in, maybe you want to catch our midday newscast at 11:00. we'll get you caught up there. we'll still be here. >> we have more cut-ins coming in, local news at 7:25. thanks for starting your morning here with us. have a great one. good morning, breaking overnight, explosive interview. >> definitely very concerned about the president, about his capacity, and about his intent. >> former acting fbi director andrew mccabe speaking out and taking on president trump claiming he once sided with russia over his own top intelligence officers. >> the president replied, i don't care. i believe putin. >> what he's saying that could impact the mueller investigation. messy morning, tens of millions waking up to snow and ice from the midwest to new england, and right behind it another more dangerous winter storm set to sweep across the country. dylan's forecast just ahead.

deepening mystery, actor jussie smollett hires a high-powered attorney in the wake of that bombshell claim about an alleged attack in chicago. did the "empire" star orchestrate a massive hoax and will he now talk to police about it? we're live with the very latest. all that, plus time to heal. >> united, that's how we feel. >> an emotional tribute honoring the victims of a tragic workplace shooting. clock's ticking with just two weeks to go, why hasn't anyone come forward to claim that nearly $2 billion lottery jackpot, inside the desperate search to find the lucky winner. and what a wreck. >> are you kidding me? >> nascar, super bowl, the daytona 500 marred by a series of fiery crashes. >> they wrecked again! >> one of the last drivers standing taking the checkered flag, why that win meant so much to him and his team's owner, today, monday, february 18th, 2019.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and welcome to "today." thanks for joining us on this presidents' day monday morning. craig melvin here alongside sheinelle jones. savannah and hoda both have the morning off. what a race. >> what a race. i just watched a clip of that video again, 21-car crash, and you and i were talking about the fact it's remarkable no one was hurt. >> denny hamlin did not crash. he had not won a race in 47 tries. he wins last night to kick off the nascar season. coming up, why that win was so emotional for him and the guy who owns that nascar team. we'll get to that in just a bit. >> quite a win. we start with our top story, the fallout over new claims being made about president trump in a new interview with the fbi's former acting director andrew mccabe. we've got complete coverage this morning. we start with our chief white

house correspondent hallie jackson. hallie, good morning. >> good morning to you. andrew mccabe is defending the fbi's opening of investigations into the president. while critics question his credibility, mccabe is now revealing new details about his concerns regarding donald trump. >> reporter: in another explosive new claim, andrew mccabe now says the president dismissed u.s. intelligence on national security recalling an instance in which he says president trump insisted north korea did not have the capability to hit the u.s. with ballistic missiles because russian president vladimir putin told him so. >> intelligence officials in the briefing responded that that was not consistent with any of the intelligence our government possesses to which the president replied, i don't care. i believe putin. >> on another claim that attorney general rod rosenstein suggested wearing a wire to record president trump in the days after james comey was fired, mccabe now says the

justice department's denial is off base and that rosenstein was not being sarcastic. >> he said i never get searched when i go into the white house. i could easily wear a recording device. they wouldn't know it was there. now, he was not joking. he was absolutely serious, and in fact he brought it up in the next meeting we had. >> mccabe appearing on 60 minutes to promote his new book also says rosenstein raised the possibility of invoking the 25th amendment to remove donald trump from office. >> what i can say is the deputy attorney general was definitely very concerned about the president, about his capacity and about his intent at that point in time. >> reporter: the justice department called mccabe's version of events inaccurate and factually incorrect, and the president tweeted this morning, quote, so many lies by disgraced acting fbi director, andrew mccabe. he was fired for lying and now

it's more deranged. the former deputy director was fired last year accused of lying about his interactions with the media. now, the republican head of the judiciary committee senator lindsey graham says he will subpoena both mccabe and rosenstein in need be in light of that 25th amendment claim. >> the only way i know to find out is to call the people in under oath and find out through questioning who's telling the truth. >> so hallie, we are all hearing about some of this for the first time, but what about the special counsel? >> yeah, he's not, right? here is why we think we know that. andrew mccabe took meticulous notes basically writing memos to himself about all of these conversations he was having. mccabe says, hey, that's what fbi agents are trained to do. where are those notes now? mccabe says they are in the hands of robert mueller, that the special counsel has those notes as based on our reporting mueller gets close to wrapping up that investigation into russian interference in the 2016 election. yeah, may be new to some of us, but certainly not new to mueller.

>> hallie jackson in washington. we should note here, andrew mccabe will join us for a live interview, tomorrow, sitting down with savannah to talk about his new claims. protests are spreading against president trump's decision to declare a national emergency to build a border wall with mexico. nbc's kristen welker has the latest. kristen, good morning. nbc's kristen welker has the latest. >> reporter: good morning to you. president trump is increasingly on defense after he declared that national emergency to get his border wall built. the white house is bracing for a barrage of lawsuits as protests are planned today all across the country. this morning the battle over the border is intensifying. >> this emergency is fake! >> protests broke out over the weekend outside trump hotel in new york, and california's attorney general warned legal action is imminent after president trump declared a national emergency redirecting federal funds to build his border wall when congress refused to give him all the money he requested. >> we are prepared. we knew something like this might happen, and with our

sister state partners, we are ready to go. >> california leading a legal coalition which is also expected to include new mexico, hawaii, oregon, connecticut, minnesota and possibly other states and now many o'opponents are also seizing on the president's own mixed messaging after he said this friday. >> i could do the wall over a longer period of time. i didn't need to do this, but i'd rather do it much faster. >> and in saying just the other day that he didn't really need to do this, he just wanted to do it because it would help things go faster, he's pretty much daring the court to strike this down. >> reporter: the opposition is building on capitol hill with democrats planning to take legislative action, but top white house adviser stephen miller saying any block would likely provoke the president's first ever veto. >> yes, he will veto? >> he's going to protect his national emergency declaration guaranteed. >> reporter: a veto threat may not deter the opposition, and even some republicans say their

wary. >> this would be another expansion of that power. that's why you see an awful lot of us concerned about this. >> reporter: but mr. trump's republican defenders blame the democrats. >> the congress is locked down and will not give him what we've given past presidents so unfortunately he's got to do it on his own. >> reporter: adding to the confusion, the acting secretary of defense says he has not determined how much money he will redirect to the president's border wall. and when pressed? >> sir, at this point you have not determined specifically a wall is required to meet that national emergency? >> there have been no determinations by me. >> kristen, you talked about congress taking action to block the national emergency. how realistic is that? >> reporter: look, democrats in congress can try to block the emergency declaration by passing what's called a joint resolution of termination, but even if that passed, the president is prepared to veto such a move as you just heard, and it appears unlikely at this point there are

enough votes to override that veto but remember, this is a key point. there are a number of lawsuits coming so either way mr. trump still faces hurdles to getting his wall built. >> thank you. another big story we're following this morning, the weather. a quick hitting storm is creating dangerous conditions from the midwest to the northeast and an even larger one is set to sweep across the country after it. dylan's been keeping an eye on all of it for us. >> good morning, guys. we did see the effects of this storm system move through areas like michigan. there were more than 44 cars involved in this pileup east of rapid city, michigan. there were only about two to four inches of snow in that area. recent research reports about 80% of accidents happen with two inches or less of snowfall. that is what we saw. three people were injured, but other than that they are continuing to investigate that pileup. we do have winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings in effect, though the storm itself is winding down. we are seeing an end to the rain

in new york city. it's raining across parts of long island. most of the slippery spots this morning across southeastern massachusetts and central rhode island. this whole storm system will linger across new england as we go through the day today. winds will get gusty and temperatures will drop later on tonight as that storm system pulls away. additional snowfall not that much, we're looking at about one to two inches of snow. we could see some isolated higher amounts, especially through the higher elevations across central and northern new england. again, the next storm system will bring mostly rain, but before it gets here we do have to deal with some snow. now to those troubling new twists in that fast moving story involving jussie smollett. he claims he was attacked on a chicago street, but now there are growing questions about his claims. nbc national correspondent miguel almaguer has the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. smollett remains stead fest that he is the victim, this after police arrested two men friday who are now cooperating with investigators to perhaps build a case against the actor.

