west 580. >> that's what's happening "today in the bay." we're back at 7:25 with a live local news update. >> don't forget to join us for "nbc bay area news" at 11:00. have a great morning and thanks for starting it right here with us. ( música). at a chemical plant intensifies overnight. we're live with the latest on both. the president and his rivals. president trump targets joe biden after the former vice president hints at a white house run. while megan mccain blasts the president for his tweets about her late father. >> he spends his weekend obsessing over great men because we all know he will never be a great man. sold out? a stunning report overnight

revealing how the national enquirer got those private text messages between billionaire jeff bezos and his girlfriend. the family member behind it and the staggering amount of money he was reportedly paid. those stories plus a bizarre courtroom message from the man accused of killing a notorious new york city mob boss. unexpected twist. why the teen caught on camera shoving her friend off a bridge suddenly changed her plea. and let the madness begin. with millions racing to finish their brackets, the ncaa tournament tips off. today, march 19th, 2019. >> announcer: from nbc news this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. hey, everybody. welcome to "today." thank you for joining us on this tuesday morning. we're going the start with those dualing disasters.

the fire and the floods. crews battling that chemical fire in texas. they're facing challenges. to the north, many remain affected by historic flooding. we'll begin with kathy park in omaha, nebraska. >> reporter: good morning to you. these floodwaters have turned dangerous and deadly. behind me is a swollen missouri river. it's still very high and fast. in fact, the statue over there completely still under water. here in the midwest, it is still a devastation area. vice president mike pence will be in the area to take a closer look at all this damage. this morning parts of the midwest still under water. devastated by historic flooding that has still not receded. >> there are still places that are fully submerged. no access. people are still stuck in their homes. >> reporter: entire communities in nebraska cut off by high running rivers.

blak bacon finally got out after days stuck in fremont. >> basically sitting ducks. i mean, it's an island. literally an island. >> reporter: in iowa, the sandbagging hasn't stopped. it's a desperate race against time to hold back melting ice jams. >> as it's progressively breaking up and moving down river, we're going to have areas like this that are going to become problematic. >> reporter: stranded animals are now getting to higher ground. livestock had to be ferried out after days trapped in cold water. >> these poor guys don't know what's going on. they know they're on dry land, though. they're happy about that. >> reporter: sunnier skies helped bring down the water allowing some evacuees to get back home. looks like the lake is in your house. >> the lake is in our house. >> reporter: russ returned to find his entire basement flooded. >> the sad thing is the family heirlooms and stuff like that. they're priceless. can't be replaced. >> reporter: america's heartland making history with record water levels. how bad was it?

>> saturday morning it was -- it was waist deep coming in here. >> reporter: hundreds of rivers near or above flood stage. >> unbelievable, the c catastrophic destruction that we witnessed. >> reporter: but communities are coming together as a massive cleanup begins. strangers choosing to donate their time and supplies. >> i decided to volunteer because i've been in a place where we needed help. so this is what nebraskians do. we pull up our britches and help each other. >> reporter: drying out could take days to reveal the lasting impact. and at least three deaths are being confirmed so far. moving forward, the concern now is for communities downstream the mississippi and missouri rivers. because all of this water could be headed down that way in the coming weeks. back to you. >> wow. all right, kathy park. thanks. and now we move to the massive inferno at a chemical facility near houston. we first told you about this

yesterday. it started two days ago, but look at this. it is still burning this morning. gabe gutierrez is at the scene. gabe, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this inferno is still raging, growing in intensity overnight. authorities insist the air quality is safe and they're bringing in new contractors this morning to help fight the flames. but they're now taking a defensive posture. planning to let this thing burn itself out. this morning smoke and fire still billowing into the sky. burning for close to 48 hours after multiple tanks caught fire at a petrochemical plant in houston. it intensified overnight because of low water pressure causing two more tanks to engulf bringing the total to eight. emergency crews scrambling to suppress the fire using water and foam to stop it from tread spreading. >> this is the worst i've seen in 12 years. >> reporter: and moved quickly to other tanks.

