7:00 a.m., a special report on the "today" show, house speaker paul ryan not running for row election. >> join us at 11:00 on this wednesday. great day, enjoy. this is an nbc news special report. here's savannah guthrie. >> and good morning, everybody, we come on the air with breaking news out of capitol hill. the house speaker, paul ryan, tells nbc news this morning he will not run for re-election. his future had become a sour of growing speculation since republicans pushed their massive tax overhaul through congress. well the speaker is about to hold a news conference and talk about his plans. that's the room. nbc's kasie hunt is right there in it. kasie, you cover capitol hill for us. this is one of those things where the rumors had been swirling around. the speaker's office had denied. yet it sounds like he will not be running for re-election.

>> that's right, savannah. his last term in congress as speaker, he will be resigning in january. as you point out this is something that had been long rumored, not confirmed until today. the speaker's office had in fact repeatedly knocked down and denied that the speaker was considering not running for re-election or at the very least, not running for speaker. and when you talk to the speaker himself about it, he would say well you know what, i haven't talked to my wife yet. they've got three kids and that's hauls been at the forefront of the speaker's decisions. he talked about when he was pressed into service in many ways about two and a half years ago, after john boehner stepped down as speaker of the house. ryan said he would only do this job if he could still manage to spend some time with his family. but the reality was, he was taking on a thankless job. this is an almost ungovernable conference of republicans. they are very divided between conservatives and moderates and that has always been an

incredibly difficult dynamic to manage. for speaker paul ryan. >> kasie, i guess the big political question is what's the calculation, the 2018 mid terms are coming up, many political observers think the republicans could lose the house. so reading those tea leaves, is the notion that paul ryan is not going to try to hang on to his seat and not going to continue mean that he thinks well, maybe i'm not going to be speaker for much longer, anyway. >> i think it's a strong sign of that, savannah. there's no other way to read this. if there were, if it seemed as though he was likely going to retain the speakership in the falling, i think it's a much easier decision to stay in. continue in this role. but to go through this entire election season to ultimately lose, and then to have to step down as speaker is a much more difficult situation in many ways. i think this is going to set up an intense battle to succeed paul ryan tharks already shaping up.

steve scalise, the whip here in the house who was wounded in the terrible congressional baseball shooting, is somebody who is thought of as a potential next speaker. kevin mccarthy, the leader, he of course made a bid for speaker a few years ago, unsuccessfully, thought of as somebody else who might try to succeed ryan. but again there's a very strong feeling here among republicans that it's likely that they are not going to be holding a speaker election at this time, at the conclusion of the election season. but rather, for somebody who will be a leader of a minority party. >> kasie, hang tight. you're in the room, we await paul ryan, the house speaker po is going to come in and talk about his plans and his announcement that he will not be running for re-election, but will complete his term through january. at the white house, nbc's kristen welker is there. we've already heard from the president. and you do wonder, kristen, whether this president has any bearing on the decision that speaker ryan came to today.

>> the two have had a rocky relationship. first in terms of what we know, senior administration official tells nbc news that house speaker paul ryan did speak with the president earlier today. to inform him of his decision. the president reacting in a tweet new york city surprise. the president writing speaker ryan is a truly good man. while he will not be seeking re-election, he will leave a legacy of achievement that nobody can question. we are with you, paul. now, savannah, this is a relationship that was ice cold from the very start. remember, the house speaker was reluctant to endorse then-nominee trump, once he had won the nomination. he eventually came around once president trump was in office. they went back and forth over health care. the president pointing a finger at the house speaker for some of the difficulties they had in terms of getting that legislation passed. ultimately a version of health care did make its way through the house, that's when you started to see these two men repair their relationship.

and then of course, tax reform passed. that was a moment when you saw the president, house speaker paul ryan finding their footing in terms of having a strong working relationship. blue but there were challenges that remain, savannah. the house speaker continually needing to respond to the president's tweets. president trump infuriated in the wake of that recent spending bill that passed. in part because he didn't feel as though there was enough funding for his walk. for border security. now in terms of what we expect from the president today, he's going to be signing a bill later today at the white house, that's a chance for reporters to ask him questions about all of this and he's going to be having dinner with speaker paul ryan and other house leaders. we thought issues like syria, the russia investigation would be front and center at that dinner. but now, undoubtedly the republican agenda moving forward without house speaker paul ryan. that will be the question they discuss tonight. savannah? >> we're joined by peter alexander who covers washington and the white house.

just thinking about how the next nine months or so might play out. we definitely see a change when you have these members who say, i'm not running for re-election. i'm retiring. they start to sometimes act a little bit differently, would you expect something like that? >> let's be clear. the president is calling on a truly good man. in the past he called him weak and ineffective. so president trump has only made the job of paul ryan a lot tougher. certainly he's celebrating the successes he's had in terms of tax overhaul. he's a numbers guy, that's something he's focused on. the big picture here, not just for paul ryan, but for others, is the fact that by our count paul ryan becomes the 24th house republican to announce he will not be running for re-election. i think republicans recognize they face the potential for what's described as a blue democratic wave this fall. it's a real concern for paul ryan. some have suggested in the past he might be a presidential candidate in the future. he's indicated that he wants to spend more time with his three children back in janesville in wisconsin. but this is a guy who ran side by side with mitt romney.

he's been at the highest levels of power in the course of his career. soy think it's something people will focus on. although it seems unlikely to me at this moment. one thing i would also focus on is whoever replaces him, either becoming the next house speaker if republicans hold on or the minority leader if they lose, steve scalise or kevin mccarthy, these are two men who have closer relationships to president trump. if the republicans don't control the house it's going to be a lot tougher to get business done. at the end of the day, the window for president trump may be closing pretty quickly. >> we have our eye on the hearing room. i want to turn back to kasie hunt who covers capitol hill for us. i understand you have some more information for us and also let folks know what kind of re-election was paul ryan facing in janesville, wisconsin? he's been a member of congress for almost 20 years, was it going to be an easy ride to re-election for him? >> savannah, i want to pick up on something that kristen and peter had both touched on here. which is the difficulty of being paul ryan in trump's washington.

and if you talk to paul ryan privately, behind the scenes, he is somebody who had a very hard time, even as publicly he was out basically defending the president, privately he felt as though he was on the same kind of roller coaster that many of those of us who cover washington are on every day with this president. it was frustrating to be in a position where every time he seems to defend the president, he would face criticism publicly. when in fact he felt as though he was speaking to the president behind the scenes. that they had a good relationship and that he was able to be the ballast in the ship of state so to speak. in influencing president trump behind the scenes. but that you know that role sin credibly difficult and frustrating and for somebody who is young and who as peting mentioned, may want to have a future career in politics, this may make sense as the right move for this particular period in time. and for the history of the republican party. your other question, what his race was going to be like? he has had a democratic

challenger who has raised quite a bit of money. also spends quite a bit of money. there were some democrats were excited about that, it wasn't clear that he really had a serious future against paul ryan. ryan is relatively popular in his home district. he's very well known. but it has been a slightly difficult district for republicans. it's trended a little bit more republican in recent years than it was before. but at one point it was a very solidly swing district there was a sense that paul ryan could easily hold it in any other situation it might be a race. the question now for the district is going to be whether not running against paul ryan means thaw know democrats may not be as excited about that particular congressional house race as they may have been before. that of course is the hope of republicans who would like to keep one more seat in the house. but it's likely to be wanted to run. >> good to get the perspective

from your side of pennsylvania avenue, kasie on this relationship. between the president and the speaker. so let's go over to kristen welker who is on the other side at the white house. you touched on it, kristen, and so did peter, about the long and storied history of a relationship between these two men. speaker ryan is not incredibly popular with president trump's base. >> he's not and he really, i think embodies to some extent, savannah, the divide that we have seen increasingly grow within the republican party.

the fact we're hearing that from a growing number of republicans on capitol hill. there's a fraught backdrop and. >> that is the reality and when you speak with republicans on both sides of pennsylvania

avenue, they acknowledge it as much. >> that's speaker ryan for the moment, as we mentioned, that's the news this morning. he's informed his conference that he will not run for re-election this fall. which means he will not be the speaker come january. and of course, the speculation is that he may be preparing and bracing for a loss of majority control of the house this fall. a lot of people watching 2018 and note it's going to be a tough road for republicans to hold on to control. i've got peter alexander with me. before i think we're just moments away from hearing what speaker ryan has to say. but there's so much going on in washington right now. and so much of it hinges on how republicans in either the senate or the house deal with and handle what they're getting from president trump. and kristen just talked about the russia investigation, here the president seems to be thinking about, musing about whether or not to fire the special counsel. or his boss, the number two at the justice department. and a lot of what ultimately

happen there is comes down to what republicans in congress are willing to put up with. and so, this retirement could play into all of that. >> i think you're exactly right. this not good for republican morale right now when you hear that your leader said, hey, guys, i'm going to call it quits but what it says beyond that i think is significant as well. for these republicans who wanted to be focusing on tax reform, on tax cuts, the fact that many americans have more money in their pockets right now. the president who is sort of haphazard with his announcements, doesn't seem to have a coherent strategy in the way he addresses policy. only recently has been talking about trade tariffs on china and the like has had an impact on a lot of these republicans. >> a lot of traditional republicans, that's not a position, they're free traders. >> it goes against their orthodoxy and it goes against their message. they think it takes away from the money they were trying to sell. >> chuck todd, take it away, what's your take as we wait, seconds from paul ryan addressing this, the media here.