it's another major bomb shell in this story. the two brothers identified in this grainy surveillance photo who actor jussie smollett attacked him have now been released from custody without being charged and are now police sources tell nbc news the men claim smollett paid them to help orchestrate and stage what he would later call a hate crime. >> who the [ bleep ] would make something like this up or add something to it or whatever it may be. >> reporter: after smollett insisted he was the victim to abc news, police now say after questioning the brothers the trajectory of the investigation has shifted. one of the men arrested was smollett's personal trainer and was an extra on smollett's hit show empire. ♪ >> reporter: sources say police are investigating whether the actor paid the brothers to stage an assault, including tieing a

rope around his neck and pouring bleach on him before smollett claimed the attack was a racial and homophobic hate crime. after the brothers' apartment was searched, police collected a black ski mask and bottles of bleach. the men were arrested wednesday but released friday and face no charges. >> innocence prevailed, my guys are walking home. they're not charged. they are not suspects in this case. >> reporter: with detectives making it clear they want to speak to smollett again, the actor has now hired a high powered criminal district attorney, his reps releasing this statement. jussie smollett is angered and devastated by recent reports that the perpetrators are individuals he is familiar with. he has now been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that jussie played a role in his own attack. >> i'm an advocate. you do such a disservice when you lie about things like this.

>> reporter: with smollett under increased scrutiny, the actor stands by his story while police are closer to closing their case. smollett claimed when he was attacked the perpetrator screamed this is maga country suggesting that the attack was based on his race. he is openly gay. they will say the investigation continues at this hour and they are far from wrapping up the gas. back to you. >> thank you. >> let's bring in nbc news analyst, clint van zandt a former profiling with the fbi. investigators are saying that they want to talk to smollett again after this new information was revealed. does he have to talk to them? can they compel smollett to talk? >> no, no they can't but it's starting to look bad for him. the investigators are building up a lot of information that would suggest this may have been staged as opposed to a real case. you look at some of the facts. he got a cut and paste letter a

week before threatening his life. this is where like in the movies you cut a little letter out and you paste it into a larger letter that you send to someone. that's things movies are made out of, not real life. the attack took place at 2:00 a.m. in a very cold chicago morning. the victim was bundled up. the alleged assailants were bundled up, and yet they were able to find each other in the entire city of chicago and commit this assault. they put a noose around him, his neck, that was allegedly still there when he got to the hospital. why wouldn't you take that off. there's a lot of common sense questions that you and i would ask as police investigators as we believe him, but at the same time we try to verify his story. >> as a former investigator, then, i think a lot of people are wrestling with the fact of why would he -- or what would the motive be for making up something like this? >> yeah, and you know there's normally four different motives for making a false allegation.

many times it's personal gain, personal attention. it's somebody who wants to see their story in the newspaper. they may have a career that they want to enhance by a story concerning them. it could be mental illness. i've seen revenge or anger and i've also seen the need for an alibi. we've seen cases in new york city of the alleged toronto brawl case, the duke lacrosse case, we've seen the uva fraternity case. depending who you talk to, false allegations can be anywhere as low as 2% and as high as 50% depending on the type of case it concerns. that's why investigators do a two track investigation, track number one says i believe you 100%, we're going to put these guys away, and track two says i have to verify everything you said because it doesn't sound quite right. it's too neat of a story. >> clint, if it turns out he did make up the whole story, what

kind of charges could he face, and what's the likelihood he would be charged? >> that's a very good question, in chicago for making a false allegation, it's a class four felony. you can do one to three years. you can get a financial fine, so there are a number of things authorities can charge him with should they choose to do it. realize, that he's chewed up if it's a false allegation, a lot of police officers have spent hundreds of hours working this case. should he not have to pay that back like others have if it's not a true story. >> clint van zandt, thank you. there's much more to get to including emotional vigils for the victims of that deadly workplace shooting. police identifying the shooter as a disgruntled worker who was in the process of being fired. nbc's ron mott has the latest on this one. ron, good morning. >> reporter: hi sheinelle, good morning to you.

here is great news to start the day. all five of police officers were wounded in that attack, four of the five have been returned to their families. in the meantime, all weekend, the community of aurora came together showing solidarity, but remembering the five lives lost in the senseless tragedy. overnight, aurora's brokenhearted community coming together. >> united, that's how we feel. >> honoring the victims and heroes many a mile's long procession from a warehouse vigil to the police department carrying five crosses in a display of solidarity and gratitude for the brave first responders, markers of respect for lives lost, prayers for comfort and healing, a search for understanding. >> we will never know their gifts and talents. their lives were snuffed out way too short in senseless killings. >> reporter: among those killed, 21-year-old college student trevor wehner, the first day of his internship in the human resources department. his younger brother thomas seeking to forgive. >> there's a lot of mixed emotions. there's some anger in there.

he's still a brother in christ. i have to love him. >> i'm never going to see my dad. he's never going to come home from work, never. >> reporter: also lost, vincente juarez, granddad to eight. wife abby calling him an incredible father. russell beyer, josh pinkard father of three. josh's wife, tara, writing an emotional facebook post, i received a text at 1:24 from my precious husband that said, i love you. i was shot at work. this unbelievable person robbed from us. >> i wanted everybody to know that that was josh, and in that moment when, you know, he was going through what he went through, he thought of me, and he wanted me to know that he loved me. >> reporter: officials say the gun used in the attack was supposed to be surrendered in 2014 after they found he was a convicted felon. back to you.

