good morning. wintery mess, a powerful storm set to bring snow, sleet, and freezing rain to 100 million people from colorado to new england. major cities, chicago, new york, boston all in its path. al will tell us what to expect. state of chaos. >> i'm not going anywhere. >> virginia's embattled governor refusing to resign in his first interview since the scandal that rocked his state. while virginia's second most powerful leader faces another accusation of sexual assault. so what's next? border wall breakdown, with the next shutdown just days away, the negotiations hit a wall.

president trump taking his fight directly to the border today while 2020 democrats line up to take him on. >> this is the first full day of my campaign. >> i have high expectations for this country, and that's what we need. all that plus lawyer on the lam. the hunt is on for an attorney accused of jumping bail and killing his own mother. the tabloid talks with the lawyer for the "national enquirer" saying where he really got those racy text messages from amazon's jeff bezos. ladies night. women take center stage at the grammy's, with a surprise appearance from michelle obama. >> music has always helped me tell my story. >> alicia dazzles on the keys. and tributes to two legends, diana ross and dolly parton ♪ joleen, joleen, joleen

>> the sweet sound of music's big night today, monday february 11th, 2019. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning, welcome to "today" on a monday morning. i stayed up a lot later than i planned last night. >> raise your hand if you're bleary eyed. could you believe the dolly parton tribute? >> that's what had me staying up. i couldn't stop watching. the grammy's were so special last night, incredible performances. >> alicia keys was crazy on the keyboard. she was an incredible host. i thought it was the best one in years. it was awesome. >> we're going to talk about some of the moments of the night in a minute. first our top stories, a big winter storm is set to sweep across the country. it starts today. it will bring snow and ice to 100 million people and al is all over this one. hey, al, good morning. >> hey, guys, good morning.

thank you for getting your first weather from us. take a look. this is the twin cities in minnesota, and we are talking about heavy snow really roads that are tangled and snarled, lots of accidents and this is coming its way for over 100 million folks stretching from the dakotas and also iowa across to chicago up into the northeast in new england. we've got 100 million people under winter weather advisories, watches, and storm warnings. heavy rain to the south. snow to the north. here's how it times out. we start this afternoon, snow and sleet rapidly heading east. heavy rain from ohio back into arkansas. then we get into tonight, snow and ice from minneapolis, green bay, also into chicago. we've got soaking rain and a flood threat increasing. tomorrow morning for the morning commute, heavy rain from washington, d.c. into cleveland. up into detroit it's an icy mix from western pennsylvania and philadelphia. heavy snow into new york city and for the evening commute, austin, up to burlington, snow,

scranton back to state college heavy rain down to the south. here's what we look for. we start off with snow back through the midwest, anywhere from six to nine inches of snow through the upper mississippi and ohio river valleys. then we make our way into the northeast with really significant snow, six inches to a foot in new england, anywhere from three to six inches, new york, back into williamsport, icing conditions from albany, scranton, pittsburgh, ft. wayne to peoria. isolated power outages and heavy flooding down to the south. west plains, memphis, bowling green, nashville. 20 million people at risk for heavy rain anywhere from four to five inches in western tennessee. guys. >> all right, al. thank you so much. in the meantime, there is new turmoil in virginia with the state's top lawmakers embroiled in scandals. this morning, both the embattled governor and lieutenant governor are speaking out. geoff bennett is in richmond. he's been covering this story from the start. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, governor ralph northam says his black face scandal serves a higher purpose.

he says he's learned from it and he wants to spend the rest of his time in office focused on racial issues. at the same time northam says justin fairfax, lieutenant governor should step down if the sexual assault allegations against him turn out to be true. in his first tv interview since becoming engulfed in a black face scandal, virginia's governor, ralph northam says he's not going anywhere. >> i've thought about resigning, but i've also thought about what virginia needs right now and i really think i'm in a position where i can take virginia to the next level. >> as national politicians pile on. >> he should resign. >> i think he should resign. >> today a new sign of support at home. a washington post poll finding a majority of african-american virginia residents want northam to stay on the job. >> it happened years ago so i think he's changed and i don't think he should resign. >> reporter: still, the poll finds virginians overall, evenly

split. >> i don't think there's any question that the governor needs to resign. >> as he fights for his own political future, the governor now putting pressure on his number two, lieutenant governor justin fairfax who stands accused of sexual assault by two women, dr. vanessa tyson and meredith watson. >> if these accusations are determined to be true, i don't think he's going to have any other option than to resign. >> reporter: fairfax denies both allegations calling the interactions consensual and in a new statement calling for an investigation of his own, writing i call on all appropriate and impartial investigatory authorities including the fbi, to investigate fully and thoroughly the allegations against me by ms. watson and dr. tyson. i ask that all three of us be respected during this process. an attorney for watson responding saying there was nothing consensual about the encounter. >> and geoff these two accusers are now saying they would be willing to testify if impeachment hearings were to come against the lieutenant governor? is that right? >> reporter: that's right.

they both say they are willing to share their story publicly. a democratic state legislature plans to drop articles of impeachment against justin fairfax as early as today. here is the deal, though. in order for that to move forward, the virginia house speaker would have to approve it. right now it's not clear that he will. hoda? savannah? >> geoff in richmond, thank you. the next government shutdown is potentially days away, and talks over border security have apparently broken down again. this as the president takes his push for a wall directly to the border today. we've got two reports this morning. we'll start with nbc white house correspondent kristen welker in el paso, texas. kristen, give us a sense of what the president is hoping to achieve today. >> reporter: hi savannah, good morning. this is president trump's first campaign style rally of the new year. he's going to be making a hard sell for his border wall. the focus is going to be the fencing here in el paso, about 16 feet high. it stretches about 40 miles

long, and this event is coming at a critical moment. over the weekend, we learned that talks have stalled between lawmakers who are aiming to avert a second government shutdown, the key sticking points of course border wall funding, but also how many detention beds there should be for folks who have been arrested by i.c.e. agents. now, over the weekend, the acting chief of staff, mick mulvaney didn't rule out a second government shutdown. >> you cannot take a shutdown off the table, and you cannot take 5.7 off the table. >> reporter: now, remember, president trump has said if lawmakers cannot reach a deal he'll go around congress and declare a national emergency. his visit, though, does come with a bit of a cloud looming over it because of something that he said about this fencing here in el paso during the state of the union address. he said that the fencing made el paso safer. well, the fact checkers pounced and in reality crime actually decreased in the years leading up to when this fencing was

built in about 2008 to 2009. still, expected to be front and center tonight for president trump, savannah and hoda. >> the president isn't the only one having a big event. one of his 2020 challengers is supposed to be there as well, right? >> reporter: it's going to be quite a split screen, hoda. there's no doubt about that. beto o'rourke, who is mulling a potential 2020 bid, is going to be holding a counter rally here tonight about a mile away and about the same time. remember, he's the former congressman who failed in his bid to take on senator ted cruz, but he became a rising star in the democratic party. tonight he's going to be holding an event. it's going to start with a march. the theme of the march is going to be stop the lies, stop the wall, and celebrate el paso. you're going to have two very different events, two different messages, and potentially a preview of what we could see in 2020. hoda and savannah. >> kristen welker at the border.

