it's wednesday, march 16th. coming up on "early today" a clean sweep for hillary clinton as the donald gets one step closer to the nomination. john kasich lives to fight another day, but not so for marco rubio, who launches this parting shot on mr. trump. >> america needs a vibrant conservative movement, but one that's built on principles and on ideas, not on fear, not on anger, not on preying on people's frustrations. severe weather in various parts of the country, including historic flooding and incredibly violent looking skies above. for the first time in 40 years, the washington, d.c., metro trains are closed. then, a hero saves a life. ronda rousey's big announcement, and more, on a busy wednesday. "early today" starts right now.

good morning. we begin with breaking news. we're just learning that president obama plans to announce his nominee to replace supreme court justice antonin scalia, who died in february. the white house says the president will make the announcement at 11:00 a.m. eastern time in the rose garden. according to reuters, the president's nominee will be either sri srinivasan, who if nominated would be the first indiana-american, first asian-american, and first hindu justice on the supreme court, or merrick garland, who became chief judge in 2013. most senate republicans have vowed not to consider anyone the president puts forward. senate republicans have vowed there will be no hearing and no votes for a new justice until

president obama is out of office. of course, nbc news will have live coverage of the president's announcement when it happens. another primary tuesday, another big night for donald trump, and an even bigger one for hillary clinton. trump dominated if florida, winning by nearly 20%. after getting crushed in his home state, marc marco rubio suspended his campaign. >> after tonight, it is clear that while we are on the right side, this year we will not be on the winning side. while it is not god's plan that i be president in 2016 or maybe ever, and while today my campaign is suspended, the fact that i've even come this far is evidence of how special america truly is. >> governor john kasich had a big win, taking his home state of ohio, along with all the delegates in this winner take

all contest. it's also his first victory this season. trump took north carolina in a close one over ted cruz. kasich follows in third. similar results in illinois. trump with a slightly bigger victory over cruz with kasich next. now, it's interesting to know voting was suspended in part of the state for some time due to a tornado threat. trump is also the apparent winner in missouri in an extremely close contest with cruz. less than 2,000 votes separate the two. it was a clean sweep for hillary clinton, winning in florida, nearly doubling the votes sanders received. clinton had a surprise victory in ohio, which is a setback for sanders. clinton also won handily in north carolina, 121 delegates up for grabs there. for much of the night, the race in illinois was too close to call, but clinton is now the apparent winner. and a similar story in missouri, with clinton narrowly edging out sanders as the apparent winner by roughly 1500 votes. in her victory speech, clinton pivoted toward the general

election and upped her attacks toward trump. >> we are moving closer to securing the democratic party nomination and winning this election in november. [ cheers and applause ] when we hear a candidate for president call for rounding up 12 million immigrants, banning all muslims from entering the united states -- [ booing ] -- when he embraces torture, that doesn't make him strong, it makes him wrong. >> clinton picked up 363 delegates to sanders' 282, increasing her overall lead. there are still 46 delegates remaining to be allocated from tuesday, mostly from florida and illinois. john kasich picked up 75 delegates, 66 from ohio. speaking from his home state, kasich urged pundits to not count him out just yet.

>> you better believe it's about america, about pulling us together, not pulling us apart. it is about usa. even though i labored in obscurity for so long, people counting me out, but we put one foot in front of the other, and i want to remind you again tonight that i will not take the low road to the highest office in the land. >> kasich still has a long way to go and is mathematically unable to secure enough delegates before the convention. meanwhile, trump was able to increase his total, edging closer to the 1,237 needed for the nomination. >> most people said i'll never run. he's just going to have fun. he's having a good time. this isn't necessarily -- i mean, i'm having a good time. i'm having a very nice time. but i'm working very hard, and there is great anger. believe me, there is great

anger. they're not angry people, but they want to see the country properly run. they want to see borders. they want to see good health care. they want to see things properly taken care of. they want our military rebuilt. very, very importantly, and they want the second amendment by the way protected and protected strongly. and that's going to happen. [ applause ] and you know what they want so badly? they want our veterans taken care of. i just want to say, we're going to go forward and we're going to win, but more importantly, we're going to win for the country. we're going to win, win, win, and we're not stopping. we're going to have great victories for our country. >> political analyst and best-selling author joins me now to talk about all of this. good morning. >> good morning. big night, huh? >> it really was. kasich wins ohio. >> yes. >> his home state. not a huge shock, but could it be likely we're headed towards a brokered convention at this point? >> i think there's a pretty good chance. i would say more likely than not. and let me tell you, it's going

to be wild. the rules are up for grabs. no one knows who's going to elbow out each other. i mean, there really could be a lot of drama left between now and july in cleveland. >> no shortage of drama. the rules have been up for grabs all along. but donald trump has some 600 delegates left to clinch this thing. can he win outright? >> he can. certainly the math is there. but you know what, he's not winning everything. not all of these are winner take all. so it's likely that both john kasich and ted cruz will get some of those delegates. it's going to be pretty tough for him to get over the top. >> more big news is how well hillary clinton did on the democratic side. >> she slammed. >> she swept this thing. how did bernie sanders lose that momentum, and does he have a shot at all at this point? >> it's really frankly pretty hard to see. a week ago, after he won michigan, surprising clinton, i think shocking clinton would be even fair, there was some sense that, well, you know, how

