going to see highs into the upper 60s. inland areas, 78 degrees. very nice. that's what's happening today in the bay. good morning. good morning. digging in. >> he stands by it. >> the white house holding firm on president trump's claim his phones were tapped during the campaign. even though investigators and top lawmakers say, there's absolutely no proof. >> i have seen no evidence of wiretapping. >> if there's evidence out there, we sure as heck haven't seen it. >> this, as the administration finds itself in a fresh battle over its new budget. are the cuts too deep? breaking overnight. a massive five-alarm firelights of raleigh as a apartment building goes up in flames. a fire so intense, the crane collapses.

the cause under investigation. too close for comfort. tourists, scientists and a tv crew barely escape an exploding volcano. the violent blast pelting them with scalding rocks and steam. this morning, the team that captured these dramatic images, opens up about that incident. and let the madness begin. the ncaa tournament gets under way with some major upsets and spectacular finishes. >> out of bounds. northwestern has the basketball. >> with a new batch of nail-biters on the way today, friday, march 17th, 2017. >> from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on this friday morning. are you more excited about march madness or st. patrick's day?

>> st. patrick's day. that involves the beer, right? >> we have a huge crowd on the plaza. most these people will go right over to 5th avenue for the parade. >> the pubs are open, too. it's like the super bowl for them as i was coming in this morning. >> we'll talk about in a little while. let's talk about new defiance from the white house. insisting president obama ordered the wiretapping of trump tower, despite zero evidence. it's overshadowing the white house's effort to rewrite the budget and health care. we begin with peter alexander. >> reporter: good morning to you. happy st. patrick's day. president trump is pretty much alone on an island. quickly consider all of the top officials, past and present who

have denied it or said there's no proof. president obama, fbi director, james comey, privately, the house speaker and the republican heads of the house and senate intelligence committees. still, the president's team is not backing down. this morning, the white house facing a crisis of credibility. press secretary sean spicer defiant in his defense of the president. even after the panel mr. trump wanted to investigate his accusation of wiretapping claims against president obama, found no proof. based on the information available to us, the top democrat and republican on the senate intelligence committee wrote, we see no indications that trump tower was the subject of surveillance before or after the election of 2016. spicer, backing up his boss, wouldn't give an inch. >> the investigation by the house and the senate, has not been provided all of the information. >> reporter: according to the committee's democratic vice chairman, that's not true.

mark warner's office saying, they would not make the statement they made without being briefed by the appropriate authorities. >> both intel committees say, if there's evidence out there, we sure as heck haven't seen it. >> reporter: a point punctuated by house speaker paul ryan. >> i've seen no evidence of wiretapping, as you say or a court order. >> reporter: the white house insists the president will be vindicated and is redirecting blame at the media for cherry. picking its headlines. ticking off eight minutes of news reports, based on anonymous sources they say support the claim. >> let's go through what we do know. on january 19th, "the new york times" reported that -- >> reporter: spicer highlights a fox report that implied british services help survey trump. but that spy agency dismissed the suggestion. a leading republican is calling for the department of justice and the fbi to speak out on evidence that does or does not exist.

lindsey graham writing, i believe such a statement would serve the public well. without an official answer, this issue will continue to linger. the president may have to answer questions about this wiretapping claim. there's a news conference today, with angela merkel here at the white house. >> savannah, back to you. >> lots to talk about. let's talk about the start of the fight over the budget blueprint. it calls for $54 billion increase in defense spending and deep cuts to programs, the epa, the state department, the departments of labor and health and human services. ali velshi is here with a look at how individuals can be impacted like this plan. and like any budget, there's winners and losers. >> and they speak about budget priorities as being guns or butter. this is guns. it's hard power, a lot less

social services, in keeping with president trump says. low-income families do suffer on this one. there's major cuts to after-school programs. major cuts to nutrition assist tonight, and low income home energy assistant program, if you can't pay for heating in your house. thatple will suffer. >> you talk about a boost in spending. what about military families? >> the veterans affairs is going to get a big jump. military jobs will increase. again, we're talking about hard power here. and troop pay and benefits. if you're in the military, this budget has good things for you. >> let's talk about rural families. that's where we talk about the trump voters. >> they ended up on the wrong side of this budget. regional airports, where it's not commercially viable to fly into, subsidies are going to end. amtrak service, if you're between new york and boston, but

they run long services. they will be eliminated if this budget goes through. and there's a lot of farm programs under way, including that commodities are at low prices. some of those benefits are going away, as well. a lot of guns, a lot of hard power, less social services. >> ali, thank you so much. matt, over to you. come join us. let's bring in john heilemann, and mark halperin. they're the co-creators of "the circus" on showtime. let's talk about mike mulvaneny talking to reporters saying, this should is not come as a surprise. this is what donald trump promised. why is there surprise? >> everything that trump does should surprise people. but so much is so unprecedented and shocking. but it's what he said he would do been.

cuts at the epa, and 21% at the department of agriculture. is this donald trump the businessman and the negotiator? is this an opening bid? >> it's an opening bid. and it's a strange political risk to take because it isn't going to happen. the headlines about the percentages, the specific programs. there's a lot of pushback, not just from democrats but from republicans. this is what business people think about washington, right? programs are too big. too much waste. set down a tough budget number and let the departments figure out how to make up the difference. >> let's talk about a wiretapping claim. we have a report now. congress was asked to investigate whether or not president obama wiretapped and surveilled him and said there's no evidence of that. and yet, the white house has doubled down, john. do you think there's a genuine belief on the part of the president and the white house staff, that he truly was surveilled? or do they have no exit strategy and don't know how to get out of

this? >> that's a false binary in a world of logic. there's a belief that some kind of surveillance, that some people that people that worked for trump, associated with the campaign, got caught up in a net of surveillance. a lot of the people who work for the president can't quite figure out how to get out of the alley that he's led them into, by making the claims in the specific detail seem not to be true. >> if out in the heartland and a i way from new york and washington, whether you think -- it's a serious accusation. but do people care about this? especially on a day when they're learning more about pocketbook issues? >> i don't think people outside care as much about it. presidential words matter. this is one that divides people quite a bit. a lot of people who voted for the president say, i don't like when he says stuff like that. if the annals of strange things the president's done, this one stands out because of the

starkness of what he said and the fact he's being repudiated by republicans. >> so many ways trump has split the country in two. this is one where democrats care a lot about this. and trump voters don't care at all. >> you have a new season of "the circus." this is a political documentary coming up. i don't want to ask you, john, to have a false binary. on air force one, what was it like? >> now, we're covering trump's america. people are engaged on whether they like him. we're looking at the challenge the president has. he traveled to michigan and tennessee, to sell health care and the rest of his agenda. but so much has come up this week. you see me at the congressional budget office. those numbers were a big deal. but so is the president trying to balance russia, the supreme court hearings that start next week. so much going on. he has to get his legislative agenda through. and we look at the juggling act,

part of the circus, the president and his team are engaged in. >> two ring masters this morning. the new season of "the circus," premieres sunday night on showtime. breaking overnight, a dangerous situation playing out in the middle east. syria launching missiles against israeli war planes. richard engle with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: there were two significant issues that happened overnight. both in syria. the first one was israeli jets, crossed into syria. they've done this several times in the past. and they bomb targets in syria. they reportedly bombed hezbollah targets. as the jets were leaving syria, after they crossed back into israeli-controlled air space, syrian government, anti-aircraft missiles fired. they fired towards those israeli jets. that's a rare occurrence. the israeli army has confirmed this took place. but no israeli citizens or aircraft were in harm's way.

the other incident was more deadly. that involved an american air strike in northern syria, not far from the city of idlib. that air strike killed dozens of people. activists are describing it as a massacre, in fact, on a mosque outside of idlib. the u.s. officials, however, say that no mosque was hit. and that it was an al qaeda meeting that was targeted. u.s. officials are investigating those reports of civilian casualties. >> a lot going on in that region. richard engel, thank you. we're going to talk about that overnight fight against a massive inferno in raleigh, north carolina. showed you this at the top of the snow. flames and smoke, filling the skyline there. our affiliate is there at the scene this morning. mikaya, good morning to you. >> reporter: one firefighter was injured in this fire, as a result of shattered glass. aside from that, everyone else

is okay. however, downtown raleigh has been impacted. ten buildings have been impacted by the fire. five of which have been severely damaged. >> this is one of the big et fires i've ever seen. not only raleigh, but anywhere. >> reporter: overnight, a towering inferno, lighting up the night sky, over downtown raleigh, north carolina. firefighters responding to a massive five-alarm blaze, tearing through an apartment building under construction. >> there's no fire protection in place. and i have fire walking from one end of the block to the next. >> reporter: the five-story structure that caught fire was near raleigh's popular restaurant and bar district. the fire engulfed another high-rise building next door. the flames spreading to nearby complexes. >> i saw the fire. it's incredible, the amount of building that are burning over there. there's cars exploding up in the parking deck.

>> crane's coming down. crane's coming down. >> reporter: a crane collapsing under the heat of the flames. >> there's ash, falling for miles around. >> reporter: some onlookers shared video of the fire, streaming from facebook live. >> large pieces, causing smaller fires. one just started here in front of a church. pieces of ash. hitting me as i'm walking. >> reporter: rescue personnel evacuated residents. this morning, the cause of the massive fire is under investigation. the red cross and a local shelter have come together to provide aid to these residents that have been impacted. matt and savannah? >> mikaya, thank you very much. now, to a seen of devastation.

this one in rockville, maryland. a house just leveled by a fiery explosion overnight. the blast so powerful, it was felt more than two miles away. flying debris damaged a nearby homes. neighbors told fire officials that one man lived alone in that house. they don't know if he was there at the time of the explosion. the cause is under investigation. got al, with a chilly forecast for st. patrick's day here in the east. >> that's right. we start with incredible video. this is from peru, where they had massive flooding. if you look in the middle of the debris, a woman has survived the mudslide. but she's coated in mud. rescuers are there to try to help pull her out. really incredible. and look at this truck pulled over on its side. washed away. the truck driver gets out in time, without being injured, just before that truck. 8,000 homes have been lost. thousands and thousands of acres completely under water. well, as we look closer to home, we have a little bit of a clipper coming across. some snow from northern minnesota, all the way to chicago. that's going to move through

pretty quickly. and then, as the morning wears on, we look for snow moving into detroit, into cleveland, this afternoon. pittsburgh, you start to see some snow late tonight. then, another area, low pressure develops off the coast. late saturday, into sunday, throwing snow into new york, parts of new england, and long island, from boston to new york city. again, we don't look for this to be a big snowmaker. from long island to southeastern massachusetts this could be upwards of six inches of heavy, wet snow. but if the low pressure system develops closer to the coast, we could look at heavier snow throughout a wider area. matt's looking at me right now -- >> he's giving you the stink eye. >> i'm so over this. >> i still got to say -- got to get to your local forecast, coming up in the next 30 seconds. don't hit me.