kristen, thank you. that segue brings us right to 2020 and the field of potential democratic challengers. it's getting more crowded by the day. hallie jackson is on that part of the story. good morning. >> good morning to you. that beto o'rourke texas event is prompting speculation he might end up getting into the 2020 mix. he has not made it official yet, but plenty of other democrats have. that includes two senators now getting into the race, both targeted by president trump. >> with the weather hardly minnesota nice, a snow covered senator amy klobuchar stormed into the 2020 field making her announcement. >> i have grit. >> and making the list of democrats looking to win the white house even longer. klobuchar has not signed on to a medicare for all plan like her more progressive competitors but does champion less expensive health care and climate protections. she's defending herself from reports she's mistreated some staff members. >> i have high expectations for myself.

i have high expectations for the people that work for me, but i have high expectations for this country, and that's what we need. >> reporter: the president clearly paying attention to his potential challenger jabbing at klobuchar's position on climate change, tweeting by the end of her speech she looked like a snow man or woman. and he's taking aim at another democratic candidate formally running, elizabeth warren. president trump using an offensive nickname for her, pocahontas and asking will she run as our first native american presidential candidate or has she decided after 32 years this is not playing so well anymore, see you on the campaign trail, liz. >> every day there's a racist tweet, a hateful tweet. >> reporter: the massachusetts senator has apologized for any harm caused by her past claims of native american ancestry.

in iowa focusing not on that but on the fight she faces with donald trump turning her fire on the legal questions that have dogged his campaign and administration. >> by the time we get to 2020, donald trump may not even be president. in fact, he may not even be a free person. >> reporter: compare that to new jersey senator cory booker making his first stop as a candidate in iowa with a raspy voice pitching unity and predicting pushback. >> they're going to say gosh, more candidates talking about love and hope. oh, my gosh, how are you going to beat donald trump on that. i want to see the man out of the white house. i want to see dignity return. >> i think a lot of people are also wondering about another name, joe biden. is there any word when that may or may not happen? >> it is a big question, hoda. here's what we're learning from our reporting. folks close to joe biden say they expect a final decision maybe in early to mid-march. keep in mind, we have seen

deadlines like these come and go. biden's been apparently working the phones constantly, feeling allies out about 2020 and offering percentages about how likely it is he will get into the race. right now it's looking he's more likely to run than not. a big grain of salt here, the former vp had an announcement speech all ready to go ahead of the 2016 campaign, one that he never gave when he ultimately decided not to run. bottom line, it looks like democrats are going to have to wait maybe a month longer before they know for sure. >> hallie, thank you. craig joins the table. we have a lot more to get to. >> good morning. we talked about at the top of the show, music's biggest night, the grammy's. what a show it was. huge night for women as well, and many of the award show's top category. natalie morales in los angeles with the highlights. hey, nat. >> reporter: good morning to you, craig. remember after social media dubbed last year's grammy award's #grammysomale, what a difference a year makes. this year's show struck a much different chord from start to finish. it was definitely ladies' night.

♪ >> from grammy host alicia keys to dozens of female grammy winners, and even a surprise appearance by former first lady michelle obama. [ applause ] >> who stole the show from some of music's biggest superstars. >> music shows us that all of it matters. >> the night was all about women power with current stars and legendary icons strutting their stuff and honoring their past. ♪ and here i go >> paying tribute to country legend dolly parton who performed with a group of young stars including her god daughter miley cyrus. ♪ jolene >> diana ross who celebrated her 75th birthday and a powerful performance remembering the queen of soul, aretha franklin. ♪ you make me feel like a natural woman ♪

>> as for the night's big winners. >> and we got to take care of each other. >> lady gaga won three grammy's including best pop duo or group performance for "shallow." the smash hit from the movie "a star is born" which is also nominated for an oscar ♪ we're far from the shallow now ♪ >> cardi b turned heads on the red carpet and on the stage with an electrifying performance. ♪ >> she also became the first solo female artist to win a grammy for best rap album for "invasion of privacy". >> thank you so much, everybody. >> and it didn't stop there, singer her won best r&b album, while country star kacey musgraves won for country album and the coveted album of the year. >> it was unbelievable to be even in a category with such gigantic albums. >> some of the guys who walked away with awards, drake winning best rap song for "god's plan". >> you've already won if you

have people who are singing your songs word for word. you don't need this right here, i promise you. you already won. >> and childish gambino who was a no-show but won four statues including record of the year for "this is america." >> and jennifer lopez gave a stunning tribute to mo town with a little help from host alicia keys, super star ne-yo and icon smokey robinson. >> ariana grande skipped the show, but she did win her first grammy for best pop vocal, and the late singer chris cornell won posthumously for best rock performance. it was a great night all around, lots of incredible performances. >> we couldn't have stopped talking about, that dolly parton medley was like off the chains. >> she still is singing so great, sounds amazing and then to see these incredible performers. >> here's to dolly. ♪

♪ i can easily understand how you could easily take my man, but you don't know what he means to me jolene notice ♪ ♪ jolene, jolene, jolene, jolene ♪ >> stop. we need more, more. >> another great moment, alicia keys, that medley. >> two pianos. >> just the concept, the songs i wish i'd written. that's crazy. ♪ >> how about janelle monae, alicia keys, i thought in terms of performing and hosting was the best. >> i loved her whole vibe. >> right? >> it was like not -- she just was really kind of mellow and happy to be there. >> it's fun to watch an awards show and feel happy afterwards. it felt so good last night. >> best one in years, absolutely. >> and the sets were so gorgeous. >> and the costumes. >> we liked the show. we approve. >> loved it. >> hey, al, what's going on in

the weather. >> it almost seems like it should be on nbc. >> we want it. >> for today, snow is developing. we've got heavy rain in the mid-mississippi river valley, next half hour we're going to be taking a look at the pacific northwest, they've been getting hammered. it's going to happen again. another storm coming in there. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. i'm amy tran, pure leaf tea master. i was inspired by nature's finest ingredients to create a new take on tea. introducing, naturally caffeine free, pure leaf herbal iced tea. ♪ a refreshing combination of juicy, peach, flavor and hibiscus. ♪ crafted just for you. new pure leaf herbals. iced tea blooming with flavor, and naturally caffeine free. good monday morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. a live look outside in san jose,

beautiful sunrise with the sun and the clouds and a mix of the two as we go throughout the day. it is chilly as we've seen some of our temperatures in the north bay drop down to the upper 20s, and it's also below freezing. watch out for icy bridges and overpasses. today we're headed up to 54 degrees and rain gets here late tomorrow night, continues throughout the day on wednesday with some gusty winds and then more showers in the forecast for the weekend. coming up the next half hour, we take a look at the pacific northwest, another big storm that's going to make its way coast to coast. just ahead, a new twist in the jeff bezos "national enquirer" extortion scandal. what a lawyer for the tabloid is saying about those racy texts. and banking on a big tax return this year? not so fast, why millions are getting hit instead with big tax bills. we'll explain, but first this is "today" on nbc.

