slowing typical spots. >> that's what's happening "today in the bay." we'll be back at 7:25 with a live local news update. >> join us for "nbc bay area news" at 11:00 and nbcbayarea.com. have a great day. good morning, unprecedented disast good morning. unprecedented disaster, historic flooding in the midwest now blamed for at least three death, forcing thousands to flee their homes. >> this is the entrance to paradise lakes. insane. >> nebraska dealing with the worst flooding theren half a century. entire communities cut off and the water is still rising. unbearable grief overnight emotional memorials for the 50 victims for the mosque shootings in new zealand. and the hero, whose quick thinking saved lives. just ahead what we're learning

about the gunman's twisted plot. >> on a tear, the president spends his weekend on twitter tweeting dozens and dozens of times to air a variety of grievances as 2020 rivals hit the trail. all that plus breaking overnight, new black box status on the ethiopian airlines crash and the disturbing possibility the 737 max plane has a fundamental flaw. not funny. monica lewinsky on how late night comics treated her at the height of the clinton scandal. >> i was watching myself or this version of myself running away from me, being stolen, my identity was stolen. >> let's dance. the field for the ncaa tournament revealed. top seeds and cinderellas to watch as you fill out your bracket today on march 18, 2019. from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie

and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning. nice to have you with us. i haven't started my bracket yet but i do it strictly by emotion and not facts. >> by gut feel? if that's the case, i have virginia tech in there, just my gut feeling? >> and watford for the first time, craig melvin is so excited. >> he's on that great bandwagon. we will get to that in a minute but we have a busy morning. we start with that historic flooding in the heartland. >> heavy rain and historic snow are combining to create a dangerous situation for millions, breached dams, historic evacuations and breaches on the river. first to kathie park, just by nebraska. >> reporter: behind me is a swollen missouri river. typically, this is the parking lot to the harris casino next door. the river is not just overflowing, currents are moving

very quickly, just one example the flood risk is so very high. this morning, the midwest is under water. thousands forced to evacuate their homes because of historic flooding. states of emergency have now been declared in wisconsin, iowa and neb sca. >> a little too much to take in. i look out there and see nothing but a big ocean. >> reporter: multiple states feeling the effects of the bomb cyclone. last week's late winter storm that triggered massive flooding along rivers. one of the hardest hit, the mighty missouri. >> hopefully people understand with the quantity of water coming down the missouri river, that you stay out of the water. >> reporter: so far, at least three people have been killed by the raging waters. in iowa, one victim drove around a safety barricade and was swept away by flood waters. in nebraska another swept away from their home and another drowned trying to save a trapped motorist.

it's so bad, even horses are waiting to be rescued. >> our concern is horses nearby stranded in a barn. >> reporter: some animals warning their owners of the danger. >> the house is right here. their dogs woke them up because they got in water and they were cold and they started barking. >> reporter: many residents say the water rose so fast they had just minutes to evacuate. >> maybe a half hour we had to get out of there. >> reporter: entire towns like fremont, nebraska, are now completely cut off. small planes and helicopters are the only way in. >> all the road infrastructure is gone, covered in water. >> reporter: after assessing the flood zone, the governor of iowa say this cleanup will be massive. >> we'll do it, get through it but we have a lot of work ahead. >> reporter: work that can only begin when the waters recede. many roads and parts of nebraska

are still impassable, even bridges washed away. pilots are using their time to shuttle in some flood victims into hard hit communities like fremont, nebraska, so they can get to their homes and take a closer look at the damage. guy, back to you. >> good for them, kathie, thank you very much. >> for more on flooding and what's to come. al roker on the road this morning. lending a hand to storm victims in alabama, but we start with that flooding now. >> reporter: good morning. unfortunately it looks like we will be heading there as well. right now, the big concern is the water getting out of the right now, we have 11 million people impacted any heaviest area around the southern gulf. and nebraska city and fall city. not only the rainfall from the big bomb cyclone, melting snow. this snow melt is adding so much water to these rivers, missouri and mississippi river. in fact, so much snow melt,

we're talking 186,000 square miles of melted snow larger than the state of california all funneling into these rivers. you can see how many are at major flood stage. 280 locations above flood stage right now. we look at missouri river at nebraska city still above flood stage today and tomorrow. finallstarts to recede a bit by friday. we have at least a little bit of a break from the weather. in that flood zone, maybe a little light rain and snow on tuesday. otherwise, it stays sunny and dry and that's good news. >> thank you. we'll check back in. now to the terror attacked in new zealand, paying tributes to the 50 victims. we're learning more about the investigation and heroes that save lives. miguel almaguer is in christchurch this morning. >> reporter: good morning. this peaceful country is still in shock after so much bloodshed.

more people killed in these two attacks, 50, than typically murdered in an average year, this as the suspect showed up in court giving little signs of regret. this morning in the face of overwhelming grief, signs of hope emerging after so much hate. the deadliest mass shooting in new zealand's history, taking 50 lives at two mosques. >> when i woke up, everyone was either wounded or dead. >> reporter: alia survived under a pile of bodies. his stepfather, sandy, is in serious condition. >> i don't know how someone is capable of doing such a thing. blood everywhere. >> reporter: as victims cried for help survivors said the gunman shot them at point-blank range. children died in the arms of their parents. this man and his 4-year-old daughter both shot multiple times. >> please pray for me and for my daughter.

>> reporter: the 36 minutes of terror finally came to an end when the gunman came face-to-face with abdul aziz. >> i wanted to take his focus from the mosque. >> reporter: he found one of the shooters empty guns and chased him with the weapon preventing further bloodshed. >> i hope this never ever happens but in this situation, if it could save some life i will jump in. >> reporter: arrested by police a few blocks away, tarrant appeared before a judge, his face blurred, per new zealand law. the suspect smiled in court, flashing the white power symbol. police say the 28-year-old australian apparently e-mailed a racist manifesto minutes before the shooting. his family says he showed no sign of extremism. >> it's so much to take in that somebody in our family would do anything like this. >> reporter: the suspect bought four weapons legally. new zealand's prime minister,

promising tougher gun laws. >> within 10 days of this horrific act of terrorism we will have announced reforms which will, i believe, make our community safer. >> reporter: this morning, a national tragedy after another senseless shooting. 50 lives lost. and so many more forever changed. with dozens still hospitalized not far from here, nine people remain in critical condition. the suspect officially faces one count of murder though that number will rise and also plans to represent himself in court. back to you. >> miguel almaguer in new zealand, thank you. >> craig joins the table. we have new developments on that ethiopia air crash. >> we do. the transport minister says data from the black box shows there is a clear similarity between the ethiopian airlines crash and crash in indonesia 5 months ago that involved the same type of plane. the united states and other

countries have since grounded boeing 737 max 8 planes. official are now looking into whether faulty sensors and the plane's software to blame. much more on the investigation and safety concerns being raised by u.s. pilots in our next half hour. now to politics, president trump is facing pushback after a weekend tweet storm that included criticism of senator john mccain 7 months after his death and interesting developments in the presidential 2020 race as well. we will go to white house correspondent, kristen welker. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. it is not unusual for president trump to spend part of his weekend tweeting. this weekend may have set a new record, the president sending out 50 tweets or retweets by our count. he lashed out at multiple targets including the late senator, john mccain, who is no longer here to defend himself. call it a st. patrick's day tweet storm, president trump

taking over a long list of topics from general motors to google and "snl," a repeat and taking time to praise and blast fox news asking the network to bring back judge piero, who was off the air waves after makes comments about representative ilhan. >> the president is not a white supremacist. >> reporter: but it was the president's tweets against the late senator john mccain that seemed to stand out nearly 7 months after mccain's death from brain cancer. it came after ken starr the former clinton independent counsel lashed out about court documents showed an mccain ally shared controversial parts of the dossier with the media. >> john mccain did amazing things but this is a dark stain. >> reporter: it was linking mr. trump to the russian government, a special focus of the special counsel investigation.