. >> friday morning. i'm meteorologist kari hill. 77 for the north bay. san francisco is up to 69 degrees. 73 in the east bay. and it will be cooler as we head into the weekend. >> and that is your latest weather. >> we came up with a moneymaking idea. we're going to do baby strollers with snowplows on the front of them. >> what could go wrong with

that? >> thank you very much. coming up, a sudden violent explosion injures tourists and a tv crew at one of the world's most active volcanos. this morning, it's a harrowing ordeal. you'll hear about it in their own words. an exclusive interview of the editor in chief of breitbart website. he opens up about its mission, its critics and president trump. first, this is "today" on nbc.

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good morning. 7:26. i'm kris sanchez. police looking for the person who shot another a driver on highway 101 in san jose last night. it happened just before 7:00 yesterday evening. two men were driving down the freeway. a white dodger pulled up next to them. the driver wasn't hit but a passenger was. witnesses say he was walking and talking with the paramedics before he was taken to a hospital. california highway patrol says they don't believe this was a case of road rage but they are looking into what triggered the shooting and looking for the suspects as well. highway 101 is open to traffic. >> and now let's take a look at your st. patrick's day forecast. kari?

>> it will be a warm day. starting out with sunshine. a live look at san jose. waking up to 50 degrees as you step out the door. 49 in oakland. 45 in napa. as we go into this afternoon, temperatures quickly warming up. up to 78 in palo alto. 81, morgan hill. and san francisco looking at a high today of 69 with upper 70s for the north bay. we'll have updates. lighter commute all around the bay. earlier crash cleared an hour ago. still tuft on the shoulder. there might be another crash. slower drive southbound 880, n ten tennyson as well. slowdown south of 92. more local news in just a

half hour. hope your day is off to a good start.

welcome back, 7:30. top of the morning to you. that is the iconic christ the redeemer statue in rio lit up in green. we have a crowd on the plaza. look at those ladies. looking in for a smooch. >> that's sweet. >> everybody lining up to have a chance to go with that poster. we'll kick our off st. patrick's day in a few moments. let's look at some headlines this morning. firefighters in downtown raleigh are putting out hot spots at the scene of a huge fire there overnight. it broke out at the site of an apartment building under construction. at one point, the intense heat caused the crane to collapse.

officials say up with firefighter was injured. the new york city fire department is mourning a first responder and mother of five who was killed after she was run over by a man driving her own ambulance. arroyo and his partner were flagged down and when they got out to help, a man jumped into the driver's seat, shifted into reverse and struck and dragged arroyo. the subject was captured after crashing into several cars. he faces murder and drug charges. and a dire warning from secretary of state rex tillerson as he visited south korea this morning. during a news conference, he said preemptive military action against north korea is on the table if the threat from its nuclear weapons program becomes too great. now to a frantic scene. it was all caught on camera at one of the most active volcanos in the world, italy's mt. etna. a group of journalists and scientists and tour irss were moving in and they were caught in a shower of molten rock and

ash. kelly cobiella is with us this morning. >> reporter: what a lucky escape for those people on italy's mt. etna. it exploded right in front of this group. and a british camera crew was rolling. it caught them all by surprise. italy's mt. etna exploding in steam and molten rocks. raining down on 35 terrified tourists, their guides and a bbc news crew. the camera woman still rolling. a piece of scalding hot rock inside her coat. the ground, sizzling around them. >> we really were running for our lives. all the time, you're just being pelted with these rocks, hoping one isn't going to hit your head or a large one gets close to you. >> reporter: the explosion was also captured on research cameras miles away. etna's red-hot lava, nearly

1,800 degrees, even visible from space. italian scientists say the lava flow hit a field of snow, superheating the water and causing an explosion. >> when we got here yesterday and heard that aetna is erupting, i thought this is fantastic, this is a lifetime ambition to see a bit of geology. i wasn't expecting to get this close an encounter. >> reporter: etna is one of the most active volcanos in the world. this drone footage shows it coming back to life last month. a popular spot for scientists, tourists and journalists. italian rescuers brought everyone down safely, bloody and bruised but alive. the lava left a hole in the camerawoman's coat. >> i've got scarring on the back. >> reporter: will you go back up? >> not today. >> reporter: this morning, the volcano is still erupting. visitors are still admiring the view. but this time, not up close.

about ten people in all were injured. incredibly, looking at that video, none of those injuries was serious. guys, as you can imagine, no tours on that part of mt. etna today. guys, back to you. >> not for a long time. >> kelly, thank you so much. not today. she was pretty upbait about it. won't be back today. let's not complain about the weather. >> i'll stop by whining. >> wow, that was rough. all right. looking at the temperatures in the east, an upper-level trough, the jet stream dips down dringing colder air. temperatures below average, from boston down to jacksonville. saturday, more of the same. we start to see temperatures moderating as we get into next week. by tuesday, philly at 60. boston, 53. charlotte will see temperatures of about 78 degrees. out west, it is so warm. the strong ridge pushes the jet stream up to the north. you see the temperatures, albuquerque, 76. vegas, almost 90. san angelo, 88 degrees. as we head into the weekend, phoenix, you'll see a high of 94

degrees. that's 20 degrees above average. new orleans is going to be at 75. and heading into next week, temperatures start to warm up as we move to the east. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your it's tkpwoebg a beautiful day. warming up to 69 griss in san francisco. 7 tomorrow. 71 tomorrow. inland areas, it will be very warm today, well above average. we will bring it back closer to average this time year. a slight chance of showers sunday. tphoerb >> and don't forget, get your weather anytime you need it this weekend. check out the weather channel on cable. >> al, thank you. coming up, a "today" exclusive. breitba breitbart's editor in chief speaks out. he has interesting to thing

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we mentioned earlier, congressional leaders say they've seen no evidence that then-president obama ordered the wiretapping of phones at trump tower, during the presidential election campaign. where did trump get that information? he was asked about that in a recent interview on fox news. >> i've been reading about things. i think i read, january 20th, "new york times" article. i think they used that exact term. i read other things. >> some of those other things, reportedly an article published by breitbart news, the day before the president tweeted the wiretapping claims. stephanie gosk recently sat down exclusively with that editor in chief. good to see you. >> reporter: breitbart is one of president trump's favorite news sources. once run by his top adviser, steve bannon.

they see themselves as provocateurs. but critics call them racists, anti-semites and white supremacists. we sat down with alex marlow, the editor in chief, who pushes back against critics and the labels, who defends the news he's worked at since 2007. do you think you've been unfairly demonized? >> without a doubt. >> reporter: breitbart has seen a meteoric rise, from a fringe start-up. the right-wing news site expl e exploded deexplode ed during the course of the presidential campaign. there was a former employee of yours, who called breitbart trumpbart. >> yes. >> reporter: was that a fair criticism during the election? >> unfair criticism. >> reporter: he assists they will criticize the president if he breaks his promises. >> if he makes good on the promises, he will get a lot of favorable coverage. when we feel like the president

is not honoring the pledges he made to the public, he's going to get critical coverage. >> reporter: do you talk to the president? >> i've spoken to the president on air, i believe, four times. twice when he was a candidate. twice before he was a candidate. and i have not spoken to him other than since he's been elected. >> reporter: how about steve bannon? does he reach out? >> every so often. i think he's a busy man these days. >> reporter: the white house and breitbart seem to be in lockstep on most issues. president trump's unsubstantiated tweets that president obama wiretapped him during the campaign, echoed an idea laid out in a breitbart article published the day before. was the tweet because of a breitbart article? >> i've heard things. and i heard that a breitbart article played a factor in it. >> reporter: the article never goes as far as trump does, directly accusing his predecessor. but it argues that steps taken to investigate the trump campaign's links with russia are

purely political. >> we've learned very little about any sort of nefarious connection between trump and russia. but there's an incredible amount of leaks fl s flooding out of washington, to undermine the president of the united states. and the media is gleefully reporting all of them. >> reporter: who should the american public believe? mainstream media? the federal government, breitbart? >> i would say believe breitbart. >> reporter: but why? why should we believe breitbart over what the federal government tells us about possible connections with hush sha trying to tamper with the election? >> possible connections and actual connections are different. >> reporter: yes. but when you have the federal government come out and say, we are investigating russia, potentially tampering with the election, why as an american citizen, say, i should be worried about that? >> i'm not saying you shouldn't be worried about it. but there's been ample

reporting, ample investigation. the entire world has been focused on this story. and i'm asking for one piece of hard evidence. >> reporter: marlow describes his staff as a mix of reporters and activists. the site often blurring lines between news and opinion. what is your mission? >> first of all, to be a great news site. covering hard-hitting, fast-pace, accurate, always accurate, information. now, where we differ is that we're admittedly right of center. we're a populist, nationalist, grass roots conservative webs e website. >> reporter: what's the position on immigration? >> we don't have a partly line position on it. but we believe that border security and national security is a serious issue. we think that there is an american value system that's worth being preserved. >> reporter: do you think that american value system is in jeopardy because of immigration? >> it depends. it's in jeopardy because of

immigration, if people who are coming into the country do not understand the american values and don't want to assimilate into american society. >> reporter: its brand of conservatism has come under intense fire, frequently called, among other things, racist, like headlines from this one, from two years ago. hoist it high and proud, the confederate flag has a proud heritage. would breitbart post that today? >> i don't know the answer to that. probably yes. and i disagree with the article. i don't disagree with us running it because it makes arguments that the -- that flag doesn't just symbolize racism to certain people. it symbolizes southern pride, southern heritage and states rights. my personal view is i think we've moved on from that symbol. that doesn't mean we can't have a debate and discussion about it. >> reporter: regardless of who it may offend. do you compromise civility in

the defense of free speech? >> in some cases that's acceptable because of the fact that it's proving a point about freedom of speech. that we used to raise a society that was supposed to be -- had to be resilient emotionally. and now, everyone is looking for their safe space. and i think that's a dangerous thing. >> reporter: one thing he doesn't think is dangerous, president trump calling the, quote, fake news media the enemy of the american people. that kind of extreme language, is that not damaging to our democracy? >> i don't think it is because i think in a lot of ways, as steve bannon put it, the press is the opposition party. that's 100% the world view that i have. >> breitbart made its first significant break with the white house recently over the new health care bill. one of its concerns that tax cut for the wealthy. it's worth pointing out, they lay the blame squarely at the feet of house speaker paul ryan, not president trump. >> stephanie, interesting

interview. thank you so much. appreciate it. just ahead, more of our exclusive conversation with the u.n. ambassador, nikki haley. was she surprised to be the president's pick? and could her new post be a steppingstone to her own presidential run? and then, we check in with carson at the orange room, with a big march madness upset that had nothing to do with basketball. right after this.