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and i wanted to ask you before i ask her may i have your permission to marry her? you're marrying her and her whole world shop neil lane diamond engagement rings... ...at kay. a big scare for one family in antioch this morning. good morning. 7:26. i'm marcus washington. a big scare for one family in antioch this morning. that's where a truck barrelled into a home during a police chase. you can see here the video of how it ended. it happened on golden bear drive near hillcrest avenue. the man who lives in that home says he was asleep on the couch at the moment of that impact. police tell us, officers were chasing a truck because it was stolen. they say the driver suffered major injuries, although there's no update on his condition or possible changes or charges dealing with this. also the man and woman inside that home were not hurt. right now, let's get a look at your morning weather report. meteorologist kari hall. >> it starts out cool around the bay area. we have seen a couple of spotty

sprinkles but so far, looking pretty good here in palo alto. as you get ready to head out the door, it's going to be cool, with some low 40s, and it gets a little bit milder today, but still cooler than normal with a mix of sun and clouds. by tomorrow, we track our next storm system, set to move into the north bay late tomorrow night, continuing throughout the day on wednesday, and also some gusty winds, a bit of a break in the rain on thursday, before there is some more right behind that for the weekend, as our temperatures stay cool, only reaching into the 50s. san francisco looking at more of the same, and some off and on showers throughout the work week. we'll have more updates on that. let's get an update on the commute now from mike. >> kari, things are slow throughout the carquinez bridge but a smoother drive for the east shore freeway after the earlier crash cleared just before the end of our 6:00 news. over here, we're looking at the bay bridge, southbound 680, jammed up the top of your screen toward rah nina vista. may have one lane blocked by a crash and crews and southbound 242 in concord, bottom of your

screen, a crash there also, but then you're cleared by the time you get to 680, the walnut creek interchange, 680 up in the dublin interchange and the rest of the bay. back to you. >> thanks, mike. more local news in 30 minutes.

7:30 now on a monday morning. it's february the 11th, valentine's day on thursday. that's a little public service announcement, and we're here to help you share the love. check it out. look at this thing. we've got a huge board on the plaza. people are pinning up their messages of love and hope. there's actually a special purpose behind this. we're going to tell you more on how you can get involved. it's a nice time to write a little love note to someone. >> we have a whole week of stuff planned that will make you feel good. there's no end to the political storm in virginia. in his first television interview since becoming engulfed in this scandal, governor ralph northam says he's

not going anywhere. a poll shows a majority of african-american virginia residents want northam to stay on the job. joer a the pressure is mounting meanwhile on the lieutenant governor, justin fairfax to quit. two women now accuse him of sexual assault in the 2000s, and they say they are willing to testify against him if impeachment plans proceed. fairfaxedne denies those accusations. a second government shutdown is looming after bipartisan talks on border security stalled. white house chief of staff mick mulvaney said he cannot rule out the possibility of new furloughs and layoffs. democrats are demanding a limit on the number of migrants authorities can detain, and there's no agreement on funding for president trump's border wall. the president will rally supporters today during a visit to el paso, texas. security is under review after a chimpanzee escaped from its enclosure at the belfast zoo this weekend. they used it as a ladder to

reach the top. >> mom, it's escaping. >> he was escaping. most of the chimpi s stayed on the wall. he returned on his own. no one was hurt. zoo officials call it a highly unusual event. >> a dangerous one, too. now to the very latest on that very public dispute between the "national enquirer" and jeff bezos after he accused the tabloid of blackmail and extortion. miguel almaguer has the very latest on this one. >> good morning, in a statement friday, american media inc. said it was investigating the claims from the world's richest man, but that it acted lawfully. the lawyer for ceo david pecker doubling down on that over the weekend insisting his client didn't do anything wrong. >> reporter: this morning has the jeff bezos leaker been revealed? the brother of bezos's alleged

mistress lauren sanchez is denying reports he leaked explicit texts to the "national enquirer." a lawyer for the tabloid's ceo david pecker, is refusing to confirm or deny if it was michael sanchez who's also a reported supporter of president trump. the lawyer saying the source was someone close to the couple and had given information to the inquirer for seven years. michael sanchez denied his involvement to "the washington post" which is owned by bezos. it comes as pecker's attorney is pushing back on claims jeff bezos made an extraordinary blog post late last week. >> it absolutely is not extortion and not blackmail. >> reporter: the amazon founder wrote that representatives for american media inc. tletdenhrea to release intimate texts and photos between him and his alleged mistress lauren sanchez if he didn't publish what he called a false public statement saying he didn't think ami's coverage was politically motivated and end his

investigation into how they got previous texts, which they published shortly after bezos announced his divorce. nbc news has not independently reviewed the e-mails in bezos's post. bezos had pointed to ami's connection to the saudi government as well as president trump. pecker's attorney stressing. >> i think both bezos and ami had interest in resolving their differences. >> since bezos's post others have come forward saying they too were victims of the same practices. actor terry crews tweeting that ami tried to silence me by fabricating stories. investigative journalist row nan fair row and the former editor of the associated press investigative team detailing similar efrforts against them, this morning a tabloid known for its salacious headlines is today

making its own front page fodder. >> pecker's lawyer says he's not aware of any blackmail attempts by ami employees. meantime, according to a source familiar with the matter, federal prosecutors are now looking into whether the company violated its non-prosecution agreement over alleged hush money payments during president trump's campaign. guys, back to you. >> miguel almaguer in l.a. thanks. let's get another check of the weather, mr. roker standing by for that. >> we're starting off in the pacific northwest. some folks taking advantage of the snow in seattle, but causing obviously the prerequisite traffic delays and problems and it just keeps coming. take a look at what they're seeing so far in seattle, february 14 inches of snow, third snowiest february on record, and if they get another 3.2 inches of snow, it will make it the snowiest february ever. now here's what we've got. another strong storm moving onshore in the pacific northwest, flooding, heavy rain for california, this is a coast to coast storm.

by saturday it's in the midsection of the country. snow from the rockies into the plains, strong winds, lake effect snow develops. by saturday evening chicago and detroit get involved, these strong winds will continue and bringing in rain into the east, and then as we make our way into saturday night, we get some icing conditions into the northeast and strong lake effect winds and snow and that heavy coastal rain for the northe good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. beautiful sunrise, as we start out on this monday morning, but it is still cold out there. we have some upper 30s around the bay area, and our highs today reach into the mid to upper 50s. as you get ready to head out, be prepared for those cool temperatures, but at least we don't have a lot of rain in the forecast. only a few spotty showers and then more widespread rain starting to move into the north bay tomorrow night. continuing throughout the day on wednesday, with some gusty winds, a break on thursday, and more showers for the weekend. >> and that's your latest weather. >> mr. roker, thank you.

still ahead, meghan markle's heartbreaking plea to her father in an intimate letter just revealed. >> plus, lindsey vonn makes history winning bronze in the last race of her storied career, why she says it's just as special as all of those olympic goel golds. and inside jennifer aniston's star-studded birthday bash, including an appearance by her ex-husband brad pitt. is an unwanted tax surprise waiting for you? waiting for you? while a lot of americans are essential for pine trees, but maybe not for people with rheumatoid arthritis. because there are options. like an "unjection™". xeljanz xr. a once-daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well enough. xeljanz xr can reduce pain, swelling and further joint damage, even without methotrexate. xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma have happened. as have tears in the stomach or intestines,

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more of their money up front. the standard deduction doubled. depending on your withholdings, you should have gotten more in your paycheck last year, less money withheld. if less money is being withheld for your taxes and you don't overpay, you'll get less money in a refund. >> we passed a massive tax cut for working families. >> president trump touting his middle and working class tax cuts during the state of the union address, but this morning, some americans who have filed their taxes early are getting a rude awakening. >> i was planning on taking a vacation that i'm now going to have to postpone. >> some early returns suggest many americans aren't getting the refunds they expected and some unexpectedly owe money to the irs. >> i might have to take money out of an ira to pay my taxes thanks to the trump administration. >> some twitter users venting their frustrations online. my tax refund is half of last year and last year i got a $750 federal refund. this year i owe $5,000.