>> in some ways it's not that surprising, paul ryan hasn't been comfortable in this job for some time. he barely hides it think symbolically, think this is a moment to remind people that this is yet the more evidence that this is donald trump's republican party, and those that were in it for different reasons are less and less comfortable all the time. paul ryan wasn't comfortable being in donald trump's republican party. he had his own vision for the republican party and essentially his vision is losing, his vision, you could argue, has lost. and so i think if he was enjoying this, he would be running again. so it's clear this is a, a leader who decided, this is not the republican party i want to lead this is not the republican party i'm comfortable in. he's not going to say that stuff today. for obviously reasons. but going forward, i don't know, there's an argument to be made, wow, the speaker won't even run this sets up, this means, boy, this is going to be a disaster. there's only one seat that has

now been impacted by this decision, it's paul ryan. republicans were vulnerable to losing the house paul ryan announced he wasn't going to run and they're vulnerable today. it's now it just means democrats have one more seat they can target. his own seat. >> we're watching the hallways of capitol hill right now and we've got eyes on as speaker paul ryan makes his way, he has been addressing members of the republican conference this morning and he's going to a room where he's going to address the media. and all eyes are on him right now, chuck. there will be a race to replace him. he's going to stay in the speaker position until january, so of course as peter was just mentioning, we don't know if the replacement will be as another speaker, with the republicans maintaining control or whether we'll be talking about a minority leadership. but the two main talked about steve scalise and kevin mccarthy, they do seem to have a better working relationship with

the president, would you agree? >> very much so. catch mccarthy i would say more so than steve scalise. and savannah, that's what i'm going to be most curious about. how involved does the president get in the leadership race? does he put a finger on the scale? does he let the freedom caucus know? does he let his people know that he guy he wants to work with is either scalise or mccarthy? does he let that know? and does one of them think kevin mccarthy has to owe their position to the president, i think that's something to watch for. >> we're going to watch for speaker paul ryan to address the microphone. >> good morning, i wanted to share with you a little of of what i just told my colleagues a few minutes ago. you realize something when you take this job. it's a big job with a lot riding on you and you feel it. but you also know that this is a job that does not last forever. you realize that you hold the office for just a small part of our history. so you better make the most of it. it's fleeting.

and that inspires you to do big things. and on that score, i think we have achieved a heck of a lot. you all know that i did not seek this job. i took it reluctantly. but i had given this job everything that i have. and i have no regrets whatsoever for having accepted this responsibility. this has been one of the two greatest honors of my life. the job provides incredible opportunities. the truth is, it's easy for it to take over everything in your life. and you can't just let that happen. because there are other things in life that can be fleeting as well. namely, your time as a husband and a dad, which is the other great honor of my life. that's why today i'm announcing that this year will be my last one as a member of the house. to be clear, i am not resigning, i intend to serve my full term

as i was elected to do. but i will be retiring in january, leaving this majority in good hands with what i believe is a very bright future. it's almost hard to believe, but i have been a member of congress for almost two decades. this is my 20th year in congress. my kids weren't even born when i was first elected. our oldest was 13 years old when i became speaker. now, all three of our kids are teenagers. and one thing i've learned about teenagers is, their idea of an ideal weekend is not necessarily to spend all of their time with their parents, what i realize is, if i'm here for one more term, my kids will only have ever known me as a weekend dad. i just can't let that happen. so i will be setting new priorities in my life. but i will also be leaving incredibly proud of what we've accomplished. some of you know my story, my

dad died when i was 16. the age my daughter is. and i just don't want to be one of those people looking back on my life thinking i spent more time with my kids, when i know if i spend another term they will only know me as a weekend father. so i'm really proud of what we've been able to do. when i took this job, one of my conditions was that we aim high. that we do big things that we fashion an agenda, run on that agenda that we win an election and we execute that agenda. i am so proud that that is exactly what we have done and what we are doing right now. we've accomplished so much since then. probably the two biggest achievements for me are first the major reform of our tax code for the first time in 36 years. which has already been a huge success in this country and that's something that i've been working on my entire adult life. and second, something i've become much more invested on since becoming speaker is to

rebuild our nation's military and after tax reform addressing the military's readiness crisis, that's a top priority we got done last month as well. these i see as lasting victories that will make this country more prosperous and more secure for decades to come. there are so many other things that we have gotten done and i'm going to look back proudly on my days in the budget committee and the ways and means committee. i don't want to be too sentimental, i'm not done yet. i intend to run through the tape, to finish the year. some of you wonder why i can't just do the normal politician thing. which is to run and then retire after the election. that's what i'm told is the politically shrewd thing to do. i considered that. but just as my conscience is what got me to take this job in the first place, my conscience would not handle going out again. i pledge to serve the people of wisconsin, the first district, honorably. in order to serve the people in my district honorably, i have to serve them honestly.

and for me, to ask them to vote to re-elect me, knowing that i wasn't going to stay, is not being honest. so i simply cannot do that. so that's why i'm announcing this today. again i am proud of what this conference has achieved and i believe its future is bright. the economy is strong, we've given americans greater confidence in their lives and i have every confidence that i'll be handing this gavel on to the next republican speaker of the house next year. so just to close, i said earlier that i didn't want this job at first. and you, most of you know this, i really actually didn't. but i have to thank my colleagues for giving me this opportunity and this honor. i am really grateful for it. i want to thank the people of southern wisconsin for placing their trust in me as their representative for the past 20 years. i tried to bring as much wisconsin to washington as i can in that time. it's been a wild ride. but it's been a journey well worth taking to be able to do my

part to strengthen the american idea. that pursuit is never-ending, much work remains, but i like to think i've done my little part in history to set us on a better course. thank you. yes? correct. correct. i do. look i know most speakers don't go out on their own terms, tip o'neill was probably the last to do that. but harry reid just last session did this he announced he wasn't going to run again and he stayed on as senate leader. that's what i mean to do. >> you're not sticking around for as big a consequence, which is the $1 trillion budge deficit. what's your response to that. >> entitlement reform is the one thing, the one other great thing that i spent most of my career working on, i'm extremely proud

of the fact that the house passed the biggest entitlement reform bill ever considered in the house of representatives. do i regret the fact that the senate did not pass this? yes. but i feel from all the budgets that i've passed, normalizing entitlement reform, pushing the cause of entitlement reform and the house passing entitlement reform, i'm proud of that. but yes, work needs to be done and i'm going to keep fighting for that. >> the chance you might not be speaker come november if democrats possibly take the house factor at all into this decision? >> no, none whatsoever, actually. look, all know me, i didn't take the job to get the gavel in the first place, i'm not a guy who thinks about it like that. this really was two things, i have accomplished much of what i came here to do and my kids aren't getting any younger. if i stay they're only go to know me as a weekend dad and that's something i consciously can't do and that's really it right there.