the fumes can cause nausea, breathe problems, and skin irritation. >> i've seen nothing like this for this long. ever. >> reporter: public health officials say the plume is high enough so it's not affecting us here on the ground right now. but they're monitoring the wind conditions very closely and are on standby in case this smoke descends. >> we continue monitoring the air quality in and around the areas at several locations. as of tohis time, they're still within normal range. >> reporter: businesses and schools have reopened. some residents here are still concerned about the smoke and the air. >> i hope they put it out soon. it's very concerning. >> reporter: schools have reopened today, but this smoke cloud can be seen not just in nearby houston, but as far away as austin several hours away. it might continue to burn for at least tomorrow. >> all right, gabe. thank you very much. now to the 2020 presidential race. president trump is lashing out

in a potential democratic challenger while another democrat beto o'rourke is boasting record fund raising in the first day of his campaign. we have complete coverage. we're going to start with kristen welker at the white house this morning. >> reporter: good morning. the battle to take on president trump is heating up once again today. beto o'rourke has fresh momentum after that major fund raising haul. and he's making a strong push to peel off key trump voters. for his part, president trump is increasingly taking aim at his potential 2020 opponents. >> four more years! >> reporter: president trump showered with chants of four more years at the white house overnight as he previewed his message taking aim at joe biden after this slip of the tongue by the former vice president. >> i'm the most progressive record of anybody running for the -- anybody who would run. >> reporter: the president tweeting monday, biden was unable to properly deliver a very simple line about his

decision to run for president. get used to it. another low iq individual. for his part, biden isn't holding his punches either. >> trump has turned his back on the people he promised to help. >> reporter: a key question for biden, can the political veteran convince the democratic base that he's the candidate of the future? >> i think we need fresh face. we need somebody young. >> reporter: it comes after former texas congressman beto o'rourke is aiming to build momentum. vowing to campaign in all ten new hampshire counties this week after raising $6.1 million in his first 24 hours of campaigning. and meeting overnight with david green, leader of the auto workers union who the president tweeted ought to get his act together and produce over the closing of a gm plant at lordstown, ohio. o'rourke looking to gain ground with key mid-western voters. >> what do you take of the president taking shots at somebody like dave over the plant closing? >> you know, the president with his actions has added insult to injury.

not only has he done nothing to prevent this job loss, he actually blames the workers and their leadership. >> reporter: meanwhile, as the democratic base pushes issues of racial and gender equality, new jersey senator cory booker asked tough questions about president trump by chris matt use. >> is he a racist? >> he's a guy -- >> is he a racist? >> racists think he's a racist. and his language hurts people. his language is causing pain, fear. the way he's talking is making people afraid. >> all right. so back to the former vice president for a second, kristen. he's been hinting about jumping into the race. is he going to make it official? >> reporter: here's what we know, hoda. biden has been telling friends that he's all but certain to launch a third presidential bid. they are eyeing an announcement in early to mid-april. he's been meeting with other top democrats like stacey abrams. remember she lost her bid for governor in georgia.

but she's considering her own presidential run. for his part, president trump will have a chance to weigh in an all of this when he holds a joint press conference with the president of brazil later today. >> all right. thanks. the president in the headlines for another story. craig's here with that one. >> good morning. megan mccain blasting trump over his criticism of the late senator. she's not the only one going after the president this morning. peter alexander has the latest on this one. >> reporter: good morning. even now seven months after senator john mccain's passing, the feud between the mccains and president trump is raging on. the latest from megan mccain rebutting the president's recent attacks on her father. meghan mccain delivering a stinging rebuke of president trump. >> that tells you everything you need to know about his pathetic life. >> reporter: the daughter of the late senator john mccain on "the view" not mincing words. >> he spends his weekend obsessing over great men because

he knows it and i know it and all of you know it, he will never be a great man. my father was his kryptonite in life. he's his kryptonite in death. >> reporter: mccain remembering how before her father's death from brain cancer nearly seven months ago, her family would spend time together cooking, hiking, and fishing. comparing that to the president's weekend activities. >> your life is spent on your weekends not with your family. not with your friends. but obsessing -- or ebsessing o great men you could never live up to. >> reporter: that rebuttal a response to the president's weekend tweets talking about ken starr who blamed a mccain ally for leaking parts of that steele dossier. >> this is unfortunately a very dark stain. >> reporter: the president tweeting mccain had far worse stains than this including repeal and replace on obamacare.