>> ron, thank you. let us turn back to ms. dreyer. >> lake effect snow will kick in as those winds get strong out of the northwest. we are keeping an eye on heavy snow in the southwest. this will turn into the next storm system as we get into the middle of the week. that's a look across the country. we'll get to your local forecast in the next 30 seconds. how strong you are, we kw but we also know that half of americans don't take their daily medications as prescribed. that's why we're introducing a new way... ...to refill, pre-pay and skip the line... ...or have your prescriptions delivered. so you never miss a day. walgreens. trusted since 1901. text joinrx to 21525 to stay on track. good monday morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. this is your view in dublin right now, really foggy and we've also had freezing temperatures in the area, so i

am concerned about freezing fog and that may create some icy roads and our temperatures very cool all around the bay area as you get ready to head out. we are going to get some sunshine today, highs in the mid-50s. tomorrow a few more clouds up to 57 degrees. by wednesday, another storm moves in, but it will be a weak one, and then be dry out for the rest of the work week. latest forecast. >> dylan, thank you. coming up, a huge lottery mystery. with time almost up, why hasn't anyone claimed that jackpot that's worth more than $1.5 billion, and what happens if no one comes forward. plus, tired of those constant rings? the new technology that could help you put an end to annoying

straight ahead, a former princess, a fashion icon, and a presidential inlaw. we'll look back at the

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okay look, you don't need to sell me. at carmax, they buy all the cars. that's helpful. yes, it is. this is just uh, taped on for show. i know. they'll still buy it. a short time ago oakland )s catholic diocese released the a very good morning to you. it is 7:36. i'm laura garcia. a short time ago, oakland's catholic diocese released the names of more than three dozen clergy members who have been credibly acused of sex abuse. this is the list church leaders have been promising to release for months now. in a statement to the congregation the bishop says there are 20 diocese priests, 22 religious order priests deacons along with three brothers and priests who have worked in the diocese of oakland, accused of sexual abuse of minors. the bishop adds" my first reaction in seeing the list of names of priests who have abused is one of deep shame. these are monstrous crimes committed by priests who are supposed to model virtue and

grace, not sin and harm. by publishing this list, i am making an act of contrition on behalf of my church." we'll continue to follow this for our midday newscast as well. let's check the forecast right now. finally a clear day, clear of rain at least for the moment. >> finally. and we are also dealing with cold air as you step out the door but a beautiful view of the sunshine over the south bay. our temperatures go from the upper 30s to the mid-50s today. it's still cooler than normal, but it will be nice to have that break. we will see the rain returning to the forecast on wednesday, especially during the afternoon. not a really strong storm, and it's out of here by thursday. we'll see more mild weather through the weekend. mike? >> kari, we have a delay for b.a.r.t., 20-minute delay but they're recovering now, an issue with track maintenance in san francisco lines, that's the only issue and remember on a saturday schedule. the bay bridge look how light the traffic is, beautiful view, clear flow of traffic there. we do have a couple of crashes 84 at 680 but both on the shoulder, again, no slowing

through the tri-valley. this is a very light holiday traffic flow right now. back to you. >> it sure is. lots of folks sleeping in. another update in half an hour.

la 7:30 now on this monday morning, february 18th, 2019. look at this. it's a winter wonderland up in boston this morning, and some more snow showers are expected there this afternoon. we'll get to dylan's forecast coming up in just a moment. >> remember when you were little and you enjoyed the snow? you remember? >> it used to be so much fun, the snow angels and all that. now i'm like uh. former fbi deputy director andrew mccabe says attorney general rod rosenstein was serious when he suggested wearing a wire to record president trump. mccabe appearing on 60 minutes to promote his new book, and

days after fbi director james comey was fired. >> he said i never get searched when i go into the white house. i could easily wear a recording device. they wouldn't know it was there. now, he was not joking. he was absolutely serious, and in fact he brought it up in the next meeting we had. >> for his part, rosenstein denies pursuing or authorizing any such recording. andrew mccabe will join savannah for a live interview tomorrow on "today." disgraced former congressman anthony weiner was released from federal prison in massachusetts. he is now under the watch of a reentry program in brooklyn, new york he served 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to sexting a 15-year-old girl. now to nascar's biggest race. it was a storybook ending and plenty of crashes at this year's daytona 500. at several points during the race, daytona international

speedway actually looked more like a demolition derby. take a look at what happened with just nine laps to go. in all 18 cars were involved in that wreck, amazingly all of the drivers were okay. and with just two laps to go, yet another crash. in the end, though, it would be denny hamlin winning his second daytona 500 in four years by lead ago 1, 2, 3 sweep for joe gibbs race in the race, and the season have been dedicated to j.b. gibbs who died last month after battling a neurological disease. hamlin was hired to drive the number 11 car. that was j.d. gibbs number when he played football. a fitting ending and a touching tribute. time is quickly running out for the winner of one of the biggest jackpots ever to claim his or her prize. nbc's kathy park is here with the latest. good morning. >> good morning, guys. lots of money we're talking about here. somewhere out there is a future

billionaire holding onto a megamillions ticket worth $1.5 billion. it was sold back in october in a small south carolina town. no one has come forward to collect this prize, and if they don't soon, they won't be the only ones missing out on a huge financial boost. >> tonight's jackpot is a record breaking $1.6 billion. >> it's a billion dollar mystery that has a tiny town of simpsonville, south carolina, days. >> nobody would expect somebody to win that much money here. >> confused. >> nobody really knows what's going on. >> and still feeling lucky. >> i've been looking in all the ditches to make sure it didn't blow out of somebody's vehicle. >> reporter: the second largest jackpot in u.s. history was sold here, the first megamillions win for the state, but that mind boggling prize is still unclaimed nearly four months later. >> they don't know they won the ticket. >> either they're not out of jail yet or who knows.

>> reporter: time is running out, and there could be more than one lottery loser. the store that luck struck could miss out on the 50 grand bonus for selling a winning ticket. >> i haven't received anything from lottery. if they don't cash it, i don't get anything. >> reporter: and the state of south carolina would lose $60 million in tax revenue, a big boost in the state's economy that they'd already factored into the new budget. if no one came forward, the jackpot would be spread around the 46 states and territories that play the lottery based on the number of tickets they sold. south carolina would still get around 11 million, but other states like california, new york, and texas would win more. >> there should be something you claim immediately. why would you wait? >> my theory, honestly, i believe the ticket is lost. >> a puzzling payday deadline with a giant jackpot still up for grabs. all right, so if anyone in the south carolina area is sitting at home with an old megamillions

ticket, here's a reminder, the winning numbers were 5, 28, 62, 65, and 70 with a megaball number of 5. you have until april 19th to claim that massive, massive jackpot. >> there are so many theories as to why this is happening and why it's taking so long. if it happens to be that somebody is there and perhaps they're just holding out for the last second or maybe they're nervous about coming forward. any advice? >> the good news in south carolina, you can actually stay anonymous, and you can claim your prize without going public, and for added security, just take a page out of this recent lottery winner's book and come collect your check like this so you can conceal your identity. i don't know if that is smart or just scary. >> you know the people that are around this person, so if you know the other people. >> i was in south carolina over the weekend digging through couch cushions of famimembers.