>> mid terms and perhaps sending a signal that the house has lost -- >> i gave it some consideration, but i really do not believe whether i stay or go, in 2019, is going to affect a person's individual race for congress. i really don't think a person's race for congress is going to hinge on whether paul ryan is speaker or not, so i don't think it affects it. if we do our jobs, which we are, we're going to be fine as a majority. i'm grateful for the president to give us the chance to get this done. i'm grateful we have unified government that the president with his victory gave us so we get all of these big things done. we're going to have a great record to run on, we have a great economy, great accomplishments, more to do and i really don't think that the american people are going to want to have the gridlock that the democrats are promising, so i'm confident that we can run through the tape and we can get this done. >> on the president, he's been openly talking about firing bob mueller. potentially firing the deputy attorney general.

what are your thoughts on that? >> my thoughts haven't changed. i think they should be allowed to do their jobs, we have a rule of law in this country and that's a principle we all uphold. i have no thought that that's going to happen. and i've talked to people in the white house about it. >> who do you think would be -- would mccarthy be good to lead? >> i have great confidence in the leadership team. that's one thing i'm really proud of. obviously i came with a big gulf in leadership when i came here. think we have a fantastic leadership team. i have more thoughts on this think this is probably not the right time to get into that i'll share those thoughts later. that election is november, it's not something we can sweat right now. >> your decision by the way that president trump has changed the character of washington and the character of the republican party. >> i'm grateful to the president for giving us this opportunity to do big things to get this country on right track. the fact that he gave us the ability to get this stuff done makes me proud of the

accomplishments that i've been a contributor to. it makes me satisfied that i've made a big difference and he's given us that chance. so i'm grateful to him for that and that's really how i see it thank you very much, everybody. >> that of course, speaker paul ryan on the news this morning out of washington that he will not run for re-election and he will step down in january. he intends to remain as speaker until he leaves the congress. he's been in congress almost 20 years. said that he wants to return to his family. his kids are growing up fast and he said he wanted to be more than a weekend dad. he also said that he had accomplished many of the things he set out to do in particular tax reform, obviously a highlight legislatively for him. kasie hunt, in the room listening to this. and he was clear to say number one this wasn't a decision because he wasn't going to be speaker for much longer because of the political calculation. he was clear on that. and he said he with as grateful to the president when asked for the opportunity to do these legislative things.

with a did you make of it? >> well savannah, i thought, one thing that's very interesting about his decision here and the timing of it you heard him touch on it here. is that he is saying now, that he is not going to run for re-election. he could have decided to go ahead and run and then after he won his election, announce that he was going to step down. you heard him say that he felt that would not be honest to his constituents. now that is a core part of his political brand of course. but it's also part of who paul ryan is. and you have heard him talk about this throughout his time as speaker in the spotlight. that he feels a commitment to that honesty and that approach. so there certainly are republican who is probably wish that he hadn't made this announcement right now. that he had continued on and run for re-election and stepped down, if that's what he wanted to do. but clearly, he is not wanting to do that. and you also heard him talk about his family. and we touched on this a little bit earlier.

his kids who are now teenagers, he has three kids. i covered them when they were younger and he was mitt romney's vice presidential nominee. they've sort of grown up with him in the spotlight. he talked at some blengt how he really wants to be there as their dad in their final year at home now that they are getting older. this is this fundamental political reality. this is already a thankless job, a difficult position for paul ryan, because of the makeup of the republican conference and also because of his relationship with president trump. so this makes sense, considering that they're looking at potentially losing their majority. so stepping aside, making way for somebody who maybe has a better relationship with the president or at least somebody who may be the president listens to, more closely, or wants in that job, makes sense at this point in time. >> a few seconds left remaining with peter alexander. i thought it was, you covered the romney campaign, so you

certainly covered the vice presidential candidate, speaker ryan. he said more than once, i never wanted this job. and he didn't have it for too long. two and a half years by washington standards, that's not long. but he seems ready to hang it up. >> it was a tough job for john boehner and it's proven to be an even tougher job for paul ryan who didn't want it from the very beginning. before we spoke he said he was the 24th republican to announce he wouldn't be running for re-election. we've learned there's a 25th, a republican from florida who is in the going to be running as well. that's a lot of republican seats they're going to have to protect in the fall. in a very difficult climate. the president has been on a losing streak in terms of some elections in the congressional race. republicans have a tough go ahead of them right now. >> a lot of people are talking about the mid terms, it's that time of year in washington when the business kind of stops and it's all politics until the mid terms. thank you, kasie hunt, kristen welker and chuck todd. we're going to have a full

wrap-up tonight on nightly news, most of you return now to ♪ cue the music. 7:30 on a wednesday morning, it's april 11th, 2018. you are looking at windsor castle. that's where prince harry and meghan markle are going to tie the knot in just over a month. >> just ahead in this half hour, we have a big announcement to make about the royals' big day. still on. >> of course it is. first, the days' headlines, including mark zuckerberg back on capitol hill today. >> back in the hot seat. >> what happened here was, in effect, willful blindness. >> your user agreement sucks. >> reporter: facebook ceo mark zuckerberg returns to capitol hill for a second-straight day of

zblrg user data breach. >> mr. zuckerberg, would you be comfortable sharing with us the name of the hotel you said in last night? >> no. >> i think that might be what this is all about. your right to privacy. >> the gop power shift. >> i'm announcing this year will be my last one as a member of the house. >> speaker of the house paul ryan announcing a short time ago he will not run for re-election this fall. the battle to replace him already getting under way. brewing battle -- lawmakers on both sides of the aisle warn president trump not to fire special counsel robert mueller or deputy attorney general rod rosenstein. saying any such move would be political suicide. >> potentially talking about removing mueller, creates more problems than it solves. bizarre arrest -- actor and comedian tj miller charged with making a bomb threat against a commuter train. the forum "silicon valley" star facing years behind bars.

and divine delivery. >> welcome sister jean. >> the star of march madness, loyola chicago's 98-year-old chaplain, sister jean throws out the first pitch at wrigley field for the cub's home opener. today, wednesday, anticipate 11th, 2018. >> that's the most adorable picture ever, right there. we are going to turn back now to mark zuckerberg's capitol hill grilling. some of his testimony he's already given is raising some questions about what facebook will look like for users moving forward. nbc's gadi schwartz is in l.a. with more. >> zuckerberg answering questions about how such a massive misuse of data happened in the first place and what the company is doing to prevent that from happening again. it has many wondering how facebook may be forced to change its ways and what that means for the more than 2 billion users around the world. >> that was a big mistake.

and it was my mistake. and i'm sorry. >> facebook's ceo, mark zuckerberg, promising changes are coming soon. including the possibility for users to opt out of targeted adds that use their personal data. interview with sheryl sandberg last week. >> do you have an opt-out button. please don't use my profile data for advertising. >> we have different forms of opt out we don't have opt-out at highest level. that would be a paid product. >> are you actually considering having facebook users pay for you not to use that information? >> i think what sheryl was saying was that in order to not run ads at all we would still need some sort of business model. >> right now a paid version of facebook is not on the table. but in the coming months could facebook be getting a facelift? >> facebook sun likely to change the core user experience.

>> facebook users are demanding changes and what information they may unknowingly be sharing. >> your user agreement sucks. >> one change already rolled out, a notification like this one being sent to 87 million users involved in the cambridge analytica scandal. an alert letting people know their data may have been used to influence the 2016 presidential elections. with mid-term elections around the corner, expect to see notifications telling you when you're seeing an ad and who is paying for it like the ones required on tv and radio. facebook hoping to cut down on click bait and pages that share fake news and as well as vowing to verify nonprofit groups. >> our verification program involves two pieces. one is verifying the identity of the person who is buying the ads. the second is verifying their location. >> slight changes to the face of a billion-dollar company. but experts say don't expect major joe haoverhauls to the pl

or business model that is still uncharted territory for capitol hill. >> it's trying to get past the scandal, showing that it's safeguarding privacy. showing that it's changing the way it treats your data. the company promising to cut down on fake users, that could mean less of the friend requests fund-raiser complete strangers, you used to be able to search for people using email addresses and phone numbers, now you can only search for people by name. back to you. >> gadi schwartz, thank you. tha. let's get a check of the weather. >> all right, guys. >> or not. >> or not. we're going the start -- this is the time of year we can have severe weather and winter weather at the same time. friday into saturday, we have storms in the midwest. they'll continue overnight and move eastward. and in fact, we already have up for friday an enhanced risk of strong storms from central missouri down to texas, for 17 million people, hail likely and tornadoes possible. we have winter weather advisor advisories and winter storms up

through the plains. this is the backside of that same system that will cause severe weather. friday to saturday, heavy know for the plains and the upper midwest. we're talking potential blizzard conditions from omaha, minneapolis, and green bay. we're looking at precipitation amounts of 3 to 5 inches of rain from louisiana to western tennessee. snowfall amounts from rapid city to the north of minneapolis, into the u.p. of mic

>> and that is your latest weather. hoda? >> thank you, al. still ahead, do you want to feel better about stress in your life? look at these results of this new stress test. savannah and i took part in it. and a new series that explores issues that impacts all of us. and look who is there. >> is it katie couric? >> good morning. plus, are wedding bells in the future for gwen stefani and blake shelton? first, mariah carey reveals the hidden battle that had her suffering in silence for years suffering in silence for years and ♪yeah suffering in silence for years and ♪and i just wanna tell you right now that i♪ ♪i believe, i really do believe that♪ ♪something's got a hold on me, yeah♪ ♪oh, it must be love ♪oh, something's got a hold on me right now, child♪