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guys? >> not so good. >> heartbreak hotel, right? go to carson. >> jack is looking good. >> it's official. charlie, our puppy with a purpose, is the least reliable "today" show employ. >> he's with kathie lee. >> is he hosting something this weekend? he's hosting "the bark" in l.a. things got off to a rocky start. cbs sports website crashed minutes before the first games. it was restored about an hour later. but fans that wanted to make bracket changes were not happy. biggest upset of the tournament. cbs sports upset by its own servers. then, there was tough moments on the court. we'll start with west virginia. that's elijah macon. took a basketball to the face. inches away. thankfully, he was fine. he would return to the court later on. west virginia gets that win. beyond the players, the parents, they showed up big-time. here's bill murray. he was spotted in the stands,

cheers on xavier. his son, luke, was an assistant coach there. julia louis-dreyfus, watching her son play for northwestern. we know what's happened with northwestern. they made history. the team's first-ever ncaa tournment win. they beat vandy. s sorry, willie. the inexplicable foul there. craziness on the courts, how did our brackets fair. matt or jack lauer is in the lead with 15 points. we're only getting started. sorry, al. it was a brave pick with unc wilmington. the seahawks didn't have it going yesterday. >> good effort, though. >> it was over quickly for you, al. >> west virginia. you mentioned west virginia. the overall winning pick of bryan cranston. >> there you go. >> he picked west virginia to go all the way? that's cool, too. >> charlie on the line for you, carson. inside the duke and duchess visit to cambridge.

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good friday morning. 7:56 now. a lot of sunshine across the bay area. cool temperatures to start. we're at 48 degrees in palo alto. 51 in on oakland and san jose. 49 degrees in fairfield. as you head out the door, temperatures will be warming up quickly today. up to 73 degrees in the peninsula. well above our average high in some spots. 10 to 12 above average. in san francisco, 69 degrees today. heading into the weekend, cloud cover increasing. a slight chance of rain for the north bay. the rest of the bay area will stay dry. light spotty showers before a heavier rain moves in early next week. of to mike for an update on the roadways. enjoying the pleasant weather. good conditions for driving. light traffic for a friday. northbound routes, typical

slowing. no problems 287, 880 moving well. north of the san mateo, slow to oakland for 880 north and 580 west. east shore freeway, under half an hour for each of those roadways getting toward the bay bridge. no additional issues. a live look at the san mateo bridge. westbound getting away from us. a little slower drive. crash at the toll plaza cleared without any real problems. back to you. >> happening now, things looking up in manufacturing. the federal reserve said factories had an output for six straight months. they are creating more cars, computers and whatnot. in poland, the opposition party seeking a vote against the ruling conservative party's government. harming the country by pushing for it to leave the eu. a vote of no confidence could overturn the government. more local news coming up in half an hour.

in the meantime, happy st. patrick's day.

it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, doubling down. the white house standing by president trump's claims of wiretapping in trump tower, despite congressional leaders saying it's not true. >> i've seen no evidence of wiretapping. as the president's ambassador to the u.n., nikki haley, gets candid about a growing crisis overseas. how big a threat to do you see north koreans right now? >> it's the number one threat. plus, posh is in. fashion icon and designer victoria beckham gives us a look at her new collection. and opens up to savannah about her famous family. and about calls for another spice girls reunion. >> would you ever do it?

>> the answer, coming up. and the luck of the irish. we're celebrating st. patrick's day with everything you need to do the day right easy irish stew for the whole family. today, friday, march 17th, 2017. ♪ >> from san francisco, celebrating st. patrick's day. [ cheers ] >> kiss me, i'm irish. >> happy st. patrick's day. [ cheers ] ♪ >> from ft. lauderdale, for st. patrick's day on my birthday. >> happy st. patrick's day, "today" show. ♪

♪ ♪ >> well, welcome back to "today." 8:00 on this friday morning, 17th day of march, 2017. that makes it st. patrick's day. and to mark the occasion, the plaza has gone irish for the morning, including special music from the manhattan college pipes and drums band. folks, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> that was great. >> love it. just ahead, we're going to cook up a timely feast with a native of ireland, stuart o'keeffe. he's making a quick and easy irish stew. >> i'm loving it. carson has green beer. little green tongue. the cookies were good. let's get a check of the top stories. time for the news at 8:00.

>> reporter: good morning. i'm hallie jackson in washington, where we are watching potentially a developing international situation. president trump tweeting this north korea is behaving very d badly. accusing them of playing the united states for years. adding, china has done little to help. it's a verbal warning shot, as his secretary of state overseas, says the u.s. is running out of strategic patience, with that country. all of that against the backdrop that president trump is not backing down from his claim that president obama had him wiretapped. with president trump refusing to back down from his claim that president obama had him wiretapped at trump tower, >> he stands by it. but again, you're mischaracterizing what happened today. >> reporter: that, a defiant dismissal of what two top lawmakers are saying publicly. they've seen no evidence to back up the president's accusation. the leaders of the senate intelligence committee say, quote, based on information

available to us, we see no indications that trump tower was the subject of surveillance by any element of the united states government, either before or after election day 2016. >> we've given as much time as we can without trying to respond and say, we've seen no evidence. >> reporter: in a fiery briefing -- >> no, no. hold on. hold on. >> reporter: the white house press secretary, taking aim at the media, accusing reporters of cherry-picking a narrative. >> where was your passion and your concern when they said there was no connection to russia? where was it then? you -- crickets from you guys. >> reporter: it sets the stage for monday, when fbi director, james comey, will testify for the first time about this. he's already briefed congressional leaders, like house speaker, paul ryan, talking with chuck todd. >> i've seen no evidence of wiretapping as you say, or a court order. or anything like that. i'll just leave it at that. >> reporter: speaker ryan, focused, instead, on working to sell the gop health care bill. >> this is my favorite day of the year. >> reporter: which cleared another hurdle, but just barely,

in the house budget committee. still, with backlash building among other republicans, ryan's acknowledging compromise appears inevitable. >> this is always going to be an open process where we get feedback from people. we get feedback from members. we fine-tune all the way to the end. >> reporter: president trump may face questions about all of this at a press conference with german leader, angela merkel, today. matt? >> hallie, thank you very much. >> thank you very much. the red cross helping people forced from their homes after a five-alarm fire broke out overnight in raleigh, north carolina. it destroyed an artment buildin construction. but flying embers ignited the rooftops of several nearby homes and businesses. at one point, it got so hot a construction crane collapsed. there were no serious injuries reporting. but traffic near the area, near raleigh's restaurant district, will be disrupted during the st. patrick's day holiday. coming up next, we're live

in paris, as prince william makes his first official visit to that city where his mother passed away 20 years ago. and more of our exclusive interview with ambassador nickk hal haley. this morning, how she feels about president trump labeling the united nations a club. and how her family is adjusting to life here in new york. then, we'll do "pop start." is eddie murphy working on a sequel to one of his most popular movies? first, these messages. have time to worry about a cracked windshield. so she scheduled at safelite.com and with safelite's exclusive "on my way text" she knew exactly when i'd be there, so she didn't miss a single shot. i replaced her windshield giving her more time for what matters most. tech: how'd ya do? player: we won! tech: nice! that's another safelite advantage. mom: thank you so much! (team sing) safelite repair, safelite replace.

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contrave. the #1 prescribed weight-loss brand. go to contrave.com. [ female announcer ] the magic begins when jif fresh roasts peanuts to make peanut butter so deliciously creamy. it can even bring a kid out of her shell. that's why choosy moms choose jif. and we're back and we're back at 8:09. the duke and duchess of cambridge, kicking off an official visit there. >> keir simmons is in paris for us. good morning. >> reporter: hey, savannah. good morning. this is going to be a difficult and a poignant trip for prince william. difficult because he will be seen with kate for the first time since he was seen without her, partying on a ski trip. poignant because this is the place where his mom died. she died in an accident in the tunnel, just beneath me here.

as you can see, there are still so many memories. the city of light is getting ready for a royal visit. it will be the couple's first official visit to paris, 20 years of princess diana's death. william and kate expected later today, for a two-day stay. it's back to work for prince william, who has been skiing this week in switzerland. the press, critical of him taking a holiday, instead of attending his royal duties. a break with pals to hit the ski slopes and the apres ski bars. breaking out dance moves. in his dance moves, prince harry attending six events this week. kate, at home with the kids, according to "vanity fair," reportedly not impressed. but this morning, back on duty and every inch the royal couple, as they celebrated st. patrick's day before heading here to paris. the couple building on successful tours last year, where we followed them to bhutan, india, and canada. for most of their lives, prince

william and prince harry, remaining silent about their late mother. but both have begun to talk recently about how it affected them. in january, a solemn prince william talked to a little girl at a child bereavement center, saying they were both young when they lost a parent. >> i was 15 when i lost my mum. >> my brother was 12, 13. very important. >> reporter: and the prince spoke of how angry he was when she died. trying as a teenager, to cope with such loss. last year, prince harry also said, he found it hard to share his brief. >> the first 28 years of my life, never talked about it. >> reporter: the image of the two young boys that went around the world. the tragedy of a life cut short. american mark bart was one of the first eyewitnesses at the scene. >> we arrived 30 seconds after the impact of the accident. the car horn blaring. the door had been opened.