>> well, it's despicable. john mccain is a hero. >> reporter: among the president's most persistent and outspoken critics, george conway, the husband of kellyanne conway. the respected lawyer and conservative escalating his criticism of the president. his latest withering commentary warning, quote, all americans should be thinking seriously now about trump's mental condition and psychological state. even raising concerns about narcissistic personality disorder. adding, quote, his condition is getting worse. kellyanne conway's take on the tweets? >> i don't share those concerns and i was getting -- i have four kids and i was getting them out of the house before i got here so i could talk to the president about substance. i may not be up to speed on all of them. >> reporter: early this morning president trump weighed in on twitter calling george conway a total loser. conway quickly responding, congratulations, you just guaranteed that millions of more people are going to learn about narcissistic personality disorder and malignant narcissism.

great job. craig, hoda, and savannah? >> all right. peter, thank you. meantime, there is a strange new twist tied to the murder of a notorious new york city mob boss. morgan radford is following this story. morgan, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. when francesco cali was gunned down in his driveway, many believed it was a mob hit. a 24-year-old has been arrested for the murder. and law enforcement sources still aren't so sure the mafia had anything to do with it. 24-year-old anthony camello who authorities say shot and killed an alleged new york mod underboss appearing monday in a. camello smirking at times. scribbling on his hand maga forever and united we stand. >> are you waiving your right to extradition? >> yes, sir. >> reporter: camello agreeing to be extradited to new york city

where he'll be charged for the killing of cali. >> while we believe we have the shooter in custody for this incident, the investigation is far, at this point, from over. >> reporter: detectives believe camello shot cali ten times outside his staten island home. law enforcement sources say security camera footage showing camello pulling in wednesday night and moments later opening fire. initially cali's murder spread fears the gambino family which was once run by mobster john gotti was in the throes of a violent new power struggle. there hadn't been a crime boss killed in new york city since the mid-'80s. >> we thought those days were over. very surprising. but i guess old habits die hard. >> reporter: but according to sources, law enforcement officials are now looking into several theories. including the possibility

camello had a romantic interest in one of cali's nieces and the crime boss told him to stay away from her. sammy the bull was a former member of the gambino family who helped bring down dozens of mobsters including his own boss john gotti as a government informant. he says he doesn't think it was a mob hit. >> being done in front of his house, in front of his family like that. that's not something we actually do. >> morgan, i understand police are taking special precautions for him in jail. >> that's right. authorities are concerned that his life actually may be threatened while he's behind bars because of the reach of the gambino mob family. but they're also saying that he's been placed in protective custody. his lawyers saying this is something very wrong. we know something wrong happened and they're vowing to get to the bottom of it. >> thank you very much. the ceo of boeing is speaking out about two deadly

crashes involving the 737 max jets. dennis muilenburg said boeing joined the world with heavy hearts and grieving. he said the company understands lives depend on the work they do and they're focused on finding out why those planes crashed. >> as the facts from the accident become available and we understand the necessary next steps, we're taking action to fully reassure airlines and their passengers of the safety of the 737 max. >> muilenburg said a software upgrade has been in the works since october's lion air crash was coming soon. all right. 7:16. let's say good morning to al and round of applause for great work yesterday. >> thank you so much, guys. unfortunately we got another slow motion disaster going on here in the midwest. from omaha, waterloo, madison, all the way to st. louis. we've got flood warnings and advisories, snow melt. give you an idea how much water is flowing. wednesday it was 900 million gallons per hour through the missouri river. today it's 5 billion gallons.

that's a five-time increase in one week. to give you an idea how much that is, it's twice the amount that flows over the niagara river every hour. that's crazy amounts of water for this area. and unfortunately we've got more rain coming. it's not a lot it's a weak front. because the ground is already saturated, any little bit can cause an increase in that flooding. and this is going to be a long duration event. take a look. we've got 33 area rivers in major flooding. 136 in minor. as we go through the week, it doesn't change. in fact, the numbers in some places go up. moderate flooding up to 67 locations by friday. so this is going to be a long-term deal that we will be dealing with. that's what's going on. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. tting a hair out of .

heeeeey. hey! ah, control. (vo) go national. go like a pro. good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. taking a peek out the window, it's a beautiful start and a nice sunrise. although we are seeing more clouds moving in, we're still going to have warm temperatures with highs today reaching into the upper 60s and low 70s. this is our last dry day for several days, as we see some scattered showers moving in as early as late tonight, off and on throughout the day tomorrow and much cooler air going throughout the rest of the week, expect more showers that will taper off on saturday morning. >> thank you so much. coming up, the leaker revealed, the family member who reportedly sold those intimate text messages between amazon's jeff bezos and his girlfriend to the "national enquirer." the last minute twist in the

bridge pusher case, why the teen charged in the case suddenly changed her plea. but first this is "today" on nbc.

