alto. >> go get a shamrock shake. >> boy, that sounds good. >> have a great day. good morning. battle supreme. president obama's pick heads to the hill today. republican leaders holding firm. no vote. democrats pushing hard. >> have the guts, the guts to vote yes or no. >> is the nomination dead on arrival? we will talk to the president's chief of staff. where is the love? a new poll shows hillary clinton and donald trump are deeply unpopular even in their own parties while trump has a dire warning for the gop if there is a contested convention. >> i think you would have riots. i think you'd have riots. >> is he using scare tactics to try to lock in the nomination? family first. a major league baseball player

retires unexpectedly walks away from a $13 million after being told to dial back his son's time with the team. a boy such a fixture he had his own locker. how much is too much when it comes to bringing your kids to work? and the chairman's son. frank sinatra jr. dies hours after cancelling a concert and the touching tribute his sister nancy is giving, today, thursday, march 17th, 2016. from nbc news this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning everybody. welcome to "today." it's thursday morning. st. patrick's day. i saw that crowd on the plaza. >> i went with the traditional stick on shamrock on the lapel.

>> luckily you had the shamrock handy. >> exactly. top story is the showdown over president obama's nominees for supreme court. judge merrick garland to meet with lawmakers. some republicans saying it is a lost cause. let's get straight to nbc's andrea mitchell. good morning, andrea. >> when judge garland goes to capitol hill he will meet with democrats and so far no republicans. this is a political epic battle. political lines drawn by the president and the republican senate and a critical seat on the supreme court for mow held hostage to presidential campaign politics. >> i simply ask republicans in the senate to give him a fair hearing and then an up or down vote. >> reporter: president obama challenging senate republicans to give his supreme court nominee a hearing. >> if you don't it will not only

be an abdication of the duty but will indicate a process for nominating and confirming judges that is beyond repair. >> reporter: republican leaders are not budging. >> it is the senate's right to act as a check on a president and with hold consent. >> reporter: majority leading mitch mcconnell doubling down. saying he will not hold any hearing for any nominee. >> what we are talking about is a principle and not a person. >> reporter: insisting the vacancy should be filled by the next president. >> have the guts, the guts to vote yes or no. >> reporter: democrats trying to shame republicans. >> they want to vote maybe. that is a gutless dereliction of the constitution. >> reporter: targeting vulnerable senators with the #doyourjob. judge garland is hardly a liberal icon, chosen because the white house thinks he is hard to reject on record or politics. seen as a moderate he won votes of 32 republican senators when nominated to the d.c. circuit

court in 1997. including orrin hatch, a senior member of the judicial committee. >> he's a good man. but he shouldn't be brought up in this toxic environment. >> reporter: just last week he said he didn't think president obama would pick garland because garland didn't appeal to democrats liberal base. hatch now says he would consider giving him a hearing after the election in a lame duck session after november. republicans may be calculating that judge garland would be more acceptable to them than anyone a future president hillary clinton or donald trump might choose. savannah and matt. >> thank you, andre ya'. >> pete williams is at the supreme court this morning with more on the man who is caught in the middle of what is a political tug of war. pete, good morning. >> reporter: the president has chosen a mostly centrist judge who is well liked and respected

hoping to make it harder for the republicans to say he won't give him a hearing. merrick garland served for 19 years, he's 63. the oldest supreme court nominee in 50 years. born in chicago. son of russian immigrants. graduated from harvard. he and his wife, lynn, have been married for 29 years and have two daughters. he served in the clinton administration. he supervised the prosecution of timothy mcveigh in 1995. with the oklahoma federal building bombing. bill clinton nominated him to be a federal judge in 1997 and was confirmed by the senate 76 to 23 with 32 republican votes. his rulings are considered centrist and generally votes to uphold environmental rules and is often tougher on criminals. mr. obama twice considered merrick garland for the supreme court.

matt. >> pete, thank you very much. white house chief of staff, good morning. thanks for being with us. >> thanks for having me. >> i have heard different people describe this nomination in extremely different ways. one theory is this is the president offering an olive branch to republicans. another is this is the president saying i dare you to block this guy and the third is that the president is offering up the sacrificial lamb for an ugly political fight. sort it out for me. >> it is none of those, matt. the president ran a very detailed process and came up with a candidate who met a very simple qualification, namely excellence. everybody that you talk to in legal circles and in the newspapers this morning you cannot find a bad word said about merrick garland. >> you are saying the president isn't telling republicans i dare you to block this qualified judge?

>> i'm telling you the president nominated someone for this vacancy. he found somebody with a proven track record of excellence, somebody who is described as a decent man and somebody who has a fair-minded approach to understanding the law. that's exactly who we found in this judge and we expect the senate to do its job. >> when it comes to the judicial nominations, perhaps neither side has clean hands entirely. when senator obama was in office, he voted against justice roberts' nomination and justice alito's nomination. how does he explain that now? >> well, what is interesting is that in both of those cases not only did senators meet with and give a hearing to those candidates but they voted on them. and that is exactly the process that we are asking for here. >> president obama voted to filibuster alito and not bring him to the floor for a full vote. >> they had a series of hearings

and a vote out of committee and then a debate on the senate floor. the filibuster was stopped. he was voted on to the court. that's exactly the way the process should work. that is exactly what we hope will happen in this case and exactly what the president called for yesterday. we have a candidate who is uniformly recognized somebody with unquestionable excellence and terrific experience. >> real quickly if you can, does the president have one firm ally on the republican side in the senate that he feels will help him get this to a hearing and confirmation? >> we feel good about the first day of this. with this announcement yesterday. we heard many, more than a handful of republicans changing their position and being willing to meet with --

>> does the president have a real firm ally on the republican side? >> what i said is that yesterday we heard several republican senators agreeing to meet with him. we think that is a good start. this is not rocket science. they need to do what the constitution says, give him a hearing and vote and let's fill the vacancy. >> chief of staff dennis mcdonough, thank you for your time this morning. we appreciate it. >> thanks. happy st. patrick's day. the supreme court fight is raising the stakes. donald trump is warning about what he fears will happen if he is denied the republican nomination. nbc national correspondent peter alexander has more on that side of the story. >> reporter: good morning. happy st. patrick's day. the math backs trump. he needs 1,237 delegates to lock up the nomination. he needs 55% of the remaining delegates to get there. if he does it the billionaire is warning while he wouldn't lead it bad things would happen. donald trump dominating the

competition. he is defiant warning what could happen if he is not the republican nominee. >> i think you would have riots. i'm representing a tremendous, many, many millions of people. i think bad things would happen. >> reporter: the front runner says he is done debating his rivals. with trump out john kasich is following suit. forcing the rnc to cancel the match up in salt lake city. >> i think we have had enough debates. i was very surprised when i heard fox called for a debate. nobody told me about it. i won't be there. no. >> reporter: something trump is not shying away from, foreign policy telling morning joe he is his own best asset. >> since we have dire foreign policy issues around the world, who are you consulting with so you are ready on day one? >> i'm speaking with myself because i have a very good brain. my primary consultant is myself. i have a good instinct for this

stuff. >> reporter: fresh off his ohio victory, kasich is touting his ability to win this november. >> neither of those guys can win a general election. maybe they are spoiling it for the republican party. >> reporter: speculation is building over another potential player like speaker of the house paul ryan. >> people say what about the contested convention? there are a lot of people running for president. who knows? >> reporter: a spokesperson says ryan will not accept a nomination. even while they look to lock up the nominations, clinton and trump are in a dress rehearsal. trump releasing this instagram video mocking clinton as weak against vladimir putin and isis showing her parking like a dog while telling a joke on the trail. the closing message, we don't need to be a punch line. clinton is not holding back against trump. >> our commander in chief has to be able to defend our country, not embarrass it.

