the stage. the secret service said the man was dangerous and disturbed, but they had to protect him anyway. i'm danielle serino and this is "early today." soup and sandwich and cannonballs and clean and real and looking good

and sandwich and soup and a new personal best. and a little help and soup and sandwich and study group. good, clean food pairs well with anything. try the clean pairings menu. at panera. food as it should be. pepper discovers jimmy dean delights, made with real egg whites, lean cut meats, and whole grains. an excellent source of protein, it fuels her up with energy to help power through her morning. with jimmy dean delights, good mornings lead to great days. when your allergy symptoms start... i've been claritin clear for 14 days. ...doctors recommend taking one claritin every day of your allergy season... ...for continuous relief. with powerful, 24 hour... ...non-drowsy claritin, live claritin clear. every day.

leading the news today, in "the washington post," senior u.s. general wants to start striking the taliban again. general john campbell broke ranks when he forwarded this proposal directly to the white house without the okay from ash carter. calling on the ground to help out until the afghan army is able to build up its air force and intelligence capability. in "the new york times," obama reverses course on drilling off southeast coast. the administration is to withdraw the plan because of an outpouring of opposition from coastal communities from virginia to georgia. an announcement should come as soon as today. and from nbc san diego,

university of san diego mumps outbreak widens. five students have been diagnosed in the past few days. it spreads through coughing, sneezing, or close contact. free immunizations are being offered. breaking overnight. mother teresa will officially be made a saint on september 4th. now, her canonization date falls on the eve of the 19th anniversary of her death. two robotic spras craft began a mission to mars. the unmanned probe which is a collaboration between europe and russia will drill into the planet's surface in 2018. if you've never seen a horse in a three-piece suit, now you have. >> even pockets. >> and a tie.

an annual racing event begins today. to kick it off, one decided to make the first equine tweed suit. it took a team of designers four weeks to make and more than 59 feet of tweed which is ten times the amount of fabric used to make a human suit. >> that's a 40 inch neck too. >> that's a big ole everything. >> big collar on that thing. now to a look ahead. michigan governor rick snyder will be one of several high ranking officials on capitol hill today to answer questions about the flint water crisis. the house oversight and governmental reform committee is holding a second round of hearings on decisions that were made leading to that lead-tainted water. happy birthday to will.i.am who turns 41. eva longoria is 40. and bret michaels turns 53. i'm danielle serie know. thanks for watching "early today" and for spending part of

your tuesday with us. why let someone else have all the fun? the sometimes haphazard, never boring fun. the why can't it smell like this all the time fun. the learning the virtue of sharing fun. why let someone else have all the fun? that's no fun. unleash the power of dough. give it a pop. oh

a high-stakes day at the polls. two states could shore up the nomination. we have full analysis and live report. trying to fix a gaping hole in moraga. the sinkhole that is still eating up space and causing issues for that town. good news for those waiting for a warm shower. plus, a violent scene in san shun that had investigators on scene all night. "today in the bay" starts right now. very good morning to you. it's tuesday now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> i'm sam brock. one good word to describe this morning, chilly. temperatures in the 40s. bundle up. hopefully some