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i'm truly amazed at the effect that it has on people. thank you bob! ♪ i )m - -... contra costa county leaders good morning. 7:26 for you right now. i'm marcus washington. contra costa county leaders today debate the possible new layer of surveillance supporters say would boost crime fighting efforts. the sheriff's office is requesting new license plate readers in unincorporated discovery bay. they argue it would help better track criminals especially those cutting through that area to access interstate 5 from highway 4. supervisors today debate a $330,000 grant to cover the cost to install the cameras, up to 24 readers would be installed at key locations including highway 4, that corridor there. right now, meteorologist kari hall has a look at the weather for us today. >> it starts out with peek of sunshine for most of the bay

area but it will become mostly cloudy as we go into the afternoon. a new storm system approaches, and that is the way it looks on satellite imagery, even some rain well off the coast. as we go into tonight the rain starts to move in, off and on showers tomorrow and look at how much cooler it's going to be as we turn the calendar to spring, it will feel more like winter, off and on rain for the rest of the week, but it looks like it clears out by saturday morning, gives us the rest of the weekend with dry weather and inland areas reaching into the mid to upper 60s. san francisco cooling off as well over the next few days. let's head over to mike. we've had some major traffic alerts this morning. >> we have good news, one of those is just cleared, getting off of the bay bridge, smoothing out now westbound 80 to northbound 101, that connector cleared in san francisco from the earlier sand barrel debris. over here west 580 still has one lane closed. three are open west 580 jammed out of the altamont pass at north flynn. we have three tow trucks and sweepers en route to try to clear that.

that keeps the tri-valley a lighter flow. the south bay a crash just past highway 17 around the winchester exit. i'll have another local news update in 30 minutes.

curry gone off the glass! >> boom. >> we're back, 7:30, one of the most amazing shots ever hit by nba super star steph curry, a 61-foot buzzer beater. >> come on. >> end of the first quarter there against san antonio. they would go on to lose the game. we're going to sit down with steph curry in a couple of weeks. >> you are? >> yeah, april 1st. >> isn't this getting people primed for basketball? it gets everybody excited. >> we've got march madness. vice president mike pence will travel to nebraska today to survey damage from the historic flooding in the midwest.

recent heavy rains combined with all that melting snow and ice has pushed the rivers in nebraska and iowa to record highs. all that water swamping homes and businesses, three people confirmed dead from the flooding, two others have been reported missing. it is expected to take days for those communities to finally dry out. a fire at a chemical facility near houston is still raging this morning. officials say the flames intensified overnight because of a low water pressure issue causing the blaze to engulf two more tanks bringing the total number to eight tanks now. it's expected to burn for two more days. public health officials say the plume is high enough that it's not affecting folks on the ground there. local highways and schools are back open. well, as mentioned, we're talking about the ncaa basketball. do you have your bracket filled out yet? got to get busy. the tournament tips off tonight actually, there are two games in the first four rounds. in the first game -- tonight

it's temple versus belmont. if you haven't done your bracket yet, you're probably okay, most office pools, and let's be honest that's what's most important, do not require you to pick the games in the first four rounds. the round of 64 gets under way on thursday. we are learning how the "national enquirer" apparently got its hands on those intimate text messages between jeff bezos and his now girlfriend. stephanie gosk is at the table with the latest. >> the world's richest man has learned there's one thing money can't buy, privacy. jeff bezos is going head to head with the "national enquirer" over the tabloid's publishing of his text messages. someone close to bezos is responsible for the leak. this morning we're learning new details about how the national enqui "enquirer" obtained racy text