there were two dead team and two injured people. >> reporter: diana died in a car accident in a paris tunnel in august of 1997. pursued by paparazzi photographer. after her death, laws and practices changed. now, paparazzi can't engage in pursuit and have to keep their distance. on their visit, the duke and duchess will be followed by the press but not be hounded the way that william's mother was 20 years ago. and they have been able to protect their privacy as well as the young children. the grandkids that diana never knew, george and charlotte, will not be with their parents on this trip. as william arrives here for his first official visit, part of diana lives on in him. so much has changed in 20 years. but perhaps, not the pressure on royals. just look at those pictures again of prince william on the dance floor. honestly, there aren't many dads who would look good after a few drinks, including this one, out on the dance floor late at

night. later today, he gets to look fully royal again, at the elysee palace. >> keir, thank you very much. let's do some "trending." >> not just any "trending." it's st. patrick's day. we have to eat and drink. including something for everyone. you know mcdonald's does the shamrock shake. i brought you one. and five for me because they're doing not just the green traditional, classic shamrock. they have four new shakes. the chocolate shamrock shake. the shamrock frappe. the shamrock mocha and hot choke chocolate. >> that's really sweet. wow. >> my goodness. >> this one is a mix. >> the shamrock cookies are from

across the street. >> are they really? >> those are good. >> you know what you want? you want the chocolate and shamrock mix. it cuts down on the sweetness. it's not just for the calories and the enjoyment. part of the proceeds go to ronald mcdonald charities. a lot of moms can relate to this story. a busy thursday morning. trying to get ready for work and get the kids clothed and fed and out the door. sometimes in the rush of it all, you make a mistake. that's what happened to savannah on thursday. she realized she had dropped vale off at school with her shirt inside-out. this is not the first time this has happened. she did the same thing last year while dropping vale off apparently in the exact same shirt. >> yeah. that is the same shirt. >> don't worry. you're not alone. people sympathized and shared their own stories. one person commented, we're driving to a banquet and realized i'm wearing my slippers.

>> it happens. >> and another said, pump gas wearing my daughter's tiara this morning. didn't realize until i got home. >> never read the comments, is something we very much adhere to around here. but there were funny stories that people were sharing, including one of a sunday schoolteacher who went to sunday school, forgot to put on her dress. she had to do the whole thing in her coat. her coat. she forgot -- >> she wore her coat over nothing? >> that happened with willard. he forgot his pants. true story. >> they're distracted. this next video begs us to repeat that phrase, do not try this at home. the arnold palmer invitational under way in orlando. we know that florida has gators. and sometimes a gator might crawl on to the golf course. he did not flinch. just taps the gator. >> does he raise gators when he's not golfing? how did he know to do that? >> that's crazy. >> luckily the gator went for

the water, not for his face. >> his hand. >> he was 5 over par at this point. maybe that had something to do with it. >> looking to end the match. >> wouldn't you take a golf club? >> i like his name. gribble. >> that is wildly sweet. that's crazy sweet. >> but delicious. >> it's crazy sweet. for a good cause, matt. first up, our friends alt "saturday night live," announced exciting news. for the first time, "snl" will be live across the country. the last four episodes will be live nationwide. they're hosted by jimmy fallon, chris pine, melissa mccarthy, and dwayne johnson. and they are hoping that mccarthy will reprise her role as shawn spicer. it comes on the heels that the news, "snl's" weekend update will be doing that in primetime. things going well at "snl." is there a sequel to "coming to america" in the works? it stars eddie murray. replaced in 1998. it tells the story of an african prince coming to america,

looking for a queen. it grossed $288 million and became a cult classic. thursday, eddie murphy tweeted out this image of vanessa bell calloway, along with the caption, "coming to america" sequel? it caused everyone online to speculate if a sequel was in the works. murphy not only deleted the tweet but he took down his twitter account. i don't know what that means. if it's a good thing or what the reaction was. but we're waiting to find out. "coming to america" isn't the only thing that might make a comeback. "roseanne" the sitcom, also in '88, may be a in the works, as well. roseanne barr and john goodman. barr took to twitter and said "roseanne" cast up for reunion.

and john goodman and sarah gilbert would be onboard if they get everyone together. it will be interesting to see if they figure out a way to make that happen. >> they just took the twitter down. >> you go to twitter. they throw it out there. if there's a huge reaction, they walk that into the studio and go, look. this would be a great idea. >> a trial balloon. >> see what happens. >> happy st. patrick's day, everybody. >> give it a chance. >> it's -- it's too sweet. it is. >> you might want it for the ronald mcdonald house. >> use it as a chaser. >> that's a good idea. mr. roker? >> let's see what we got going on for you. st. patrick's day. savannah, a big st. patrick's day parade at 10:30. mild, 53 degrees. here in new york city, marching up 5th avenue, windchills in the mid-20s. and then, for our friends in boston, on sunday at 1:00. windy, cold. and there will be snowshowers

hanging around. speaking of which, here's where the snowshowers are coming from. we got the radar right now, showing you we are going to be looking at a clipper coming across. late low pressure forming off that. the snow potential from long island to southeast massachusetts, we could have upwards of six inches of heavy, wet snow possible. generally, one to three inches, throughout the region. that's what's going we have a lot of sunshine across the bay area. and a cool start, but it will be warming up as we go,000 t throu day, even warmer than yesterday. 78 degrees in napa. concord, 77, san jose, 79 degrees. half moon bay, nice and breezy, 66 degrees. over the next couple of days, get ready for some changes, more clouds moving again, but the rain will be holding off as we head through the weekend. higher chance of more widespread chance of rain in the forecast early next week. we'll have more updates on the

weather. >> al, thank you very mu exclusive interview with new u.n. ambassador, nikki haley. on thursday, we heard from her on president trump's travel ban, his wiretapping claims. and russia. this morning, we start with another global hot spot, north korea. ♪ how big of a threat do you see the north koreans right now? >> it cease the number one threat. it's the absolute number one threat. >> i was reading this weekend. and someone's characterization of this was not that the north koreans are testing missiles, they are practicing. >> they're practicing. >> that's a more menacing stance. >> with every day that goes on, they're getting better and better at whistles. >> are you of the mind, madame ambassador, that it's when, as opposed to if, some country will have to take military action against the north koreans? >> well, i think we're all aware that military action could end up being an option. but right now, we've got some steps that we need to look at. we need to go to china.

we need to go to russia. okay, what else is it going to take for you to start saying we're not going to put up with this? if they work with us, which we hope they do, then we'll move forward and we'll really put the pressure on north korea. >> when do you see the united nations solving problems? they don't. they cause problems. >> president trump has said some things about the u.n. not all that comet mrimt plimentary. he said it's like a club, where people get together and have a good time. that's not a respectful thing to say about that building and the people in it over your shoulder. as ambassador to the united nations, how does not in a bother you? >> i think what we've seen, there's a lot of things that need to be fixed at the u.n. >> i want to remind people, you were not a supporter of donald trump during the campaign. you supported another candidate. could you have ever imagined -- you said, he was everything a governor doesn't want in a president. could you have ever imagined

that one day, you and he would get together and he would ask you to fill this position. >> we were friends before. but he was a supporter of mine before. i speak what i think. he knows that. and so, when he approach med about having a position in his cabinet, you know, the opportunity to serve your country, i don't know if there's a bigger honor. >> has he given you the power you need and the indianapolepeno do your job? susan rice and samantha power had regular seats at the table for the national security council, the principals table. you don't have a regular seat. you're there when it's appropriate and you're needed. do you have as much clout in this position as they did under the obama administration? >> i wouldn't have taken the job if i didn't. and i can tell you, this president and this vice president, they have supported me in every way possible. >> is it a technicality? why aren't you given a regular seat at that table? >> i am.

so far, i've been there every time. good morning. >> as you walk flu the halls of the united nations, does this president have credibility? >> you know what he has? he has every single country guessing, on what the united states is going to do. that has given me an incredible amount of leverage across the street. >> that sounds great for our adversa adversaries. it doesn't sound great for our allies. >> our allies know we're with them. ask israel if we're with them. ask ukraine if we're with them. >> this is a big job. some people have speculated that one of the reasons you took it is because it set you up in a great position to one day run for president yourself. you're smiling. >> i'm smiling because they said it when i was a governor. they'll say it now. they'll always say it. but i will tell you that i've never planned ahead because i love the surprises of what comes around in life. >> can you imagine running for president one day? >> i can't. i can't imagine it. what i can tell you is i'm trying to survive the united nations right now. and i'm loving it. >> you got your family. your daughter is at your alma

mater at clemson. you have a son whose moved here to new york with you. a freshman in high school. your husband is here. bentley, the dog, is around here. what's the transition like? >> living in a city like this is different. but we've all adjusted very well. and my son loves it. he has decided he's a city boy. and bentley has gotten used to the fact there's no grass. >> every city has a beat. it has a rhythm to it. you're a music person. >> i am. >> you love music. you tweet out about the music you're listening to. what kind of music does new york make you think of? >> billy joel and "new york state of mind." it's one that makes me happy i'm in this city, able to represent my country. it's been great. >> welcome to new york. >> thank you very much. >> pretty nice view, by the way, from that apartment, overlooking the gianunited nations. if she had a zip line, she wouldn't have to go downstairs to go to work. >> beat the traffic.

just ahead, victoria beckham revealing the instrapiration bed her fashion collection. and what it's like to be married to david beckham. and will i'm . ====weati foupde ot

. good morning. 8:26. i'm kris sanchez. we're waiting for an update to reports of a shooting around 10:00 and officers say they spotted a car that might have been connected to a shooting. when they tried to pull the car over, the driver sped off. the chase ended half a mile away with officers firing at the suspect. the investigation into the shooting is now under way. and now let's look at our traffic picture as you're prepared to head out the door. >> lighter volume, more pleasant drive. san jose has an issue that pops up over the last few minutes here. northbound 101, crash was reported at alan roth, update is

mckie. this is at 680 north of 101. things jammed up. back to your map, we're talking about the two left lanes blocked. now more folks taking northbound 280 to get out of the mess. more traffic toward 87 and 880 as well. north 101 and mckie, crash blocking two lanes. jam through san jose. rest of the bay moving very well. north san mateo bridge, oakland worried about as far as flow of traffic. no problem, just good volume continuing to build by the coliseum for the minute. back to you. more local news for you in just a half hour.