to be great we can't be small. we can't lose what made america great in the first place. >> reporter: if a trump/clinton showdown faces reality the latest poll showing they are the most unpopular politicians in their parties. as for the debate cancellation on monday, trump is touting a big speech as he puts it before the prominent pro-israel lobby scheduled for monday hours after hillary clinton addresses the group. that really could offer the best side by side comparison of these two on policy and presentation. >> two words for you, chicken soup. >> i'm on my way. >> eucalyptus steam shower. >> feel better, peter. >> thank you. efforts to free the american college student sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for

allegedly trying to steal a poster. we have nbc's keir simmons with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. one human rights group described it as like a simple student prank but the student finds himself in prison by a country locked in a nuclear standoff with the world. after begging for his freedom -- >> after begging for his freedom. >> please save my live. >> otto wham beer is waking up in a north korean prison sentenced to 15 years hard labor. >> please think of my family. >> fingerprinted, handcuffed in front of the cameras, led away, guilty the north koreans say the sub version. the courtroom shown video of the university of virginia student stealing a propaganda banner from his hotel. >> the worst decision of my life. but i'm only human. >> he reportedly says he stole

the banner for maybe of his church group. >> his twitter and facebook accounts show him relaxed, smiling on linked in he says he volunteers as a swim coach and mentor for teens. he is one of two u.s. citizens currently held in north korea. travel there is legal, a few thousand americans go each year, 13 have been detained in the past two decades. >> the allegations for which this individual was arrested and imprisoned would not give rise to arrest for imprisonment in the united states or in just about any other country in the world. >> his travel company boasts of tours to destinations your mother would rather you stayed away from, now he faces prison by a totalitarian government who hates america. former governor bill richardson is trying to get him released, why he went there, matt and savannah, well, the americans that go to north korea are often young people looking for adventure and retired folks

hoping for the experience of a lifetime. >> but not like that, keir. thank you very much for the update. let's turn back to capitol hill now, michigan governor rick snyder testifying today at a house hearing on the flint water crisis. the governor has come under incredible fire after thousands of residents were affected by lead tainted undrinkable water. governor snyder says he didn't learn that flint's water was contaminated until nearly 18 months after the city began drawing its water from the flipt river in april of 2014. the governor is expected to address his commitment to finding a permanent solution to that crisis. >> let's get a check of the weather from al. is that green on your tie? >> just a little bit. >> no pinches for you, then. >> thank you. you get pinched if you don't wear green. >> have you pinched matt yet he. >> has his on. >> it looked like it was about to fall off. >> now i might take it off, actually. >> just for the pinch. anyway, let's show you what we

have along the gulf coast. we're watching this stationary front that will lay across this and little systems will develop along t we will be looking for the risk of severe weather from east texas into southern alabama, hail possible, then tomorrow the heavier rain develops, we could see localized flooding. as you look at anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 inches of rain from central louisiana all the way into the panhandle of florida. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. .. get 0% apr financing for 60 months on a 2016 corolla. offer end april 4th. for great deals on other toyotas, visit toyota.com thanks, jan. no, it's jan! toyota. let's go places. good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall, as

you head out the door we have temperatures right at 50 degrees. as the sun rises, we'll continue to have a cool start and then warming up nicely as we go into the day, up to 71 degrees in san francisco. the east bay 73 degrees, and the peninsula 74. 77 today in the south bay as well as the north bay. we'll continue on with warm weather for the next couple days and slightly cooler for the weekend. >> and that's your latest weather. some sad news to report overnight. singer frank sinatra, jr., the son of the iconic entertainer has died. the 72-year-old passing away in florida where he was on tour. nbc's gotty schwartz has more. >> reporter: he led a colorful life in a long and revered shadow. he built a career singing his father's iconic tunes in a voice reminiscent of his father's

ledgendary croon. >> but at times being the chairman of the board's son came at a price. his father's fame marked him as a target for kidnapping, held for four days in 1963 until sinatra sr. made almost a quarter of a million dollars to his captors. >> i was scared, a little nervous naturally but the only thing i could do is hope for the best. >> early on he released several albums, eventually he stepped in as musical director during his father's final during years. sinatra acted, appearing in almost 20 shows including the family guy and the so he prann knows playing himself. and just last year he sang for the new york yankees. sister nancy sinatra posted on her facebook page that her brother died of cardiac arrest reading sleep warm, frankie. gotty schwartz, nbc news, los angeles.

>> our best to his family. coming up, how much is your family time worth? a major leaguer who is retiring and walking away from $13 million after being told to limit the time his son spent with the team. >> this is a story that will get people talking and. and is it the beginning of the end of killer whales at sea world? this morning the park's ceo is speaking out and addressing critics as he announces a big change for sea word. this is today op nbc.

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and tap into your curiosity. the laughing cow. reinnt snacking. a very good morning to you. 7:26. two at the end of the pittsburg point line are still shut down after a glitch damaged several cars passing through the stations. what it means is buses are transferring riders. an electrical power surge yesterday forced that shutdown. b.a.r.t. still isn't sure of the source of the surge, but a similar problem happened in the trans-bay tube a couple week action. let's check the forecast now can kari. >> we have a beautiful sunrise. a live look at sunol, all of this sunshine will warm up our terms. and some low 50s for san carlos

and san francisco, a high of 78 can be expected in los gatos. mission district today 71 degrees, mainly 70s, even some upper 70s today, and we'll see temperatures cooling down for the weekend. what's happening in the south bay, mike? >> this shot in san jose a seven better than before. that crash itself, much better situation than originally thought. north 101, the lanes are clear at tully, so both coming back through the area, the lower bayshore is slow, but the rest of the south bay is moving well. a lighter flow of traffic continues. the smooth drive building for 92, and a crash just off of 880. toward the bay bridge we have a smooth flow, and there's a crash around 380 adding to the jam coming out of daly city. back to you. thank you very much. we'll be back with another news

update in about a half hour. happen st. patrick's day.

♪ flo-rida thursday on the o "today" show. it is also st. patrick's day. that makes it march 17th, 2017. a sea of green out on the plaza this morning. we're going to get out there in a couple of minutes. >> i love the traditional irish flo-rida song. here's a look at the headlines. merrick garland will begin meeting with lawmakers on the hill but republican leadership maintaining they have no intention on taking action on garland's nomination. washington, d.c.'s, metro rail system back up and running this morning after the

unprecedented day-long shutdown. crews spent wednesday inspecting hundreds of power cables. at least 26 of them were discovered to be frayed and damaged. they were prepared. and first lady michelle obama took part in south by southwest music festival. take a listen to what she would say when she was asked if she will run for president. >> i will not run for president not going to do it. no, no, and here's the reason why, because i've got these two young people at home, and being the kids, the daughters of a president, just think about it. come on, young people, not so easy. they've handled it with grace and with poise, but enough is enough. >> so what does she have planned for after the white house? tl first lady vowed to keep pushing education to girls around the world. i'm going to talk about retirement that has a lot of

people talking. adam laroche who plays for the white sox is walking away from a multimillion-dollar salary. >> white sox executives say laroche decided to retire after they asked him to dial back the time his son spends with the team raising questions about how much is too much when it comes to bringing your kid to work, in this case to a baseball park. adam laroche, stunning the baseball world with his abrupt retirement. the 36-year-old telling teammates in arizona tuesday he's ready to walk away from the game and the $13 million remaining on his contract. white sox officials confirm laroche's decision came after he was asked to cut back the time his 14-year-old son drake spends in the clubhouse. >> once he was old enough to be safely there, he brought him to work.

>> many call drake the 26th man. he is considered such a fixture that he attends practice at home and on the road. drake has his own uniform and was given his own locker. white sox vice president ken williams calls drake a fine young man but says it was time to draw the line. >> sometimes you've got to make some unpopular decisions. what would i say to the next person who wanted to bring his son and have it be an everything thing. >> reporter: williams saying it's time the team concentrates on playing better baseball after suffering three straight losing seasons. laroche has not appeared publicly since walking away, tweeting, thank you, lord, for giving me the game of baseball and for giving me way more than i deserved. bryce harper, a former teammate voicing his support tweeting good for you, 'roce. nothing like father and son in the clubhouse.

it's a family game. >> after all, it is work and when the fans are demanding a better output from the chicago white sox they are tightening up the reins. >> we did reach out for comment. the team does confirm laroche has signed retirement papers, but have not been filed with the league. there was a meeting of the players, about a two-hour meeting. this is coming from some of them clearly. >> it's a locker room. this is a 14-year-old boy. we know players in locker rooms like a certain atmosphere and i don't think they want to be worried constantly about what they do or say in front of him. i think it's crossed the line. >> i think you're probably right. adam laroche's father played in the big leagues, so adam god to have this experience to hang around locker rooms and he wanted his son to be there. >> and the team is under a lot of pressure. >> occasional visit is different than being there so often. >> some of our fondest memories going to work with our dad. >> i can't focus when i bring my kids to work. i'm worried about if they are going to embarrass me or do

something they shouldn't be doing. >> i think it's a case where no one's wrong. the white sox organization has the right to say, you know what, it's too much, and he has the right to way away and say i want to spend time with my son. >> i was surprised to hear he's retiring. he's still got good swings in his bat. in the presidential race we have been talking about the chances of a contested convention for republicans. it will come down to the delegate count. have you asked yourself, just who are those delegates? they can play a major role in picking the next president. hallie jackson decided to look into that. >> reporter: hi, savannah. good morning. on the republican side, there are over 2,400 delegates who can hold the key to the nomination, the folks why may pick the next presidential nominee. colorful, chaotic, kind of

confusing, the convention where the republicans pick their nominee. in cleveland this year could be donald trump's coronation or the businessman could face a hostile takeover. >> we are going to go all the way to cleveland and secure the republican nomination. >> reporter: delegates are assigned to candidates based on how their state voted, at least in the first round. usually that's all it takes. but this year the split field means there could be a second round or more when some delegates can pick who they want, and that's setting off a mad dash. campaigns looking to lock in support for people like butch davis. >> this is how the process works. it's americana. it is wonderful. >> reporter: he has been a delegate at four conventions but never a contested one. he might this year. >> we're glorified merge people. we're honored do that. we get to cast the ballot. >> reporter: this year could be different. >> i have to admit i am pretty excited about it.