♪oh, it must be love ♪let me tell you now, oh it must be love♪ -i think it'll look really good without the stripes. behr marquee presents: it's got potential. margo and sam had a vision, brought to life in one coat. whatever your home may hand you, behr through it, in one coat. behr marquee, #1 rated interior paint. guaranteed in 1,000 plus colors. find it exclusively at the home depot. managing blood sugar isn't a marathon. it's a series of smart choices. like using glucerna to replace one meal or snack a day. only glucerna has carbsteady... unique blends of slow-release carbs to help manage blood sugar. every meal. every craving.

it's the choices you make when managing blood sugar that are the real victories. glucerna. everyday progress. seventh generation gets the laundry detergent from plants, not petroleum. and this stuff beets stains. its kind of a big dill. it squashes sixty of your toughest stains. seventh generation. powered by plants before discovering nexium 24hr to treat her frequent heartburn, lucy could only imagine

enjoying a slice of pizza. now it's as easy as pie. nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts for all-day, all-night protection. can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn? ( ♪ ) ( ♪ ) ( ♪ ) ( ♪ ) ( ♪ ) ( ♪ ) i wish i could tell ya how i feel about a mornin' like this. and that includes a good hearty breakfast. you need somethin' to kinda warm the whole body up and gets it going. it's a great way to kick off your day. to help protect my car? state farm will be here. what about here?

yup. what about here? here too. here? i don't think so. that makes sense. go with the one that's here to help life go right. state farm. super-ific birthday party.h's first, get frigidaire's smudge-proof black stainless steel. now choose a theme. then, stock up! hire a clown. a pirate clown? uck, no. uh-oh. treat's ahoy! we're celebrating our 100th anniversary with a blowout sale. hurry to participating retailers for up to 40% off select appliances. frigidaire. celebrating 100 years of appliance innovation. ♪ carefully made to be broken. new, from magnum.

we're back with one of music's biggest stars revealing a secret struggle. >> we all know the range of mariah carey's incredible talent as a singer and song writer. but for the first time, the grammy winner is opening up in a "people" magazine exclusive about a personal health battle. in 2001, mariah carey surprised me on the set of mtv's "total request live." her behavior was erratic. >> you're my therapy session right now, carson. >> what's wrong? >> every now and then, somebody needs a little therapy. >> i understand that. >> and today is that moment for me. >> reporter: a week later, mariah was hospitalized. and today, revealing that's when doctors diagnosed her with bipolar disorder. telling "people" magazine in an exclusive interview, i'm hopeful we can get to a place where the stigma is lifted from people going through anything alone. it can be incredibly isolating.

it doesn't have to define you. and i refused to let it define me or control me. >> for many years, she was dealing with bipolar disorder and not being treated for it, but she was also living in constant fear that someone was going to expose her and tell her secret. >> reporter: now, mariah is telling her own story on her own terms. i was so terrified of losing everything, she says. i convinced myself, the only way to deal with this was to not deal with this. mariah suffers from bipolar ii disorder. it's got periods of depression, mood swings and mania. i thought working and promoting for days in a row without sleeping was just part of my life. i was irritable and in constant fear of letting people down. it turns out, i was experiencing a form of mania. her episodes were characterized by very low energy. i would feel so tired, lonely and sad, even guilty that i

wasn't doing what i needed to be doing for my career. mariah says she was inspired to come forward in part by other stars. celebrities like nba star, kevin love, demi low vlow votto, the rock, have opened up about their health struggles. i, too, was inspired to open up about my own struggle with anxiety. >> i wear who i am like a badge of honor. i may be a little anxious. but i know i'm going to be okay. >> reporter: mariah is getting the treat she needs, and is exercising, getting healthy and spending time with her kids. >> getting this story and being in fremont is going to free her up to focus on the thing that makes her happiest, and that is making music. >> pretty incredible. i hope this isn't viewed as a piece. i wouldn't want people to feel sorry for her. but this dialogue is continuing

to happen because that stigma is breaking down. mariah, coming out and talking about it, mental health issues. >> you were there at that moment. >> i was. >> she realized, okay, i got to get help. and she writes about that in this issue. i mean, how extraordinary for you. you must have been thinking, what's going on here? >> she was highly out of place. that's not how we had seen mariah visit us at mtv before. something was clearly wrong. we brush it off to television stars or celebrities or diva moments. when you peel back the layers, this could be a human being struggling with a mental health issue. it's like "fight club." someone pulls me aside. thank you. i have a thing. hang tight, this is what works for me. we're all in this together. just talking about it, as i said before, you rip all of that mystique away. i own it. it's mine. you can't use it against me. >> she doesn't have to live in fear that someone will find out.

this is so freeing for her. i hope she feels lighter. >> this is a big and bold thing for her to do. i hope people pick up the mazz zin magazine. when we come back, we have a big announcement tied to the royal wedding. first, these messages. this is the ocean. just listen. (vo) there's so much we want to show her. we needed a car that would last long enough to see it all. (avo) subaru outback. ninety eight percent are still on the road after 10 years. come on mom, let's go! ♪ carefully made to be broken.

new, from magnum. claritin and relief from of non-drowsy symptoms caused by over 200 allergens. like those from buddy. because stuffed animals are clearly no substitute for real ones. feel the clarity and live claritin clear. whatever their sensitive skin get it out with all free clear. only all is the #1 recommended brand by dermatologists... and 100% free of perfumes and dyes. try it now! all free clear. the #1 recommended brand for sensitive skin. this is a story about mail and packages. and it's also a story about people. people who rely on us every day to deliver their dreams they're handing us more than mail they're handing us their business and while we make more e-commerce deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country, we never forget... that your business is our business the united states postal service. priority: you ♪

♪ (avo) everything active for your family. kohl's cash for you. kohl's. ♪ (baby♪ aughs)

♪ only tylenol® rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast, for fast pain relief. tylenol® so, you'll be here to i got you.need you? what about here? yup. here? yes, kyle. and here sir robert from state farm? if you invite me. go with the one that's here to help life go right. state farm. ♪ the laughing cow cheese is the perfect snack, no matter how you snack. ♪ it's spreadable... ♪

...dippable... ♪ ...dunkable... ♪ ...whatever-you-wantable. so however you snack, snack like you. ♪ the laughing cow. ( ♪ ) i say. there's the view this morning of glorious windsor castle, the site of prince harry and meghan markle's wedding. we have very exciting news. put down your tea and crumpets, hoda. we won't just be watching it.

we will be across the pond and we will be there. >> kathie lee, megyn, sheinelle, they all joined us here. we are all heading to england to bring you the excitement of the royal wedding. >> as al would say, it's going to be chilly chilly. >> hoda and i get it started with a primetime special may 16th. we're calling it "inside the royal wedding." >> the next morning, i'm going to be there live in windsor, to give you a sneak peek of the big day. then, the friday, the day before the wedding, we're going all-out. all four hours are going to be there, coming to you live from an exclusive location. we're going to be peeping in to windsor castle. >> excuse me? >> it leads up to saturday, may 19th. that's the big day, folks. a special edition of "today" at the royal wedding. we're going to be with you. 4:30 a.m. eastern. we will capture every aspect of

the day. >> wow. >> parfait. excuse me? i think you just had a royal moment. is that on too tight? >> are you okay? >> our queen awaits. >> a little brandy for the queen. >> exactly. >> exactly. >> it would be better than this. ♪ ♪ >> exactly. >> it would be better than this. ♪ this is what getting your car serviced at lincoln looks like. complementary pickup and delivery servicing now comes with every new lincoln. i won. giving you, the luxury of time. that's the lincoln way. brushing only reaches 25% of your mouth. listerine® cleans virtually 100%. helping to prevent gum disease and bad breath.

never settle for 25%. always go for 100. bring out the bold™ living healthy is a balancing act. that's why i love light & fit greek non-fat yogurt. each delicious cup contains 12 grams of protein and 80 calories. it's nutrition that fits my healthy life. light & fit. do what fits you. it's nutrition that fits my healthy life. your cat can't face the misery of biting fleas alone. advantage ii monthly topical kills fleas through contact so they don't have to bite your cat to die. advantage ii. fight the misery of biting fleas. ♪ ♪ i can do more to lower my a1c. because my body can still make its own insulin.