different is ohio? how different is illinois? let me tell you, she stopped him cold last night. >> after michigan, we really thought he'd do better in the midwest. >> those states, there's a lot of frustration. the economy hasn't bounced back quite as quickly as in some other parts of the country. but, you know, he just came up short. they were close. a couple of them close. but not enough. >> one of the biggest things that is sort of -- one of the many surprises that's come out of this election year, there's no shortage there, is how these endorsements haven't made that much of a difference. where do rubio's supporters go? can it make a difference? can it tip the balance? >> there were clearly a lot of republican office holders and others who are not happy with trump. they don't really like ted cruz. they've been looking for person after person. jeb bush, marco rubio. kasich is really what's left. but you're absolutely right. there's no evidence that any of those endorsements have made much of a difference this year,

or frankly all those millions of dollars they raised. what results did that produce in florida? not much. >> certainly never helped jeb bush with all that money. >> a lot of people tearing up this morning, i think. >> speaking of something that might make you tear if this bothered you at all, there's a new poll that shows that a majority of americans really support this ban on muslims entering the country that donald trump has proposed at times. no matter where you stand on the issue, does this surprise you? >> yes. i mean, the fact that it the numbers are as high as in the poll you're talking about, yeah. you know there's an audience of that kind of view. but let me tell you, it goes a long way to explaining donald trump. he didn't win by accident. there are obviously some kind of bells he's ringing that applying to a lot of people. it's a weird year out there. >> all right. ellis, you summed it up best. it's a weird year out there. thanks for joining us.

now to some historic flooding in the south. the torrential rain has ended, but the disaster from rising flood waters is far from over. s in texas, 1200 people were ordered to evacuate. the damage there is catastrophic. the town's health clinic, church, and police station all hit hard by the flooding. meanwhile, storm chasers captured a tornado that touched down in western illinois. no reports of damage or injuries from this sinister looking storm. a total of nine tornadoes were reported in the state tuesday. and check out this video of an ominous slow-swirling funnel cloud. no reports of injuries there. nbc meteorologist bill karins has a look at what's ahead. good morning, bill. is there possibly snow in the near future? >> there is. northern minnesota, northern wisconsin, it's still wintertime there. they get snow through april. this morning, a very hard rain turning over to a cold, wet snow

up there in duluth. all those thunderstorms from last night are overwith. now we're left with a miserable day in wisconsin. as far as the snow goes, they could see upwards of 6 to 10 inches of snow. so we went through this really warm, mild winter from coast to coast, now we're looking at our biggest snowstorm of the season in northern wisconsin, northern michigan, and northern minnesota. now let's take you to the west. we're still watching some of those pesky showers coming in. things are improving. this is portland down to salem on i-5. you'll deal with hit-and-miss showers. watch what happens during the day today. some of the snow showers moving to the rockies. lots of clearing is going to take place. in the northwest, california looks great too. after a relatively wet period over the last three weeks, we have great weather heading your way. that includes seattle, 53. san francisco, 66. l.a. at 85. even tomorrow looks like a banner picturesque much of central california

looking great weather too, all the way up into southern oregon. so they have three beautiful days in a row in the west. then the rain returns for the weekend. >> all right. bad news, bill. thank you. just ahead, one hero cop springs to action to save a life while another alerts a motorist to get out of the way of an oncoming train. you're watching "early today." yeah, i was just talking uhabout yourico?... emergency roadside service and how it's available 24/7 and then our car overheated... what are the chances? can you send a tow truck please? uh, the location? you're not going to believe this but it's um... it's in a tree. i wish i was joking, mate, but it's literally stuck in a tree. (car horn honking) a chainsaw? no, no, all we really need is a tow truck.

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the driver was cited for ignoring the flashing lights and says he's grateful the officer was there. now to another hero cop. this one in illinois. a woman was driving her 19-month-old granddaughter home last week when the child appeared to stop breathing. the woman called 911. moments later, police were on the scene administering cpr. the baby began breathing, and thankfully is expected to make a full recovery. for the first time in its 40-year history, the entire washington, d.c., metro system is shut down. many are now scrambling to find alternative ways to get to work and school this morning. inspectors will look at underground cables responsible for a fire on monday. metro is scheduled to reopen at 5:00 a.m. on thursday. an alarming prediction from prince william on the plight of african elephant and rhino populations. >> if we haven't achieved something within the next five to ten years, then we will be almost impossible to do anything after that because the numbers will be so depleted. the damage will have been done.