>> the real people with lives and schedules and vacations, they all have to be found, cataloged, and wooed. they cannot be bullied. >> reporter: in the scramble for support a trump adviser tells nbc they are plotting to pick up marco rubio delegates. and john kasich is bringing on a top operative who helped gerald ford beat ronald reagan at the last contested convention four decades ago. >> a lot of delegates will be looking to enhance their ability to work in a new administration. >> reporter: and from the candidate who touts his dealmaking skills, a warning what could happen if the dealings for the nomination don't involve him. >> i think you would have riots. i am representing a tremendous, many millions of people. >> reporter: and get this. tru trump's campaign manager has been named delegate in his home state of new hampshire.

safe to say who he would probably back. >> sticking to his guns no question about it. let's get the weather. >> still got a little winter to talk about especially for our friends in the upper midwest and great lakes. big upper level low bringing in cold air from canada. looking at snow from the false all the way down into minneapolis. it will be light. the winds will be still fairly strong. as the low moves away we see conditions improve. the low continues to move east and it will bring snow to upstate new york, northern new england, thunderstorms first, though. good morning. we have some cool temperatures as you head out the door, and a lot of sunshine, so don't forget the sun glasses. into the day up to 73 degrees in the east bay. our temperatures well above average, up to 71 in san francisco, and the north bay 77 degrees, a light one, very pleasant afternoon. as we go into the next couple days, it won't be this warm, but we'll still have the sunshine,

and then we'll have a chance of rain as we head toward the end of the week, so be sure to check in about those updates. >> and that's your latest weather. coming up, a century old painting, a new way for you to celebrate that moment. >> and big news from sea world this morning on the future of its popular and controversial killer whales. killer whales. we'll ♪ hey, you're going to do great. ♪ hi. ♪

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back at 7:42. big news out of seaworld. >> a big deal. the park says it will stop breeding its iconic killer whales. our ronan farrow sits down with more on this story. good morning. >> the park says it will stop breeding iconic killer whales. >> a pretty big story coming after years of controversy about seaworld's treatment of the killer whales. the company saying major transition. as we learn it will still leave critics with plenty of question. orca killer whales at seaworld. but that may be changing. >> what we are announcing is the end of our orca breeding. >> reporter: the company hoping this will end years of criticism over treatment of captive orcas

and several people killed by them. >> what happened to her could have happened to anyone. >> like trainer dawn brancheau. outlined in the film "blackfish." the backlash was intense. the stock losing more than half the value. >> your company spent a lot of time and energy maligning that film. is this an admission that they were right? >> i would never admit that the care of our animals was poor. a lot of factors changed people's opinion. >> reporter: outraged critics disagree. >> they are relegated to the equivalent of us living in bath tubs. >> reporter: seaworld has pledged not to capture wild orcas. today is the first time they are commenting not to breed new killer whales. there is a catch. >> in 20 years will there be zero whales?

>> it depends how many will live. we have one that is 42 years old and one that hasn't been born yet. >> you have new orca shows launching in the coming years? >> we call them orca encounters. we are going to eliminate the more theatrical element. >> former seaworld trainer says that isn't enough. seaworld says it has to keep the orcas because they were born in captivity and never learned to live in the wild. some animal rights activists say they could be moved to protected sanctuaries. >> we feel and we have studied this a lot. we feel it is a very risky environment to do that. >> seaworld is making this announcement with a commitment of millions to conservation and a surprising bed fellow, the humane society. >> people will say this isn't enough action. >> we can't unwind what has happened with those animals who have been in captivity for 30 or 40 years.

>> reporter: seaworld says it is the end of an era. eventually. >> how much longer do you foresee whales in captivity? >> as long as it takes for this current population to pass on. that is it. there will be no more new orcas. >> seaworld ceo saying you are going to see fewer whales in the marketing but for a while you will be able to go there and see the orcas on display and these experiences, fewer flips but they are there. >> like a long term wind down. >> have they predicted how it will impact visitation at the parks? >> it is the centerpiece of their business. that may be why they are taking decades to allow the change. >> thank you. appreciate it. coming up, how do stars cram into the red carpet dresses? haven't we always wanted to know? jennifer garner comes through for us. and carson throwing it back to our very first tweet right after this.

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♪ ♪ 7:50, carson's moment. >> here we are. twitter is going to mark a major milestone this week turning ten years old. we celebrate by looking back where it all started. we go back to our first tweet. i just joined twitter.

not sure why? still not sure. >> al, you wrote watching my kids at tae kwon do. that was your first tweet. savannah wrote please follow me on facebook. >> it's like write me a letter. >> working in rio. >> at least mine was exotic location. >> matt lauer -- >> can i explain? he sent that tweet. >> got how many hundreds of thousands of followers? >> a bold attempt to capitalize on his followers. >> you are so lucky you have that excuse. >> jack dorsey's first tweet just setting up my twitter.

he will join us live tomorrow live in our studio. if you want to have fun head to today.com and find your first tweet. >> look at you two. >> you owe me money. just ahead a new scam to watch out for families booking spring break vacations. they show up and find their reservations don't exist. something 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.

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good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. a beautiful start to the day. we'll have a lot of sunshine, and as we take a live look at san francisco, the bay bridge, things are getting started off smoothly. we'll check in with mike to see how the roads are moving, but now we're in the upper 40s, mid 40s for the north bay while we have 50 in oakland, 53 in san francisco, highs today reaching into the mid to upper 10s, burlingame 74 degrees, the embarcadero 70 degrees, and 70s also for the north bade. in the east bay oakland 73 degrees, and 77 degrees today in livermore. over the next several days we'll have slightly cooler temperatures moving in and some rain on sunday. how's it looking on the roads, mike? very, very bright on the roads. look at that sunshine. this is southbound. folks will have that in their eyes. this palo alto shift we know about right around university and embarcadero. the map will show some slowing on that side of the bridge.

same on san mateo. it looks like the car pulled over heading towards san mateo. there's a secondary crash here, more slowing up towards capitol and toward tully. those are the only two major issues. those are not that bad. slowing down here as well, and highway 4 continues to be slow over here through pittsburg. back to you. happening now, two b.a.r.t. stations remain shut down tess end of the pittsburg/baypoint line. we're talking about how long the train service will be out. look for an update on our facebook page. for the first time in decades, going through the fine did the print on our twitter feed about rent ordinance revision. and the parade is this morning, and you can link to it on our home page.

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♪ it's 8:00 on "today." coming up -- spring break scam. families spending thousands to book vacation rentals to find they have been ripped off. what you need to know before your next trip. then "today" is throwing a big fat wedding. before our lucky couple says i do we want you to help pick their favors. and what is st. patrick's day without an irish jig? we're celebrating on the plaza with a live performance from riverdance, today, thursday, march 17th, 2016. ♪ pack it up, pack it in, let me begin ♪

>> happy st. patrick's day. >> kiss me, we're from iowa! >> all the way from indianapolis celebrating st. patrick's day. >> celebrating my st. paddy's birthday. >> celebrating my birthday today. >>is can us, savannah, we're irish! >> good morning. happy st. patrick's day. and good morning, everybody. it's 8:00. it's st. patrick's day. happy st. patrick's day to you. top of the morning. march 17th, 2016. hi. we have a very green crowd on our plaza today. >> top of the morning to you. >> i love it. >> we have in the past given natalie a little bit of grief about her throwback thursday songs. not at all today. "jump around" one of my son's favorite songs. i like it, too. >> i love it. can you do your little dance that you were doing earlier? yes, exactly. >> riverdance dancers jumping around today, too. >> they are.