and i take trulicity once a week to activate my body to release it, like it's supposed to. trulicity is not insulin. it comes in a once-weekly, truly easy-to-use pen. and it works 24/7. trulicity is an injection to improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. don't use it as the first medicine to treat diabetes, or if you have type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. don't take trulicity if you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer, you're allergic to trulicity, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, a lump or swelling in your neck, or severe stomach pain. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. taking trulicity with a sulfonylurea or insulin increases your low blood sugar risk. common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and decreased appetite. these can lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. to help lower my a1c i choose trulicity to activate my within.

ask your doctor about once-weekly trulicity. ifwhat would it say?ash tag 80% glowing 50% freckles no matter your skin type, all skin deserves gentleness. that's why dove is sulfate free. the #1 body wash recommended by dermatologists. rocket mortgage® by quicken loans® makes the complex simple, giving you super hero levels of confidence. understand the details and get approved in as few as eight minutes so nothing stands in your way. rocket mortgage: america's largest mortgage lender. marvel studios' "avengers: infinity war" in theaters april 27th.

good wednesday morning, we're starting to see more clouds moving into the bay area as we take a live look outside in san jose. such a nice sunrise and now starting to see the clouds filter that sun. we're heading into the mid-60s, 64 degrees in san jose and livermore, 62 in oakland and 60 in san francisco. santa rosa high of 59 degrees and that's where we'll see the rain first, making it into the north bay by about 5:00 or 6:00 and in the east bay later. south bay may not seen the rain until after sunset and this it starts to clear out before sunrise early tomorrow morning. there still be may some spotty showers for parts of the north bay through tomorrow morning into the early afternoon but overall it will be a much cooler day as the skies clear and we'll get more sunshine heading into the weekend as temperatures warm up. let's head over to mike for an update on the commute. >> we're looking pretty mild as

far as the amount of slowing and traffic flow is moving pretty well. southbound 880 past the san mateo bridge, we have a crash which may be still be blocking one lane. you see red instead of orange. orange means speeds in the 50s. 8808 and t on the peninsula, still slow, an earlier crash from university southbound. thank you very much. 7:57. representative paul ryan announces he will not seek re-election. the news shaking up not only the republican party but the whole world of politics. scott mcgrew monitoring the developments there and he'll join us on our midday newscast at 11:00. also watching facebook ceo mark zuckerberg, his second day of questioning on capitol hill. head to our twitter feed. we've got the latest on the testimony that he is giving. another news update in a half hour and our midday

newscast at 11:00. weather in th. how it could impact your weekend plans. and -- nbc bay area responds to a pet owner-- with a big medical bill clawing at her wallet. the way our team came to the rescue. join us tomorrow morning from 4:30 to 7.

it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, zuckerberg on the it's 8:00 on "todd." coming up, zuckerberg on the hill. >> what happened here was in effect willful blindness. >> facebook's ceo is grilled for nearly five hours over his company's handling of user data and rampant fake news on the site. >> we didn't take a broad enough view of our responsibility, and that was a big mistake. and it was my mistake and i'm sorry. >> what to expect as zuckerberg heads to the house for day two of questioning. ♪ plus, stressed out. hoda and i try out new technology meant to help us understand how we deal with stress with some surprising

results. plus tips to help you better manage those tense moments. and schumer shows off. >> i'm beautiful! >> amy schumer stops by studio a 1a to talk about her newest movie, getting married and how she stays oh so confident, april 11th, 2018. >> shoutout to our parents who are watching our son while we celebrate our fourth anniversary! >> we're on a senior class trip from our high school in michigan. go rangers! >> i travelled here to visit with the today show. ♪ >> on a mother/daughter adventure from portland, oregon. >> for a selfie with savannah and hoda. >> it took us 291 collective years to make it to the "today show". >> i hope it was worth it.

i can't wait to get out there and say good morning in person and good morning to everybody else. >> good morning. >> nice to have you with us. let's get to the top of the news. at 8:00, facebook ceo mark zuckerberg returns to the hill today where his apologies on tuesday may not have been enough to silence his loudest critics. let's get right to the latest. nbc's jolene kent on the hill for us. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. it was about five hours of questioning back and forth. mark zuckerberg facing off with nearly half of the u.s. senate. he answered questions on everything from whether or not facebook is a monopoly to whether or not it would ever offer a paid version for users without ads, but mostly zuckerberg was focused on apologizing. >> we didn't take a broad enough view of our responsibility, and that was a big mistake, and it was my mistake and i'm sorry. knowing what we know now, we should have handled a lot of things different. >> reporter: critics have said the u.s. senate asked relatively

simple questions and the question may get tougher. zuckerberg confirming that facebook is working with special counsel robert mueller's office on the russia investigation and also saying going forward they plan to put more policies in place to better guard user privacy, but wall street really likes what it heard. it pushed the stock up about 4.5%. savannah, it was one of the best days for facebook's stock in about two years. again, today here on the house side, zuckerberg bracing for tougher questions. back to you. >> thank you very much. now the other big news on capitol hill. house speaker paul ryan announcing he will not run for re-election in november, but the wisconsin republican says he will serve out his term. many house republicans are facing uphill battles this fall and the gop could be in changer of losing its majority there. ryan's 48 years old, was first elected to congress two decades ago and was nominated for vice president back in 2012. back home the florida school

board that oversees stoneman douglas high school voted last night to opt out of a new state program that allow is certain teachers to carry guns. accused school gunman nikolas cruz is due in court today for a hearing on whether he can afford his own attorneys. he could face the death penalty. crui cruz might inherit money from his mother who died last year and from a medical malpractice case filed by his father. it's a new song and it's called "cry pretty." i've been following her on insta and waiting with bathed breath.

i think you hear it in the background. >> we love her. she's been through so much. she has such a powerhouse voice. we can't wait to see the video and hear the song. we're fired up. >> yeah. welcome back. we're happy to have the new music. just ahead -- this music relaxes me. when a lot of things stress us out, we are going to dive into stress over the next couple of days. hoda and i are trying a new way to manage stress. it has surprising results. and then, katie couric on what she discovered exploring the country and the polarizing issues we all face. and then, hang on to your hats because amy schumer is here. first, these messages. that was invigorating! you're probably wondering why i've just carved a giant wooden tiger. well, the answer is that a real one would maul me. i've crafted dr. whiskers here as a visual aid to show you that should you visit the lot, carmax associates will not pounce like tigers because people don't like that. come here to buy a car.

dr. whiskers won't pounce. nobody will. ♪ this is a story about mail and packages. and it's also a story about people. people who rely on us every day to deliver their dreams they're handing us more than mail they're handing us their business and while we make more e-commerce deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country, we never forget... that your business is our business the united states postal service. priority: you ♪

♪ hey allergy muddlers. are you one sneeze away from being voted out of the carpool? try zyrtec®. it's starts working hard at hour one. and works twice as hard when you take it again the next day. stick with zyrtec® and muddle no more®.

januaan entire dayuirrel dedicated to squirrels. that's nuts! at aarp, we think you deserve your own day. yeah, you! after all, you're the one working. and saving for the future. so let aarp help. from planning and budgeting, to getting a deal on your next trip. aarp is here to help you stretch your dollar further. our furry friends will have their day, but today is all yours. take on today and every day with aarp. we are back with "stressed out today," our special series in honor of national stress awareness month. >> mornings are stressful for a lot of people. you run around, trying to get the kids to school, make the lunches, walk the dog, straighten up the house and get to work. i'm stressed just thinking about it. >> your chances are you're feeling stressed. you're not alone.

an estimated 40 million americans are in the same boat. that includes all of us. >> definitely. what if there were a simple way to manage it? a new tech start-up thinks there is. and hoda and i put their device to the test. are you feeling stressed? for some, it could be a looming work deadline. for others, maybe it's a chronic and stress feels like it's taking over your life. i don't think i feel too relaxed at all. sometimes i stress about the stress i'm going to have and i know there's nothing i can do about it. >> i also get way stressed now when i'm changing haley's diaper because she doesn't sit -- literally, i can feel like my jugular vein is like -- >> especially if it's a poppy diaper. let's be honest. would you spend $200 on this smart patch if it could teach you to measure and manage your stress better. these two are banking on it.