on saturday, the president saying mccain had far worst stains than this before going on to call mccain last in his class at annapolis. in reality, mccain was fifth from the bottom, mccain criticizing the infamous no vote to repeal and replace obamacare in 2017. his daughter fired back in her own tweet praising her father saying i wish i had been given more saurts with him. maybe spend yours with your family instead of on twitter obsessing over mine. instead, it's an in tra party feud since the campaign. >> i like people that weren't captured. >> reporter: the senate colleagues defended him. >> this is another outrageous action by the president. john mccain was war hero. >> reporter: republican senator, lindsey graham, one of mccain's closest friends and allies also defended mccain but stopped short of criticizing the president, tweeting mccain

stepped forward to risk his life for his country and nothing about his service will be diminished. and nothing known about the tweet storm, comes amid waiting for the mueller report expected soon. >> thanks. it was a busy weekend for the growing crowd of 2020 hopefuls, while bet o o'rourke and gillibrand made it official, nothing about joe biden. >> good morning. we are getting our first look into how much me on the newest candidate in this race has raised. beto o'rourke announced he brought in $6.1 million in that first 24 hours since announcing his race, the most of any candidate. keep in mind this democratic field is not set, with one big name still deciding whether to jump in, making at a speech a

slip-up that seemed like a big tell. >> reporter: the 2020 attention this morning on an accidental almost announcement. >> have the most progressive record of anybody running -- anybody who would run. >> reporter: joe biden, in front of a very friendly crowd, quickly catching his slip of the tongue since he's not technically in the race yet. the former vice president expected to decide within days whether he'll make it official, as senator kirsten gillibrand finally did herself after weeks of an exploratory bid. >> we need a leader who makes big, bold, brave choices. >> someone who isn't afraid of progressive. that's why i'm running for president. >> reporter: the senator hinting at a rally next week outside the trump hotel in new york, a signal how aggressively she plans to confront the president. with 595 days to go, candidates are crisscrossing the campaign

trail already including beto o'rourke. >> i get the chance to be part of something the country needs coming together at this very divided moment. >> reporter: an attack by the gop who pointed out this picture for a 1990 arrest of drunk driving. >> if people want to focus on the big picture of our goals and defined not by this pettiness or personal attacks we see in ones like the ad that you just described. >> reporter: after o'rourke memorably told "vanity fair" he was born for this race, his competitors were pressed on their perspectives. >> growing up in the '70s in the middle of the country i don't think many people thought a girl could be president. i wasn't born to run but i am running. >> reporter: senator amy klobuchar one of five women in a primary where many democrats are eager for diversity. now, some of the men in the race, like o'rourke and senator cory booker are already suggesting if they get the nomination they'll pick a female vice president. >> i don't know if it's in the

vice president's position or president's position, but if i have my way, there will be a woman on the ticket. >> you mentioned those eye popping numbers beto o'rourke just announced. how does it stack up against other candidates. put it in perspective. >> sure. we're talking the first 24 hours since these candidates announced. you have o'rourke sitting at $6.1 million raised. bernie sanders is close behind at $5.9 million, and then senator kamala harris at $1.5 million that first day. keep in mind o'rourke's campaign did not list specifics like average donation and number of new voters others have released and sometimes those details can be really telling. >> money is obviously the currency in politics. an interesting metric. thank you, appreciate it. meanwhile, get those brackets ready. you ready? time for march madness once again, ncaa handing out

invitations on sunday to the 68 teams that will make up this year's tournament. let's talk about the number one seeds, duke, overall top seed. zion williamson, pegged by the odds makers as the favorite to win it all. >> there are two other teams from the atlantic coast conference also earned a number one seed. rolina, the other top gonzaga, the bulldogs making the top seed is gonzaga, bulldogs making their 21st consecutive trip to the big dance. when does it all get under way? the first four games are tomorrow and wednesday. the rest of the games, tip-off on thursday and friday. >> go ahead. >> who's ready? >> i'm just saying, we'll have a little bit more later in the broadcast from the wolford terriers. s first trip to the big dance. >> no, but we've never been a seven seed.

>> we like your tie. >> we like your joy. let's go to al in alabama and will bring joy to folks down there. first, we'll get your forecast. >> reporter: we'll talk a little bit about that. let's see what's going on around the rest of the country. we are looking at plenty of sunshine along the atlantic coast and nice and warm in the pacific northwest. plenty of sunshine there. the only really dangerous weather firing up is down in southern florida. we weill look at there at in th next half hour, but first your local forecast in the next 30 seconds. found in milk. now, with a2 milk®... ...i can finally enjoy cereal again. it's totally natural. and having only the a2 protein makes all the difference. cereal, smoothies... ...coffee, everything! my first latte in 12 years. a2 milk®, real milk that's easier on digestion.

love milk again. good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. here is a live look outside in palo alto, just a few clouds moving by, overall another really nice day. our high temperature headed up to 73 degrees, 74 will be the high in concord. santa rosa 75, and san francisco today reaching 69 degrees. our seven-day forecast keeps it dry for just a little while longer but more clouds tomorrow, even a chance of rain late tomorrow night and we'll see some off and on showers in the forecast throughout the rest of the work weerk. k about why the sunshine state is going to be anything but. guys? >> al, thank you so much. candid new comments from monica lewinsky overnight on her clinton affair, its ongoing impact on her life and her message to late night comedians. and then more on those new clues in the 737 max 8 crashes

and the stunning safety concerns now being raised by u.s. pilots were they well enough trained? but first this is "today" on nbc.