according to the irs, the average tax refund last year was $2,035. in the first week of tax season this year, the average refund was 1865, down 8% with a number of people receiving a refund at all dropping nearly 25%. the discrepancy lies in the new tax law which doubled the standard deduction for most middle class americans. that gave workers more money upfront in their paychecks, something that may have gone unnoticed. as a result the irs tells nbc news some may receive a smaller refund or even potentially owe tax, especially if they did not check and adjust their withholding. tax experts caution a smaller refund or owing money doesn't necessarily mean you are paying more taxes. >> i've seen an analysis that said 65% of households will pay a lower income tax after the changes. most people will be paying less. >> in all, 30 million americans

are expected to owe the irs this year. >> if you're surprised by your bill this yeerar, the most important thing you can do is go back to your employer, change your withholding so that money is actually coming out of your paycheck in the right amount every month, and you're not paying a big chunk of money at tax time. >> so tom, as we understand it, higher income people living in higher tax states are still the ones most likely to owe money in taxes this year. break that down. >> the amount of local and property taxes you can deduct on your federal taxes is capped at $10,000, so if you pay more than that, you can't deduct any more than that on your taxes. most experts say getting a big refund is usually not a good thing because it means you have been overpaying your taxes and giving the government an interest free loan. as she said, the best option, talk to your employer about adjusting your withholdings so you don't get a big refund or a big tax bill come tax day. >> probably good to check those

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it's a story worth sharing. (avo) living longer is possible. it's tru. keytruda, from merck. with more fda-approved uses for advanced lung cancer than any other immunotherapy. and welcome back, we're back with a fitting end to olympic legend lindsey vonn's historic skiing career. capping it off with one last race and one last trip to the winner's podium. >> one final time for lindsey vonn. >> reporter: out of the gate she was as good as vonn. >> lindsey vonn going 62 miles an hour. >> reporter: reminding the world of just how she became the greatest female skier in history. >> she is the greatest glider in the world. >> reporter: lindsey vonn delivering a clean run as she sped toward the finish line one last time. >> for the final time in her storied career, vonn to the line here in sweden. >> reporter: ending an illustrious career spanning

nearly two decades with one last win. vonn all smiles as she took the bronze medal in the world championships downhill sunday. the win comes a little more than a week after vonn announced she'd retire because of another serious knee injury. >> i'm going to put this next to the gold medals because this to me was an incredible race. i fought with my heart the whole way down. >> reporter: the victory marking a final comeback for vonn after she crashed during last tuesday's super g. >> she goes down hard. >> reporter: vonn escaping the dramatic spill with a black eye, some sore ribs and a stiff neck, but she hasn't always been so lucky. while vonn has said she doesn't want her list of career threatening injuries to define her legacy, you can't help but think about her remarkable ability to overcome them, returning after each setback

stronger, her fearlessness unfazed. >> i accept the risk that at any time i could get in an accident and end my career, be paralyzed, kill myself. i mean, there's -- ski racing is a very dangerous sport, but i love it. >> reporter: vonn retires with 82 world cup victories, just five shy of beating the all-time record held by swedish skier ingemar stenmark. she greeted vonn with a hug at the end of her final race. a show of support for lindsey vonn, a decorated daredevil now looking forward to her life off the slopes. >> what are you going to miss from this life, from this world? >> reporter: i tell you one thing i'm not going to miss, being cold. [ laughter ] >> i always wondered about that, maybe they don't feel cold like we all do but they do. >> ends with a sense of humor. >> she's amazing. we've gotten to know her over the years, and she's going to come by our studio next week.

we'll get to sit down with lindsey, see how she's doing, how she feels about all of it next thursday february 21st. >> looking forward to that. just ahead, the touching story of a sports power couple with dreams of starting a family and stopping a crippling disease. plus, more on the grammy's and that big win for "a star is born." >> i wish bradley was here with me right now. >> so where was bradley while lady gaga was there accepting another big award for their hit movie? that's where he was. we're going to fill you in after our local news. going to fi when you find yourself in a strange land... discover your inner hero. and unlock the power... to speed through everything... in the blink of an eye. hertz fast lane powered by clear... in select airports 2019. hertz. we're here to get you there. marvel studios' captain marvel. in theaters march 8th.

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good monday morning. at 7:56, we wake up to some chilly temperatures again today and a beautiful sunrise over the south bay, before you head out the door, make sure you're wearing extra layers with temperatures starting out in the 30s, even some 20s. headed into tomorrow, our new storm arrives and it may bring in heavy rain at times and elevated flood risk with gusty winds and a few thunderstorms that may be possible. snow levels will be much higher, meaning many of our bay area peaks will not see snow this go-round. as temperatures warm up into the low 60s, wind and rain on wednesday, a break on thursday and more showers moving in, in time for the weekend, kind of off and on, as our temperatures start to cool off. for san francisco, 52 degrees today and mostly dry conditions and once again, our next round of rain gets here late tomorrow

evening. he'll be tracking that. let's head over to mike for an update on the commute. >> northbound 101 before capital expressway where the arrow is, a crash in the middle lane that could be a tough issue as you come off of the split with 85. we'll track that. the rest of the south bay starred. same thing for most of the east bay. we are looking at this problem continuing southbound 242, jammed coming down toward concord, off of highway 4. the earlier crash may still be in the lanes and you are jammed looks like you're recovering south 680 coming off the bay bridge. you're lagging coming out of the north bay. good flow off the carquinez bridge. back to you. governor gavin newsom pulling california national guard units from the u.s. msh mexico border. newsom questions president trump's view of a crisis at the bord border, link to more on our twitter feed. federal investigators are expected to resume budget talks today, at the same time lawmakers are expressing concerns about a deal being reached before friday's midnight deadline. our our home page, link to the

latest on what may turn into a second federal shutdown and what lawmakers have to do to bridge that divide. more news in an hour. controvers name. the public meeting happening tomorrow where parents can weigh in. plus--valentine )s day is coming up fast. if you )re scrambling to order flowers-- our consumer team has some "heart-felt" advice. join us from 4:30 to 7.

it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, winter weather watch, a powerful storm set to blanket much of the country bringing snow, ice and freezing rain. more than 100 million people in the northwest and new england in its path. how bad will it be? al has our forecast. >> plus, family, fertility and the future. how a powersports family is turning to the future to put an end to a crippling disease. >> with huntington's disease specifically, if you have children without it, it's gone from the family line forever. >> forever? >> it's a miracle, a version of the cure. >> their personal story and what

they're doing to help other couples. >> meghan's message, the heart breaking letter reportedly sent to meghan markle's father just after her wedding, what it could reveal about their relationship. february 11th, between 90. >> today is -- 11th 2019. >> her birthday! >> from san antonio! >> the "today" show! >> good morning from cleveland! >> al, here's what's happening in your old neck of the woods. >> we're twins, turning 10 on today! >> good morning, everybody. welcome back to "today." it's monday morning the 11th of february. we're so happy to see you on our plaza or watching at home. >> uh-huh. >> also happy to see so many my