♪ good morning, everybody. happy st. patrick's day. we're so enjoying the sounds of the manhattan college pipes and drums bagpipe band. it's st. patrick's day, of course. >> we didn't make you stand out here for the half hour between, right? no? just wanted to make sure. >> the legs can get cold. >> we have compassion here on

the show. >> very cool, guys. coming up, we bring the festive spirit into the kitchen. we're going to make a traditional irish stew, so easy you can make it in time for tonight. and our interview with victoria beckham, on her fashions, family and why she will always be posh, as in posh spice. mr. roker, a check of the weather. >> let's look at the weekend outlook. snow in the northeast. also looking at record highs out west. rain in northern california, in the pacific northwest. showers along the southeastern atlantic coast. sunday, sunday, some coastal snow. wet weather in the mid-atlantic states. record warmth in the midsection of the country. and looking at things finally drying out in the pacific northwest. we have a lot of sunshine across the bay area and a cool start, but it will be warming up as we go through today, even warmer than yesterday. up to 78 degrees in napa. concord, 77.

san jose, 79 degrees. half moon bay will be at a nice and breezy 66 degrees. over the next couple of days, get ready for some changes, more clouds moving again, but the rain will be holding off as we head through the weekend and a chance of rain in the forecast early next week. we'll have more. all right. it's your 13th birthday? >> yeah. >> that's terrific. what are your names? >> madeline. >> tatum. >> happy birthday. officially teenagers. all right. get the weather anytime you need it. go to the weather channel on cable. guys? >> all right, al. thank you very much. savannah had a fun assignment recently. she got to interview victoria beckham. >> we know her as the multitalented powerhouse that gained fame as a spice girl, posh spice. she's one-half of the world's most famous couples. we talked about all that when we caught up with her. >> reporter: it's been two decades since victoria beckham's

rise to stardom with the spice girls. but her second act launched her as a style icon, building a fashion company and image as the ultimate in cool girl chic. now, beckham is tailoring her high-end taste to a lower price point at target. what made you want to team up with target to do this? >> i wanted to work with a retailer that enabled me to reach out to women, all around america, no matter what their budget. i was really excited because i'm often in target stores with the kids. >> reporter: we think of you as posh. you're telling me, you're in target pushing the target around with your kids? >> you can get everything in target. >> reporter: she's a designer, loved by fashionistas the world over. and now, in a limited collection at target for women, the daughters can get in on the fun, too. the line has girls' clothes, inspired by beckham's daughter, harper. >> i have so much fun dressing harper. i can take what i learned from somethi having a daughter and use that

when designing the collection for the little girls. i know what's comfortable for girls. and harper was involved with the whole process. she has her collection. and she loves wearing it. >> reporter: beckham says she personally chose the fabrics, colors and the details. you have a couple mother/daughter outfits. how do you recommend wearing them? >> look how cute this is. this is one of harper's favorite dresses. you know, it's smart. it looks pull eed together. there's that element of fun with the little bunnies, which i think is the cutest thing. this collection really makes me smile. >> reporter: it's a love letter. >> you're right. >> reporter: beckham has much to smile about these days, a blossoming business, a heartthrob husband and four happy kids. hard to picture the misfit girl she wrote about in an essay for "british vogue." >> i wasn't the smartest. i wasn't the most talented. when i went to theater school. and i worked really, really

hard. and every time someone knocked me down, i got up and i started again. and i look at that and i think, there's a positive message. and if i can do it, anybody can do it. if you work hard enough, and you focus, then you can achieve really, really great things. >> reporter: today, the beckhams live in london. and victoria describes a home life that is happy and chaotic. >> it is a juggling act, constantly. i'm lucky, that david is the most fantastic father and husband. and he's great. and we're very equal at home. and we're really, really good team. >> what kind of mom are you? are you the kind of mom that's a pushover? are you strict? are you old-fashioned? >> i'm definitely not a pushover. and neither is david. you know, we are -- we are strict with the children. they are happy dkids. but they're polite children. they work hard at school. they know that they have to work hard. homework has to be done on time.

we are constantly checking their grades at school. we're always at parents evening. and the most important question that we always have, is are they nice kids? and are they well-behaved? it's not about how academic are they? it's a happy household. there's music on. we're singing and dancing. >> reporter: what do you think the secret sauce is? you and david have been together so long. it's hard to do that for anybody. but particularly under such a spotlight. >> yeah. >> i think that he's my soul mate. we complement each other. he's the most incredible husband, fantastic father. he inspires me every day. not just seeing him with the children and how he treats me. it just works. we're lucky to have each other. >> reporter: you know, you can't get out of here about a question of whether there would be a spice girls reunion, another one. would you ever do it? >> there won't be a reunion because i think that when we

performed at the olympics, it was so great. and that was us, celebrating everything that we had achieved. but i still talk to the other girls. we're still very close. but i think you need to -- you need to know when it's time to actually say, that was great, we achieved a lot. and everybody moves on. ♪ caught in a craze >> reporter: so, posh is gone? >> i'll always be posh. >> posh lives. >> wait a minute. there's no reunion? >> no. >> doesn't sound like it. >> i'm sorry. >> she shut that down. she shut it down. but she had love for the other girls and the whole thing. but they had their moment. >> she didn't say never? >> she kind of did close the door. >> tell me what you really mean. what you really mean. >> i never pegged you as the guy begs for a spice girls reunion. >> everybody has dreams, al. >> the clothes look cute. >> they're very cute. they go on sale april 9th.

did you say target or target? >> it's a joke here. >> i'm not sure. >> it is a joke. >> it translates across the pond. >> i said targ. >> that's fabs. >> totes. next up, a feel-good friday story for you on one mom's mission to change the face of beauty. by first, this is "today" on nbc.

♪ we're back. it's 8:40. we started a new thing, called feel-good friday. stories that will make you head into the weekend, we hope, with a smile. >> sheinelle is here with one chicago mom's inspiring mission. >> who doesn't want to feel good on a friday. we met katie on a friday, when her campaign, changing the face of beauty was beginning. the nonprofit that advocates for people with disabilities has made major waves across the country. for any parent, seeing a photo

of your child usually brings a smile to your face. but for katie driscol, this photo of her daughter, grace, means something more. >> when i saw grace hanging in walgreens, it was surreal. i could have shed some tears. grace could care less. but it's a neat experience. >> reporter: that's because grace's smiling face is hanging in 8,000 stores as part of walgreen's easter egg campaign. it was one only a dream five years ago. katie driscol is behind changing the face of beauty. she was fighting for people in the media with disabilities. >> i think the media can change the disability community. in this country, people aren't valued unless they're seen as a consumer. and advertising communicates that. >> reporter: it all began when katie and her husband were hold their sixth child, grace, would be born with down syndrome.

>> i was scared. when i went home and started researching, i realized that i was going to have to take her future in my own hands. i had to prove to the world that this child was going to be successful. >> reporter: she didn't see many people that looked like her daughter on tv or in advertising. >> i was shopping. and i noticed there wasn't a lot of representation of my family or my daughter. >> reporter: changing the face of beauty started as a modest campaign. >> i was a mom at home, raising my kids. didn't have a lot of confidence. and would not have stepped out of my comfort zone to take on such a strong industry. but it's something about that momma bear in you. >> reporter: and it quickly grew into a full-fledged organization. affecting change across the industry and getting more than 100 companies to commit to the cause. >> i had to ask the community and companies to step up and raise their hand and say they would include a model with a disability. >> reporter: the organize has

partnered with major companies, like the land of knot, and matilda jane. and it put the first model with downs syndrome on the new york runway. >> when brands realize how powerful their message is, they're onboard. >> reporter: katie says the ultimate goal is to let others know people with disabilities, like her daughter, are valued. >> she's her own individual. we don't treat her different than her brothers. we have high hopes for that girl. >> she's cute. this is a small part of the many things changing the face of beauty does. katie spends a lot of time traveling across the country, empowering communities to ask local companies for inclusion. she works with schools to educate students who she says are the future of media. >> so -- such a nice story. >> isn't that sweet? >> no power like a mom on a mission. >> i agree. >> sheinelle, thank you. by the way, if there's a person or story you would like to nominate for our feel-good friday series, go to our

website, today.com. coming up next, a quick and easy recipe for irish stew. fi♪ hey, bud. you need some help? no, i'm good. come on, moe. i have to go. (vo) we always trusted our subaru impreza would be there for him someday. ok. that's it. (vo) we just didn't think someday would come so fast. see ya later, moe. (vo) introducing the all-new subaru impreza. the longest-lasting vehicle in its class. more than a car, it's a subaru.

♪ back, now. 8:46 with "today" food. a little more music from the n manhattan college pipe and drums. we don't need the luck of the irish to cook up a great irish dinner. here is chef stewart o'keeffe. stewart o'keeffe. come on. >> a dennis in the mid. >> talk about the ingredients. we're making a great stew. >> it's supereasy to do and it's fast. here is the key to the show. it's a sirloin steak. it cooks faster than a chuck, which takes two or three hours to cook in the often. you can have a great stew for

15, 20 minutes. >> if you want to go higher, you can do fillet. >> you have carrots. mushrooms. >> canolini beans. >> you do this in two batches. you want to brown everything up. season with salt and pepper. you got it. i don't need to be here. >> i'm a big salt and pepper guy. how long is that going to take? >> four or five minutes each side. total. like two minutes each side. you're going to do the other batch. we have it all browned up right here. >> drain it off a little bit. >> you want to keep the juices in here. use that as flavor. we're building flavors. it is a stew. we have onions. our garlic in there. saute those off. four or five minutes. brown them up. going to add our carrots. and our mushrooms. right there. saute them up for another five

minutes. >> this is all happening in one dutch oven. >> one dutch oven. a one-pot meal. saute them up. get nice color on everything. we're going to add in the red wine. if you had, you know, a can of guinness, you can throw in a can of guinness, too. >> carson just perked up at the taster's table down below? >> i did. >> how is this? >> it's really good. >> great flavors. >> great flavors. >> looks like, canolini beans. i substitute the beans for potatoes, because you get protein and carb. >> after how long, how does it look? >> 12 minutes. and you add your meat in the last four minutes. >> is it nice and tender, guys? >> it's dlishlelicious. and i love that flavor. >> with some chives. it's green. >> did you get the mash with it?