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-♪ she's not the maid we wanted ♪ -because i'm not the maid! -♪ but she's the maid we got -again, i'm not the maid. i protect your home and auto. -hey, campbells. who's your new maid? i )m - -... an update - moments ago .. on the breaking news story we followed al 7:26. good morning, everyone. i'm scott mcgrew. moments ago an update on the breaking news we've been following all morning on "today in the bay" the apparent terror attack aboard a tram in the netherlands in the town of utrecht located about 20 miles south of amsterdam. the mayor issuing a statement there are three confirmed deaths, nine people are injured, three of them seriously. the gunman still at large. earlier authorities released this surveillance image of the man they believe is the attacker, identified as a 37-year-old dutch immigrant born in turkey. let's get a check of your weather with kari. >> it starts out nice and clear this morning, as the sun rises. we are seeing mostly clear skies in san francisco, and our

temperatures a little bit cool with some upper 40s and low 50s but look at our warm, high temperatures today, reaching up to 69 in the city, and some mid-70s for the inland valleys. we are getting ready for some cooler temperatures, and some rain as we officially begin spring this wednesday, and our highs only reach into the low 60s for the inland valleys, we are going to see some scattered showers from wednesday through friday, and then it moves out on saturday morning. san francisco looking at highs that will cool off from the upper 60s today to the lower 60s midwe midweek. let's get an update on the commute whefrom mike. >> a beautiful view of the city from emeryville but i'll circle the flashing lights eastbound getting away from san francisco, the lower deck slows to where they even out because of a disabled vehicle in the middle of the bridge, eastbound oakland to san francisco. i see speed sensors starting to improve so they may be letting more cars through. we're tracking the westbound commute down the east shore

freeway and in the tri-valley, slowing for south 680, although we see good improvement i think they have cleared much of that crash activity south 680 at 84. back to you. >> thank you, mike. more local news in half an hour. see you then.

wofford's terriers out of the southern conference come into the tournament on a 20-game win streak. >> that's a pretty good seed. i thought they'd be in that neighborhood. >> 20-game win streak, what? we're back in a moment during the ncaa tournament selection show that we're sure put a smile on the faces at the melvin household. in fact, we have the picture to prove it. go wofford! >> we had a good time last night. wofford the only team in the country undefeated in conference play. >> don't get cocky. we want you to do well. >> just wanted to make sure you knew that. >> full of wofford facts this morning. we're all going to get on the wofford train with you. we start with that historic

flooding in the midwest. it's now being blamed for at least three deaths there, and thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes. states of emergency have been declared in wisconsin, iowa, and nebraska. the flooding in nebraska has damaged up to 500 houses in one county alone, and a lot of residents are saying the water rose so fast they had just minutes to get out. last week's bomb cyclone as it's called is being blamed for those rising waters. thousands of residents in a small texas town were told to shelter in place on sunday after a fire broke out at a petra chemical storage facility. this is a live picture from the scene, massive flames, thick black smoke can be seen for miles. the fire at intercontinental terminals company in deer park, texas, started sunday morning, was still burning throughout the night. no injuries have been reported there. police in nashville, tennessee, are asking for the public's help identifying a suspect after a police sergeant was dragged down the street by an atv. check this out, it was all

caught on camera saturday. dozens of people were riding around on atvs and dirt bikes. you can see one of those atvs dragging sergeant john bourke down the street. he was freed after slamming into a metal barrier. investigators are hoping someone will recognize that suspect or his atv and call police. this morning monica lewinsky is speaking out in a new and candid way. >> she sat down with hbo host john oliver and opened up about a topic she knows all too well, public shaming. >> the internet and of course social media we now have situations where it's exacerbated beyond, i think, what anybody could have imagined. >> monica lewinsky talking one on one with comedian john oliver about a topic she knows firsthand, public shaming. >> you were on the receiving end of one of the worst internet fueled public shamings of all time and hopefully in a way ever.

how the [ bleep ] did you get through that? >> yeah. i don't actually know, you know? >> really? >> it was a [ bleep ] storm. it was an avalanche of pain and humiliation and obviously i could not have gotten through it without my family, and eventually when i was allowed to talk to my friends, my friends too. i think as a -- at 24 years old, it was, you know, really hard to hold onto a shred of dignity or self-esteem when, you know, you're just the butt of so many jokes. >> it comes 20 years after the scandal that made her a household name, her feelings still fresh when asked to reflect about becoming a late night punch line and her public persona at the time. >> it was not only just the slut shaming, not only having had an intimate relationship with someone who is now describing me in a way that no young woman

would want to be described. there was just also my looks. i was very about the touch-ups and the makeup, part of my vanity now comes from just the wound of having been made fun of for my weight, for, you know, people saying i was unattractive. >> lewinsky who in recent years has made a name for herself in taking on bullying saying this when asked why she never changed her now infamous last name. >> there were several reasons i didn't. first of all, i don't think that it really would have even worked. like when i was job hunting people even suggested, you know, well, why don't you put a different name on your cv. so then i'm going to walk into an office for an interview and the person's going to be like that person looks like monica lewinsky and be wondering. you're starting out a professional relationship on a lie. there's not that and then lastly i think it was also a prince pl

in the sense that bill clinton didn't have to change his name. nobody's ever asked him did he think he should change his name. >> the 45-year-old acknowledging she's made mistakes but refusing to let them define who she is today. >> i'm not proud of all of the choices i've made in my life, but i'm proud of the person i am. i'm not ashamed of who i am. >> it was very candid and at times very funny interview. lewinsky telling john oliver she was recently invited to this '90s theme party and she decided to poke fun of herself by wearing a beret. the first time she's done that in 18 years. >> if you want to be inspired, there's a great ted talk she gave that will wake you up. it's amazing. >> it's interesting to see after all those years she's sort of coming into the public eye a little bit more, and the more you hear her, you see how much work she's put into herself, into thinking about this. she doesn't shrink from her own responsibility. she's just done a will the lot thinking and hard work.

>> a lot of soul searching. mr. roker is lending a hand to tornado victims in al abama. hey, al. >> hey, guys, good morning. our good friend rodney scot of rodney scott barbecue in alabama has already started helping serve system of the volunteers here at the providence baptist church. but first let's talk about rain. a lot of rain down where they normally don't get it that much this time of the year. we're talk about heavy rain in central and southern florida. rain train coming across a low level jet bringing heavy rain there anywhere from four to six inches of rain in parts of southern florida, into central florida, and we've got cold air coming in. you know, spring begins coming up on wednesday. it starts at 5:56. we're looking at temperatures well below average for new york all the way down into chicago, miami, charleston, on into new orleans and really as we go in towards the end of next week, this week i should say, we'll see temperatures trying to rebound. spring begins wednesday, 5:58

p.m. eastern time. . good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. beautiful start to the day, with mostly sunny skies, san jose will see the sun continue going into the afternoon, and temperatures warming up fast. we're going from the upper 40s to the mid-70s today and we'll see a lot of our inland valleys reaching into the mid-70s. in san francisco, 69 degrees with some breezy winds, and we are getting ready for some cooler temperatures, and the rain returning by late tomorrow night, into wednesday, we'll see off and on rain the rest of the week. and that's your latest weather. coming up in our next half hour, guys, we're going to lend a hand today and help these folks remain, beauregard, alabama, strong. >> good work there, al. thank you so much. just ahead, should the students involved in that college admissions scandal be kicked out of their schools? plus, we are getting real

with susie ze orman about savinr the future. then on pop start, how the stars celebrated st. patrick's day. first the latest on the investigation into those 737 max 8 crashes as pilots here in the u.s. raise concerns about the u.s. raise concerns about the training they got for those new ♪ take a moment. to unwrap,