"today" plaza messages we've been getting. we want more of them. send us shout-outs by using the #mytodayplaza hashtag. >> a fast moving storm is making its way across the country. it has dropped snow and ice across the west and midwest and now has the east coast in its sights. al is here with what we can expect. good morning. >> we have winter weather advisors, warnin advisories wind chills we have almost 20 much people and flood watches from arkansas to ohio and the virginias. we will be watching that as well. here's what we look for. trav travel impacts for today. roads,

i-80, omaha. i-64, kansas bullet more and i-65, chicago to memphis. for tomorrow it moves to the east, chicago, detroit, cleveland, boston, philadelphia, all major impacts. the roads, i-75 chicago to new york and i-80 chicago to new york and i-90 chicago to boston and i-95 richmond. hopefully things get back to normal. >> there is no end to the political gulf engulfing virginia and the news on ralph northam and lieutenant-governor fairfax. >> reporter: virginia northam say his black face scandal serves a higher purpose, saying he learned from it and wants to spend the rest of his time on

issues of racial equity. at the same time, he's saying his number two, lieutenant fairfax should step down if the sexual assaults against him turn out to be true. over the weekend, fairfax issued another statement where he flatly denied the allegations calling for an independent investigation. his two accusers released a statement of their own saying they would testify publicly if fairfax moves forward. there is a new development on that front. the virginia state legislator that said he would drop the articles of impeachment against justin fairfax says he wants more time to hold off and have more investigation into the next steps. >> thank you. >> the investigation of the new government shutdown. friday this is i day to reach a deal but talks broke down again over border wall funding and fighting whether to limit the number of

migrants i.c.e. agents can detain. president trump will travel to el paso, texas to make his case to build a wall, the hometown of beta o'rourke and he will be holding a rally for his own plans about a mile away. >> disbarred georgia attorney convicted in a string of crimes and now even more. kristen dahlgren is on this one. >> crazy story. he was to turn himself in for a 15 year prison sentence for theft, elderly abuse and exploitation and now added to his crimes allegedly killing his own mother. >> reporter: the manhunt on for the man accused of killing his mother. >> he's very dangerous and concerned he could hurt someone else. >> reporter: richard merritt was once owner of his oven law firm

and pleaded guilty to theft, and elderly exploitation. they approved his request to get his affairs in order and be in court by february 1st. he never showed up. the believe he cut off his ankle monitor in dekalb county where he allegedly stabbed his mother to death and took off at the scene in her 2009 lexus. >> we have a whole family concerned and frightened. >> reporter: merritt's own brother is stunned. >> had they taken him into custody immediately she'd be alive and he wouldn't be a fugitive. >> reporter: mr. mer rid sounded upbeat and optimistic about his chances of parole after just five years and cannot believe this has happened nor can his brother who has a message for him. >> you need to man up and turn yourself in and account for what

you've done. >> authorities say merritt may have shaved his head in attempt to change his appearance, considered armed and dangerous. >> keep us posted. >> we have our new covered. how about a little morning boost. one of the artists that won in the grammy awards was the artist known as h.e.r. she won best r&b album and performance. she also performed at the show last night in l.a. ♪ >> little known fact turns out we know h.e.r. better than she knows. she performed the alicia keys show in 2007. she was just a child of 9 years old. >> gabby, hi, honey. gabby is with us. ♪ i just want to be where you

can stay forever ♪ >> alicia keys hosted. she won a grammy, singing to alicia in 2007. >> that is so cute. and you were right there. >> my god. >> child prodigy then and look at her now. what was her name? gabby. >> now, she says h.e.r. what does that mean? >> having everything revealed. >> having everything revealed. >> we just revealed her appearance on the "today" show. >> she should come back. >> she should come back. >> open invitation. coming up, really touching story, power couple in sports on starting a family and how they're using fertility treatments to try and defeat a debilitating disease. >> it's a version of the cure. if everyone were to do this to have a child we could eliminate the disease. >> their emotional and fascinating story just ahead. fist, meghan markle's deeply

personal story revealed and what she reportedly wrote to him after the wedding, coming up after this. ttle too late ♪ ♪ a sock-a-bam-boom ♪ who's in the room? ♪ love is dangerous ♪ but driving safe means you pay less ♪ ♪ switch and save ♪ yes, ma'am excuse me, miss. ♪ does this heart belong to you? ♪ ♪ would you like it anyway? [ scatting ] ♪ would you like it anyway? hey! you still thinking about opening your own shop? every day. i think there are some ways to help keep you on track. and closer to home. edward jones grew to a trillion dollars in assets under care, by thinking about your goals as much as you do. it's easy to lose sight of what we should love and appreciate. milk is for a lot of things that really matter. for our bones and bodies, sure, but also to build us up when we need it.

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♪ dove intensive repair conditioner. for 100% touchably beautiful hair. since one conditioner doesn't fit all. dove ultra-care conditioners. welcome back on this monday morning. sheinelle jones joining us for this morning's talker. and meghan markle's anguish with her father. >> it's being laid bared. >> the deeply personal letter was handwritten allegedly sent by the duchess in the months after her wedding, a wedding her father missed after it was exposed he was paid for interviews and pose for pictures. >> meteorologist meghan markle looks her usual poised self-attending a charity event with her husband, harry. underneath her calm and graceful

demeanor, private anguish. your actions have broken my heart into a million pieces. "the mail" says meghan's father released the letter she sent him in august of last year following the couple's royal wedding in may. he was supposed to walk her down the aisle. in the days up to the wedding it came to light he had been paid for tabloid photos of him traveling to england. he subsequently had a heart attack and prince charles had to step in as chaperone. you've told the press that you called me to say you weren't coming to the wedding. that happened because you never called. meghan's dad claims she won't answer his messages. in the letter she said, you heaviest reached out to me since the week of our wedding. while you claim you have no way of contacting me, my phone number has remained the same. nbc has not independently confirmed the handwritten letter is meghan's.

she is known for her penmanship. she helped the elderly with holiday decorations writing merry christmas in a swooping style. prince harry attended a rugby match in his first public appearance in the letter was revealed. to hear about the attacks you've made at harry in the press who was nothing but patient, kind and understanding with you is perhaps the most painful of all. last week, five of meghan's friends opened up to "people" magazine in support of the woman they adore. >> as meghan's closest friends, they're in contact with her daily. they're the ones who see best the effect that the mistruths and rumors are having on her. they felt now is the time for them to speak out. >> although it's not unprecedented for royals to brief the press via friends, diana and charles did it all the time when their marriage was breaking down, it's not necessarily recommended. it opens the floodgates. the more you give bad publicity

of the oxygen of publicity it gets worse and worse. >> reporter: the royals told nbc they won't deny the letter is genuine and there is more to the letter than already published, the response from kensington palace, no comment. >> he referred us back to "the mail" on the sunday article saying he wanted to be respectful of his daughter while she is pregnant but wanted to address rumors about him. >> basically doesn't deny giving the press that letter. >> that last clip is true. when you give it oxygen, it keeps going. be interesting to see where it goes. the fact they're having a baby, i don't think it will go away any time soon, the attention. >> stick around. we have miss dylan dreyer. >> good morning. lots to get to in "popstart." first-up, everybody is still talking about the grammys. lady gaga took home two grammys, two for the song, "shallow"