coming up, kaitlin and john, the couple for our big fat wedding back this morning. you will pick their wedding favors. the best part about this giving you a chance to take them home, as well, not kaitlin and john, the wedding favors, to i aspecial steals and deals. >> let's get a check of the morning's top stories. from house of pain herself, natalie is at the news desk. >> glad you like my choice there. in the news this morning president obama's nominee for the supreme court begins making the rounds on capitol hill today. washington appeals court judge merrick garland meeting. with the top democrats on the senate judiciary committee. majority leader mitch mcconnell says he will not meet personally with garland. he is leading a republican effort to block a hearing or confirmation vote so court vacancy can be filled by the next president. the republican national committee cancelled next monday's presidential debate in salt lake city. the night before the utah caucus and arizona primary. front-runner donald trump refused to take part saying there has been enough debating and that he had a speech planned

for that evening. that prompted rival john kasich to drop out as well. trump told cnn on wednesday that his supporters might riot if he is denied the republican nomination at the party's convention in july. u.s. secretary of state john kerry today declared that violence by islamic state against religious minorities was genocide. kerry said the united states would do everything it could to hold the militant group accountable. in a statement he said "in my judgment" da'esh is responsible for genocide, including the yazidis, christians and shia muslims. the designation is a second time ever a u.s. executive branch has used the term genocide during an ongoing conflict. now toe a dramatic prison break caught on camera. you can see here two inmates trying desperately trying to climb up from the rope dangling

from a hijacked helicopter that was sitting on the prison's roof. this happened three years ago in quebec but the video is just released in the trial of one of the inmates. the two men struggled to climb the rope and never made it to the roof to get into a helicopter. like a scene from a comedy movie after a couple of tries. the chopper takes off with the two inmates clinging to the rope, all effort was futile in the end. a few hours later police were able to recapture the two men. a german shepd herd named luna is getting reacquainted with her family nearly five weeks after she fell off a fishing boat near san diego. her family feared she was lost from tuesday. on tuesday he got a call from the u.s. navy. luna had been found apparently walking on the beach. how luna got back to dry land? apparently she is one heck of a doggy paddler. fantastic. good to see her back with the family. >> incredible. >> natalie, thank you very much. millions of families heading off for spring break and police are warning about what they say is becoming an all-too-popular

scam. >> nbc business correspondent olivia olivia sterns is here with the story. >> it is a nightmare and for a growing number of travelers. imagine you save all year for a special trip only to show up and find out the reservation doesn't exist and worse the money is gone. that is what happened to one mom in michigan who thought she booked her dream vacation online. break. >> it was on the beach and in our price zone. we booked it. >> reporter: a painter and mother of two from michigan, shelly had been saving all year and was thrilled to find a deal. she wired $1,500 to a bank account in florida and even got an e-mail receipt. when she arrived at the property -- >> i had my paper in my hand and i said, we have reservations for the week and they took the piece of paper and looked at it and started laughing.

he said we do not rent this place out and if we did we would never rent it for this rate. i was shocked and thinking what are we going to do? we had nowhere to stay. >> reporter: joyce gonzalez manages the sand pearl residences in clearwater florida, the place shelly thought she had booked. this past weekend she had five people show up all victims of what authorities say are scams. >> the last one was the hardest. they had two little children with them. they had no place to go, no vehicle. the cab dropped them off. here they stood with nothing. >> reporter: it's a growing problem. the fbi estimates that americans lose nearly $19 million in similar vacation rental scams. every year. you can rent me a property at the sand pearl? joyce and i decided to respond to one of the scam ads. >> what unit number do you have to lease?

>> my unit is 1005. >> the unit here 1005 does not lease, sir. hello. >> he hung up. >> reporter: they tell the police but police say there's not much they can do. how much do you know about the people behind the scams? >> 99% of them are out of the country, i've tracked to india, dubai, malaysia, jamaica. >> reporter: you can't do anything about it? >> i can't. >> reporter: only 2% to 3% of people ever get their money back. the scam ad shelly fell for is still up on craigslist. >> that's the part that makes me angry, that they can continue to keep doing that. >> reporter: as for this year, she's looking for to a staycati staycation. there are things that you can do to protect yourself. number one, research the address. a lot of these scam ads are just copied and pasted. the picture is lifted from sales ads. be sure this wasn't just taken from somewhere else online. when possible try to book through a broker or a site that guarantees the listing.

like vrvo or airbnb. don't just go on craigslist. and call and ask to speak to somebody like joyce, ask to speak directly to the property manager to confirm the unit is actually available for rent. guys? >> good advice. >> you have your kids and bags and they say you're not in the right place, we don't rent that out. >> crazy. >> and you already sent the money. olivia, thank you for the warning. appreciate it. coming up next, have you heard of the crunch effect? we will tell you what it is and how it might help with your weight loss. plus, i'm sorry, plus cashing in. what is being planned to celebrate this infamous botched painting restoration. >> we love this story. and special steals and deals tied to our big fat today wedding. live on the plaza. first these messages. ♪

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but the most delicious way is to just add milk. new nature valley cereals. at least 10 grams of protein with milk, and a touch of sweetness for three new ways to power you through your day. back now, 8:1. time for trending with an eye opening survey from the cdc. the government polled americans to see how they felt with a range of social issues. it's been interesting to see how things have changed over the years. people were found to be more accepting than they were a decade ago on a few things such as cohabitation before marriage, gay marriage and single women raising a baby on their own. this one got really interesting. the one issue in which americans have become more disapproving, divorce. when asked if divorce is the best solution for a troubled marriage 38% agreed down 9% and 39% of men agreed down 5%.

>> why do you think it is? >> i guess the complexities of divorce, they realize how difficult it is. >> maybe because the children of divorce were growing up, being surveyed and thinking if you can it would be better to try to work it out? >> stick it out. >> fascinating. they say silence is golden but could it be the key to kicking your junk food habit? this comes from researchers at brigham young in colorado state. they found when you eat alone in relative quiet you eat less because you will be more aware of all of your chewing and swallowing sounds. it's called the crunch effect. >> it doesn't work with doritos. they're crunchy. >> you probably eat fewer. eating with people in front of a television so there's noise, that distracts you and you're more likely to eat more. >> definitely. >> if i'm reading the paper the bagel is gone and i don't

remember eating it. >> me, too. >> because of the distraction. >> you are not paying attention. >> not the noise of turning the pages. >> no, no. >> you don't eat the entire bag of doritos for fear people will judge you because they're around you. >> and for fear of smelling the dorito breath on you. this next story is one of our favorite of all times. we will look for any excuse to tell it again. remember the elderly woman in spain tasked with restoring this 19th century painting and this is how she restored it. the whole thing became viral. it was just a whole national embarrassment. >> it is in the eye of the beholder. >> it's just the way she did it. i find it to be adorable and hilarious. local officials in the spanish town were mortified at first.

now they are saying let's capitalize this. they are opening an entire tour center to showcase that botched fresco because thousands of come to see it. >> salad out of -- >> chicken soup. >> the woman who did the restoration is part of the exhibit. like, she be there. >> she is in a case. let's turn to erin andrews thanking fans for their support and jennifer garner spilling the secret about flawless oscar looks. carson? >> thanks, matt. erin andrews giving first interview, a jury awarding andrews $55 million for being secretly recorded while nude in her hotel room. wednesday night she sat down with jimmy kimmel. >> maybe this isn't the best place to ask you, but may i have a million dollars? >> i don't have any money. >> you don't have any money. >> no. i just want to thank everybody. there are so many people that reached out all over the world

really. they were so supportive. >> andrews saying she is ready to put the whole ordeal behind her and get back to work. jennifer garner talking to jimmy fallon sharing back-stage secrets from the oscars. she looked great on the red carpet. jennifer said it wasn't easy and got candid about the work to get into that versace dress. >> it's not like scarlet o'hara. there's metal inside it and these people kind of move your ribs and your liver out of the side and they cop you in. i had a panic attack in my ribs. >> i don't know what that means. >> they were spasming. i was having a muscle spasm. >> going up and down? >> everything in here started to freak right out, freak out. and i said i'm going to have to stand up. i can't breathe. i'm going to have to stand up. she says if you stand up they think you are kanye west. you can't stand up. >> jennifer says she was able to

stand up during a commercial break and then had to use the restroom and that was a whole other situation. henry cavell getting ready to stay in a major hollywood movie playing superman against ben affleck's batman. he just posted this video from times square here in new york to prove nobody knows who he is. ♪ not even standing under his own billboard in a superman shirt was enough to get any attention. but the naked cowboy was quite busy. >> henry has good taste in music. >> exactly. >> stevie wonder. >> al, what's going on with the weather? >> how about one more nor'easter? would you like one more? just one more? >> just one more.

so we are looking at our friends with the european model. they are showing low pressure on saturday morning in the gulf and then it starts to make its sweet time. colder air down from canada. by sunday morning into the northeast. by 3:00 sunday new jersey or philadelphia, parts of washington. the delmarva peninsula. by monday we are looking at a decent amount of heavy snow in the northeast. the american model says just new england. take a look at the snowfall totals. sunday into monday european model, new york city around 8 to 10 inches of snow. up into new england, 12 inches or more. all of a sudden you're paying attention, aren't you? >> yeah. >> yeah! the american model almost nothing. heaviest snow in northern new england. who will win? >> you always win. >> usa! usa! >> let's find out coming up this weekend. it's still early. we are going to watch this very

carefully. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. a live look at san francisco. beautiful st. patrick's day with beautiful sunny skies. it's been cool to start. we have mid-40s in the north bay and parts of the east bay, 50 degrees in the inner bay and san francisco and looking at highs today reaching 79 degrees in gilr gilroy, 76 in palo alto and the embarcadero up to 70 degrees. we'll also have 70s in the north bay and more sunshine throughout the forecast. . and that's your latest weather. >> we may be looking at fat snow flakes. this morning we have a special big fat today wedding edition of steals and deals. bargains on great items. one of those items will be our

couple's wedding favor. first, how the wedding guest gift is now changing. after the i do comes the thank you. and when it comes to wedding favors this year out with the almond and in with the common from spices to tote bags to tickets, utility rules. front and center personalized treats that encourage guests to eat, drink and be merry. reminding family and friends how sweet love can be. candles and regional goodies like cheese crisps, olive oil and rosemary salt from wine country giving guests a gift that keeps giving until it is gone. >> more steals and deals contributor jill martin is here. our wedding couple are back. before we get to the great stuff you went to the premiere of the movie.