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depressed mood, suicidal thoughts or actions, seizures, new or worse heart or blood vessel problems, sleepwalking, or life- threatening allergic and skin reactions. decrease alcohol use. use caution driving or operating machinery. tell your doctor if you've had mental health problems. the most common side effect is nausea. talk to your doctor about chantix. this morning on in-depth today, the crashes that have grounded boeing 737 max planes all around the world. >> as we mentioned, officials now say the black box data shows a quote, clear similarity between the ethiopian airlines and the lion air crashes and there are new questions about training for pilots. nbc's gabe gutierrez has the latest on this story. hey, gabe, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. today new clues about that fatal crash as those boeing 737 max 8 planes remain grounded across the world, and now the pilot's

union for american airlines says the training they received on an ipad just isn't enough. this morning, a clear similarity, ethiopia's transport minister shows data shows a connection between the ethiopian airlines crash last week and the lion air crash in october. the faa saying it has not validated the black box data in the ethiopian crash. the two crashes claiming more than 300 lives. officials in indonesia and ethiopia are looking into whether faulty sensors and the plane's software are to blame for both crashes involving boeing 737 max 8 planes. hours before the u.s. made the decision to ground the max 8 last week, american airlines pilot unions said it had full confidence in the max. now the union says its pilots were not adequately trained. captain dennis tager has flown the max 8 and is a pilot union's spokesperson. >> we were provided a 66 minute ipad lesson, which we could accomplish at home or wherever

we chose to because it was advertised as an aircraft that was virtually the same. >> reporter: but it wasn't, he says. there was a new system. >> when you add additional information, additional systems that we didn't know existed before that changes everything. >> reporter: he says simulator training for the 737 pilots wasn't offered for the max 8, something the faa signed off on. the acting administrator telling savannah this last week. >> my question to you is why 737 pilots were not trained on that system, have still not been trained on that system, and in fact, did not even know this software system was on the plane. how does the faa explain that? >> well, the mcast system is explained in the manuals. >> at the time of the plane's release, u.s. airlines didn't have specific simulators for the plane. aviation experts say the training was appropriate given the information they had at the time. boeing telling nbc news it followed a process that was absolutely consistent with

introducing previous new airplanes and derivatives, but according to tager simulators are free. >> a simulator is the nearest thing you can have to actually happening. they are critical in any pilot's deep tissue in the understanding of their aircraft. >> reporter: it's not clear what training they had on the max 8 and the ethiopian air and lie an air pilots received. tager says after the lion air tragedy the american pilots union asked for simulators and boeing. they hope to roll it out soon. >> we don't want to see another 10 or 15 minute ipad course to tell us here's the differences, now move along and fly. >> reporter: when we reached out to the faa about training for the max 8, it told us pilots have had simulator training for situations similar to what the ethiopian air and lion air pilots would have faced, so they would have been prepared to respond. guys, back to you.

>> all right, gabe gutierrez, gabe, thank you. >> we'll continue to watch it. up next, what should happen to the students involved in that massive college admissions cheating scandal. the latest on that right aft tremfya® can help adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis get clearer. and stay clearer. most patients who saw 90% clearer skin at 28 weeks stayed clearer through 48 weeks. tremfya® may lower your ability to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. tell your doctor if you have an infection or have symptoms such as: fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough. before starting tremfya® tell your doctor if you plan to or have recently received a vaccine. tremfya®. stay clearer. janssen can help you explore cost support options. tremfya®. stay clearer. ♪ ♪ ♪

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we're back, and so is carson daly. we're talking about that massive college cheating scandal. >> federal prosecutors say this is the largest admissions scheme they've ever prosecuted. nbc's joe fryer has the latest on the fallout for the accused and for the schools involved. good morning. >> good morning, this multimillion dollars alleged scam has disgraced celebrities and sparked multiple lawsuits. now the ten-month long investigation is igniting a national conversation about how college admissions may favor the rich and famous. >> this morning eight of the nation's top universities are under the microscope as are dozens of rich and famous parents accused of paying big bucks to get their kids into college, along them lori loughlin, the couple paid half a million dollars in bribes to get their two daughters into usc. in a youtube video from 2017

loughlin jokes about the cost of her daughter's schooling. >> if you would have said england is my city, i would say why did i pay all this money for your education. loughlin has since been dropped from the hallmark channel in her future with the netflix fuller house is up in the air. her younger daughter is facing harsh criticism online, even blocking comments on her videos. >> it's like the coolest thing getting dms for girls, like i'm applying to college right now, it's fun. >> some of olivia's sponsors including sephora and tresemme are ending their partnerships with the social media influencer. nbc news has learned olivia and her sister remain enrolled at usc. federal investigators are also looking at faculty members involved in the scam, the women's soccer coach at yale rudolph meredith is accused of saving a spot on the team for a student he knew did not play competitive soccer.

meredith has not responded to nbc news's request for comment, but in a statement yale's president writes in part, our long-standing policy is to rescind the admission of students who falsified their yale college applications. the school also says it's conducting an internal review to see if more people were involved. also caught up in the scandal, desperate housewives star felicity huffman who prosecutors say paid $15,000 to have a proctor correct her daughter's s.a.t. answers. the fbi says eight universities unwittingly admitted students as part of scandal. none of the schools are facing charges, but they are facing pressure to re-evaluate their admissions process. investigators say william singer, the alleged mastermind of the scam accepted $25 million from parents since 2011. last week he pleaded guilty in federal court to fraud othand or charges. >> just ahead we're going to

take a closer look at the legal and illegal ways families are getting their kids into college. and al is standing by with life changing surf praises for families impacted by those devastating (woman) what should we do with it first? (man) road trip. (woman) yes. (woman) off-road trip. (couple) [laughter] (couple vo) whoa! (man) how hot is the diablo chili? (waitress) well. you've got to sign a waiver. [laughter] (ranger) you folks need bear repellent? (woman) ah, we're good. (man) yes. (vo) it's a big world. our new forester just made it even bigger. (woman) so what should we do second? (vo) the 2019 subaru forester. the most adventurous forester ever. istry eucerin advanced repairing ecream. for 48hour dry skin relief... goes beyond ceramides with moisturizing factors naturally found in skin... eucerin advanced repair cream for healthier looking skin.

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good monday morning. right now at 7:5, we wake up to more sunshine. this is a live look in walnut creek, already a busy start to the week, and our temperatures will go from the upper 40s to the low 70s again today. even warmer than it was yesterday, with some of our inland valleys reaching up to 75 degrees. in the north bay, santa rosa 75, and 75 in livermore. morgan hill reaching 76, and we're about to cool off as we go to the middle of the week. more clouds move in tomorrow and we'll see some more upper 60s and then the rain moves in on wednesday, continuing off and on throughout the day. we'll see the scattered showers on thursday, tapering off and then a new storm arriving on friday that could linger into early saturday morning. san francisco also looking at some much cooler temperatures as we go throughout the work week. let's head over to mike for an

update on the commute. >> still looking at the lower deck of the bay bridge getting out of san francisco, it's jammed up to a disabled vehicle, i still see flashing lights as you make your way through the vine on the oakland side, it's a continued problem slowing ul down on the east shore freeway has the build. something is going on around university. things are better from university toward the berkeley curve. we'll track that. the rest of the bay shows a pretty smooth drive, continued recovery slow recovery through pleasanton south 680 from 58 0 vernal. dutch authorities confirm three people are dead in a terror attack on board a tram in the netherlands. a gunman opened fire in utrecht, 25 miles south of amsterdam. lyft getting ready to launch a road show, this one to involve cars attracting large scale investors for its initial public offering. go to nbcbayarea.com to learn more about that and its latest

race with the ride share rival uber. we're going to have more local news coming up in half an hour. of course we'll see you at 11:00. cracking down on crime--including a recent rash of freeway shootings. the automated license plate readers contra costa county officials will take up tomorrow-- and where those cameras may be installed. plus: skyrocketing flight complaints! the way you can get the airline )s attention. tomorrow from 4:30 to 7.

up states of emergency. historic flooding havoc across the midwest claiming at least three lives. >> i see nothing but an ocean. >> thousands to flee their homes. and in some cases the water is still rising. we are there live. plus lending a helping hand, al is live in alabama with families devastated by the tornados. >> this here was my home. >> the rebuilding can happen. just ahead we'll meet the families and see how they are doing ahead of a big surprise.

and legally owned, what actress rei actress reese had to say they are expecting. perfect response that has people talking today on monday march 18, 2019. cheers from southern maryland. >> sending our love to everyone back in nebraska. >> portland, oregon. >> for my 50th birthday! >> celebrating my 11th birthday on the "today" show. >> good morning, "today" show we are playing with our grandson, farron. >> getting married. >> last week before the ring on "today." >> so sounds like a bachelor party. >> well, it's a party for sure. welcome back to today on a monday morning. >> we are going to head out soon. that's great. >> and we have al down in alabama lending a helping hand. good morning.