>> we did. >> let's show you how to make that, as well. >> how to make perfect mashed potatoes. you need to make potatoes. we have russet potatoes. chives, cream, salt and pepper and butter. >> st. patrick's day. >> cube up the potatoes. nice and small, they will cook faster. that's the reason behind that. train th drain them up. >> that's a ricer, not a masher. >> why do you like to do it this way? >> it's a lot easier. and you get them really fine, to get a smooth potato at the end. >> do you use a ricer or mash center. >> i use a ricer. >> same thing. >> ricer or mash center. >> here's my shoe. >> seamless.com. thanks for the laugh, pipers. appreciate it. >> heat up your cream and butter together. nice and hot. you want hot quiliquid going in hot potatoes or it will get

lumpy. poor that right in there. stir that around for me. >> mm-hmm. what's the consistency you're looking for? >> you want it -- it will firm up a small bit. you want it smooth. and you want it a bit wet, as well. all comes together. and with the beef stew, that's exact consistency you want. season them up. taste your potatoes before you eat them. add chives. some color. and then, we're left with this. >> ms. guthrie, talk to me about the mashed. >> mashed potatoes are my favorite. it's smooth, buttery and delicious. and pairs very well -- >> everything you want in a potato. >> we have the bagpipers behind us asking for beers. >> really? they don't want the stew? just the beers? >> that's all they ask for. >> let's give college kids beer in the morning. >> they're bagpipers. >> i know. but come on. >> let me toast up, stewart. happy st. patrick's day. stewart o'keeffe. for the recipe, go to our

website, today.com/food. back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. >> you gave them a beer. >> he can't play and drink. >> it's okay to cry, right? no more! we don't want anymore! [crying] ahhhhhhhhhh! everyday price and no extra monthly fees, unlike cable. speeds up to 45 megs, for $30 a month.

smucker's celebrates "today" is sponsored by smucker's. it has to be good. >> 8:52. carson is ready for a special

st. pat's celebration in the orange room. >> the orange room is thinking green, as we celebrate couples with st. patrick's day anniversaries. here's erica and justin, eight years ago on this day. happy anniversary, guys. lynn and her husband are marking 27 years together. that's awesome. and here's barbara and her husband, celebrating five years of marriage today. she writes, lucky is an understatement, when it comes to my husband. i hit the pot of gold. keep the anniversaries coming at today.com/celebrates. >> carson, thank you. willie on the couch. looking ahead to sunday. >> coming up this sunday on "sunday today." brian chess can i the co-founder of airbnb, a company he and his buddy started with three air mattresses in the apartment floor of their place. they couldn't pay the rent. we'll rent it out to other people. >> how is that going? >> thank you for asking. the company valued at $30 billion, which is greater than the value of hilton worldwide hotels. so, they are doing pretty well,

to answer your question. it's an incredible story about one of the companies that is shaping the world economy right now. we'll talk to him on "sunday today." >> when you interview these people, don't you think, it would be nice if i had a couple of ideas like that? >> all you need is an air mattress and a floor and you're a billionaire. >> cool, willie. >> we are back with much more of "today" on a friday morning, right after your local news and weather. ♪ i'm.. =vrai poce e sl

well, good morning. 8:56. police are still looking for whoever shot a driver on highway 101 in san jose last night before 7:00. two men were driving down the freeway when a white dodge charger pulled up next to them and opened fire. the driver wasn't hit but his 17-year-old passenger was. we're still waiting for the update on the teen's condition, but witnesses say he was walking and talking to paramedic before

he went to the hospital. chp doesn't believe it is a case of road rage, but they're looking into what caused the shooting and looking for suspects. happening now, a japanese court says the government neglected tsunami safety measures that could have prevented the fukushima nuclear disaster. a tsunami knocked out the power causing a meltdown. 150,000 were forced out of their homes. the court ordered the government to pay more money to people affected by the radiation. and a new bill could add taxes to electronic cigarettes and vap pens. the congressman sponsoring it say companies have gotten away tax free despite possible health risks. this bill would help them treat it like regular cigarettes. more local news in half an hour.

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visit your local dealer. this morning on "today's take" mario lopez is our guest co-host. an unforgettable giveaway for freebie friday. and we serve up food and games. all that and more right now. >> from nbc news, this is "today's take." live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> and welcome to a special friday morning. st. patrick's day, march 17th, 2017. it's not only st. patrick's day, but a st. patrick's day themed freebie friday. it is spectacular. >> this is the biggest freebie

friday we had. >> our crew -- >> this is next level, right here. >> this is a life-changing freebie friday. >> it could be. >> and props to you guys, for coming in with the green. >> you, too. >> a little forest green. >> we have all of the shades of green. >> that's right. 50 shades of green. listening to "downtown" by mclemore and ryan lewis. we're thrilled to have you back again. >> thank you for having me. >> we're doing this and doing "extra" while you're here. >> love doing them both. >> were you freezing yesterday? was it okay? >> the sun came out. my sun cali vibe is permeating through new york city. >> permeating and percolating. >> that, too. >> a i do a little walt frazier. >> everybody on the east coast, people call you mario. and on the west coast, people call you mario. >> is it an accent? >> you go to my hometown, and they call me mario. i'll take all of the above.

i'm fine. >> it's all good. >> we're glad -- is this your first time celebrating st. patrick's day in new york? >> i believe it is. it's my first time celebrating on a friday here in new york, which is different. i've been here before. >> very different. >> during lent, and the whole deal, and being catholic, i can appreciate it. >> that's interesting that they have actually have -- the bishops or cardinals in new york, have been given special dispensation. >> it's a day to eat meat. you don't eat meat on ash wednesdays, good fridays or observing lent. but if st. patrick's day falls on a friday, which is rare, you get to eat meat. i'm crushing a steak tonight. >> it said more than 80 of the united states 195 catholic diocese, granted dispensation. >> it's a meat hall pass. >> you can do whatever you want today?

>> going to do the steak. besides that, here's the five most popular ways to celebrate st. patrick's day. go to a parade. >> amazing. >> cue to music. >> we have the bagpipes. >> number four, it says get drunk and/or drink green beer. >> that's just a friday. >> that's what people do. >> pinch people who aren't wearing green. >> yes. >> zach. our stage manager. >> come here, zach. >> come here. time to get your pinching. >> sheinelle, he would rather get pinched -- >> where do you want to get pinched? i'll do a nice -- in elementary school, they used to be brutal. you got some guns there. >> really weak. >> is that weak? >> al, he said that was weak. >> okay. number two, eat irish food. >> the cabbage. >> corned beef and cabbage. >> irish stew. >> the drinks, the whiskey. >> yeah. >> you know, to me, it's like stick to your soul food.

>> mashed potatoes. >> stick to your soul food. >> number one, wear green. >> there you go. we can participate. >> that's from national today.com. now, this is really exciting. >> another exciting thing here today. >> another exciting thing. we've been telling you about our ultimately family fairy tale giveaway. we asked you to send us photos of your family, celebrating a fairy tale for a chance to win airfare for four to scotland. and five nights of accommodations, including three nights at duns castle. we visited, courtesy of our friends at homeaway. time has come. we are down to four finalists. drum roll, please. >> this is the -- >> yes, mill creek, washington. jack and the bean stalk. >> this is a creative family. they used photoshop. i would have never thought to do

that. >> that's impressive. >> this family wants to win. >> dad created the graphics. and they spent the night photoshopping it all together. >> the kids in the window there. that's a cool dad. isn't he? >> next up, the hughes family. >> from knewtown, connecticut. i like this one. "the wizard of oz." they're following the yellow brick road to duns castle. they're great grandmother lives in the u.k. but has never met their youngest daughter. now we have a story line. >> have you dressed the kids up in a theme? >> we've never done that. >> we are a theme all the time. we theme every year. we've done the "wizard of oz theme. and we did a person theme. >> we did it -- nick and i usually do a theme. we did a "star wars" theme once. >> that's cute. >> all right. >> i was hon solo. >> of course you were. >> he was a storm trooper.

it worked out because we had done "star wars" on the show. >> that's why you're hon solo. >> especially for the hair. sisters aria and charlotte from south carolina. >> rapunzel and eugene. my daughter loves "untangled" that's the best. >> their mom says it's their favorite fairy tale. how good is that? >> the grig family from just outside is ft. worth. sharon grig, cinderella, with her husband, jim, and their sons, who are the wicked step sisters. that's what jim normally wears. sharon is an avid watcher of our show. her sons were more than happy to play along. >> i like this one because we assumed there were little kids. dressing up as princesses. she got her brothers involved. >> we want you, you, our viewers, to head to today.com, and vote for your favorite. voting begins today. we're going to announce the

winner next friday. >> i'm so happy we don't have to decide. it's up to you, america. we have other exciting muse that involves mario. >> this is big. >> i'm excited to be launching my youtube channel. >> wow. >> the family, the lopez family, with awe struck. and there it is right there. my daughter, gia, my son, dominick, my wife, courtney. we're about celebrating family, faith, food, fitness, fun. it's a sneak peek into our lives. and the kids -- >> who is that? >> that's julio cesar chavez lopez. >> we're going to feel like part of your family. >> and there's gia. those dogs they're the best. the kids got italian names. i had to have a mexican names. i got to name the dogs. my wife named the kids. >> fair enough. sounds like a fair trade. >> those are our two

ethnicities. check it out. take a peek. >> it's not a show unless we have a game, right? >> i'm excited about this one. in honor of your adorable dimples, indentations, as we say, we're going to play a game called "name dem dimples." >> that's what the prompter says. >> we're guessing people's dimples. whose belong to who? >> whose dimples be dey? >> it works. who are the people? >> let's put up the first dimple. >> matthew mcconaughey. >> you're fast. >> did you want simpdimples? >> the princess. duchess kate. >> if you had dimples, do you know automatically dimples? >> it's like a fraternity. >> next one. >> that's from "one direction,"

harry styles. >> what? >> i'm great with names. >> did we make it hard for him? >> that's my girl, gabby union. >> that's bradley cooper. >> no way. yes. >> does he have dimples? >> i do an entertainment show. >> that's a cabbage patch kid. >> there you go. >> i looked like that as a kid, too. with the holes in the face. >> impressive. >> thank you. >> we had to go to commercial. i had to get through it. >> that was good. >> like a speed round. >> right? >> doing it fast. >> that's it. >> all right. >> come up with more. speaking of games, move over thimble. votes are in. our exclusive reveal of the our exclusive reveal of the the toothpaste that helpstax, prevent bleeding gums. if you spit blood when you brush or floss you may have gum problems and could be on the journey to much worse.