>> it's a new technology. it hasn't been available to people. there's a learning curve to realize i can change how i'm feeling by changing how my body is reacting. >> reporter: it's called the leaf and it measures heart rate variability, or hrv. hrv is the variation and timing between heartbeats. our heart's ability to adapt to stress. a healthy, relaxed heart will speed up and slow down, leading to a high hrv score. a stressed or anxious heart will speed up and stay there, much like a metronome. this leads to low hrv. how does it work? >> i'm curious what your experience is going to be. >> reporter: he agreed to try it for us during public speaking. >> the last 30 minutes, you're alert and tense, quite a bit. >> reporter: the leaf is attached to the body underneath the pectoral muscle with two

sticky sensors. you track your hrv in five-minute increments with the app. blue and green represent a good or high hrv, black is neutral. and yellow and red represent a low hrv, meaning you're stressed. when the device determines you are under stress, it will vibrate and you'll have the option of trying a breathing exercise to return your heart to its restorative rhythm. and hoda and i wanted to see if the leaf would help us better understand our stress triggers. so, we agreed to try it. i'll be interested to see what my stress is because i actually, especially right now, i feel really stressed. >> this is not a great time to do this experiment. i'm telling you, this is the wrong window. >> she broke the stress tracker. with the leaf attached to our bodies under our clothes, we began to watch the colors change in the app. >> why is yours black? it went green. >> you just stressed me out.

>> savannah, there's breaking news, you have to go do an update. anything? >> reporter: 24 hours later, we regrouped with rohan and had surprising results. >> how did it go? >> it was very interesting. we learned a lot. >> i assumed that i was pretty stress-free. i was a little surprised, i think, when i looked at my numbers. how about for you? >> i was surprised when i looked at your numbers, too. i think we both were surprised. i definitely thought i was a big stress case. and my numbers seem to show that i'm pretty calm. and hoda who is miss la-de-da is always smiling, never let them see you sweat is freaking out. >> i'm freaking out on the inside. >> reporter: getting to know your triggers can prepare you for them. >> i feel like i started stressing when i got home because i had a bunch of tasks before hailey woke up. i spiked red there. >> around 6:00, both of my kids

had a total screaming meltdown. and i actually looked at the tracker right then and there, i thought this is going to be my most stressful time. nope. just all gray and neutral. either i'm really more serene than i thought or this is broken. one of the most shocking discoveries for us both, we're in the most relaxed state before the show and during the show. >> my most serene moment of the day is when i wake up and scribble in my journal. that's when i'm blue. at 7:00, i'm in the gray. i feel calm. >> before the show, i have a big spot of blue. it's when hoda and i hang out together before the show. you make me happy. at 7:00, i'm neutral. what does this information mean for somebody's life? >> stress doesn't just affect us and our bodies. it affects the people around us. people we love, people we work with. investing in your health will benefit to not only you but the people around you. >> that was a little crazy. wasn't it? >> it was. it was very telling. we thought that maybe it was

because i'm so stressed. i get it out. and you are miss happy joyful. >> maybe i am bottling it. pushing it down. >> repressing. >> until it blows. >> le's find out the secret to destressing, dr. drew ramsey is a psychologist at columbia. he's joining us. >> it's legitimate. we want people to track their stress. heart rate variability is a real thing. when you're tracking your stress, your sleep, taking a journal, you're monitoring stress. that's good. that's step one. step two, what are we going to do about it? we have to actualize change in our lives to take care of stress. i thought that's what we would do this morning. >> this is about, if you notice your stress, start breathing better. >> i use it on my apple watch. there's a breathing thing, i use it all the time. it helps so much. >> what happens with the deep breath? >> everything exits your body. >> identify triggers. we'll talk about breathing. how do we get rid of stress? we have to learn to say no.

you can say yes to those things that recharge you and fill you up. everybody is busy. less busy and more things that recharge you. and the breath. people don't really know how to breathe. when i see a patient, they are feeling blue. you look blue, too. you haven't taken a breath. >> of course, we're breathing. what does that mean? >> breathe properly. we're going to do one together. it's going to be inhale through our nose. then, a little pause. couple seconds. and just feel the stillness. then, the exhale through pursed lips. long exhale. >> what is the imagery in your mind? should you be thinking about the stress exiting your body? >> if you like that, let it out. >> you're having a beer. >> in terms of mind influence, be aware of the breath. feel it coming in. feel it going out. a breath is a great way, when you're feeling stressed, you want to control that breathing. and third is about connection. the number one stress buster is connection.

>> on facebook? >> not on facebook, real connection. human connection. looking people in the eye. not texting, talking. >> real one-on-one. >> those are the ways that calm us down. human touch, we calm down. >> you know what's good for stress? hoda's laugh. it really does, it makes me so happy. >> you know what is good for stress, uncle al's food. go to the apartment and make a steak. >> dr. ramsey, thank you. >> good advise. al, take a deep breath and deliver our forecast. >> i will. >> we will accept it with serenity. >> let's look right now. the map is a little blue. as you can see, we have a little blue around pennsylvania. >> energy. >> you're bob ross. >> look at the little puffy clouds. just feel the clouds. feel the temperatures. let's look on the map right now. it's not changing. i'm not stressed out. there's some blue here. but nice warm colors down here. don't you feel better? i know i do. you know what will make you feel

better? how about your local forecast. that's what's going on around the country. >> oh, my gosh. al? >> back to you. >> thank you. wow. it is so nice to have katie here. didn't you miss out? >> i did. i'm going to go wake him up. >> exactly. he's too zen. >> we love when you stop by. you're stopping by for an important reason.

she has a six-part series on national geographic america. she travels across the country to look at the most pressing issues in the headlines recently. take a look. >> there's a lot of anxiety in the country. as a result, we're not hearing each other. we're not talking to each other. we stick with like-minded people and have lost our ability to appreciate that someone's life experience may be very different than yours. what i tried to do with this series is to not judge people but to encourage an open, honest dialogue. actually listen to each other, be critical thinkers and be open-minded. these are really complicated topics to unpack. white anxiety. gender inequality. tech addiction. i don't think the series is going to change the world.

but i'm hoping it will help people see a different perspecti perspective. >> katie, good morning. >> hi. how are you guys? nice to see you. >> pop the popcorn. you traveled the country and went to all of the nooks and crannies and came out with some real gems, didn't you? >> it was so important. we spend a lot of time in studios. people don't get an opportunity to go really inside the country, to talk to all kinds of people about some of the pressing problems. and they were really thorny, kind of complicated issues to unpack. i tried hard to listen to what people had to say and to reflect that in these hours. >> that's what's so important about it to go in there and say, here are my preconceived notions. was there anything where you're like, i never thought of it that way but i'm talking to you. >> i learned so much from every hour. for example, the one on confederate statues and rewriting history. i learned when the statues were

ere erected, at the height of the jim crow era. i was in charlottesville for that horrific rally by white supremaci supremacists, which was terrifying. but i saw the flipside of this story, which a lot of people didn't see. an interfaith church service the night before. and this community in charlottesville unifying and standing up against this hatred and intolerance. i learned so much. it was like writing a thesis paper on six different big topics. >> your timing on this one was incredible. i remember looking at your instagram feed. >> i was there to unpack the controversy over the robert e. lee statue. we were tracking this. we had no idea how huge it was going to be and how devastating that a young woman would be killed and many other injured. >> right. >> you really pick some hot topics. they really cover the terrain, including tech addiction, which,

katie, you may be addicted to tech. we know. we see your instagram feed, sister. is this like an intervention? >> i wanted to find out what technology is doing to our humanity because it really is taking over every aspect of our lives. not only my addiction to my iphone, and my instagram account and your instagrams. but really, how it's changing how we relate to one another. it's changing the workplace of the future. >> yes. >> the blue light from your phone, especially for your kids, if you're looking at it, it reduce s melatonin, increases cortisol and increases sleep. they're starting to see plaque in the brains of kids they're worried will be similar to alzheimer's. it's a very serious topic. all of these are. i don't feel like we have a chance to step back. the news cycle is so insane that we can't really consider and contemplate these issues. and i'm trying to help people

rediscover their empathy muscle. we're so polarized and there's so much anger and hate towards each side against each side. i think we have forgotten that we need to step into each other's shoes and understand each other's perspectives. >> i remember in one of the documentaries, dr. oz said something like it's hard to hate up close. >> he did. that was my star for this series. if we get to know each other on a personal level and get to feel for each other, then we can understand each other much, much more. and i think there's not nearly enough of that going on these days. >> katie, you worked hard on this one. "america inside out with katie couric" premieres tonight. >> katie, you worked hard on this one, unlike others. >> i'm going to say the date and time. it's very important. it premieres tonight at 10:00, 9:00 central on national geographic. >> watch, everyone.

i worked my you know what off. let's get over to carson and "pop start." >> thanks. first up, gwen stefani. the singer made a surprise appearance on "the ellen degeneres show." she came up with big news to announce. but ellen wanted to talk about other matters, mainly, whether gwen and blake shelton will get married. >> it seems like you will, unless both of you have not good experiences and decide this is good enough. >> what do you feel about it? you're married. >> i love feeling married. >> what do you think i should do about it? >> i think you should get married. >> everybody loves him. >> well then, all right. just think about it. there's no rush. >> i do. i think about it all the time. >> she's thinking about it all the time. let's not go crazy. there's no wedding plans as of now. gwen came to share the news that she is going to do her first las vegas residency. she's going to go to planet

hollywood resort and casino. getting her own residency in vegas is an honor. jon hamm was on the topic of golf on jimmy fallon last night. one of his favorite people to play with is ray ramano. >> here's my impression of ray playing golf. can you do the sound of a golf thing? >> of course. >> ready? >> oh. come on. be right. >> that's pretty spot-on from jon hamm there. for "the daly quick," john knowles had all of the words on the board. that's when things took a turn.