how was the red carpet thing? >> so fun. >> my family was there, of course. came to the premiere and everyone for pictures. >> before you walk down the aisle you got to walk the red carpet. did you get nervous? >> i just suck it in, push them out and smile. >> that isn't where i was going but that is all right. let's talk about what is going to happen. >> these are wedding favors, possible wedding favors. you can get them at home even if you are not getting married. you are going to vote on which favor they should give out and they have a preference. >> why don't we divide and conquer. you have stations. where do you want to start? she told me she had an interesting wedding favor. >> a greek tradition to have

sugar covered almond. unmarried people take the almonds home and put it under your pillow and whoever you dream about that night you are going to marry. >> that can be dangerous. >> this is the first one, shutter fly photo candles. you can see right here their pictures are on the candles. you can do a saying, a monogram, a photo. so variety of scents. retail $39.99. the deal is $12. >> you can use the glass afterwards to do shots. >> 60 hours of burn time. >> caitlyn is standing by item number two. >> these are ben's garden trays. they are hand crafted and have beautiful sayings on them.

you can get different ones or choose for your guests. we all agree with that. so the retail is $125. the deal is $37.50. this is something you can use at home and always think of the couple afterwards. >> do you like these? >> i do. they are beautiful. >> come on over to john and john is standing by beautiful glass ware. >> this is perfect for you. this is the stationary studio personalized glass ware. retail is $90. set of four and you can split them up. they are packaged in a white gift box. the deal is $31.50.

that's 65% off. >> you don't have to take the candle holder to do the shot. you can have proper glass ware. >> maybe a tooth brubrush holde >> as we deliver our toast we say let's remind people of all these great deals. so the products. for more on these deals and to vote maybe more importantly for one of these as a wedding favor head to today.com and while you are there you can help decide how she will wear her hair one week from today. >> let's go over to carson. coming up a st. patrick's day celebration with help from the riverdance. first your local news and weather.

a very good wednesday morning to you. 8:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. it's thursday, sorry. two b.a.r.t. stations at the end of the pittsburg bay line still shut down after a glitch damaged several cars passing through the station. what it means is buses are transferring riders between the points, an electrical power surge yesterday forced the shutdown. b.a.r.t. still isn't sure of the source of that surge but a similar problem happened a couple of weeks ago. trains are still running starting at the concord station. mike, what a nice surprise. it's thursday. quick change in the beginning of the report. oakland, no changes, slower drive gradually building. this is what we have past the

colise coliseum. we look at the map, still slow drives approaching the bay bridge and also highway 4 and likely less parking you expect at the north concord station because of the story laura told you about. 280, north 101 an early crash at tully, still a slow drive there. the rest of the south bay looks good. 87 has more traffic, little more as folks shift over avoiding 101. >> another local news update for you in a half hour. see you then.

♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> we love having you guys here. welcome back. good to see you. happy st. patrick's day. march 17, 2016. we are celebrating with the irish phenomenon riverdance. they will be back with a big performance in just a little while. >> i love watching their feet.

>> in honor of the day we are cooking up classic irish fare. shepherd's pie and they are telling us this is easy to make. >> also ahead hollywood it girl swings by studio 1 a. how about a check of the weather. >> how about a little st. patrick's day? we have four big parades. let's start in boston. we are going to see partly sunny mild conditions. temperature about 62. afternoon storms by the end of it. here in new york city another beautiful day. clouds move in. let's head down the coast head to savannah, huge st. patrick's day parade. 79. and then mobile, alabama another big parade where you might not

expect it. 11:15. temperature about we have beautiful sunshine that will continue on with the clear skies as we go through the day. low to mid-50s as we head out the door and a high today of 73 degrees expected in the east bay. 76 degrees in the tri-valley and the south bay as well as the north bay, 77 degrees. san francisco, 71 degrees. today will be the warmest day of the week. then we'll have our temperatures cooling down as we head into the weekend, few scattered showers in the forecast for sunday. >> and that's your latest weather. >> where are you from? >> naples, florida. >> you picked a good day to come up. are you irish? >> no. >> you are today. thank you so much. we are wrapping up our consumer confidential series with inside

look at frequent flyer miles. here is the points guy, brian kelly. good morning to you. >> thanks for having me. >> some people say i don't fly that often. >> i tell people if you shop or eat food you can be earning tons of miles. >> before we get into the details you have a special way of keeping track of the different points and programs. >> it does get confuser. there are sites which will track miles and let you know if they are about to expire. >> earning miles. you don't just fly to get miles. you can do it by dining? >> a lot of credit cards where you can earn miles but in addition you can sign up for dining programs. you sign up your credit card or debit card and earn extra miles automatically. your corner juice shop or large national chain you get free miles. >> you have another tip about buying gift cards. >> when i see people using cash

it drives me crazy because you are not earning valuable miles or points. use a credit card at a grocery store and buy gift cards whether graduation or wedding earn points and the value of the gift is still the same. the next issue is when to buy airline miles if ever. i thought that wasn't such a good deal. >> whenever you are checking in they want to sell you miles, don't do it. if you like flying first class especially international buying miles can make sense. generally buying the most amount of miles possible can make sense. you can buy 100,000 miles for $2,000. if you can use those to get a $5,000 ticket you are coming ahead. >> should i use my miles for the little trip or should i be banking them and saving them for a big trip to europe? >> i would say save it for big trips. air fare has dropped with fuel

prices low. save up for the trip of a lifetime. our next question is how to redeem these miles. how do you search in the airline website? >> the funny thing is there is not that many blackout dates. airline websites lie. don't assume that -- >> they lie glmpt is don't assume they are telling you everything. redeem on partner airlines. when you redeem on an airline partner the issue is they don't show up on line a lot. pick up the phone even though it is 2016 and ask that they have partner award availability. it can save you thousands of miles. >> if you call you get charged for calling? >> always ask to waive the fee. >> when you talk about not being as many blackout dates but it is hard because they don't have the availability there is that a time to pick up the phone and

call? >> it is. and also you don't have to just book flights. i am seeing adele using my star wood points in london. a lot of things to redeem not just the trip to orlando. >> take me with you. appreciate it. coming up next, shailene woodly stops by. first this is "today" on nbc.

in the upcoming third installment her character takes on new heights. >> sometimes when i look past the wall i dream i can do something out there. do you in. >> i don't. >> maybe you need to look harder. >> i am looking.

i'm just not seeing what you're seeing. >> are you going to do this? >> yeah. >> shailene, welcome back. how are you doing? >> i'm really good. >> you are really busy. >> we are all busy. >> when you are an actor why wouldn't you want to be busy? >> so many opportunities to meet new people and explore new places. >> when you guys wrap a movie and everybody does other projects and you get back for this what is it like the moment everybody gets back together? >> it feels like summer camp. i never went to summer camp, but that is the only analogy i can think of. feels like the same group of 200 people. they go off and live their own journeys and have their own chapters of life unfold and then you get to catch up and relearn who that person is. >> barbecues, things like that.

>> volleyball games, paddleboarding, hiking. >> we are going to sign up for this. >> these are big movies. they are big sets. there is big demands on you physically. do you stay in divergent shape between movies or do you have to kind of cram to get back in shape? >> here is the thing about stunts, you sort of look really cool without doing very much. >> how much do you do? climbing walls, any of that? >> most of it is -- we have harnesses on. the harness is pulling us up. we have to move our limbs. >> you are telling me the other actors who say i trained for six months to get in shape for this role. >> they might have different experiences. the hardest thing about the movies physically is the running. i'm not a runner. >> running and delivering lines.