featured in "a star is born." later she performed the winning piece making it the most tweeted about song of the night. let's take a quick look. ♪ ♪ i'm off the deep end, watch as i dive in ♪ ♪ i'll never meet the ground ♪ crash through the surface where they can't hurt us ♪ ♪ we're far from the shallow now ♪ >> giving >> giving it 100% every time. she's incredible. >> i also like the savannah guthrie version. >> you need to settle down. >> she does have a great version. >> that's just for y'all. >> i wished the viewers -- >> you need to share that with the world. >> no, i don't. >> stand up. >> it would be like the sound of

televisions cracking everywhere. no. >> we'll have a singoff at some point. >> while lady gaga was doing all that, winning grammys in the u.s., her costar, bradley cooper was winning across the pond. last night in london he took on the bafta award. >> i got to fulfill a dream i never thought would happen to compose and arrange music with the greatest musicians in the world, lady gaga and lucas nelson. and i have to thank arena for putting up with me with all the music i was making in our basement for a year. >> she is cooper's girlfriend, of course. a big night for "a star is born." and jennifer aniston had an epic birthday bash. everyone from former "friends"

costars, courtney cox and the clooneys, amal looking gorgeous as always and having fun in the photo booth with anniston. when sharing them, quick to point out breaking the rules, no social media. hudson replied she got permission. and reese witherspoon attended the party and even ex-husband, brad pitt slipped in. we wish her a happy 50th birthday. andy cohen appears to be adjusting to fatherhood seamlessly with his son, benjamin in the first flight and digging the dad gear and a photo of him holding onto his finger. his comment was heaven. parenthood is looking pretty good for him. >> time for the daly click.

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until '99. >> that was a well done ad. >> a couple of friends got his back. >> mr. roker what you got >> let's see what we got for you. another new storm coming in to the pacific northwest. beautiful weather in hawaii. lots of clouds as you make your way through alaska. heavy rain in the that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. we're seeing the clouds breaking up over san francisco. a little more sunshine. it's still cold out there with our temperatures in the upper 30s and low 40s. we're heading up to 53 in the city and some mid to upper 50s for the inland areas. expect our temperatures to stay cool and some gusty wind picking up. especially on wednesday as the next storm system moves in. a break open thursdn thursday. more scattered showers in the forecast going into the weekend.

>> and that's your latest weather. >> now to a power couple in sports facing a scary and significant obstacle when it comes to starting family. houston astros pitcher and his wife sports reporter -- joe's family carries the gene for huntington disease. morgan radford sat down with them. disease, a crippling disease that has no cure. >> this is a very inspirational story. this is a couple who came together in the most modern of ways. he saw her reporting on tv, he direct messaged her on twitter, and the rest is as they say modern history, and now they're hoping modern medicine holds the key to helping them have the family they desperately want while making sure their kids will be healthy. >> theirs may look like a charmed life. >> joe smith, a big league pitcher for the houston astros. >> for this team to play its best basketball in the fourth quarter. >> and alley ie laforce, a

basketball reporter and a tv host. for them there's just one thing they say they're missing, the patter of little pitchers. >> how many kids do you want? >> oh, four. >> four kids? >> at least, yeah. >> what say you, joe? >> i got nothing. >> at least one and see how you feel after that. >> that's what he always says, i'll have one first. >> daddy day care. >> that dream tempered by a frightening reality. huntington's disease runs in joe's family, a hereditary disease with no cure that's been described as a mix of alzheimer's, parkinson's and als. it causes patients to lose memory and motor skills and usually hits in the prime of life. >> i never thought about him having it or, you know, our kids potentially having it until we actually tried to get pregnant. >> joe's mother struggles with it daily, and now lives in a nursing home. >> allie did my nails. >> and who filed them. >> joe filed my nails. >> now with me and my sister, we both have a 50/50 chance of

getting it. >> have you ever gotten tested to see if you carry the gene? >> no. >> you'd rather not know. >> i have yet to hear of somebody getting tested being told they will inherit this gene will express itself and like haven't gone through like a certain depression phase. >> more than 30,000 americans suffer from the disease, but doctors believe upwards of 200,000 people may be at risk. >> it's really a family disease, individuals that are at risk or that have huntington's have seen more often than not, have seen a parent or a grandparent live and die with huntington's disease, so it's a terrifying process. >> reporter: which is why joe and allie want to make sure their future children don't have it. they've turned to a cutting edge type of in vitro fertilization known as pgd ivf, a technology where embryos are genetically tested before they're implanted to ensure they're free of the disease. >> basically you all decided to

have kids. you said look, i may or may not carry the gene for huntington's, and so we want to make sure that we don't have kids that have this disease. is that correct? >> yes, and the biggest reason is because with huntington's disease specifically, if you have children without it, it's gone from the family line forever. >> yes. >> forever? >> yes. >> it's a miracle. it's a version of the cure. if everyone were to do this to have a child, we could eliminate the disease. >> what about critics who say you're playing god? what about critics who say every child deserves to be loved, even if you have a child who has huntington's? >> great question. we get it a lot. >> i agree. i don't think i'm necessarily playing god. i think i'm just taking out a 50/50 chance, we're not genetically modifying our child. i mean, i don't want to pick eye color, hair color, height, weight, you know what i mean? i don't want nothing. i just want that gone. >> the couple now using their good fortune to start a foundation, help cure hd. the goal to help other couples at risk of huntington's afford

the exact same procedure, which can cost around $35,000. >> but do you think it's worth it? >> no doubt. >> yeah. i mean won't have to worry about it. >> and when you get emotional, what do you think about? >> i mean, everything you know. my mom, dad, my sister, you know, her kids, allie, our future kids. ultimately, we want to help, and we want to give back. >> we're trying to save one baby at a time from this disease, and it can be done. >> through their charity, joe and allie have raised more than a million dollars. help cure hd is also working with clinics nationwide to cut the cost of their procedure. i just spoke to allie this morning and yesterday she finished her egg retrieval process, it's one of those critical steps, so we're watching the best for her family. >> yeah, we are.

>> such an inspiring story. straight ahead, we are launching something special for valentine's week, how we're helping you share the love. plus, jenna gets a lesson on writing the perfect love letter a big scare for one family in antioch this morning. good morning. 8:26. a big scare this morning. a truck barreled into a home during a police chase. you can see from this video. it happened on golden bear drive near hill crest avenue it the m. the man who lives there says he was asleep on the couch at the time of the impact. the police were chasing the truck because it was stolen. the driver suffered injuries although there's no update on his condition. also, the man and woman inside that home were not hurt. a look at your morning commute. mike inouye. >> we start slowing. things are moving a little better than they were the last five minutes. north 101, 280 interchange,

things are moving nicely. through san jose. more compression through the mountains. co cupertino, those are the areas where we're seeing more commute moving in the area. oakland, 580, highway 13, 880, all north, pushing to the bay bridge and the maze, we still have that condition. a little easier movement here out of walnut creek and the upper east shore freeway. things are starting to slow down for that volume of traffic. wall nut creek, 680 there, moving nicely. a little slower towards the interchange. there's bart, no problems. >> i'll have another local news update in 30 minutes.