>> flamenco dance lessons. >> sorry. >> ashley, it's your turn. >> i'll solve. flamenco dance lessons. >> that's it. there we go. she's got it. to explain what we all heard was and i know you didn't mean to say it, you gave us a "g" instead of a "c." >> wow. he needs to breathe. we need dr. ramsey to be with that guy. it was the mispronunciation. that cost johnny $7,100, plus the trip to spain. it reviewed it over the commercial break. he didn't say it right. the ruling stands. it was a tough break. he walked away with 19,000 bucks in cash and prizes. airbnb sent him to spain. he gets some flamenco. >> i calli )m ...

police in san jose are investigating a fiery - and deadly crash early this good morning, 8:26 right now. police in san jose are investigating a fiery and deadly crash early this morning involving what investigators say was a stolen car. this happened on san carlos street overpass. police say the driver lost control and plunged into a homeless encampment below the overpass. the driver of that car died. police say there were two female juveniles inside that car both of them survived. no one in the homeless encampment was injured. mike. >> overall, the commute looks good.

cupertino, the 280 is jammed solid. two left lanes are blocked. starting to move better. they may have moved back to the shoulder. look how jammed it just outside of downtown san jose. 87 another crash here. and the commute will cause unexpected slowdowns as you head south. oakland, jammed from the coliseum all the way up to high street. and then just past downtown. and the toll plaza. back to you. >> thanks, mike. i'll have another report in 30 minutes. california phones offers free specialized phones... like cordless phones,

- (phone ringing) - big button, and volume-enhanced phones. get details on this state program. call or visit ♪ ♪ get high speed internet from at&t. $30 per month. no extra monthly fees. more for your thing. that's our thing. visit att.com/internet.

and accessories for your mobile phone. like this device to increase volume on your cell phone. - ( phone ringing ) - get details on this state program call or visit

yep. party on. we are back. 8:30 on a wednesday morning, april 11th. we got a nice crowd. hi, you guys. in addition to the great crowd, we have this crazy, iconic trophy, carson. >> my gosh. i want to drink beer out of it so bad. the stanley cup is here. the puck drops on the nhl playoffs tonight. for the seventh-straight year, you can catch every game right on the networks on nbc. a great lineup tonight, 7:00 eastern, nbcsn. you have the philadelphia flyers and the two-time champs pittsburgh penguins followed by the kings and the vegas golden knights. >> don't touch. >> not allowed to touch it. >> i didn't touch it. you need the gloves. are you ready for the "crowd

mo moment"? >> you bet. >> we have a bunch of birthdays. and i hear there is a sweet 60. what's your name, sweetie? >> joanne. >> joanne. and this is your posse. the bff, the sister, the daughter, the daughter, the bff and the granddaughter on the way. happy birthday, sweetie. >> thank you, hoda. >> thanks for sharing it with us. a sweet 60. >> i love it. carson is just getting a selfie with the stanley cup. >> i can't believe it. you know who is here. did you see her? >> amy. >> amy schumer. we love you so much, amy. entourage. she's so low-maintenance. just so real. amy, we are excited to have you here. a lot to catch up with. her new movie is "i feel pretty." you have to see it. we're going to use the stanley cup to make a one-pot

wonder that's nutritious and bursting with flavor. the recipe of a chicken and veggie dish that's your answer to your weeknight prayers. how is the weather looking? >> it's looking pretty good. you want a forecast. springtime highs throughout the ohio and mississippi river valleys. strong santa ana winds through southern california. heavy rain in the pacific northwest. tomorrow, we're looking at the warmth making its way to the east. a few showers in the northeast tomorrow. heavy snowmaking its way through the western plains. extreme fire danger and texas into the southwest. the strong winds in southern california and wet weather and snowy weather in the pacific northwest. good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. we will have a partly to mostly cloudy sky today. and cooler as yet another cold front moves in. we're seeing light rain farther to the north and that will make

its way into the north bay in time for the evening commute. the rest of the bay will see it tonight, most likely and sunset or shortly thereafter. and light rain showers move in and then tapering off as we head into early tomorrow morning. >> well, as a public service announcement, these gentlemen need prom dates. >> april 21st, mann high school. >> there you go. you see them, you decide. i say yes. yes, america. yes. all right. let's go back inside. >> thanks, al. you know and you love our next guest. savannah said we have the delay on because amy schumer is here. she has many reasons to be confident. in her new movie, her character, ren renee. >> she hits her head and wakes

up seeing herself in a whole new light. in that light shesh, she is not short of a supermodel. take a look. >> what? oh, my god. do you see this? >> yes. >> look at me. my jawline. i wanted this to happen. you dream this would happen. i never thought it would really happen. >> amy, good morning. >> good morning to you, ladies. >> you're beautiful. >> oh, thank you. >> are you feeling pretty today? >> i'm feeling #pretty. yeah. >> we want to talk about the movie. it's hilarious. we're dying over it. >> thank you. >> we got to get in your business a little bit. >> okay. >> did somebody get married recently? >> oh. i can neither confirm nor deny. yes, i did. >> congratulations. >> thank you. >> when did you know he was the one? just get to it.

>> i think a month in. >> really? >> yeah. when did you know? >> like seven years in. you know? >> you're like, i don't know, actually. let's get some drinks. >> you did. that's almost love at first sight. >> we've been friends for like six months before. >> when was the first kiss then? was it when you were friends or -- >> no. we knew -- yeah. we knew we were -- this is an early show. this is pg-13. but we got down to business really quicf yourself? just the skin you're in. >> i know a few women who have that. and i'm in aweso of it. their life ends up going well. >> you want the confidence, are you a supermodel? yes, yes i am. >> there's a scene that everybody is talking about. the bathing suit scene. >> the bikini contest. >> i was reading in the production notes, it was a short

scene. but you took it next level. >> yes. they wrote it for me to just be standing there, posing in a bikini. i was like, no. we're going to do a whole crazy thing. >> like the "flash dance" water scene. >> i knew i would re-create that scene. look another those moves. >> are those your moves? >> no. i asked danielle flora who does the choreography for "snl." i dance like an aunt who is surprising herself at a wedding. like, ooh. that's my natural -- she came in and showed me all of the, you know -- sorry, your listeners are getting so turned on at home right now. your viewers. sorry, guys. >> stop it right now. >> whoa. >> can't take it. let's go back to the personal life. >> let's get back in your business. >> can i have your glasses again? >> yes. i told people i was getting married.

>> and you sent a text. >> can you see us? we're over here. >> hoda, the reason -- and here's why i knew. i looked at him and i said, you. you're it. that was it. >> that's a good answer. >> back to you, al. in montana, it's cold today. >> amy, we love you. >> thank you so much. >> thank you, guys. >> you're going to come back and have a glass of wine with me and kath. >> where is the wine? >> it's at 10:00. >> you changed. >> i have to put these on. >> check it out. >> "i feel pretty" hits theaters april 20th. up next, maria shriver. a look inside a revolutionary idea that you're not going to want to miss. first, this is "today" on nbc. >> do

we're back with our ongoing series, "brian power today." and nbc's brainiac anchor, maria shriver, is here to tell us something so fascinating. >> i like that introduction. we have an exclusive look at something new in the fight against alzheimer's. anyone who has a family member dealing with this disease knows it can be a struggle, a full-time one. and this idea could revolutionize the care you are giving and getting. it looks like a movie set from the 1950s. but this is actually a day care facility for seniors with dement dementia. is this revolutionary? >> i would like to think it is. >> reporter: scott tardy is the ceo which runs day-care centers in the san diego area. now inside this local warehouse, they've built the country first

dementia town square. everything in here is designed to trigger the brain. >> it's very intentional. >> reporter: in this simulated 1950s town, which opens later this month, trained aides will guide small groups of dementia patients through 14 activity centers, set up as store fronts. >> people make their strongest memories between the ages 10 to 30. if you take people back to be surrounded by prompts from their past, that showed to reduce agitation, improve mood and improve sleep quality. >> reporter: there's a full-service diner and a movie theater playing classic films, all designed to replace the monotony of regular day care and ignite patients' brains with memories of their youth. it's called reminiscence therapy. you're not trying to fool them into thinking it's 1960. >> that's correct. these are things that promote socialization, promote activities, promote engagement. >> let's look at that car.