>> you climb the wall, the wall in this one. what is on the other side? >> a whole new world. a whole new world. a questionable world. i don't think our characters know what the world will provide them which is the excitement of going over the wall. first they see the fringe which is a post nuclear war zone and then they enter another culture called the bureau and it is developed elite rulers of the world. >> leaving room for the fourth installment which i think you start shooting over the summer? >> later this year. >> do you look forward to putting that in the rear view mirror? >> it will be a bittersweet experience, exciting to do other things and work on other projects and yet also to say good bye to this community of people that has gotten so close and experiences that have lent us so much growth and it will be a very bizarre thing. >> i mentioned how busy you are.

in one of your rare breaks recently you decided to take a several-week trek to india. fascinating country. did you agree? >> fascinating. the colors, the smell is so different than america and what i'm used to. >> what shocked me was your packing list. what you packed for three weeks -- >> i packed like maybe two pairs of leggings, a pair of jeans. when i was there i just didn't need all of that so i ended up like giving some things away and just basically lived with what was on my body. >> you ended up with less than i take to get from here to the dressing room. would you go back? >> in a heart beat. >> when do you get your next break? >> it will come when it comes. >> i like that attitude. >> shailene, great to see you, let me tell people allegiant

hits theaters this friday. i wish everyone could smell what i'm smelling. up next, no brainer recipe for shepherds pie. first this is "today" on n

we're back with more of our no brainer week. a fitting meal to make for your family on st. patrick's day. good to see you. >> good morning. >> you are not wearing green and you said i didn't have to. >> i have the irish food. >> shepherd pie anything i'm not getting there? >> ultimate comfort food. classic irish dish. we will be making this st. patrick's day. it starts off very easy. we have potatoes. salt water and bring it up to

temperature. you cook these until they are just fork tender. that is your potato section. we softened in carrots, onions. we add our beautiful lamb. >> could it be different ground beef? >> you can do beef or pork but traditional is with lamb. it gives the lovely sweet flavor. >> i have seen this part of the cooking process before. sometimes the meat tends to clump up. >> you have to go in there and keep mushing it down. do stick with it. you are looking for it to burn off a little bit and the water to come out of it. to that we add a little touch of sauce. and then we add in herbs. i have pine a-- thyme and

parsley. you want to bring this down and you cook it out and make it really nice. >> can i pause. we have our shepherds down stairs at the table. how is it going? >> so good. >> we got guinness. >> carson's is like half gone. >> carson didn't know he was supposed to eat anything. >> a lot of butter with the potatoes. >> we have some butter and milk. i'm going to ask you to mash this down for me. what we are going to do is look for a little creamy mash here. this is a difference because i'm going to finish it off. the traditional potato dish and the scallions give you lovely onion. you will be left with this big bowl of mashed potato. we have our shepherds pie.

>> that is the first layer. >> it you will be left with a really nice cover. >> as opposed to spackling the top you make lumps. >> the easiest way to not mix it with the meat. >> it will cook out. you will have this beautiful shepherds pie ready. >> let's get an opinion from down stairs. >> love it. we love the guinness with it. >> will you read me a story. >> talk to me later. >> i don't know if i want to know what is going on there. >> thank you very much. if you want this recipe head to today.com/food. >> we have a delicious -- i forgot now. it's going to be tasty, i promise. >> it's a stew. >> we keep our irish celebration

going with live performance from riverdance. first this is "today" on nbc.

the citi concert series on "today" is proudly presented to you by citi. >> it would not be st. patrick's day without irish music and dancing. lucky for us the phenomenon that is riverdance is here.

they recently kicked off a sold out tour and visiting more than 90 cities in north america over the next year. here is riverdance. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ thank you so much. again, look for their 20th anniversary tour in a city near

you. thank you. smucker's celebrates today is brought to you by smucker's. >> people have been sharing birthdays. happy birthday to scott with his 52nd birthday. playing golf, off to a good strong start. here is deanna. she says she has never had a classic st. patrick's day green beer. i have one here. right outside our plaza several birthdays. alex is helping them celebrate in true st. patrick's day style. happy birthday to you guys. keep sharing birthdays with us. go to today.com/celebrate. where is the rest of your guinness. >> it's gone. that is number two. >> carson had this much left.

that is the second one. >> don't judge me. >> it is green now. >> happy st. patrick's day. >> let's see the green mustache. >> very good. >> happy st. patrick's day. >> that's not his first guinness, by the way. >> not even his second. >> he looks like an irish tom celek. we have secily tyson. >> and tara moore coming up. i'm ... ==topvo== a big spikin s

prompting coordinated and a good thursday morning at 8:56. i'm sam brock. a big spike in car break-ins in san francisco prompting a coordinating crackdown by police. break-ins are up by 30%. police are going under cover to nba the people doing it. in some neighborhoods people are posting warning signs for visitors and tourists. >> i think it's actually a really good warning for any visitors coming to the city. >> police are making some

headway with at least two arrests in the past week tied to serial car burglars. happening now, our steph truong is talking to police about the crackdown and whether efforts to boost security are actually working. she'll have a live report at 11:00. you can link to the back story at our home page under local headlines. also, a surprise announcement coming from seaworld and it's making waves. it's ending its orca breeding program but critics wonder what's really going on. view that story on facebook. trending on nbcbayarea.com, a puppy that fell off a boat five weeks ago thought to be lost at sea is found by the u.s. navy. she swam to an island two miles away. link to the video with her happy reunion with her owners on twitter. see you in a half hour.

this morning on today's take we all are irish. soaring to new heights. natalie bends over backwards. and acting legend cicely tyson is with us. coming up next. >> from nbc news this is today's take with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist and tamron hall. live from studio 1 a in rockefeller plaza. >> welcome to "today." it is st. patrick's day. >> oh, yeah.

>> glitter. >> this is in honor of march madness. we have until noon. >> who are you going with? >> whoever the pin hits. >> don't pick vanderbilt. >> how far did you have them going? >> my theory is the al roker school of thought on these. >> just go. >> today is the perfect storm where you get st. paddy's day. >> donot go to an irish bar in new york city. >> today every bar is an irish bar. >> we are already eating. >> these -- >> that was delicious. >> this is a cupcake deal. we will explain that. >> by the way, new york's parade

is the largest st. patrick's day parade in the world first held march 17, 1762. 14 years before the signing of the declaration of independence. there are parades going on today. chicago already had theirs. boston, new york, savannah and mobile, alabama has a huge parade. >> i love when chicago dyes the river green. >> you have to love this picture. utah dad of six dressed up his 6-month-old son as a leprechaun. >> that is fantastic. >> he has a whole series on his blog. it is adorable. >> unbelievable. >> spray painting the dog. >> that is great. >> pouring green paint down the washing machine. >> one of our own's grand son just born take a look at this

picture. >> in an irish quilt. >> what does he have under that kilt? >> a diaper. >> you have a witty comeback there. >> he's got nothing. >> once again -- >> 20 seconds from now we'll come back to you. >> he is so gorgeous. how old is he? >> 5 months old. >> he will hear that for the rest of his life. he will be looking for you. >> where did he get that outfit? >> his grandparents sent it. >> his other grandparents. >> that's a true irish laugh. >> what did you get him?

>> he already called me. >> we are going to have a few beers today and talk about the ceremony. >> you did not here from lebuff. >> adam laroche designated hitter for chicago white sox retired walked away from $13 million left on his contract. why is that interesting to you? the team says it is because laroche was asked to cut back the amount of time his son spends in the clubhouse. so last year was laroche's first year with the white sox, brought

his son in almost every day. the team called him the 26th man and gave him his own locker, uniform, home games, road games. >> embraced the kid. >> white sox vice president calls drake a fine young man but said it was time to draw the line. >> sometimes you have to make unpopular decisions. what would i say to the next person who wanted to bring his son and have it be an every day thing? >> the team says happy to have kids around every once in a while but every day becomes too much. this was not just ken williams. there was a players' meeting and some of the players voiced concerns that nothing against the kid. >> absolutely. >> to his credit he said okay. if that is the case then i'm going to step away.

>> i'm going to leave my job absolutely family should always be first whether a parent or caring for your parent. >> could you cut back? >> i wonder why there couldn't be a compromise to walk away how you care for your family. you always know sports. is there something more here? >> not just walk away but retire from baseball. >> the team has like three losing season and figured they needed to focus on things. >> do we think this is the whole story? i don't know. >> i thought retirement part of it was very dramatic. >> didn't have a great year last year. two years ago a huge year. good player. only 36 years old. probably has a couple of years left. maybe gets picked up by another team but did sign retirement papers. >> made a point earlier that his father, he grew up in that

environment. his dad was a baseball player so he grew up being that kid in the locker room. in that way it is like this is the way i want to raise my kids. >> more power to him. >> it is hard for a team. it is hard enough when we bring our kids. >> i'm stressed out when my kid is here. >> they can be distractions. nick has been here. >> he jumped into the monitor. we love it on a once in a while basis. >> he made his choice. god bless him. >> god bless this next couple. this is incredible. sunday night while cleaning up the kitchen you're washing dishes and take your ring off. karla had put her 12.5 carat

ring -- that is a wedding globe that she puts on her finger. and i'm not finished because she also had a diamond anniversary band. i don't know the math, a lot. >> did you hear what it was worth? >> $400,000. >> they told me $200,000. between $200,000 and $400,000. her husband bernie the baller threw away the ring. on monday they realized what happened so they contacted the waste services and were told the trash was on the way to a land if ilso they allowed the couple to comb through ten tons of garbage. i say that is not insurmountable when looking for a ring.