♪ back now, 8:30 as we say hello to jenna bush hager and our crowd, too. valentine's day is coming up on thursday, so we started thinking about ways that we could help people share the love in a big way, and i think we got it figured out, don't you? >> i do too. look how cute this is. we're collecting notes from our crowd all week, and we're going

to pin them on our big love board. we are about sharing, the l-o-v-e. this could be to your valentine's by thursday we want to have this board all filled up with love, right dilly? >> that is absolutely true, and we are getting -- it started here with kelly and her daughter abby. you guys are from upstate new york? >> yes. >> have you ever been this cold writing a love letter? >> no. [ laughter ] >> you guys, who are you writing yours out to? >> my husband pete, it's our fifth anniversary on thursday. >> on valentine's day? >> yes. >> oh, fun. and is it your birthday, also? >> yes, it's my 17th birthday. >> my goodness, this is so exciting. i'm going to write them a love letter since they're my new friends here, right? i guess that works. here we go. dear kelly and -- i'm not going to be that creative, so you guys can go on. [ laughter ] >> by the way, you don't have to be here to take part. tweet us using the share the

love today hashtag. we're going to actually deliver those messages to the ronald mcdonald house here in new york. >> with that hat, you look like yo you should be delivering papers. >> you like that? >> that's very sharp. some of our nbc stations and affiliates are joining like wcau in philly, wkyc in cleveland, and wvid in detroit. thanks to them and thanks to minted who paid the production costs for our big old wall of love. >> before we go on, can we peek at this young man over here? >> come on! let's go! >> sydney. happy birthday, happy 100th. >> thank you so much. i can't express words. i was here a long time. >> you have been and you served in world war ii. i think you're our oldest living

world war ii vet, so thank you so much. you've been here before. this is great for you to be here on your 100th. today's your actual birthday, right? >> should we sing? >> we have to. ♪ happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you ♪ ♪ happy birthday dear sydney, happy birthday to you ♪ >> we love you, sydney. >> born right here in new york city. thanks so much. thank you. >> thank you for your service. >> thank you, god bless. thank you. >> thank you for being here. >> just want to hold that hand. >> talk about love. >> man. >> exactly. >> so special. >> the best love there is. the best love, hoda. >> how about that? >> speaking ahead, my trip to a workshop to learn about the art of writing love letters and why putting pen to paper can be the best gift you can give the special person in your life this year. plus, how about cooking up a

romantic wheel for your sweetie. anthony scato is here, he's got some delicious recipes that are not quite what you expect when you think of an italian feast. a good example of trusting your gut, we'll meet a cancer researcher who suddenly began to lose her sight. she took action and helped solve her own medical mystery. all right, lots to get to, but first let's get a check of the weather. >> today's weather is brought to you by dove, gently cleanse with dove body wash to reveal radiant skin for your winter time glow. >> we could use a little glow right now, a little on the brisk side out here. let's see what your week ahead looks like. for monday heavy rain in the mid-mississippi river valley, next storm comes in the pacific northwest. snow developing in the plains by wednesday, snowy and windy in the northeast and new england. milder temperatures in the midsection of the country. heavy rain in the coastal and interior sections. rainy and windy along the eastern half of the country that's what's going on across

the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the wood. >> good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. here's a live look outside from dublin looking towards mt. diablo. a few clouds rolling out overhead. some of us starting out below freezing, like we're e sewiseei fairfield. highs reaching into the mid-50s. tomorrow, the rain comes back. especially late in the evening. starting in the north bay. and becoming more wide spread. on wednesday. by thursday, a brief break before we have some more rain for the weekend. >> one more look at sydney. happy birthday, sir. let's go back inside. >> happy birthday indeed. thank you. there are new signs this morning that chipotle is moving past the pr nightmare that plagued the food chain a few years ago. how have they done it? nbc's joe fryer got an inside look. hey, joe. >> reporter: hey, craig, good morning. since 2015 chipotle has been on a roller coaster. business plummeted following a series of foodborne illness

outbreaks. in the past year, the chain has seen a huge turn around with sales way up. >> straight from the farm, and straight to your burrito. >> it's a look behind the scenes or as chipotle calls it, behind the foil. >> the guac smasher. >> the company's new tv ads and digital videos profile employees and shine a light on the company's food and how it's prepared. >> our chicken comes in fresh. it's raw. we grill it all here every single day. >> chris brandt is chipotle's chief marketing officer, a job he took on nearly a year ago. >> when you have a campaign that focuses on how you prepare the food, it's inevitable that people are going to think about the foodborne illness outbreaks from a few years ago and make a connection. is this at least in part in response to that? >> i don't think it's in response to it. we have a zero tolerance policy for any violation of our food safety protocols. >> reporter: starting in 2015, chipotle was rocked by a string of food safety scares including a multistate e. coli outbreak

that forced the chain to temporarily close 43 stores. in response, the company made big changes creating a new food safety advisory council, increasing training, and strengthening its food handling procedures. >> there's a lot of hand washing protocol, there's a lot of temperature checks. >> reporter: brandt says the company offers employees paid time off for sick days without any questions. >> we hope people don't take advantage of that, but we want to make sure if you're sick you stay home. >> reporter: the changes didn't stop with food safety. nearly a year ago the chain brought in a new ceo from taco bell. the stock has more than doubled as the company pushes digital orders and new items like so-called lifestyle bowls geared towards keto, paleo and whole 30 diets. >> you're not pulling it out of a box, you're making food. >> reporter: it's doubling down on what originally brought the company's success, fresh

ingredients. >> we're just trying to be as transparent and honest about what we do as we can. >> reporter: chipotle had a strong earnings report a few days ago beating analysts' expectations. as for what's next, the chain has been testing a loyalty program, which it plans to roll out to more customers this year, and in a small number of restaurants, the company says it will try drive-thru lanes for picking up mobile orders, craig. >> all right, joe fryer for us in l.a. thank you. let's head back outside. >> coming up just in time for valentine's day, our resident expert on romance, jenna bush hager is going to give us a lesson on the art of love letters. but first this is "today" on nbc. >> we're like lenny

anthony s we are back to kick off our special valentine's day series. it's called share the love today. we do have a lot of fun planned for this week. >> we're going to start with what some call a forgotten art

in the world of romance. but jenna, she's all about romance. good morning. >> i am. i love that i am the romance person here. i sat in on a workshop to learn about the art of putting pen to paper and why writing love letters matters. >> from writers earnernest hemmingway to celebrities marilyn monroe and even to presidents. >> you give me joy that few men know. i've climbed perhaps the highest mountain in the world, but even that cannot hold a candle to being barbara's husband. >> writing love letter was the easiest way to share love. but in the age of text and emojis, is there still room for the old fashioned pen to paper? >> why do you think it's so important to put your feelings onto paper? >> if you take the time to really think about it and literally put it down onto paper, we think that that just makes a difference. >> reporter: writers amy silverman and debbie sessman

teach writing workshops. >> write a list of ten things you love about this person. >> i took their class how to write a love letter at the changing hands bookstore in phoenix. >> writing gives you a chance to express things in a way that is maybe a little bit more whole. >> the rain is a broken piano, playing the same notes. >> debra and amy start the class with a poem and a letter from amy's daughter to inspire us. >> happy mother's day, momma. thank you for being in my life. >> next, some writing exercises. >> we play some games with writing, have them do lists and things like that. so i guess the first thing you need to do is get in mind who you want to write your love letter to. >> are there any keys to writing a good love letter? >> drafts. taking notes. >> being vulnerable to your point. >> being vulnerable, sure. >> being honest. >> reporter: it was time to get to work. then we shared our love letters