>> reporter: we were there when alberta and tola got their first guided tour of the square. accompanied by family members, they lit up at the sights. >> do the twist, mom. >> reporter: and danced to their favorite sounds. >> like the jukebox, right? brought back memories. >> yeah. >> reporter: their families say this was a blessing. >> the big thing is, i'm loney at home. she doesn't really talk with us much during the day. but being out and about with other people, she communicates more. >> you got it. >> reporter: this is not the first innovative care facility for dementia. in 2009, this dementia-friendly village was created in the netherlands, where patients actually live. tardy says for now, he's focused on day care, hoping to spread his town square concept to 200 locations nationwide. the cost to families, $90 a

visit for eight hours of specialized care, filled with music, laughter and long walks down memory lane. >> in the '50s, she was raising her family and having a good time. and i think, hopefully, that's going to take her back there. and she'll be happier. >> i think what's interesting in this whole space, there's a lot of creativity going on and trying to figure out ways to activate the brain. music, going back to a place like this, showing movies, looking at newsstands with the hope that will bring the person somewhat back to you. >> i was just thinking, you know, it's such a caring thing to do. it's not about finding a cure. just a way to help people feel happier in their present. >> caring is such a full-time job and it's so draining on the caregiver. he was saying that most of the clients are people making these decisions who are working and parenting full-time and partnering. they're the client, as well.

>> and talk about seeing the results right there. you saw it on their face. it felt like they were at rest. >> they feel like they remember and they feel like they're themselves. the idea is to try to franchise them. we'll see if that works. >> good idea. >> thanks, maria. how about this -- dinner without stress. dylan is cooking up dinner with ryan scott here. first, this is "today" on nbc.

if you're struggling to decide what to make for dinner, you can stop. we have a new "today food" class. we've come together to bring you online cooking lessons with one of our favorite guests, chef ryan scott. these are were anyone who wants to learn how to create tasty one-pot meals. i got my own special behind-the-scenes lesson.

check it out. ten one-pot meals that are simple enough for busy weeknights. we're making la ssagna in this pan. >> this pan right here. does it have a name? are we naming it? >> steve. steve the pan. part of a partnership with "today food" and the online creative community of 13 million, craftsy, a digital platform that offers tips and tricks to classes, for all things crafty. >> you get a chicken. you get a chicken. >> this is so good. i can't believe we made this all in one dish. and i can't believe i cut up a chicken. so proud of myself. now, we're doing the chicken dance. that's letting me pair up with ryan scott. so, to me, it's one of the most comforting things to have steak with sauteed mushrooms and onions. >> all in one pan. >> yes. living in new york, i don't have

a -- sorry. i'm stuck here. to bring you exclusive cooking classes. >> can you give me a weather report when i do this? >> the snow is going to start off light and get heavy through the afternoon. we could see thunder snow later on today. look at that. easy to learn, easy to make, easy to enjoy. fun doing that. ryan is here. we're putting together another delicious dish. ryan, love having you here. you think one-pot meal. you think slow cooker. this is so much more than that. >> we did cast iron, we did saute pans. and we did a baking sheet. it's everything all in one. we did our spatchcock chicken here. >> clarify.

>> cutting the backbone out. it's grilled and opened up. this cooks faster, hoda. you break the backbone down and it tocooks quicker in the oven. >> for the next time you make that. >> thanksgiving, christmas. >> i love the salsa verde you top it with. >> look at you, chefy. >> we have capers, garlic, baby kale, lots of green stuff here. parsley, basil, and some salt, pepper and red chili. am i supposed to use all that? >> yes. that's why it was there. >> and lemon zest. >> the spatchcock chicken, if you have a whole chicken in the often, it doesn't get crispy all the way around. you can ask your butcher to take the backbone out. >> is it hard to do it yourself? >> just kitchen shears.

and this is a chiropractor for chicken. >> unnecessary. nope. >> the chicken is dead. it doesn't feel it. >> he made me do it before. it's easy to cut out the bone and break its back. you make the salsa verde. put the olive oil in there. this is a finishing sauce. make your compound butter. >> i love making compound butter. it's only half a stick. salt, pepper, garlic, thyme. more lemon zest. >> fortify the lemon flavor. go in there. what you're going to do, the compound butter, you put it underneath the skin and it gets crispy underneath and on top again. >> compound butter is butter with stuff in it? >> yeah. >> it sounds fancy to call it compound butter. >> people come and say compound butter on everything. on a waffle. on a chicken. a little olive oil.

here's the refortifying one pan. salt and pepper on top of cauliflower. this is a different season, we can do brussels sprouts, brock lynn. we wanted to go mediterranean. we did all of the butter underneath the chicken. >> underneath the skin. >> there were three times we roasted it. what. >> reporter: were the temperatures? >> 450. 425 for 20 minutes. >> yes. >> and you do something with it. and then, there's a little more at the end. >> you got it. it looked like a novel for all of the notes i had to remember. we roast this. the butter goes on top and the chicken comes out. it's done and roasted. let it sit for 15 or 20 minutes. >> he taught me how to do this. there's natural lines in here when you cut the chicken. i do this one first. this one first.

right? >> she's a natural at this. this is good. >> you press down. we chop that up. we do this side. >> impressive. >> and we serve it like this. and we finished with the salsa verde. >> that's amazing. >> if you want to switch it up during summer, you can put more mint or tarragon. this goes on fish, scallops, anything. >> it was so fun working with you. if you want to make more one-pot meals, you can head to craftsy.com and sign up to buy six online lessons and a downloadable cook pobook that's available with a trial to

that chicken was so good, you guys. >> good chicken. >> we got a big show at 10:00.

busy philipps from the amy schumer movie. and much, much more. >> so much more. >> how about all that? >> dylan, we're so proud of you. >> thank you, ryan. >> thank you, ryan. >> megyn kelly is - there's a common thread i see every time i'm in the field. while this was burning, you were saving other homes. neighbors helping neighbors and strangers alike. - this is what america's about. - sometimes it's nice to see all the good that's out there. bringing folks out, we have seen it in community after community. hill. good morning. it's 8:56, i'm marcus washington. a live look at capitol hill and that's where the facebook founder and ceo mark zuckerberg is back for a second day of questioning from lawmakers.

that hearing is currently in break. that's what you're seeing there. today, zuckerberg is talking to the house energy and commerce committee. and about sharing data with facebook users. yesterday, zuckerberg testified for five hours. today's hearing started a little bit after 7:00 our time. happening now, we're following today's testimony closely. you can too. the home page links straight to the live hearing. we'll have a complete wrap-up in the midday newscast. and another washington stunner. house speaker paul ryan this morning announced that he will not seek re-election. that news shaking up not only the republican party but u.s. politics in general. we'll take a closer look at our midday newscast. right now, our news feed is linked to some of the video from ryan's announcement. and lawmakers are filling the

ruling that blocked the order. sorry. i can't make it. it's just my eczema again, but it's fine. yeah, it's fine. you ok? eczema. it's fine. hey! hi! aren't you hot? eczema again? it's fine. i saw something the other day. eczema exposed. your eczema could be something called atopic dermatitis, which can be caused by inflammation under your skin. maybe you should ask your doctor? go to eczemaexposed.com to learn more. how it could impact your weekend plans. and -- nbc bay area responds to a pet owner-- with a big medical bill clawing at her wallet. the way our team came to the rescue. join us tomorrow morning from 4:30 to 7.

[ applause ] good morning, everybody. i'm megyn kelly. we begin with a dream adventure that turned into a nightmare for a college woman. like many students her name, gabrielle vega was thrilled to study abroadand fantasized about seeing the world. she traveled to morocco. this is a u.s. citizen. and what happened there would change her life. i spoke with her earlier. first, some of her story. watch.

gabrielle vega was studying abroad in spain in 2013. taking classes during the week and traveling on the weekends. one trip was to tangier morocco. >> we went on the