so a worker found it in 20 minutes. posed for the photo with the man. he is in the green sweater. and the ring was insured. you have those kinds of jewels they make you get a rider on your insurance paeolicy. >> a rock that size probably -- >> that might be the biggest noncelebrity diamond that i have ever -- >> mariah carey's is as big as this table. j. lo's is really big. i don't think i have seen a civilian with a ring like that. >> we lost christina's wedding ring. we never found it. when i said i panicked for them, the panic looking down and the

stone fell out of a setting. we were at a concert and it was gone. >> little upgrade? >> i owed her an upgrade because i didn't -- it was very upsetting. after ten years i can talk about it. >> sore subject a little bit. >> we got a new ring. when you lose something like that you're in a state of panic. >> $200,000 ring. i'd be swimming in the trash. >> what you got going on mr. roker? >> it is st. patrick's day. let's look at forecasts for the st. patrick's day parades. boston one of the classics. and we will have nice weather for it. partly sunny. 57 degrees. maybe showers by the end of the day. new york city we're looking again oldest parade out there by 1:00, 62 degrees. let's head to savannah.

a high of 82. isolated thunderstorms by the end of the parade. most of it will be spectacular. mobile, alabama looking pretty good. probably best chance of showers down here. 75 degrees by 1:00. we have beautiful weather and sunshine today. here's a live look now at san jose where we continue to have those clear skies and slowly warming temperatures for to you. it's 55 degrees there, 57 in san carlos, oakland and san francisco. 49 degrees now in santa rosa, but it will be a very warm afternoon. up to 79 degrees in gilroy, palo alto, 76 degrees. the mission district, 71. 60s in a few spots but mostly 70s and even upper sentence in san rafael. and that's your latest weather. next half hour we will talk about a little nor'easter. come on down there. >> what character was that?

>> i don't know. >> al roker, ladies and gentlemen. gentlemen. natalie taking us behind the ithat's so interesting honeyf mybecause i'm going to share p. a photo of my eggo waffle when it pops up. l'eggo my eggo l'eggo my eggo (answering machine) hey! leave a message. hi, i know you're there, 'cause i can see you. i'm calling you to tell you to l'eggo my eggo! anncr: some things are too delicious to share. golden crispy, warm and fluffy eggo waffles. l'eggo my eggo. is better for your skin than wearing no makeup at all? neutrogena® cosmetics. with vitamins and antioxidants. now with foundations in shades for more skin tones. ai'm begging you... take gas-x. beneath the duvet,

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when you can have the best. eggland's best. the only egg that gives you so much more: better taste. better nutrition. better eggs. for over 30 years cirque de soleil captivated audiences with eye popping acrobatics. they will begin previews of paramour. i got a preview of the preview and i had to get in on the act. naut average clowning around. cirque de soleil's pe 12k3w4r50i6bz put their special spin on balancing acts, flips and twirls. now cirque de soleil is a broadway baby. i caught up with leading lady. >> everything you expect, all the acrobatics, stunning visuals

plus a love triangle. it's all about hollywood glamour from the golden age. this is kyle. he is one of the best jugglers in the world. >> would you like to learn something? >> i would love to. >> have you ever balanced something before? >> of course. >> i'm going to be here all day. >> reporter: my balancing skills right now not great. but then -- >> the stage is being set around us as we speak. tell me about your role. you play one of the love interests. >> actors are the actors in the love triangle. translate the love story on a

trapeze. >> wow. that's intense. my turn. >> that's all i can do. >> now you're showing off. >> okay. >> now what do we do? >> the lift. wow. >> you ready? >> i think. ♪ i've had the time of my life >> that's awesome. i'm graduated to the trapeze. >> got to get a grip.

>> i'm not done. this dynamic scene is called roof top. >> this is the big second act climax. our three leads are involved in a big epic chase at new york city roof tops. >> i love trampolining. >> feeling like a kid again. >> great. >> here i can. >> enough child's play. this acrobat showed me how high he can go. i learned new skills and look forward to the day when i can run away with cirque de soleil. >> that's pretty good. >> i learned some skill. >> you can catch cirque de

soleil's paramour on broadway. it is fantastic. >> amazing. coming up next -- are you ready for a little shamrock shake? we are celebrating st. patrick's day with fun food hacks. i think there is booze in here. i think there is booze in here. >> ♪ ♪

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inside there. check that out. season with a little salt and pepper and let it go until whites are firm. >> check this out. >> very cool. >> very cute. >> put that on an english muffin. pot of gold cake pops. everyone loves cake pops. we are doing these pots of gold. you are going to take a lolly pop stick and this is just a combination of store bought chocolate cake mixed with frosting. >> it's not even baked. >> the cake is baked. >> and then you let that sit until it sets and then you end up with these and it helps hold the shape and then you dip it you let it sit and then take the finished product and dip it in the white and then dip it in gold. >> there you have it. >> everybody was raving about these clover cupcakes.

>> here we take vanilla cake batter dyed green. the trick here is use little balls and also heat proof marbles and place it. >> you have these beautiful clovers. >> i just had the shamrock shake. >> i heard all about you tasting it. we have mint chocolate chip with an ounce and a half of vodka. the more you add the thinner it will be. here is creme demint. if you don't have green you can use food coloring and then puree it.

>> great sprinkles. >> i know pump up your look plumpify your lashes with new plumpify mascara a ginormous lash lifting brush boosts lashes to 50 times the volume and lifts lashes up up and away... new plumpify mascara from easy breezy beautiful covergirl and try new trunaked shadows and liners one of the cool perks of this place is you can eat as much cereal as you want. it's like i'm going to work to get some. alrighty. we just like cereal. we make it, eat it, love it, live it. (laughing) and now in delicious chocolate. it's about time the taco...came out of its shell.

unleash the power of dough. give it a pop. o bart stions at the e of e pittsbu- baypoint line a stl good morning at 9:26 on your thursday, i'm sam brock. b.a.r.t. service is still shut down. what does it mean for riders? right now buses are transporting people between concord station and the north concord and pittsburgh bay point stops. an electrical power surge yesterday forced that shutdown and b.a.r.t. is still not sure of the source of that sunk but a similar problem happened through the transbay tube a couple weeks ago. trains are still running starting at the concord station. a bic spike in car break-ins is prompting a coordinated crackdown by san francisco police. break-ins are up more than 30% so police are now going undercover in an effort to nab

the bad guys. in some neighborhoods people are posting warning signs for visitors and tourists. >> i think it is actually a really good warning for any visitors coming to the city. >> and police are making some headway with at least two arrests in the past week tied to serial car burglars. in moraga, there is a state of emergency declared for the sinkhole that formed during sunday's storm. services will now be able to be hired. we'll have your weather and traffic after the break.

traffic ck fremont good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. temperatures are making it into the mid to upper 50s in spots. also cool in the north bay, 51 degrees. heading into the 70s today. this will be the warmest day of the week, up to 77 degrees in the north bay and the south bay. san francisco, 71 degrees. 73 degrees in east bay. as we head into the weekend we're getting ready for a chance

of showers on sunday. saturday looks nice with more sunshine on the way. let's get an update on the morning commute from mike. >> we're right on schedule with this late morning compression. we see 880 through meemt. there are the truck scales and there is the slowing. recovery though from the earlier crash, south bay moves better but top of the peninsula both directions between ralston, crashes either side of the freeway. 580 through downtown, east shore freeway is better. that is going to do it for us now.

taking a look at the headlines, a nationwide tuna recall. the company says some tuna might have been under processed during sterilization and eating contaminated cans can lead to life threatening illness. no illnesses have been reported. for a list of dates and codes log on to our website. automatic emergency braking will be standard equipment on most cars by the year 2022 designed to prevent crashes in which drivers do not apply

brakes. got something to sell on ebay but don't have time to deal with it? help it on the way. e bay will send someone to the door to pack your item and ship it to you through a partnership with startup ship. the service is free starting june 30 it will cost an additional $5 per pickup. chipotle plans to give away more free burritos in an effort to win back customers planning to send 21 million free food coupons in the mail. the company told investors the deals brought in customers who steered clear in the wake of several food safety mishaps. nike has unveiled what it calls the world's first mass produced shoe that ties itself. a heel censor automatically tightenshe shoe when you put

it on and then you adjust the fit by pressing buttons. it should be available in time for the holiday shopping season but only available on nike plus. let's get a check of the weather from al. >> did it say how much it is in. >> i have to find out. >> another reason why we are very lazy. are you ready for maybe one more nor'easter? one more nor'easter? the european model saturday low pressure system down in the gulf. it starts to push through by sunday. it is off the carolina coast making its way up. colder air is in place. by 3:00 we have snow along the southern part of the i-95 corridor. during the day it continues and some of the snow could be wet snow in the northeast according to european model. who will win? this is the snowfall total amounts we are looking at on the

european model by monday. over a foot in northern new england from boston to new york city eight to ten inches of snow maybe. and then the american model almost nothing. this is a classic. a classic pitting the american model versus the european model. who will win? it's too we don't have to worry about any of that. we will continue on with some sunshine, nice warm weather. a look now, san francisco. you see those clear blue skies and high temperatures today reaching into 70s. in burlingame, 74. 78 in los gatos. 71 today in san francisco. napa, 75 and 77 in concord. also 77 in livermore. heading into the weekend, temperatures start to come back down just a few degrees. a chance of scatter showers on sunday.