about all types of love in class. one teacher wrote a letter to her preschool students. >> each morning i revenue to a dark empty classroom awaiting your sticky faces and tiny hands to enter and fill it with your laughter and joy. your smile, your hands, your voices are unique. tiny humans you're so incredibly loved. you are truly the loves of my life. love you always. >> oh, wow. [ applause ] >> do you see that there's this kind of renaissance where people are coming back to this art that really brought people together? >> i hope so. >> and it's something that you can have forever. >> and it's heartfelt. >> i shared my letter to my husband henry. >> your love is like the post it note with stick figured drawings of ships you left passing for me on the bathroom mirror when i returned home late. i had been flying most of the day and i was dehydrated, thirsty for home, and for you

too. i wanted to cry too, i'm very emotional. your love is like that note, it is simple and solid and thoughtful. >> there were emotional moments. >> i have to do what's best for me as i slip into the silent sleep. >> and letters full of devotion and commitment. >> the way your hand feels in mine, it's just a perfect fit. thank you for taking my hand in yours and slipping a ring on it 25 years ago and never letting it go. [ applause ] >> why is it so important that we share love? >> i think we go through life so bombarded by things and so quickly that we forget to stop and valentine's day is a lovely time to do that, but there are 365 days of the year, and it's really never a bad time to stop and say thank you. there's something about a letter that's forever. >> when i watch you come home to a quiet house, the girls tucked in, just a peek in their rooms waking them, throwing them into

the air until sleep is long gone that you, too, miss being home. >> wow. >> stop it. >> are we serving hearts for breakfast? >> i have to say write a love letter. there's all of this research that says that if you write your emotions to somebody, it makes you -- it fills you up for a month. >> yeah. >> so anyway, i know, i felt -- i was at least filled up for a couple of weeks. >> because of the letter or because of the cold? >> it's a little bit of both. >> i love how you were so good with words and that spot on your valentine, you just had a be mine. >> be mine works every year. >> it really does. >> and remember, guys, if you visit the plaza this week, you can pin your own note to this board or tweet us a note or photo, and use th the #sharethelovetoday. and we'll pin it for you. remember that our next segment is what? food.

>> cooking. >>. i i'm going to cook with anthony scotto. he's going to make a good italian meal. it's got a twist on it you may not expect. but first this is "today" on nbc.

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this morning on today food, we are going beyond marinara. cooking a great italian meal doesn't always have to include tomato sauce. anthony scotto has two options. two milanese recipes. where are your side kiks? >> i'm okay with it. what is a milanese. >> it's basically pounded and breaded. that can be everything. it doesn't necessarily have to be chicken. obviously we have our chicken. we have eggs that we're going to have to do for the breading. flour, bread crumbs, the pas

we're going to finish with, arugula and tomato. >> pound it out butterfly a six or eight-ounce piece. open it up and pound it a little bit. >> okay. >> why do we pound it? >> you want it to be thin, that's milanese. >> it's regular flour and what's this bread crumby thing. >> panko at home, it can be store bought or something you make yourself. >> what is that? olive oil? >> olive oil is fine. it could be a sapphire oil. it could be whatever you like. you just want not to burn it. >> okay. >> we're going to saute this until it's brown. when it's brown, it's cooked. >> okay. we're going to keep doing that. i'm going to add garlic to this to start our pasta. >> can you swap out the pasta or do we have to use the rigatoni? >> if you use a string pasta for that, you're going to -- it's not going to pick up the other ingredients that are in the dish. >> so that little -- oh, i see, the flat investovors in there.

>> i have to cut the milanese differently. >> that's right. you have the restaurant. we're going to add a little more tomato, the olive oil, and we're going to add our pasta. >> dump it right here? >> all right. and this is cooked? >> cooked. let's add some seasoning, a little red pepper, a little italian seasoning is great, a little salt, a little cheese. >> i mean, minus the pasta it seems healthy. >> simple, simple. >> brief follow-up. i know you pound the chicken to make it thin, but why do you want it to be thin? >> as a milanese, you want it to be thin, crunchy. it's more about the crunch than the actual protein. >> you understand that. >> you're going to put this into a bowl, add arugula salad, fresh mozzarella. this is what this is going to look like. let's go to the soup now. we're going to say the same format as the soup. i've already done some onions, i'm sauteing them quickly. i did vegetables which are here,

carrots, celery. >> what's all that? >> just carrots, celery, zucchini, potato, we're going to add this to this, salt and pepper. we're going to let that cook down a little bit. >> you're making a soup, and you're going to put the chicken milanese in there? >> no, not in there. we're going to add a little cheese to this. if you don't mind, would you add now the milanese to the soup before you serve it and eat it. >> so it's not so soggy. >> bread crumbs with the soup. >> how is that? >> i added a little lemon to that for a little pick me up. >> what's the soup called again? >> chicken milanese soup. it a's vegetable soup. it's very easy it's simple. again, it has to be done at the last minute. >> all right, anthony, thank you. >> what are you guys doing for valentine's day? >> we're here. >> haven't seen anybody in a while. >> no, no, we were just in.

>> if you want these recipes, you know where to find them. today.cofood. thism/ i

smuckers celebrates today is sponsored by smucker's. with a name like smucker's, it has to be good. >> with valentine's day this thursday, our viewers are sharing photos of the special loved ones in their lives, significant others and beyond. slim dial posted this photo with her loving fiancee. he's the one who always reminds her to be courageous. elaine says that her three kids are the loves of her life, and shawn's adorable grandson jake has her whole heart. you can keep these photos coming at today.com/celebrates. >> we love love here. >> that's right. >> we're getting started. >> all right. by the way, while you're on today.com, go to

today.com/allday for even more stories that you'll love. today we've got all the must-see looks from the red carpet at the grammy's. >> plus one bride's unusual request, why she asked her friends to re-wear their old wedding gowns on her big day. >> that's kind of cool. >> more on that on today.com/allday. coming up in the third hour of "today," al roker, you went to one of your favorite shows. >> manifest. >> he loves that show, always talking about it. >> behind the scenes of "manifest" but first your local news. this is video - from nbc by

good morning. 8:56. i'm marcus washington. video from nbc bay area sky ranger. moments ago. flying over west oakland. a burned out shell. this is where a man died after a trailer caught fire. the fire happened a little before 5:00 a.m. on 30th and behind lyndon street.

they believe the man was living in the trailer while his home was being renovated. the mayor pulling much of the national guard units away from the u.s./mexico border. newsom is openly questioning president trump's view of a crisis at the border. this follows a similar move last week by new mexico's governor. happening now, president trump plans to visit the border city of el paso, texas, tonight. that's where he's planning to hold a campaign rally. this all comes as congress remains deadlocked over border security funding. at the same time, federal negotiators are expected to resume talks today as the deadline for the budget kicks down to friday's deadline. lawmakers this morning are expressing new concerns about reaching a deal. our scott mcgrew following this. he'll have more at midday on our homepage right now, a link to more. controversial bay area sch

name. the public meeting happening tomorrow where parents can weigh in. plus--valentine )s day is coming up fast. if you )re scrambling to order flowers-- our consumer team has some "heart-felt" advice. join us from 4:30 to 7.

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>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning, everyone. happy monday. >> hi team. >> i'm sheinelle, al. >> tgim. >> tgim? >> it is now because remember, you say if you're kind of eh, just give yourself an uh. >> that doesn't sound right. nobody says that. >> on friday you said i don't get to go through something, i get to grow through something. >> yeah, but i didn't go eh, ah. >> that's what you meant. >> this is a stellar start to the program. >> it's monday, tgim. >> we got to make it to monday. >> there you .