>> maybe you're waiting craig. >> if i had won the lottery ticket you and i wouldn't be having this conversation. >> share the wealth if you win. >> thank you, kathy. >> dylan dreyer also didn't win the lottery. >> i certainly did not. i showed you the snow last half hour in grand rapids, michigan. now this is the southwest. icy conditions, especially in the mountains outside of san diego of all places, and also in las vegas. they saw some flurries that covered the strip out there. and that storm system is going to continue to move east as we go through the day today. we do have winter storm watches, winter storm warnings in effect for the southwest, even across parts of nevada as well. now, there is still snow falling, and this will develop into a bigger storm system as it moves eastward. there will be two sides to this system, a warmer side and a colder side. looking at the warmer side going into tuesday and wednesday because the threat for flash flooding will be a good possibility, especially through arkansas, moving into tennessee, moving up into kentucky.

this will last through tuesday night and through wednesday and this will continue to move east through the middle of the week. the northern side good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. this is a live look outside with light traffic and a lot of sunshine. as you get ready to head out, it's chilly with 30s to start. a couple of days of sunshine in the forecast. by wednesday, more clouds move in, rain during the afternoon. this does not look like it will be a significant storm. in fact, throughout the rest of the week, we dry out once again, and it will be cool, but it will gradually warm up by the weekend. >> and that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thank you. coming up, inside america's new and growing banking crisis, where do families turn in an emergency when every bank in town shuts down? also ahead, the tributes pouring in for lee radziwill,

jackie kennedy's younger sister. then harry smith goes climbing with a remarkable adventure, the first blind person to reach the summit of mount everest, what he's doing to help others follow in his foot steps. first, do you get a constant stream of pesky robocalls on your cell phone? >> yes. >> up next the apps that could >> up next the apps that could he if you have moderate to severe psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, little things can be a big deal. that's why there's otezla.

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answered anymore, but phone carriers are working on a solution to the madness, and we're going to show you how you can cut down on all those robocalls. annoying robocalls ringing you day and night as relentless as a swarm of bees. in 2018, americans received 26.3 billion robocalls according to call blocking app hiya. that's a 46% increase over their numbers from 2017. so how can you stop the ringing? for a fee, apps like youmail, hiya and robo killer flag suspected robocalls. here's how they do it. when the scammers call the apps get to work, scanning that number against a robocall database. if the number is flagged, it's then intercepted. your phone never rings, but it's not just those apps. turns out your phone carrier can protect you, too. the phone carriers are working on a long-term solution known as stir and shaken which will flag

potential robocalls for you so you know if that call is legit. in the meantime you can get similar protection from all these carriers with enhanced spam detection apps. to show you how this works, we've gathered phones from a bunch of different carriers. at&t, verizon, and t-mobile, and we've got cyber security expert jim stickley who's actually going to spam all of these phones all at once, right? >> absolutely. it's not hard to do. i've set up a system like the robocalls out there in the real world, and all i have to do is hit this button and it's going to start dialing and sending out my robo message to all of these phones. you can see all of these phones are all ringing all at the same time just with the stroke of a button. >> it's really simple to set up. this is what criminals and spammers do as well. they can send this to 100 or a thousand phones at a time. >> let's take a look at my personal phone, which has the call protect app, which is at&t's antirobocall software.

you can click on the number jim called me from. i can report it and have options like spam, telemarketer, scam or fraud. >> the other carrier apps work in a similar way letting you report what kind of robocall you received. >> you're working in a community. you're hoping when these robocallers are calling out to the world, somebody else gets the call first, they report it as a scam or spam. if enough people report it, by the time that call gets to you it's already been flagged. >> most of the carriers provide a basic version of their spam blocking for free and offer a few more lay ers of protection for a few dollars a month. the carriers say they will block many but not every robocall. >> good idea. i would love for them to be intercepted. i get them all afternoon long. >> they always look so similar to my perform phone. you think it's something from home. >> i'm so skeptical. even if these work. >> they'll find another way. >> i've just heard not to

answer. then they know you exist. >> that explains why you don't answer my call. just ahead, are you living in a so-called bank desert, the growing proble ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ oh, pete!?! c'mon man. what? we said pantyhose right? here, eat this... creamy snickers®. you could use a little smoothness. pete? pete zagorin?

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of communities. here's cnbc's steve liesman. >> atms, banks, quick cash, easy access to money. many of us take for granted, but across the country an alarmingly large number of americans are living in areas known as bank deserts where banking services are scarce or nonexistent. today one in four americans either has no formal relationship with a bank or lacks access to banking services. as big financial institutions consolidate and branches in smaller communities shutter. >> i told them, i said, we have to pray. >> in the mississippi delta, thera applebury and her four daughters were left bankrupt after fires destroyed two of their homes within only four years. >> i didn't want to lose another home and one of my girls said, mom, it's going to be all right. god got us that this too shall

pass. >> reporter: the only bank in applebury's hometown of moorhead shut down in 2015, and because of her prior bankruptcy, applebury was left with nowhere to turn for affordable loans or financial counseling. doing business was virtually impossible. moorhead didn't even have a bank atm. applebury and many others like her found help at hope, a credit union that came to moorhead four years ago looking to lift the community back on its feet. >> the rate of poverty here is three times what you see in the nation as a whole. >> some live in banking deserts. some people don't trust banks and some people think they're too poor to open an account. >> while credit unions step in, critics say more federal attention is needed. even chairman of the federal reserve, jerome powell who was in mississippi last week, says more needs to be done. >> access to safe and affordable financial services is vital, especially among families with limited wealth whether they're

looking to invest in education, start a business or manage the ups and downs of life. >> apple bury knows those ups and downs too well. but now with financial counseling she should be out of bankruptcy by november. >> i'm looking to have enough money and hope that if i have a dry day, me and my girls will still make it. >> and applebury finally has the tools to get back on her feet. for "today," steve liesman, cnbc moorhead, mississippi. >> definitely something to think about. >> not something a lot of folks realize exist, banking deserts. just ahead, pop start, dylan dreyer doing double duty, inside country star miranda lambert's secret wedding. plus the remarkable adventurer who won't let blindness slow him down. ♪ congrats, kim! you got your own car, with your own insurance. no more driving that old hand-me-down. did you trade it in? my parents handed it down to my little brother. you ready? yeah... surprise!

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softer, smoother skin. good monday morning. at 7:56 we wake up to sunshine finally. a live look in palo alto. it's cold outside as you get ready to head out with upper 30s. then we'll see those temperatures gradually warming up into the low 50s today, with some sunshine. we're going to see it still cooler than normal with our highs in san jose up to 56 degrees. 57234 santa rosa, 54 in san francisco. going throughout the rest of the forecast we have time to dry out. there will be some scattered showers moving in but it doesn't look like a heavy rain, it will reinforce the cool air we're already feeling right now. by the end of the week, we're still feeling those highs in the mid-50s and morning temperatures dropping down into the 30s. saturday looks like a really nice day. we're up to 60 degrees, as we keep that sunshine. let's head over to mike for an

update on the commute. >> very light drive, the south bay has one issue and it's right here, eastbound helliard northbound 101 the marker, the loop is closed, a crash, they're trying to remove a vehicle from off the roadway there. you'll just move back around on helliard from the westbound direction getting on to northbound 101. there is the rest of the bay. the green sensors, speeds are fine. here is the san mateo bridge, shows you how light the traffic flow is, beautiful drive. back to you. >> thanks so much kari and mike. 7:57, happening now, a short time ago oakland catholic church leaders released the names of more than three dozen priests credibly linked to sexual abuse against children. for months, the diocese promised to release the list. you can link to the story from our twitter feed. authorities in the north bay investigating a deadly deputy shooting in the heart of wine country. investigators say the deputy shot a man in a parked car late last night on henry road, north of highway 12 in napa county. head to our home page for more

details and video from the scene. another local news update in half an hour. we all know it )s g problem across the bay area-- rising rent costs! the east bay city looking to take action tomorrow to help lock in prices. plus--hundreds of stores offer "easy" financing. the reason you need to watch out! tomorrow from 4:30 to 7.

it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, new twist. chicago police now investigating whether actor jussie smollett paid two brothers to stage his own attack. this morning, the "empire" star sticking by his story. so where does the investigation go from here? we're live with the latest. plus, remembering a fashion icon. we'll take a look back at the life and legacy the former prinr of jackie kennedy. >> they were kind of the rock star stylists of our time. >> how she became an inspiration to generations of designers. and a moment like this.