>> hey, good morning, guys. it's a really special morning here in alabama where this tornado last week hit really hard. over 23 people killed. so many people homeless. we are going to be helping them. rodney scott at the barbeque. we are lending a hand in alabama. we'll show you more later on. back to you. >> it's going to be good. al thank you so much. >> we'll start news deadly flood waters surge across midwest. kathy is there in iowa. kathy, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morm morning. states of emergency due to historic flooding.

behind me is a swollen missouri river. just an example, the flood risks that remains in parts of the midwest. now, residents describe seeing the water rising so quickly at times that they just had minutes to evacuate. at least three deaths being blamed because of this flooding. now some roads and bridges are still impassable in some communities. so the only way in and out is just by plane or by boat. and while the damage is extensive, the cleanup can only begin when the water starts to recede. we are starting to see that in some spots. guys, back to you. >> kathy park, thank you very much. >> mourners in new zealand overnight paid tribute to the men, women and children killed by a gunman. changing gunman's. now joining us from christ church, good morning. >> reporter: tributes are going all across the country. this as we learn more about the suspect. police call his reign of terror

36 minutes of terror. 50 people were gunned down during that time frame. another 50 people were wounded. today, nine people remain in critical condition and are still fighting for their lives as the suspect is expected in court in just a few weeks. he's officially charged with one count of murder though that will no doubt rise. he's also planning to represent himself. as for the victims, we know they range in age from two years old into their 70s. many fighting for their lives. as this community, as the nation, at the world mourns for what happened here in christchurch. back to you. thank you. police say several people in netherlands have been shot and killed in a tram in central city. the terror threat has been raised to highest level. schools are locked down as heavily harmed police search for the gunman. medical helicopters have also

been called to the scene in the netherlands. security has been increased at airports and other public facilities. dutch government is convening a crisis meeting to respond to the shooting. big health news this morning, hearn heart association has come out against about taking aspirin daily in healthy adults. new guidelines suggest it's much more important to control blood sugar through lifestyle changes. they say they can consider aspirin for older risk patients as long as no risk for internal bleeding. it can also be a life safer for patients who have already had a stroke, heart attack, or heart surgery. all right. more than one way to share a drink. divorces after a loose ball and lands in the seats. but before getting to his seat, you no he what he does, reaches out to the a fans drink and

takes a sip. the question is what was in the cup? he posted it's jack straight up no ice. shout out to her. >> wow. that could have been a booze stt you got another one. nine-year-old named austin cerebral palsy has support of his teammates. watch player number 50 in the game. he's determined to get that ball to austin so that austin can score. the first try comes up a little short. but the teammate sure that he gets one more shot at it. when he does, he hits a two-pointer. austin mom says her son will do anything to make other people smile. that's so nice. >> he kept going. >> tried like four times to get the ball. sweet es. >> love that. straight ahead. al is in alabama and he's leonarding a hand to people in need. learneding leonardinding

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georgia, alabama, also on into south carolina. the hardest hit state was alabama here. 23 people killed, a tornado an ef 4 tornado destroyed the town of beauregard and so we've decided to come here at lend a hand today. rodney scott bbq, i saw rodney last weekend at the charleston wine and food fest. you have a place here in birmingham. i asked you if you would come help feed the volunteers. you didn't hesitate for a moment, why? >> i feel like i'm aumlways bee sentimental to people who are down, who are troubled, and we always wanted to uplift them, and so when i heard about the tornados i just had to do something. >> we so appreciate it. you've been feeding folks all morning long. we've been on the ground here, and we have discovered that despite everything that's happened here, these folks are remaining beauregard strong. >> is that it? >> listen to me right now, get

in that tornado safe place. your life could be in jeopardy. >> at that time riley and i grabbed up and we went out, and it was probably five minutes or so before the storm hit. >> my son, he said mom, what are we going to do? i said just go to the bathroom. that's what we do. >> that's the right thing to do. >> that's what we normally do. >> the roaring got stronger. you was like this is too close. went to the bathroom, once i got in the bathroom i literally had time to shut the door and then it was like a bomb went off. >> you've got a tornado on the ground and probably a very, very bad one. >> it immediately collapsed us down. the roof went and you could see the whole thing just. >> the rain was coming down in a white sheet. i could not even see in front of me and all i could think is dear lord you got us out. get us to safety. >> this is sheldon yellen from belfor restoration. they go all around the world

seeing disasters and this one is particularly tough. >> this is unbelievable. >> this here was my home and my home is here behind us. that's where everything landed. >> we have this foundation. we have the foundation in god and the rebuilding can happen. you know. in time. >> and it's symbolic you bring that up. the foundation is here and your foundation in your faith is here. >> i thank the lord. you tell god thank you. >> my mother, she's still in rehab and recovery, and she's making progress. >> tornados ravaged my great state leaving behind trails of devastation and the loss of human life. >> i got a surprise for you. >> yeah, we brought a surprise. >> hey, sugar. >> hello ms. ree.

>> oh, mr. roker. >> how are you? >> oh, my lord, i can't believe it. >> i'm a firm believer in god, and i believe that his protection was put over me and my grandson and that there is a reason why i'm still here. >> we were able to make it. we were able to pull together as a community. we'll make it. we'll rebuild. >> and we are here in the parking lot of the providence baptist church, and we're joined by the families that you met earlier. we've got la shawn and cindy and her families. how are you guys feeling this morning? >> feeling blessed, really blessed this morning. >> very blessed. >> a good looking families here. really good looking families. speaking of good looking, i've got my buddy sheldon yellen here who is from belfor restoration. he runs the whole thing. i called you and you didn't hesitate to say what do you need? and let me help. >> you know, al, we've been

together a little bit, and i've seen some of the great things you've done for people in need around the country, and when you call, we're there for you. >> and what did you bring with you? >> al, we would like to surprise these people with some temporary mobile homes that will be taken to your places today for you to live in. >> oh, wow! on behalf of belfor people throughout the world to show you our support and we thank you al for calling us and allowing us to be a part of it. >> we thank you. and how are you guys feeling right now? >> very blessed. very blessed. >> are you guys happy? >> yeah. >> yes. >> you guys look like you're smiling pretty good. >> oh, yes. >> thank you so much. >> you know what has impressed me about you both is that your faith, you talked about faith and i got to tell you, i think it's a message we could all listen to. >> it's wonderful. >> that's right. the lord is using both of us, i do believe to let people know that his word is true and that