>> yesterday, representatives from transportation and customs organizations signed a declaration aimed at slowing illegal ivory trade. just ahead, march madness is here. it's upon us. we have the first results. and why is a video of ronda rousey eating an apple going viral? because everything she does gets attention. we'll explain. we need this vacation so bad. absolutely. honey, can you grab my hat? got it! the weather's supposed to be beautiful this weekend, too. do you think we should get a boat? we need the big bag. i put my sunscreen on already. me too. let's go swimming! yeah. cannonball! now that's the good stuff. the sonoma collection. only at kohl's. or if you're young or old.are if you run everyday, no matter who you are a heart attack can happen without warning. if you've had a heart attack, a bayer aspirin regimen can help prevent another one. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin

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latest tech company in a standoff with the feds. why popular messaging service whatsapp is battling the government. let's get you caught up on sports. good morning, betty. >> good morning. the first games of the ncaa tournament are in the books. florida gulf coast easily defeated fairley dickinson. they'll face north carolina on thursday. and wichita state took care of vanderbilt 70-50. the shockers will face arizona thursday night. tonight is patriot lead champ holy cross against southern followed by michigan and tulsa. now, a month after ronda rousey was beaten by holly holm, the former champ shared some interesting news about her recovery. >> hi. so i just got back. we were talking about breaking news, not going through the

middleman. here's my breaking news. ready? this just as of last night. no problem. i'm biting apples again. i'm pretty excited about this. >> after those holly holm blows to the head, looks like rousey may be back in the ring before you know it. gigi, back to you. just ahead, the white house goes green, kind of. plus, get your fedora ready. everyone's favorite archaeologist will be back in action. you're watching "earl y today." . with eight times more fragrance control, the new air wick® scented oil warmer lets you dial up or down to fill massive minimalist rooms. small secret rooms. and tall rooms you climb to. a treehouse is totally a room. you get the perfect amount of fragrance. no matter the size of the home. no matter the size of the room. air wick®. home is in the air™.

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now to entertainment news. it's official, a new "indiana jones" movie is on the way. disney announcing both harrison ford and director steven spielberg have signed on for a fifth installment of the popular franchise. unfortunately, fans will have to wait until july of 2019 for the film's release. sorry, we are just so excited. >> just take your time. >> i don't know. if you're a "broad city" fan, you can't imagine hillary clinton has watched it before. she made this appearance. that was a sneak peek of her guest appearance on the comedy central show. the episode airs tonight at 10:00 p.m. matthew perry has signed on

to play the late senator ted kennedy in a mini series called "the kennedys." >> that's not bad. look at that side by side. >> it will be on the reelz channel. >> and stephen colbert and steve martin seemed to be getting along splendidly on "the late show" until -- ♪ >> wait, what? wait, wait, wait. steve, wait. steve! who's gary? >> he's my best friend. i've been thinking about him this whole time just like you've been singing about your best friend steve. always on the rise. symptoms worsen because your heart isn't pumping well.

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if you're just waking up, here's a quick recap of the winners of tuesday's presidential primaries. hillary clinton swept all five states, beginning with delegate-rich florida, where she's the projected winner. she pulled in nearly twice as many votes as bernie sanders. cly clinton is also the projected winner in ohio. many analysts had projected a sanders upset there. as expected, clinton is projected to win in north carolina. that was also by a 14-point margin. it was a close one in clinton's birth state of illinois, but with a two-point lead, nbc news has declared clinton the apparent winner. and it was even closer in missouri. clinton is the apparent winner with a single-point margin. on the republican side, donald trump is the projected winner in the winner take all state of florida, walking away with 99

delegates. marco rubio suspended his campaign after losing in his home state. john kasich is projected to win in his home state of ohio, the night's only other winner take all state. he picks up 66 delegates there. it was a close race in north carolina, but trump is projected to come out on top, beating ted cruz by just three points. trump is the projected winner in illinois, with a slightly larger nine-point margin over ted cruz. and nbc news has declared donald trump the apparent winner in missouri with 99% of the votes in. trump and cruz were running neck and neck. >> leading the news from cnbc, paul ryan won't categorically rule out accepting gop nom. ryan is already third in line to be president as house speaker, but he could be inching closer to the top spot if delegates turn to him in the event of a contested republican convention. while he says he doesn't see it happening, he did not flatly reject the idea of accepting.

>> people say, what about the contested convention? i said, well, there are a lot of people running for president. we'll see. the white house is getting ready for st. patrick's day. the fountain on the south lawn was dyed green tuesday. it's a tradition first lady michelle obama started seven years ago, in similar fashion to her hometown of chicago, where the river is also dyed green. getting in touch with her irish roots. a newborn seal drawing crowds at an aquarium in japan. the seal just over 3 weeks old is already losing her white fur to match the markings of her mother. you can't go wrong with baby animals in the spring. >> no, i didn't realize they lose the fur after they were born. >> i know. just beautiful. >> cute. that's why they're called fur seals. learned something today. >> we're very educational. and we have some birthdays for you today. "gilmore girls" actress turning 49. and legendary actor jerry lewis turns 90. thanks for watching "early

today." sam/cont. vo

and you can likely throw in illn the end for bernie sanderslaurao thank you, florida, north carolina and ohio. >> do the math. >> the eighth time it's happened in five months where police of uncovered a pattern. and the anniversary of sierra's disappearance. for the first time in years her family is now looking at the possibility of justice. today in the bay starts right now. middle of your week. good morning. thanks for joining us. >> let's get straight to that forecast right now with kari hall.