♪ out from the shadow now >> kelly clarkson wows the crowd with her own take on the hit song "shallow". ♪ i'll never meet the ground >> the incredible performance that has a lot of folks talking today, monday, february 18, 2019. ♪ if it's meant to be it will be, it will be ♪ >> from apex, north carolina, hi mimaw gigi. >> me and my mom are watching the today slow in -- >> tennessee. >> first time in new york city. >> first time on tv. >> sending love to our kids in louisiana. we love y'all. >> good morning to our family in dayton, ohio. >> we are the marching band from tennessee. >> hello marching panther band.

thanks for being with us on this presidents' day monday morning. savannah and hoda will be back tomorrow. >> don't forget to keep sending us your my today plaza messages so you can see yourself in our open. just record one and share it on twitter and instagram, use the hashtag "my today plaza" and we'll pull it up. >> people are doing, it's all the rage. it's a busy morning, a lot going on. we want to get to your news at 8:00. ormer acting fbi director andrew mccabe appearing on "60 minutes," mccabe defended the fbi's decision to open a counterintelligence and obstruction of justice investigation into president trump. chief white house an obstruction of justice investigation into president trump. >> good morning to you, and this morning president trump is not happy with his former deputy fbi director after a new explosive claim by andrew mccabe. mccabe recalls an instance in which he says president trump insisted north korea did not have the capability to hit the

u.s. with ballistic missiles because russian president vladimir putin told him so. >> intelligence officials in the briefing responded that that was not consistent with any of the intelligence our government possesses to which the president replied, i don't care. i believe putin. >> reporter: mccabe also says deputy attorney general rod rosenstein seriously and not sarcastically raised the idea of using the 25th amendment to remove donald trump from office. the presi the president tweeted just this morning, "so many lies by now-disgraced acting fbi director andrew mccabe, he was fired for lying and now his story gets more deranged." mccabe was accused last year of lying about his interactions with the media. the justice department has called his recollection of the events inaccurate and incorrect. craig? >> and mr. mccabe will be here tomorrow for an interview with savannah. hallie, thank you. meanwhile, protests broke out over the week end in new

york after mr. trump declared a national emergency to redirect federal funds toward the wall. manufacture anti-wall rallies are planned today across the country. and official challenges to the president's move are in the works. california is leading a coalition of states to take legal recourse as democrats in congress prepare legislation to block the action. there's been a dramatic shift in the dmvgs ininvestigat the alleged attack on jussie smollett. there are growing questions about his claims. national correspondent miguel almaguer is here to help us sort through this case. good morning. >> good morning, jussie smollett is stand big his story despite mounting criticism after police arrested two men friday who are now cooperating with investigators to build the case against smollett. the two brothers identified in a surveillance photo are the men smollett says attacked him but they have been released from custody without being charged and are said to be working with detectives. police sources tell nbc news the

men claim smollett paid them to orchestrate and sage what he would later call a hate crime. investigators say afterquestion ing the brothers, the trajectory shifted. one of the men was an extra on the hit show empire and smollett's personal trainer. as for the actor, he's hired a high-powered criminal defense attorney. his reps have released a statement that reads in part "jussie smollett is angered and devastated by reports that perpetrators are individuals he is familiar with. he how now been further victimized by claims that jussie played a role in his own attack." he ear told if smollett staged this incident he could face a felony for filing a false police report. today smollett says he is neither a victim or a suspect. that's what investigators say about him and they want to ask him more questions. craig, back to you. >> miguel almaguer, thank you.

>> with hoda off, she's left us in charge of morning boost. this is a good one. a new mother in topeka, kansas, was overwhelmed with emotion after a surprise homecoming by the person she wanted to see the mo most. >> oh, my god. >> that's army staff sergeant schuyler cooper. he wasn't supposed to be home from kuwait until the spring but his wife went into premature labor and had an emergency c-section. schuyler says his battalion commander pulled strings to get him home to be with his family. sydney says she has twin girls and they're healthy. the video has almost four million views. we love babies and we love these reunions so put them together in a clip and it goes viral. congratulations. >> that was a good boost, thank you. much more ahead on this monday morning, including some incredible tributes that you really need to hear to lady gaga and the king of rock 'n roll, elvis.

but first, we'll remember the remarkable wife of lee radziwill, a former princess and jackie kennedy's stylish trend setting sister right after this. trend-setting sister. right after this. this. ♪ -oh, what am i into? mostly progressive's name your price tool. helps people find coverage options based on their budget. flo has it, i want it, it's a whole thing, and she's right there. -yeah, she's my ride. this date's lame. he has pics of you on his phone. -they're very tasteful. he has pics of you on his phone. ♪ seed to the oat, to the o ♪ ♪ to the honey in each bite ♪ ♪ healthy hearts make life sweeter ♪ so you can live it right ♪ ♪ the good goes around and around and around and around ♪ ...used almost everywhere on almost everybody. like the arm of an angel.

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we're back at 8:11. remembering the fascinating life of lee radziwill, the sister of jackie kennedy. nbc's kristen dahlgren is here with you. good morning to you. >> lee radziwill died over the weekend. besides being a presidential in-law, the 85-year-old was a style icon and actress, even a princess, just some of the fascinating facets of her legacy being celebrated this morning. >> reporter: an inspiration to generations of designers, lee radziwill became a fashion icon in her own right, while living in the shadow of one of the most influential women in the world, her older center, former first lady jacqueline kennedy but a sfisz kated sense of style setting the trend for women

around the world. >> when we think about american royalty, fashion royalty, the names that spring to mind are lee and jackie. they were the rock star stylists of our time. >> in 1960, the free-spirited radziwill dropped out of college to take a job at "harper's bazaar." the move sparking a life long interest in fashion which she often used to style her big sister. radziwill selecting kennedy onassis' signature look during her 1961 trip to paris. >> she had that top-to-toe perfection when it came to glar mortar. there wasn't a hair out of place. >> radziwill and kennedy onassis, the sisters bouvier grew up extremely close but from an early age radziwill said she always seemed to play second fiddle to the woman who'd become first lady. >> she introduced jackie to the designs of givenchy and who got the credit for having marvelous

taste and a great sense of style? jackie. >> reporter: despite their relationship, radziwill visited the white house in the days of camelot. their unique bond helped them through tragedy. >> it appears something happened in the motorcade route. >> reporter: in the days following the 1963 assassination of john f. kennedy, radziwill offered comfort to her grieving sister leaving her a note on her pillow that read "good night my darling jacks, the bravest and noblist of all." radziwill and kennedy onassis remained close until the former first lady married aristotle onassis. radziwill introduced the pair years before. >> many people believed they had been lovers before jackie came on to the scene. one wags thought jackie should have given lee a finder's fee. >> aside from fashion, radziwill also dabbled in acting, writing, and interior design, all while surrounding herself with an elite group of friends from andy warhol to truman capote who once