he has so much love and grace and mercy for all of us. >> yes, yes. and i know god will see us through this. >> yes. >> he's going to guide us throughout the devastation. this community is strong, and i think he'll lead us to rebuild and grow and, you know, it's a step in the right direction. >> thank you so much to both of you and sheldon, as usual, thank you my friend. >> real pleasure. >> thank you. >> and we've got a little more help for our friends. we called our friends at walmart, and they didn't hesitate for a moment. they decided to provide some great, much needed supplies and things for us, so we've got all these nice folks from walmart who are going to be handing this out. it's all going to be distributed over here at the providence baptist church, and everybody at walmart, these lovely people. they've been in this truck all night, haven't you? they were stuck in there. it's just a little gamey but they're doing a lovely job

bringing stuff. it is our honor and our privilege to lend a hand today and the folks from walmart, belfor and rodney scott barbecue. we want to thank them. we want to give you your national forecast, show you what's going on right now, and you'll see that basically we are looking at beautiful weather throughout much of the mid-atlantic states into the northeast, maybe a shower or two along the coast. the northwest is going to be gorgeous. plenty of sunshine. there is a heavy rain threat down in good morning. i'm meteorologist carrie hall. highs into the 70s today. this is the last day of our warm and sunny weather and well above normal temperatures. tomorrow clouds move in and we'll see some showers in the forecast by wednesday and that is when spring officially begins but our temperatures much cooler, reaching 60 with off and on rain throughout the rest of the forecast.

high in the low 60s and showers continuing into the start of the weekend. >> and that is your latest weather. guys. >> al, we love what you do. a lot of happy face there is and great partners, and i guess the power of an al roker phone call. >> i tell you. >> that woman's expression when he walked into the hotel room, oh, mr. roker. >> yeah. >> thank you, al. >> ms. ree, that's my new best friend. >> you have a lot of friend there now, al. thank you so much. >> good job. >> thanks for lending a hand. >> thanks, guys. >> mr. daly. >> a strong sense of faith down there, too. nice to see that in tough times. let's get to pop start now, many people were out and about celebrating st. patrick's day. we've got a quick roundup of our favorites. we'll start across the pond where the duke and duchess of cambridge continued their tradition of spending the day with the irish guards and hoisting a pint of begin begin esz. and courteney cox sharing a

photo of cookies, kate hudson, that's her daughter ronnie getting in on the st. paddy's caption. not everybody felt the same about the holiday. andy cohen posting a family photo. that's a not so happy benjamin. maybe he wasn't on board with the pj's. reese witherspoon and jennifer garner had fun over the weekend joking about a tabloid story. this is the cover of ok magazine with the headline jen and reese baby bomb shell, shock and joy. she captured the photo, hey, jen, can we raise our imaginary babies together. jennifer chimes in about the headlines. we are going to be the cutest imaginary family. the ladies having a laugh dispelling that rumor. jason sudeikis hosted ellen degeneres's show. did a great job, but ellen had just one complaint. hoda, i can tell you his hair. ellen was not a fan of his long

hair, and in an episode airing later today, ellen confronts jason about his look and brought his fiancee actress olivia wilde to convince him to chop off his long locks. >> olivia's here because we think it's long. we think it's getting kind of -- >> just a little long. >> right. it's like as long as your wife's hair. >> it's the same as my hair. >> it's only the same. >> there's only room for one of these in our house. >> yeah. >> so. >> i agree. so what we did -- >> so we're going to? >> we're going to cut your hair. >> my hair? >> i shaved julian edelman's beard. i don't know if you saw that. he loved it. there's not much of a difference between shaving and cutting. >> i would disagree strongly. >> yeah. so do you have a desired look, a style? >> yeah, human. a human man. >> tell us what look you're going for. >> all right. is it weird that i've had this

dream before? this is fantastic. >> ellen. >> do you like the idea of a mu mu mullet? >> no, i mean, metaphorically, yes. >> what's your side looking like? >> it's looking so, so good. >> why don't you guys swap sides. >> yours is all combed. i just went rogue. >> oh, my gosh. i keep hearing gasps. >> it's good. it's not bad. it looks like a human man. >> having a little fun there. the jury's out on whether or not he looks better i guess, but that is your pop start. >> that was something. >> how about a daly click. little chloe was practicing counting when her mom added a new challenge. take a listen to this. >> backwards for me, please. >> yeah. >> okay. >> 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10! >> well done. >> her mom's request to count

backwards very literally, but she passed the test nonetheless. >> chloe's a smart little girl. >> yes, she is. >> that's right. that's so cute. straight ahead, guess who's here? >> suze. >> suze. she's going to tell us everything we need to know. we've got to set ourselves up for a brighter financial tomorrow. people retiring at 70 now, living longer. you know what suze says save that money, people. >> girlfriend. >> let's do it. >> but firstgood morning, it )s.

i )m ... authorities in the east bay are investigating two separate freeway shootings over the weekend. one of them left a young woman dead. that shooting happened saturday afternoon on highway 4 .. near the willow pass exit in contra costa county. a 25 year-old woman died. the second shooting happened last night on eastbound interstate 580 in livermore. in that case a woman in the passenger seat of a car was shot in the leg. that shooting happened near the isabel avenue exit. so far investigators do not say there is any link between the shootings. i )ll have another local news

disabled vehicle just cleared from the span. the well-being direction find and better speeds douwn the eas shore freeway. and a crash in the two middles lanes a problem. 101 is better than 280 butwoodside. southbound, northbound routes and recovery for senole but a crash south into irvington and freemont that may still be in lanes.

. hey, everybody, welcome back to "today," 8:30 on this monday morning march the 18th. you are looking at mr. al roker as he and his friends are busy down in alabama giving back to the tornado victims. they are doing incredible work so hats off to them. meantime, you guys, a sunny start here, a chilly start in manhattan, and this crowd is. >> pumped up! >> amazing. >> all right, so i've got a crowd moment. hold on. listen up. all right, hold on. where is lexi? lexi, lexi? >> hi lexi. so what grade are you in,

sweetie? >> i'm in 8th grade. >> you had to write an essay about something, didn't you? >> no, i had to do an interview. >> okay. >> and. >> so i had to do an interview so a high school that i was auditions for, and so they asked me one of the questions was what's your dream job, and who do you look up to? because i am a broadcast journalist because i'm a communications major, and so my answer was savannah because she's amazing. >> savannah guthrie. >> would you like her to come over and say hey? come on down. >> here i am! oh, so nice to meet you. >> you too. >> what year are you? >> i'm in 8th grade. >> oh, 8th grade. you got the whole world ahead of you. >> lexi, what's your last name? >> kercheck. >> remember that name. >> wow sa. >> wowsa. >> save the tape. >> he ran the half marathon yesterday, did his best time

yet. so yossef congratulations. >> 1:31. >> congratulations. >> you ran a half marathon, and you're still standing, wow. >> what did we do? sit around in our fat pants like a normal sunday. coming up, do you worry about having enough money for retirement? >> yes. >> suze orman is here and she's got some advice to make your savings last. she's also going to answer some of your questions. we have a packed third hour, katie couric is going to be back in studio 1a sharing a very personal mission that we hope saves some lives this morning. >> you ran the half marathon on st. patrick's day? i did the exact opposite of that. >> i know. >> like literally. >> you drank 13 beers. >> my goodness. >> i did an hour 31 also in the perfect pint. also coming up, if you're addicted to the show "this is us" here on nbc, you're going to want to check out a new show called "the village." we're going to sit down with some cast members.