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"today's take." >> making it rain. >> wouldn't you? if it was real? >> i wouldn't be putting it down your dress. >> that's naughty, sheinelle. >> world monopoly day is this sunday. >> okay. >> and earlier this year, monopoly fans were asked to vote from 64 tokens they wanted in the new version of the game. and the votes are in. >> it's raining monopoly money. >> here are the tokens that have been removed. taken out. they're gone. no more thimble. the boot. or the wheelbarrow. >> wow. >> returning -- >> nice. >> the ship, the dog, the top hat, the race car, the cat. and now, the brand-new tokens. ladies and gentlemen, meet your new monopoly tokens. >> my god. the t-rex? a rubber ducky.

>> and -- >> a penguin. >> the penguin. >> yyay. >> those are sort of all over the place. >> go ahead. one, two, three. >> there it is. >> now, the new game sets on shelves this fall. >> what's going on there? >> wow. >> is there a theme? >> just things that people like. >> people voted. >> the t-rex. okay. >> the shoe? i like the shoe. >> i'm upset about the thimble. >> i'm upset about the thimble. >> thimble is old-school. >> kids are like, what's that? they use a thimble anymore? >> i don't know what it does. >> exactly. >> it protects your thumb when you're sewing. >> okay. not much nitting going on. >> not nitting, sewing. >> that's something different. sorry. >> clearly, we know all about it. can we talk about gwen stefani. and we love her. she revealed 17 things you never knew about her. she made her first dollar

working at dairy queen. >> wow. >> people like to hear when successful people talk about their first jobs. it's relatable, right? the first album she bought, shaun cassidy. you can tell a lot about a person. >> what was your first job? >> my first job was, at a day care. i managed a day care. it was a nursery at a nice health club. the moms would drop off their kids. >> what was your first album? >> my first album was "let it whip" a single. >> the dazz band. >> i got it. >> i used to do the dance. >> that was the jam right there. >> and i would -- >> whip it. >> i was probably like 10. you know that song? >> of course i do. >> that's on my play list. of course, i know it. i will show you my phone. >> nobody else. >> you can get down to this song. this was a roller skate song. >> that's l.a. >> this is great. >> i love it. >> you said it. >> your first job?

>> my first job was on a show called "kids incorporated" when i was 10 years old. i played the drums. i don't remember being a mariachi. >> a great hair. >> i was dancing. >> look at you. >> i played the drums. that was accou"kids incorporate" >> it was huge. this is one of my favorite shows. >> i haven't seen this in forever. >> was this like -- >> saturday mornings. >> it was like "the mickey mouse club." >> not before. >> it was my first job. my first kiss with fergie. >> hold on. back up. first kiss with fergie? >> yeah. that's a good one. that's a good one. >> can you talk about that? >> she likes to point out, no tongue. >> you were 10. >> was it part of like a skit? >> no. that was real. that was not -- yeah. 10 years old. and my first album, i'll never

forget it. i bought it around '87. l.l. cool j.'s "bigger and defer. >> when i'm alone in my room, i stare at the wall and in the back of my mind i hear my conscious call, telling me i need a girl as sweet as a dove, for the first time in my life, i see i need love. i remember that. 1987, something like that. >> i love you so much. >> you're into the dazz band. >> i was a porter at shop rite, local supermarkets. >> first album? >> "the chimpmunks sing the beatles". >> they had the chipmunks back then? >> they started in the '50s. ♪ i told the witch doctor, i was in love with now ♪ >> i don't know that one.

how do you know that one? ♪ >> okay. >> how did i know that? >> that is old-school. dave seville and the chipmu chipmunks. st. patrick's day. savannah, a huge parade. sunny skies, mild. here in new york city, the parade steps off at 11:00 a.m. it will be chilly. windchills in the 20s. and for boston, your parade is on sunday at 1:00 p.m. some snowshowers, windy and cold and 33 degrees. a little snow in your beer. good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we have a lot of sunshine as we get a live look at the golden gate bridge. heading out we'll continue to see our temperatures warming up. we're at 57 degrees in oakland. 56 degrees in fairfield. highs today reaching into the

upper 60s near the coastline. in san francisco, while up to 78 degrees in napa, also 78 in livermore and in palo alto, 79 in san jose and 81 in morgan hills. >> and that's your latest weather. coming up next, an extra special freebie friday, in honor of st. patrick's day. you don't want to miss this. for some of our fans and you at home, you will be feeling the luck of t

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let's see who wants to go to ireland. >> this is huge. >> it's like the little dance, "we're off to see the wizard." did they hear us say? >> these are chocolate, i think. we might have to -- >> you're giving away a lot of chocolate, right? okay. i feel like, mario, we could change someone's life. >> this is unbelievable. >> a trip of a lifetime. okay. >> what up? who wants to go to ireland? >> good morning. oh, my goodness. you know what? i'm going to start on the ends. >> okay. >> i'm going to start on the end. >> good morning. okay. we are giving away a trip to ireland. would you like to go? you're going. >> let's see. let's walk over here. >> congratulations. who wants to go to ireland? >> i love the little dance. >> let's go in the corner.

you want to go to ireland? what's your name? >> marilyn. >> who is this? >> maureen. >> it's her birthday. >> you're going to ireland for your birthday. [ cheers ] that's amazing. >> look at her face. she can't believe it. one more. one more. >> you got one more. >> i like this. kiss -- what's your sign say? >> kiss me, i'm irish. >> have you been to ireland? would you like to go? you're going. five nights. congratulations. >> congratulations. congratulations. >> what about our viewers at home? >> we haven't forgotten you folks at home. if you can't make it to the plaza, you have a chance to win. thanks to trip adviser, one lucky fan will get a trip to ireland, including airfare, and a $300 credit for popular attractions. visit facebook.com/todaystake to find out how to enter.

and it would be nice if you like us, as well. coming up, our st. patrick's day celebration continues. how much do you know about how much do you know about (baby crying) ♪ minutes old. ♪ a baby's skin is never more delicate. ♪ what do hospitals use to wash and protect it? ♪ johnson's® the number 1 choices in hospitals. on a perfect car, then smash it into a tree. your insurance company raises your rates... maybe you should've done more research on them.

for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. liberty mutual insurance. good morning. 9:26. happening today, we are expecting to hear more from the chp on the east bay freeway shootings that have left drivers scared. last week a man was shot and killed on i-80 in richmond. investigators say the shooting was targeted. chp is holding a news conference at golden gate division. 2:00 this afternoon. officers estimate there have been 80 freeway shootings on bay area highways since 2015. also happening today, st. patrick's day, party goers who may have had too much to drink can get a free tow and ride home. aaa's service free for anybody. you don't have to be a aa member. starts at 6:00 tonight until 6:00 tomorrow morning in

northern california, all over. call aaa, say you need tipsy tow. 800-222-4357. tell them where you live, phone number and current location and you are good to go. weather and traffic coming up after the break.

good friday morning. we are starting out with temperatures in low to mid-50s. heading out, a lot of sunshine. 54 degrees on the peninsula. all of this sunshine will help warm up those temperatures fairly quickly up to 77 degrees. a very warm day across the bay area with more sunshine. then we'll start to see clouds moving in for the weekend that will bring down those temperatures out ahead of this storm system, set to bring us rain early next week. look at this, lanes are

moving northbound 101 at the 680 interchange. it's friday, should be lighter. the crash tied things up. the map shows you we're still rofring from capital expressway. 87 sees a little more traffic as an alternate president the metering lights reported on at the toll plaza themselves but they should be turning them off in the next few minutes. east shore freeway, no major delays. we'll get you back to the "today" show.

it is st. patrick's day. it's time for a tradition, kiss me i'm irish. >> donald, will be asking a question about a famous irish celebrity. and we are going to buzz in, using these miniirish flags. this is our buzz. >> let's see who is getting lucky on st. patrick's day. i don't know what that has to do with the game. >> this is going to get really interesting, really quickly. >> are you ready for this? this is true irish stuff here. name the first-ever irish actor to play james bond. >> mario? >> sean connery. >> wrong. >> he is scottish. >> disqualified.

>> wait -- >> i can get it from someone else. >> pierce brosnan. >> we'll take whatever irish we can get. >> i get it. i broke my buzzer already. >> this is important stuff, mario. >> question two. born in northern ireland, 'cawa this actor who went on to win a youth boxing championship. >> liam neeson. >> nice. >> question number three. >> born in the bronx -- raised in carlo. is this two-time oscar nominee, a point goes to whoever can correctly spell her name. this is a hard one. >> s-a-o-r -- >> wrong. >> oh, my god. >> you get credit. >> al? >> i got it.