took her on tour with the rolling stones. radziwill sharing her thoughts on mick jagger in a 2013 interview. >> did you find him sexy? >> i can see how people found him sexy but i found him a little repulsive. >> no satisfaction for radziwill now remembered not just as jackie o.'s little sister but for her very own contributions to popular culture. >> my goodness, she did lead a rich and full life, huh? >> she did. >> some people you see they just look effortlessly fashionable. it looks like -- >> like they woke up that way. and what an incredible time in our history. >> classic. >> thank you, kristen. dylan, off check of the weather for us? >> yes. it's going snow across new england. winds will increase and we'll see lake-effect snow kick in. this is our next storm is that will combine with some moisture out of the gulf of mexico and this will turn into our rain maker and even some snow through

the middle of the week but heavy snow falling in the southwest and now hearse's' peek out your window. >> temperatures in the mid-50s today, at least we will get sunshine after a chilly start. upper 50s tomorrow. wednesday, more rain. a quick mover. showers by wednesday afternoon. by thursday, we're feeling some cool air one again. highs in the mid-50s. morning temperatures in the 30s. saturday looks like the best day in the forecast, reaching 60. another chance of rain on sunday. >> and that's your latest forecast. >> we always know it's going to be a good morning when harry smith joins us. >> good morning, harry. >> good to see you. we're going to get to your remarkable story in just a moment. first a little pop start. >> yes, i've switched seats. first up in a surprise announcement on instagram, miranda lambert revealed she's off the market.

on saturday the country singer shared a few images from her secret wedding to nypd officer brendan mclaughlin. she captioned the photo saying in honor of valentine's day saying i wanted to share some news. i met the love of my life and my heart is full. congratulations go out to the happy couple. we're all familiar with the song "shallow" sung by lady gaga and bradley cooper. >> also sung by savannah guthrie during every commercial break. >> it just won two grammy awards, it also happens to be nominated for an academy award. on friday night, kelly clarkson wowed the audience at her concert in green bay, wisconsin, by singing the song herself. let's see her version ♪ 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 ♪

♪ in the shallow, shallow, in the shallow shallow ♪ >> you've got to be able to actually sing to sing that song. >> i agree. and she can. she even had bare feet. she performed the song in bare feet. to watch the full performance you can check it out on today.com. >> i hope she sings on our show. >> i think she will. thanks for your commentary, craig. last night nbc paid tribute to elvis presley and his '68 comeback special. some of the biggest performers in the industry sang in honor of the icon including carrie underwood, john legend, ed sheeran, jennifer lopez and keith urban. and even the stage that some of the artists performed on was built to look like the stage elvis sang on 50 years ago. when shawn mendez performed, his guitar strap had a special significance.

it was a replica of the guitar strap elvis wore. it was the final performance of the night that really paid tribute to the king of rock and roll, a montage of performers singing "if i can dream" including elvis himself ♪ ♪ as long as a man has the strength to dream ♪ ♪ he can redeem his soul and climb ♪ >> wow. >> don't you just get chills? >> yeah. >> what a way to incorporate the legend into that night. that's pop start. >> that was a good one. >> how about a dilly click. >> this is a fun one. we've got a special weather-related dilly click. during a snowstorm in king's beach, california, traffic was brought to a complete standst l standstill, but it wasn't due to the snowy road conditions. instead it was a huge flock of mallard ducks crossing the road seeking shelter from the storm. traffic was stopped for almost

two minutes while an endless line of ducks made their way moving from a park they typically inhabit on one side of the street toward a shopping center across the street. every single duck made it across safely, and that answers the question why did the duck cross the road. >> there you go. >> to get to the peabody hotel in memphis. >> a tip of our hat to the banner guy downstairs who came up with that one. >> that was good. >> thank you, dylan. mr. smith, always good to see you. you've got a story about a guy who's an adventurer that overcame quite the personal challenge. >> we're the luckiest people in the world with the jobs we have and the people we get to meet. this man is really one of a kind, and it's not just what he does. it's the effect that he has on others that's the most important thing. take a look. >> reporter: there are places in america and places in the world that just ask to be climbed, like utah's fisher towers. watch this man as he uses his

hands and feet to search for the way up because he can't see. >> what i kind of love about climbing is there's a puzzle embedded in the rock, and you're trying to kind of unlock that code. it's really cool. >> reporter: eric winemeyer is an adventurer an adrenaline junky and a visionary. >> you lean into the thing that sort of scares you, that overwhelms you so you can get up close to it and experience it fully, and then it kind of loses its power over you. >> the first blind climber to conquer everest. >> maybe you remember hearing about eric when he reached the summit of mount everest, a place where death was just a misstep away. >> there's a thousand foot drop on one side. it didn't meet americans with disability act standards. that's what i would start by saying [ laughter ] i'm sorry. i didn't see that one coming.

>> yeah. a little blind humor coming at you. >> reporter: after years of losing his sight to a genetic disease, eric went blind just before high school. since then he's spent his life conquering the unconquerable, like kayaking the colorado river through the grand canyon. spotters told him when to turn through the rapids. >> yeah, as a blind person, i had to let go kind of of that traditional ego, and i had to learn to let people help me and to find the right people that i could trust, and then hopefully they turn around and trust me with their life as well. >> reporter: and wherein lies the truth of the most important thing eric winemeyer does, it comes from the words of a team member who helped him climb everest. >> he says good job, and he goes now do me a favor, don't let this be the greatest thing you ever do. >> reporter: so 15 years ago eric started no barriers, a

program that uses physical challenges to unleash personal potential. keeping up with eric is no easy task. >> blind people and blades rnts always a good mix. >> >> reporter: we ice climbed in colorado, the goal setting and team work connects especially well with veterans like kari ann grayson. >> having everybody push me from the bottom, kind of makes you not think if you're going to fail. >> yeah. >> there's a very nice smile on your face right now. >> yeah, like i've never done it before. >> reporter: army veteran matt burgess served tours of duty in macedonia and bosnia. he was medically discharged after being injured in iraq. he says his life was in shambles. >> would it be safe to say after you came back you were lost? >> yes, sir. everything i had previously known and relied on i felt like had been stripped from me. >> reporter: burgess reluctantly joined eric on a no barriers

climb in south america. in the sheer agony of summoning a mountain, matt learned that the ordeal really was a means of breaking away the emotional scar tissue that had formed around his heart. >> i think most of us when our hearts are broken, that the last thing we want to do is open them back up again. >> failure was easier for me and that's one way that eric winemeyer has been so impactful as he has helped me in his words to keep reaching. >> reporter: keep reaching, words that matt now lives by. he set up a charity called freedom figdos, he rescues and trains dogs to be service animals for other veterans. and as for eric, well, he keeps reaching, too. >> getting out in the desert on this just this spectacular place and then climbing this tower and standing on top of this

incredible little boulder 500 feet above the desert floor and listening out all around me to the sound vibrations moving out through space, i mean, that's just the opposite of what i ever thought blindness would be. >> that last shot took my breath away. it literally took me breath away. >> we watched him climb that spire. as he's going up there's no one holding his hand. people are 30, 40 feet away, and they say eric you got to jump here, and there's a spot where there's this massive gap where he has to jump out like this and grab a piece of rock and hold on. >> he just trusts that he jumped hard enough? >> no room for error. >> this guy does public speaking. a friend of mine came back from a conference in san francisco, said blows the door off the place. >> and here's the thing, he could have stopped after that climb of mount rushmore -- >> of mount everest. >> everest. would have been one heck of a -- and he didn't stop. >> and he's funny, too. >> hilarious. >> fabulous.