we're going to head back to alabama and check in with mr. roker. >> i'm surprised if you say yosef's name three times, normally his shirt comes off. >> chilly. >> that didn't happen this time. we're here in opalaka alabama, we want to thank our friends from belfor property restoration, rodney scott feeding these folks, the wonderful folks at walmart who did a wonderful job over there. i'm driving our camera guy crazy. the other thing we talked about, the faith that sustains all these people, and one of the churches that's been very instrumental here, providence baptist church just one of a number of faith-based organizations that have been volunteering here and just doing a wonderful, wonderful job. and what's your name, young man? >> jordan. >> jordan, how old are you? >> 10. >> i know you broke your arm during this and you lost a

little brother, right? >> yes. >> i understand you're a big weather fan, right? you like weather? so you're going to help me toss to our local stations. okay? >> okay. >> so here's what you say. you look right over here. you look right here, and you say that's what's going on around the country. >> that's what's going around in the country. kpipt well above normal temperatures in inland areas. but wednesday a storm system comes in and brings scottered showers and cooler air. off and on showers with san francisco in the upper 60s but only about 60 as we go into the first day of spring. >> and that is your latest

weather. again, guys, beauregard strong. all the folks here send their well wishes to you back in new york. guys. >> great work there, al. thank you so much, and he's going to have a lot more from alabama on the third hour of "today." just ahead from here, an inside look at the admissions process and just what does it really take to get into college in the wake of that stunning bribery scandal? but first this is "today" on nbc. even if no one in your home smokes, secondhand smoke can be closer than you think. secondhand smoke from a neighbor's apartment can enter your home through air vents, through light fixtures and even through cracks in the walls and the floors.

secondhand smoke is toxic. especially to children. protect your family. visit tobaccofreeca.com.

welcome back, the scandal involving hundreds of families buying their way into top schools has the college admissions process facing scrutiny. >> the process seems to confirm what many have believed for a while, that it's not always fair. kate snow joins us with a closer look. >> good morning, guys. full disclosure, just the other night i spent the night at a high school meeting about college admissions. you can ask any parent like me of a high school student, this

process is so daunting and for so many families it's very stressful. who gets in, who doesn't can feel really arbitrary. one college admissions officer says it's not a process where if you do the right thing you get in. it's a game. >> reporter: this morning college student who is didn't cheat speaking out about injustice. >> it's just kind of like a slap in the face. >> the first lawsuits filed say the system rigged after a week filled with allegations of the unbelievable things parents did to try and get their kids into elite schools. one father micromanaging an image of his son pretending to play water polo to get him recruited as an athlete asking a graphic designer any chance to put him in a setting that looks like an outdoor polo pool. one mother submitting a photo of her son's handwriting so someone taking the a.c.t. could match his writing style. her message, good luck with this. their alleged criminal acts pulling back the curtain on when a former education secretary calls a larger systemic problem.

>> there are significant advantages for wealthy students and well-connected students in the colleges admission process. >> reporter: there are plenty of legal ways for well off families to stack the deck. 25% are hiring private college. he says consultants are just the beginning. >> access to tutoring, access to mentoring, to internships, access to decision-making and guidance that students without wealth wouldn't have access to. >> consultant sarah hall verson used to be associate dean of admissions at the university of pennsylvania. >> this is not a fair process. it's only fair sometimes for the kids who play unfair or the families who play unfair. >> reporter: the average college acceptance rate in the u.s. is 65%. harvard, the most competitive had a 4.6% acceptance rate for the class of 2022. >> we have multiple schools that are getting over 50,000

applications per year. they have the same number of spots as they did even five, ten years ago, but they're getting more applications. >> reporter: and families who can afford to make a huge donation get a leg up. jared kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior adviser was reportedly accepted to harvard not long after his father pledged $2.5 million to the school. >> if a building is donated, that's a pretty sure bet that the child is probably going to be admitted. >> reporter: no secret the system also favors athletes. >> they want winning teams because it builds great school spirit on campus. it helps alumni feel more engaged and sometimes alumni are more willing to give a bigger donation. >> they recommend students find a hook, something they're uniquely good at but it's getting crazy. one former admissions officer told us he's heard of students sending baked goods, singing telegrams with their applications. >> oh, come on.

>> all that said, the experts we spoke with and we were talking about this on the break, savannah, they all say don't just think about a limited number of schools. don't just think ivy league. there are hundreds and hundreds of schools out there that can serve your student well. >> i think that's a great point. it seems to unfairly prop up these top ten, top 20 schools. i went to a junior college. don't underestimate the respect you can have for a learning institute in your neighborhood, your hometown. >> you haven't done so badly. >> absolutely not. >> here's the thing a lot of folks have come to realize over the past week, our admissions process, it's broken. it's flawed. >> it is. >> how do we fix it? >> good question. i asked that of the experts and there's kind of differing opinions. some said transparency. we talked to the president of hunter college on friday who said we're going to be more transparent about who we accept p why we accept them. that will help parents navigate. it's also a business. the more selective the colleges, the more prestigious, the higher the tuition they can charge. unless our whole system were to

change and become all public. >> you reported on this and you're in the middle of it. so what's your one take away for a parent watching with a junior in high school? >> the thing that i just said is what i'm trying to tell my son, which is there are a lot of options out there. >> that's a good point. >> you're not necessarily going to go to the top, top, top. >> by the way, you don't have to. >> that's my point too. and take mipride in some of the lower one. >> sometimes being a big fish in a smaller pond is the better way to go. there's a lot of ways to chase your dreams. >> i'm trying to just breathe ask not put a ton of pressure on my kid. >> so you're not going to do the singing telegram? [ laughter ] >> probably not. >> thank you kate, and good luck as well. >> thank you. >> thanks kate. coming up next, a road map for planning your financial future in realistic ways. suze orman's here with where to invest, when should you start, and the golden rule she wants you to know right this minute.

but first this is "to

and we're back with our special series living longer today, exploring ways to liver not only longer but better. >> this morning we're focusing on your finances and the new advice experts are giving to make your money really last. >> the good news americans are living longer, what that means, a new focus on making your money last. >> as you're planning for your future, don't underestimate how long you're going to live. >> in fact, about one out of every four 65-year-olds today will live past 90. >> the old advice used to be that as you're planning for retirement expect to live into your 80s. now the expectation is that you'll have a good chance of living into your 90s, maybe even celebrating your 100th birthday. >> with longevity can come the added stress to save more. >> planning for the future has become a lot more challenging and really the onus is now on the individual more than ever.