kiss me i'm irish trivia challenge. >> we are presented with certain irish celebrity and we wave in when we think we know the answer. here to host our great show, irish chef who knows his way around shepherds pie sblmpt deare you ready? >> here is the first one. there was a handsome actor every irishman knew who starred in mrs. doubt fire. >>. >> that was good. >> there is an actress at the top of her game who already has two oscar noms to claim. she is just 21 and you love her even -- >> fantastic. >> here comes number three.

there was a great singer from the green isle. >> savannah. >> natalie. >> i'm never getting back here. >> that would be bono. >> it is wrong. >> van morrison. >> you were right. >> that's crazy. >> and there once was an actor that could do it all -- >> i know this one. >> colin. >> ferrell. >> the last one is tricky. you have to concentrate. there was a guy named lc who was worried they are always after me. >> they are always after me

lucky charms. >> what's his name? >> lucky the leprechaun. >> well done. >> that's it. congratulations. you all win. >> i got nothing. >> we all win! >> everybody wins. >> we are going to celebrate with this. >> up next, nng we are all looking forward to, acting legend. >> she may change her

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walmart. today on hope to it a new york family's inspiring effort to keep their son's memory eye life by spreading kindness through their community and around the world. richard and samantha spekt are on a mission, their goal to inspire people to be kind, it's something near and dear to their hearts but came about in the aftermath of an unthinkable tragedy. >> reed went to bed happy, woke up happy was always smiling. he was a good boy. >> in october 2012 day before

hurricane sandy raf angd the east coast rich was preparing his home for the storm while a friend baby-sat his son reese. >> my job to put away our lawn furniture. he came back into the house and my friend was in here and watching tv and i said where a reese? and he said i thought he was with you. >> a miscommunication between rich and his friend left reese unattended for just five minutes, but it was long enough for the 22 month old to wander into the spect's backyard pond where he drowned. >> i immediately pulled him out, i knew cpr and tried to resuscitate him but i couldn't. >> making matters even more unbearable for the family superstorm sandy battered their home only two days after reese's death. >> we didn't have power for 14 days and we had no cellphone service, our family was all out of state. >> it was during those darkest hours that the spect's say they

were transformed by kindness. first by a local landscaper who offered to repair their yard and fill in the pond. >> they put in a new lawn back there and removed that thing that was right outside our window that was a reminder. >> so many acts of kindness, neighbors came and brought food and i had a cousin who waited on a gas line for five hours so i wouldn't have to do it. >> despite their best efforts no one would allow them to repay the generosity. i wanted to pay people back and no u.n. with would take it so we came up with this idea to pay it forward. >> so they leeched the ree rees specht life organization. they are working to teach kids and adults that a simple act of kindness can make all the difference. >> an act of kindness can put a smile on grieving parents' faces what is more powerful than that? >> their goal is to inspire every day people to perform good deeds and when they do leave behind a cultivate kindness card

to spread the word. >> we have a map on the site where people ordered the cards from now, it will keep track of where they're ordered from. we have a dot for every place on the earth where someone has ordered the cards and every continent. >> it's nice that his face is out there and people are doing kind acts in his name. it's fulfilling. >> through the foundation the spechts are respond ring school scholarship, hosting toy drives, promoting water safety and most recently they've launched the pay it food worth program an initiative that delivers prepared meals to families suffering through hardship. families like the krauts. mom lisa has been battling breast cancer for 11 years. >> the idea that they can come back from that in a way and form this foundation and give to the community is really very special and we couldn't be more thankful. >> i'm keeping him alive in

spirit and people are getting to know him that would have never known him otherwise. >> to help in the fortunate to cultivate kindness or get involved with the rees specht life foundation head to today.com. after that inspiring story we do have some sad news to share. in the days since the organization donated food to the kraut family lisa kraut passed away, she died on tuesday morning of breast cancer and we spend our heart felt condolences to her family and to her friends. we're back in a moment. breast we send heart felt condolences to family and friends. we are back in a moment.

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we can all grow into our dreams. ♪ people love me for saving them over half a grand when they switch to progressive. so i'm dabbling in new ventures. it was board-game night with the dalai lama. great guy. terrible player. ♪ go paperless ♪ don't stress, girl ♪ i got the discounts that you need ♪ it's a balancing act, but i got to give the people what they want -- more box. any words for the critics? what can i say? critties gonna neg. [ applause ] the what?! [ laughs ] the net friction hit show house of cards just got even better. sicily tyson has joined the cast has tacks congresswoman doris jones. >> finds out she is grooming her daughter to take over her seat in the house but the first lady wants jones to endorse her

instead which doesn't go over too well. >> we haven't accomplished everything we set out to do, but the one thing my constituents have always had is the pride they take in being represented by one of their own. i refuse to rob them of that. >> this is such a great scene. sicily tyson, good morning. >> good morning. >> you have always portrayed strong women and here you are doing this in 2016 on "house of cards." what has that been like, that experience on that show? >> i'm doing it because i can do it. there was a time in my career where i would not consider doing it because i was on a mission and at that time it was really important for me to serve the

issues that i thought were important for me to serve in the way that i served them. now i feel i can just be an a actress, do anything wherever, whenever. >> you've served your mission well. because of you so many -- you were a ground breaker for so many women and in a time where we need more ground breakers like you as well. diversity in hollywood is something that he have with' long been talking about. >> forever. >> you are one of the first. >> as long as i can remember. >> yeah. what does it mean to you? >> we are still talking about it. >> yes. >> now, that's a shame. >> yes. >> that we're still talking about it. >> yes. >> during my time we -- we picketed, we did everything. i mean, to bring attention to that matter and today 2016 we are still doing the same thing. so where have we changed anything? >> why do you think it's such a

stubborn problem in hollywood in you were nominated four your best actress oscar in 1972, we are at 2016 not that much is different. why? >> economics. that's what i put it to eventually. it's a competition for economics. you know, if i take your job when where are you and vice versa. that's how it appears to me. >> you've always been able to make those decision-makers carve out a space -- i mean, you are playing a tacks lawmaker. i instantly that you will about sheila jackson lee of houston and i think about shirley chisholm, other black women who were in congress and here you are on this show with a whole other level of popularity. were you a fan of the show before? >> well, i was because there were certain people involved in it that i knew and so of course i supported them by watching,

but i never thought that i would be a part of this show. i was really shocked when they asked me because i'm so far removed from that subject matter, and when they asked me they didn't ask me for one, they asked me for two and then they asked me for three. i thought, oh, boy. >> you're there forever now. >> your vitality just amazes me, not only do you act on tv and in movies but i just saw you in begin jam with james earl jones, you literally take you to church in bountiful. the vitality to do eight shows a week, what is your secret? >> at age 19. >> i love it. >> that was the date, by the way, the 19th. so that's good. what is my secret? i have none. i truly don't have a secret.

i just try to live life in a comfortable manner. i am not a good patient and so it's very difficult for me to obey the doctor and i love -- i love life, but i want to be well while i'm here. >> well, we love you. >> you're doing is so great. thank you so much. >> god bless you. >> come back and visit us again. >> house of cards currently available on net friction. we're back in a moment. first this is "today" on nbc. b first this is "today" on nbc.

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happy st. patrick's day. we'll have a lot of sunshine all throughout the afternoon. beautiful weather across the bay area today reaching 73 degrees in the east bay and 74 degrees in the peninsula, tri-valley today 76 degrees.

we'll also have some upper 70s for the north and south bay. in san francisco today, a light wind, high of 71. today will be the warmest day of the week. then slightly cooler in time for the weekend. let's get an update on what's happening on the roads. san mateo bridge westbound your commute is slower. we reveal the chp officers there on lookout today. if you celebrate in the traditional fashion for many on st. patrick's day, celebrate responsibly. maps show slower drive on the san mateo side. recovery there but going to get worse for west 24, crash reported at college avenue. sounds like major injuries. it is backing up to the caldecott tunnel. happening now, two b.a.r.t. stations remain shut down at the end of the pittsburgh bay point station so buses are shuttling commuters to and from the concord station. our reporter is talking about how long the train service might be out. look for updates in our twitter feed. san jose leaders are on a mission to overhaul rent control

for the first time in four decades. you can sift through the fine print on our facebook page. also in san francisco when it comes to parking meters, the party may go late into the night.

♪ from nbc news, this is "today." with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. ♪ ♪