>> said rush more on this presidents' day. >> that's good. that worked. >> straight ahead, the holiday's best sales, where to shop and what to shop for. we'll have that for you after your local news. i )m ... authorities in the north bay good morning in' to you. 8:26. authorities in the north bay investigating a shooting that involved a deputy. sheriff's department says the deputy approached a parked vehicle and shots were fired. the male driver died. no one else inside the car. investigators say the suspect was armed. right now they're not saying if the suspect actually committed any crime. an easy drive right now around the bay.

including the bay bridge, no metering lights on. they cleared crash getting on to north 101. i'll track that for another few. i'll tweet if there's any information you need to know. in free front, a crash there. that intersection is closed. stay on freemont boulevard. it's a little closer tole of 880. the bay bridge, has been really no commute. back to you. >> smooth sailing. all right. another update in 30 minutes. you.

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it's grammy!

35 years anniversary. happy birthday. >> where you from? >> bifield, massachusetts, 30 miles north of boston. >> i never would have guessed you're from boston with that accent. happy birthday. you get out of the car, she wakes you up. >> 75 years. coming up, the black female pilot using her story to inspire e others. there's some great president's day sales so jump on. walk you through where to find the best deals. >> really to eat?

>> yes. always. >> one of my bulddies is here. there's brian lewis. >> a remarkable organization called warriors an heart. a new approach for our first responders. first the weather not so bad. >> we'll see snow across the new england area. our next storm system tuesday night, we have 13 million under w winter storm watches. we'll see snow, washington into virginia, also into new jersey. before that haps happens, we'll see about 4 inches of snow across the midwest. d.c. could end up with 4 inches.

the farther north, the lesser chance of significant snowfall. we could see 4 inches there as well. now here's a peek out your window. >> good morning. after this chilly start, we're going to have still a cool day as we reach into the mid-50s. at least we have some sunshine. really nice to see the sun and a chance to dry out. there will be some rain moving in by wednesday. that will be a quick one and done. thursday, back to sunshine, highs in the mid-50s. saturday, best day in the seven day with highs reaching near 60. >> you're doing a mazing job. who is this? >> this is mary.

>> so sweet. >> thank you. >> she's been bouncing for while. craig. >> all right, dylan, thank you. february of course is black history month. >> she's an airline pilot clearing the way for other ger s girls to follow in her foot steps. >> what do we love as pilots? it's taxiing down that runway. you then stand those throttles up. you feel the power from the engine. we pull back on those controls. you feel the airplane ascend. you're one with that airplane. >> beth powell is a pilot for american arms. >> i remember going to high school and i loveled everything

with numbers and subjecting like math. >> my teacher told me i could be a mechanic or engineer. my dad asking if there's any female pilots because he's never seen any. of course i wallace suppos very by both. >> she moved to attend flight school. she received her commercial license at 18. >> brenda wallace ts the first pilot for meamerican airlines. >> brenda robinson. every time i walk led through that hallway, she look gd lied

like me. >> powell startled flying with american eagle at 25 years old. in 2014, she became the first off south koricer of the 737. she is one of the few african-american women in the cockpit. >> you see those head turns. is that really the pilot? the numbers out there are small. i welcome when i see those stares so they wrerecognize tha am the pilot. >> only 4% of airline pilots are women. >> dream big, dream loud. >> she bring alsohis awareness aviation. >> set goals. that passion will propel you through. you will feel that you never work a day in your life because you love what you do. >> she set up a scholarship for

more diverse pilot. >> finance can be challenging. i want them to know it's possible. mentoring them along the way. >> powell hope also that will bring more diversity in the skies. >> a more diverse community. not just because of our skin or gender but for what that brings it adds to i kno innovation. >> the value in being able to see something, you know, when you're young aprnd you aspire t be something, to see that person. >> powell belongings to sister

also of the skiy and they're hosting an event where teenagers get to go up with instructors who look like them. >> up next, bargains ga s galor. if you're looking to spruce up your home, your kimg kitchen, maybe each your right.

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. we are back at 8:40 with the best presidents' day sales you'll find today. we're talking about big discounts on everything from new styles for your home to new wheels. good morning to you. >> good morning sheinelle. i guess these days when we talk about deals, are we talking about brick and mortar stores and online? >> yes. the good news is presidents' day is a huge day for deals. we are seeing sales at amazon, target, bed, bath and beyond, but i have some other deals i

really wanted to point out as well. >> let's start, we'll do three categories. we'll start with the home. >> for home, we are seeing huge savings in furniture and decor. some of the highlights, coddle, they have 30% off site wide from now until midnight tomorrow, chairs, ottomans. select decor for your bedroom, your living room, even your family room. and of course mattresses. you always see those presidents' day sales for mattresses. at mattress firm we're seeing a savings of up to $600 on select brands like beauty rest, sleep ease and serta. mattresses should be replaced every seven years. >> is it seven years? >> i'm due. it's a big purchase, so it's a great time to save money on mattresses right now. >> now let's talk about appliances and electronics. that's another big category.

>> if you are looking to upgrade your washer, dryer, your stove or even a refrigerator. >> today's the day? >> it is today. is it today specifically or this time of year? >> it's been all weekend long and today. some of these sales do extend throughout the week. today is a huge day to do it. costco savings of up to $900 on lg refrigerators. $480 off select maytag washer dryers. at home depot, a savings of up to 30% off major appliances. for anybody who loves electronics, new laptop, new computer, maybe new headphones, you can save huge. big savings we're seeing at best buy, we are seeing savings up to $400 off select mac and macbooks, and $150 off select ipads. really great as far as personal tech, and a lot of the companies like dell and hp, and lenovo they have really great deals on computers.