>> so how do we make sure we're financially prepared for all those extra years? it's easy. just call suze orman, a personal finance expert. she hosts suze orman's women and many podcasts. >> we're living longer. that's great, but the bad news is, we surveyed our today.com audience. they said 60% of them felt like they don't have the amount of money that they're saving right now that, that it won't last them through their retirement. >> if you really think about it, you guys, most people barely have the money to pay their bills today let alone save in their minds for the future. >> people feel like they can't save. >> they just feel that way, and they have to change that because they are going to spend more years in retirement than they ever did working if you think about it because most people think they're going to retire at 65, maybe they work 30 years, they're going to live to 100 possibly. >> oewning a house was always i

the plan, but for these millennials, they're open about the fact they think they'll never be able to afford a house, never mind some longevity or 401(k). >> that's not such a horrible thing. i don't think that the key to your retirement is owning a home. i think the key to your retirement is having enough money to pay whatever your expenses happen to be so the key is to get rid of as much expenses as you can, don't have debt. if you do have a home, make sure your mortgage is paid off by the time you retire. that would be my number one tip to tell everybody they have got to do if they do own a home. >> we're going to get into that. we have the three w's. the first is where. where is the best place to invest your money so if you do have 30ish years of retirement you're set? >> i've said for a long time, just forget the tax write offs of your pretax 401(k) or ira. forget those now, and if your corporation offers it, can you do a roth 401(k) or a roth ira which are after tax

contributions. why? you don't have to worry what the tax brackets are going to be 20, 30, and 40 years from now. i personally think they're going to skyrocket over the years, so therefore what you see is what you get in a roth ira or a roth 401(k). again, it's pretax versus after tax, but after that it's tax deferred versus tax free. it's for your beneficiaries in a pretax account they're going to pay total taxes on it. >> let's go back to debt for a second. for people who have student loans, they've got credit cards, they've got that mortgage. how do you prioritize the debt? what do you pay and when? >> student loan debt is the most dangerous debt you can have bar none because in 90% of the cases, 99%, it is not dischargeable in bankruptcy. so they have the legal authority to garnish your wages and to really then decrease your income so student loan -- >> take care of that first. >> first that. then if you have credit card debt that needs to go because debt is bondage. you got to get out of that. and then you start working, if

you're going to stay in your home for the rest of your life, get rid of your mortgage payment. >> i want to follow up on that. you don't want to have a mortgage, a live mortgage still going by the time you retire. why? >> because your mortgage payment is your highest monthly expense that you're going to have bar none. >> when you retire. >> it's far easier to pay off your mortgage than to saver the money to generate the income to pay off your mortgage. your goal in retirement is to be totally debt free 100% in retirement. if you don't have enough money, decrease your expenses, and then your money will go further. >> got you. >> what about when, when do you start? i know, when we're born we should start saving. >> you have the 200 bucks when you're 30. >> people always think they have time, time is the most important ingredient in your retirement recipe. let's just say you have 40 years. you're young. you have 40 years until you're going to be 70. you put $200 a month away into a

roth ira or roth 401(k). average market returns, do you know that you would have $1.1 million at 70, which i think should be the new retirement age, but you wait ten years. >> you're talking about having a surplus of 200 buck when is you're 30. should you take that 200 and apply it to one of these other things. >> you need to be saving especially in a 401(k), especially if they match your contribution. you put in a dollar, they give you $0.50. i don't care if you have any money. you can't pass up free money. if you started putting, just let's say $200 a month away, and you now only have 30 years left versus 40, you'd only have like $400,000. you just blew $700,000 because you waited ten years. it was only a $24,000 difference in those ten years. but the ten years, the sooner you begin, the better you'll be. >> just to carson's point. if i have 200 bucks to spare, i

can either pay off my credit card debt and start saving in a roth ira, what would my choice be? >> your choice there is to pay off your credit card debt. >> if you don't have much money you may be behind on your credit card payments, and your interest rates are 15, 18%. that's a guaranteed return. when you pay off your credit card debt, you're guaranteeing a fantastic return. >> what is the one small thing you would tell our viewers before we go? >> here's what's really important. many people have advice for all of you. sometimes that advice is good for the person giving the advice, and sometimes it's good for the person receiving it. my advice is this, please don't do anything that you don't understand. it is better to do nothing than to do something you do not understand because sometimes you can do something and it blows all your money, and so if it doesn't feel right to you, you have to trust yourself more than

you trust others. it's your money, and what happens to your money is going to directly affect the quality of your life, not my life. not anybody else's life, so if you really want to be powerful in life, you have to be powerful over your own money. >> that's good advice. in some cases financially doing nothing is better than making a choice to your detriment. >> never talk yourself into trusting anyone. you walk into a financial adviser's office and they feel like they know what you're doing. they must know, you don't know and you believe them. sometimes they give great aed vice and sometimes they give advice that's not so much. >> that stuff's true in anything, right? >> when you think about it, savannah, your money and your life are one. who you are and what you have is one. it's you're the one who earns it. you're the one who invests it. you're the one who saves it, and you're the one who's going to live. >> we'll just go to you. you're our trusted source. >> come on, everybody, come join me in my women and money

podcast. >> she's going to come back in the fourth hour and answer your questions when it comes to money and family. that's a

we are back, creeping up on 7:55. do not forget -- >> 7:55? >> or i mean 8:55. oh, my god. the day is going so fast. be sure to check out today.com/. >> all day. >> get an interactive guide to spring cleaning, the best way to clean every part of your home. >> cleaning. >> should you eat breakfast or fast when you're trying to lose weight. we're going to find out from a nutritionist who breaks down the latest research in studies. is breakfast the most important meal of the day? >> it's got to be. that's what we learned growing up. they can't take that away from us. >> oh, but they can. >> just ahead, third hour of today, katie couric is back in

1a. also food network star donatella arpaia is here, but first your local news and some weather. goo. i )m - -... authorities now confirm 3 deaths .. in a terror attack aboard a tram today in netherlands. very good morning to you. 8:0056. iej laura garcia. three deaths in a terror attack aboard a tram today in the netherlands. this is a story we covered as breaking news all morning lion on today in the bay. it happened in utrecht, about 20 miles south of amsterdam. the mayor issued a statement

saying nine more injured, three seriously. the gunman still at large. earlier today authorities released this surveillance image of the man they believe is the attacker. identified as 37-year-old immigrant born in turkey. happening now following developments in holland. we'll have an update in the midday newscast and posting updates on the twitter feed. three separate shootings in the weekend. one leaving a woman dad. in livermore a second injurying a woman in the passenger seat of her car. lyft this morning is getting ready to launch a road show. this does not really involve any cars, instead large scale investors for its initial public offering. our home page and learn more about it. another update in an hour. crackn

crime--including a recent rash of freeway shootings. the automated license plate readers contra costa county officials will take up tomorrow-- and where those cameras may be installed. plus: skyrocketing flight complaints! the way you can get the airline )s attention. tomorrow from 4:30 to 7.

> >> announcer: from nbc news this is "today" live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning, everyone. happy monday, i'm sheinelle here with craig and dylan. how are you guys today? >> good for a monday. >> we're all cozied up this morning. >> the start of a good week. we're going to channel that. al is down in alabama this morning for a very good reason. it's to lend a hand to the victims of the tornados that hit there a little earlier this month. good morning to you, al. >> hey, good morning, guys. yeah, it was march 3rd, sunday, 39 tornados cutting across alabama, georgia, south carolina, folks injured in those other states, but in alabama 23 people were killed and we decided to come down and lend