>> the correct answer is -- fantastic. okay. >> wie have to do better. this irish actor can count magne magneto, steve jobs and macbeth among the parts he played. who could it be? >> irish actor. magneto, steve jobs, macbeth. >> who played steve jobs? >> come on. >> who was it? >> colin farrell. >> michael fassbender. >> that's right. >> come on. >> come on. >> no colin farrell. that's an irishman. born to a father who played for the shamrock rovers, the irish actor whose first golden globe nomination from starring in a film who takes place in belgium,

in brouge. >> colin farrell. >> i'm going to say i'm very impressed with your irish knowledge. >> if we go on a game show. >> he hosts "extra" for god's sake. let's do irish weather for one. see how we do, huh? we'll see how mr. dimples does. >> dorn aborn and raised in der this actress, who earned two nominations for playing monica in the long-playing cbs drama. >> roma downey. >> i think i should give that to al. >> there's no simpympathy point here. i broke my flag. come on. >> no wonder nobody stands with you during "extra." >> let's do another one. >> whoever gets this one right, i think we have to give it to them. number seven and finally.

born in if rotunda hospital, name the man who wrote the songs -- >> bono. >> come on. >> give it to him. >> congratulations. >> thank you. >> fantastic. he's got the irish dance and everything. i have to shake your hand, sir. >> i'm officially irish. >> mario o'lopez. >> he's going to be helping us make traditional irish food. up next, we're going to give you great travel deals for unforgettable spring break. wow, he was good. after these messages. >> thank you. >> is he anyone with type 2 diabetes knows how it feels to see your numbers go up, despite your best efforts. but what if you could turn things around? what if you could love your numbers? discover once-daily invokana®. it's the #1 prescribed

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♪ all right. this morning we are marching into spring, with some great travel ideas. >> yes. whether you're looking to warm up, as we wait out winter, or enjoy some snowy sports before the winter is over, mark elwood has unique and affordable destinati destinations. mark, good morning to you. the first on your list surprised me. you have tempe, arizona. >> this is the cactus league. baseball teams went there to do spring training. we have 15 teams and 200 games. you can go baseball crazy. >> it's a great location. it's not far from l.a. and it's pretty much in arizona and the other one is in florida. those are the two camps. >> exactly. if you go to arizona, you can stay at the graduate hotel, where you get not just your room, but a baseball cap with a team of your choice and a couple of

>> baseball fans are all over that. >> it's a dream. and something that's underrated right outside of l.a., is catalina island. >> i think catalina island is forgotten. it's 22 miles from the l.a. coastline. but i think of it as the st. barts of the specific. it was a fishing village that was left untouched. >> a lot of bison. they used to shoot westerns. there's a bunch of buffalo just roaming around on this island. >> really? >> random fun fact. >> if you go there, and you stay at the pavilion hotel, you can eat some bison with a $50 resort credit. you can sample them in a different way. >> there's another one. a lot of people go to key west, florida. there's more adventures there than people guess. >> i think everyone assumes key west is the edge of the world. >> it's not? >> it's not. if you keep going west, there's a little group of islands, one of the at least visited national

parks. >> the turtle. >> exactly. >> you can snorkel with the turtles and amazing bird watching. we have a deal left, which is a seven-day sailing adventure, buy one get one free. >> that's great to know. another city i find charming and beautiful, is charleston, south carolina. >> our readers choice awards, when our readers pick the favorite things around the world, charleston has a number one favorite small city of america. >> why do you think that is? >> why do you think it is? >> it's charming. >> there's a brand-new hotel, the shore club, a 92-room waterfront hotel. every room has a view of the water. look at that. >> gorgeous. >> i love that. we have a lot of folks who love their ski towns. mccall, idaho? >> you are surprised. late season skiing. mccall is 2 1/2 hours drive from boise, one of my favorite places. >> it's beautiful out there.

>> and boise has a great community. you get lovely chorizo and great food. then, you head to the mountains. this is fantastic snow late in the season. >> next time you need some research and some partners, we're with you. anytime. >> volunteers right there. let's go to al for a check of the weather. >> thanks, guys. let's show you what we got for the weekend outlook. saturday, snow coming across into the northeast. leftover snow through the great lakes. record highs through the southwest. and wet weather continuing in the pacific northwest, into northern california. sunday, sunday, some coastal snow leftover. we got plenty of sunshine through th good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we have a perfect day here, too. 69 degrees in san francisco. mostly sunny skies.

the clouds will be rolling in for tomorrow and that will help hold down the temperatures into the lower 60s. only a slight chance of spotty showers for the inland area for both tomorrow and sunday. early next week, we'll start to see some more widespread rain moving in during the afternoon. heavy downpours likely on tuesday and wednesday before the system clears out next thursday. >> and that is your latest weather. did you know in ireland, they serve corned beef, prepared with bacon? >> we do. >> my gosh. why aren't we doing that? >> i thought you liked corned beef. >> we'll show you, and the best stick-to-your-rips fare. with our favorite game show host. love this man. enamel is the strong, white, outer layer of your tooth surface. the thing that's really important to dentists is to make sure that that enamel stays strong and resilient for a lifetime. the more that we can strengthen

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you may be muddling through allergies.oned with... try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin®. because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. try zyrtec®. muddle no more®. this morning on "today food" we are celebrating st. patrick's day. every year, millions come together to eat, drink and be marry, in honor of st stst. patrick. and donnell skehan is author of the new book, "fresh." we have not one, but three st. paddy's day dishes. top of the morning to you. >> how are you feeling? >> what's the story behind the co corned beef. >> corned beef is not an irish dish we would cook at home. but it has its roots in ireland.

so, corned beef is probably one of the most poplar dishes for irish-americans. when irish-americans have bacon or ham, they used corned beef. it's because a lot of irish immigrants settled in jewish areas where corned beef was a popular thing. a brisket. that's the history of it. >> cabbage, onions, potatoes, spices and the beef. >> and it's easy to make at home. there will be plenty of people takie ing making this today. we have corned beef. we are going in with pickling spices. this is going to cook about two hours at a low heat. i nearly forgot. come down here. we got a bundle of herbs. a great tip, if you want to make sure you can pick these out easily. is to bundle them up like this with a bit of string. >> say bundle again. >> bundle. a little bundle of herbs. you can't go wrong, al. >> bundle o herbs.

>> i went to high school with him. >> oh, dear god. here we go. the hlid goes on. that's going to cook two hours. and come over. we have one that has cooked about two hours. after that time, you have the most beautiful, tender piece of meat. it's not finished cooking. you have all of the flavor in the beef. we're going to add in cabbage and allow it to cook. >> you leave the broth in there? >> you leave the broth, and you will have the best tasting cabbage in your life. >> once you put it back in, how long do you cook that? >> an hour and a half. an hour and 30 minutes. it will cook down until the cabbage is nice and tender. you want it to be tender and pierce with a fork. you have to take out the corned beef. >> look how much it shrunk. >> talk about the shrinking, jerry. >> the shrinkage? i wasn't prepared for that.

with this, you want to take beautiful slice of this. and look. i mean, look at how gorgeous this is. i think you got to go against the grain. get really gorgeous slices like that. serve that with your potatoes. a little cabbage along the side. and that's spectacular. >> spicy mustard on it right there. >> got some spicy mustard. >> there's a special dispensations because st. patrick's day has fallen on a friday in lent. >> a meat hall pass. >> you have a hall pass right there. >> you could serve up fish if you want. >> this is from my book "fresh." this is pan-fried cod with some yogurt and lentils. we have some green going on with minty fresh peas. >> mashed peas. you mash them up frozen. >> we got some soda bread. and another one from the book. this is irish coffee mousses. these are easy to make. they look like irish coffee and they're spectacular.

>> donnelal, thank you so much. go to today.com/food for the recipes. we're back in a moment. we're back in a moment. [crying] ahhhhhhhhhh! the price you see is the price you pay, unlike cable.

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♪ we want to thank mario for being here. >> you're so great. >> more time. >> thank you. i had a great time. >> and this cake, ice cream cake from baskin robbins. and from dunkin' donuts, they were stuck in traffic. >> from the st. paddy's day parade. >> we're welcoming back dylan dwyer from maternity leave. after giving birth to the beautiful boy, calvin. >> that's my new nephew. >> here's the interesting thing, we have somebody as our guest

co-host on monday, just for you. take a look. >> had to go with her response from when she was a teenager. >> this has to be because you meet everybody. >> and she sends this person -- >> i know who it is. should i guess? >> yes. >> tyson beck you knford. >> that is sheinelle's husband, who was your hall pass. you said tyson beckford. >> he is co-hosting for you on monday? >> can i drop out of frame? that's uncomfortable. seriously? i used to have him hanging up in my locker back in the day. >> you'll have him hanging out in the dressing room. >> stop. you see that picture. can we put that picture back up? that one. woo. okay. >> what's he got that i haven't got? >> who is your hall pass, al? >> tyson beckford. >> good answer. >> all right. >> oh, man.

i'm nervous. >> i think you have the vapors. >> i got the vapors. >> my gosh. still coming up, we got kathie lee and jenna, who get close up with "grey's anatomy" hunk ockp ccki intr 32=t

as you head out today, maybe some clothes that will keep you warm in the morning but cool during the afternoon. dress if layers as we'll see the high temperature in the south bay reaching 78 degrees with some sunshine. 73 degrees in the peninsula. also 73 in the east bay.

san francisco up to 69 degrees. overall a very nice st. patrick's day. heading into the weekend we'll see more clouds moving in with spotty sprinkles especially in the north bay. more updates on that. make sure you keep checking in. >> i always check in with you, kari is tweeting out as well. looking toward the south bay, earlier crash cleared on 101 north bound but slow drive in usual patterns through san jose. i want to take you up to oakland because northbound 880 by the coliseum is where we've had the problem. you see jammed up traffic here and at high street your fast lane is blocked. that crash still active. there are no major injuries, just this headache as you travel north. happening now, the white house has apologized to the united kingdom for repeating a claim that former president obama used british agencies to spy on president donald trump. the claim originated on fox news and sean spicer repeated in his

press conference. the white house told parliament that claim will not be repeated again. four native american tribe against the dakota access pipeline. we'll tell you about it coming up.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today," with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hello, everybody. try day friday's here, march 17th. you've made it to happy st. patrick's day. jenna bush hager is in for hoda who is not irish but in her heart of hearts she is. >> well, she likes to drink like the irish. >> she's not drinking too much these days. she's on baby patrol. >> she sure is. >> you're listening to the sounds of the world famous celtic thunder. they're singing "ireland's call there." they're going to get us into the saint paddy's day