so shop around. >> i was going to ask you that, do you go to the store or directly to the actual, you know, dell or the individual marketer? >> i think it depends on what you're looking for. if you need more assistance on what kind of computer to get, you might want to go directly to the apple store, but the biggest point is you want to shop around. come up with like a list of what you need, and then hit up a couple of different retailers to see what has the best deal. >> presidents' day you see a lot of car commercials. >> yes, i feel like it's -- >> they're everywhere. >> they're everywhere and there's a good reason for it. whether you're looking for a new sedan, minivan or convertible, and if you want to buy or lease, presidents' day sales are a great time to do it. a couple of big ones we saw, the toyota camry. you can get $1,500 cash back and 1.9% financing, plus just $219 a month if you're going to lease it. another one, a big one, is ford f-150. you're actually going to see $1,250 cash back, 0.9% financing

and a $2,800 bonus. and finally, subaru is offering 0% financing and $285 a month if you're going to lease. >> that's not bad. >> it's not bad i do want to point out these deals depend on kind of where you live, so definitely check out your local car dealer to make sure that those deals pertain to your particular region. >> a lot of news we can use this morning. thank you. >> happy shopping to all of you guys. for more presidents' day deals head to our website today.com/shop. up next, the recipe for a comforting dish that's the perfect project for your day off today. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

we're back with "today" food. if you've got the day off, one perk is some extra time to spend with your family. why not take advantage of it, cook something special with them that everyone will enjoy, brian

lewis the owner and chef of the cottage and oca, two of the hottest restaurants in west port, connecticut. we asked him to come up with the perfect comfort food recipe. boy did brian deliver. good to see you friend. >> nice to see you. >> you've got two twin boys, is this something you make for them? >> it's our sunday go-to in the winter. a dish we put on when we first opened the cottage, cottage pie kind of says it all. we wanted to create something a little more elegant than the traditional with some wagu beef short rib. >> let's take a look at the grid, let's show folks at home everything that's going to be required to make the dish. >> you got it. i like to take red wine, beef stock, or chicken stock, no vegetables just a really aromatic sashay. >> a sashay. >> you can say it however you like. it's fancy, it's fun, orange peel, cinnamon and thyme, black peppercorn and reduce that by half. >> reduce it by half. >> super flavorful.

has that autumn smell in the air. >> why not just put those in the actual broth? why keep them in that little baggie? >> because later on when you put it in with the beef, it just keeps everything separate so it doesn't get all tangled up, peppercorns in your teeth later. no one likes that. >> keeps it clean. >> so good. >> i'm almost done. >> of course. of course. all right. >> all right, we're going to sere off our beef short rib. it's about a two-hour braise. you cut it nice and small. typically this dish has mincemeat or coarsely chopped kind of ground beef, if you will. in this case, like i said, it's just a nice little elegant touch to have that soft short rib. >> could i swap out that meat for something else? >> i think. we use oxtail, you might not want to do that. the easier way to do it is ground beef with the same recipe. just from your butcher, some delicious ground beef. and then a nice sere, caramelize to get a nice deep color in the stew later.

>> it's such a deep color. >> what's the secret to the perfect sere? >> high heat, flour helps a lot because it gets that nice caramelization. it also helps thicken the sauce later. it's a real traditional french technique. >> you have your caramelized meat right here, which you're just going to take and add to your stew, okay? or to your casserole. >> so that's the bottom? >> yep. and then this is going to be cooked for about two hours at 325 degrees. >> so good. >> that is good. >> you liking it? awesome. and then we're going to basically take that liquid that we -- the cooking liquid and cover the short ribs. okay. we're going to pop them in the oven. >> a little foil on top. >> a little foil on top. let that go for about two hours. you can cook this several days ahead of time. it only gets deeper, that beautiful color and that richness is really coming through. >> so this is like three days old? >> yeah. >> it's beautiful. i promise.

>> it's delicious. so good. >> it really matures in the liquid, and then. >> it's tender. >> and then you have your glazed vegetables which we're going to use as a second topping, heirloom carrots, celery root. >> i don't know what's going on with these vegetables but they are amazing, they're tender. >> thank you. >> flavorful. >> it's all about glazing slowly, butter, water, to keep it nice and tight so it's not swimming in the water. brown sugar, sherry vinegar at the end. >> why do you like these onions more? >> so nice. they're flat, sweet onions from italy originally, and they just have a really great sweesnetnes about them and they don't have that too strong of an onion later. and they look killer. >> it was not our plan to have empty plates. >> wow, you've got a happy plate as we say at the melvin house. >> i'm right behind her. >> this is what you want. you want that glistening glazed vegetable look, super sweet and tender, a little bit of that sweet and sour kind of going on

with the sugar, the natural sugars from the vegetables and the vinegar and thyme. it's really classic flavor with that. my favorite potatoes. i like gruyere, just a little bit. helps get that really nice caramelization on top. about two parts potato to one part butter. >> i wondered a little bit. >> did you get that pro tip at home? two parts potato, one part butter. >> or more. >> in case you were worried about the butter, add a little cream just to kind of bind it together. okay? >> there you go. >> see how beautiful that is after it's been in the -- you know, sat for two or three days. really deep red wine glaze. then i like to put you to work, craig. going to take some of these vegetables. >> some of these. right over the top, nice even layer. >> even distribution. >> that's what keeps them nice and tender in a good way because they're not mushed down with all the -- >> that's the key. the key is you want to cook them -- i like to cook the carrots first and then the

celery and the cipollini onion. >> there you go, just layer it over and we're going to make a nice -- >> i cook for you all the time here, all the time. >> try it. >> amazing. >> perfect, this is where my kids come in and just -- there's no -- they can do no wrong. >> here's the thing, this is going to be on the menu at the cottage. your other restaurant in west port is one of my favorites. full disclosure, it's where me and my wife spent our valentine's day last week. this will not be on the menu there at oco. >> no, no, maybe we can get real creative, but i don't think this is going to speak to the japanese style. >> i've actually never had this at the restaurant. >> my plate's empty. >> it's the winter go-to. people love it. they ask for it every winter. >> what'd you garnish with on top? >> i added a little bit of fresh pepper and chives. >> oh, wow, that is fantastic.

>> dude, you've been holding back. >> i know. and a lot of times people want vegetables, traditionally to glaze in the short rib. in this case i leave them out. you're going to get so many vegetables in here. it's easier for the guests. >> brian lewis, thank you. for this recipe and more, today.com/food back i.n here's your buick sir. actually, that's my buick. your buick doesn't have a roof rack! this is my buick. how are we gonna fit in your mom's buick? easy. i like that new buick. me too. i was actually talking about that buick. i knew that. did you? buick's fresh new lineup is full of surprises. get great deals on our expectation-shattering lineup. pay no interest for 72 months on most buick models.

it's not even 9:00 a.m. and i'm full. that will do it for this hour of "today." >> you guys scarfed that down. >> you eat like a 12-year-old boy. >> you can always find great stories on today.com/allday. including a kids guide to the presidents' day holiday so you can teach them why they have the day off. our one small thing partner sharing a simple stretch that we can all do to reduce stress. that and more at today.com/allday. >> just ahead on the third hour, the oscar nominated directors of

rbg, showing a side of supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg few get to see. a tough morning for oakland )s good morning. 8:56. a tough morning for the catholic community. leasing the names of clerm clermy members who the church says have been credibly accused. the bishop calls publishing an

act of contrition on behalf of my church. the list includes 20 dioceses briefs. and three priests who once worked in the diocese. most are list the as deceased. our bob riddell is getting reaction. you can also go to our homepage for more details. a special hearing is set to get under way in sausalito. considering an emergency declaration in the wake of last week's damaging mudslide. our crew will be live at midday. authorities in the north bay are investigating a deadly shooting in wine country. investigators say a depp suty s a man in a parked car. you can go to our homepage for mow details.

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from >> from nbc news, this is "today," live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning. i'm sheinelle, with dylan and craig. a lot of you are enjoying today off, too. a pretty busy weekend. roker is gone all week. a pretty busy time. >> to god's country. south carolina. those there refer to it as god's country. my fnephew had his first birthday. >> how did it go? a b