messages and selfies between jeff bezos and his girlfriend lauren sanchez. according to "the wall street journal" who cites people familiar with the matter, the billionaire's messages were actually sold to the tabloid by sanchez's brother michael for $200,000. nbc news has not been able to corroborate that. the journal reporting michael sanchez refused to dignify claims he signed a contract with ami, the parent company of the "enquirer" saying the report was based on old rumors. last month in an interview with "vanity fair" writer gabriel sherman, sanchez denied he was involved in the leaks. >> michael sanchez says his sister lauren frequently showed the pictures to people including himself, and perhaps one of her girlfriends leaked the picture. >> reporter: according to the bomb shell "enquirer" report, in addition to below the belt photos, bezos also sent flirtatious texts to sanchez indicating one where he writes i love you alive girl, i will show you with my body and my lips and

my eyes very soon. the source of the leak has consumed bezos igniting a battle between him and the tabloid. in a widely read essay on medium, bezos revealed he had his own security team trying to determine the source of the leaked messages. he also claimed the tabloid attempted to extort and blackmail hill by threatening to release more messages and private photos unless he stopped investigating how they were obtained. bezos writing in part, of course i don't want personal photos published but i also won't participate in their well-known practice of blackmail, political favors, political attacks, and corruption adding i prefer to stand up, roll this log over, and see what crawls out. an attorney for american media ceo david pecker telling abc news last month that the bezos story was based on good journalism. >> it absolutely is not extortion and not blackmail. >> the day before the

"enquirer"'s article bezos announced he was splitting from his wife of 25 years. since then bezos and sanchez have kept a relatively low profile, not appearing together in public. the world watching as this very public battle unfolds over a very private affair. nbc news has reached out to ami, amazon, jeff bezos, lauren sanchez and her brother for comment, but we have not heard back from any of them. >> thank you. now to an update on a ster story we've been following for months, a teenager seriously hurt when she was shoved off a tall bridge in washington state. gadi schwartz has been follow thg o ing this one. >> after months of prepping for trial, we've seen an about face from the defendant in this case, 19-year-old taylor smith after pushing her friend jordan off that bridge, she's now pleading guilty to reckless endangerment. >> ready? >> it's the violent push watched

over a million times online, 19-year-old taylor smith shoving her friend jordan holgerson off a 60 foot bridge. now taylor changing her plea on the day the trial was set to begin pleading guilty to reckless endangerment in exchange for a recommendation from prosecutors for house arrest, community service and a work crew detail. >> if she would have pled guilty in the beginning of all of this it kind of would have showed responsibility. maybe if she would have showed up to the hospital or something to show she cared. >> do i just go? >> just go. >> the shove caught on tape last august, jor dedan hit the water chest first, doctors likening it to landing on concrete. she was hospitalized with a punctured lung and broken ribs and says she still suffers from debilitating anxiety attacks. >> the first one i ever had i thought i was dying. >> the d.a.'s case was expected to focus on what happened before the push. >> jordan, i'm going to push you. >> no. >> jordan reacting in fear. >> i'm so scared right now.

>> 3, 2, go. >> others telling jordan she didn't have to jump. >> you don't have to do it if you don't want to. >> last year taylor appeared remorseful for her actions on abc news. >> i never intended to hurt her ever. >> but jordan says taylor never apologized to her, and she wants to see justice served. >> she won't be able to go out and do what she's been doing which is partying and not being responsible. she'll be able to sit there and think about how she can better people's lives and not hurt them. >> gadi could smith serve jail time? >> that's a really good question. the answer is yes she could. right now those recommendations are just from state prosecutors for house arrest and community service, but ultimately the decision will be up to a judge next week, and taylor actually says -- or jordan says she does want to see taylor serve some time in jail for the time she spent in the hospital. guys. >> gadi schwartz in l.a.

thank you. we turn now to al for the weather. >> are you okay? >> she's moved by your forecast. >> wow, sorry. >> she's moved by your forecast. >> i usually have that effect on my kids. we are looking at a lot of wet weather through florida unfortunately. got a stationary front that's just going to sit there. rain is just going to come along train tracks. tropical moisture is going to keep coming in. localized flooding is possible. by wednesday the front will push to the south and then finally get out of there, but not before we see anywhere from two to three inches, locally four inches of rain from central to southern florida, and along the eastern seaboard on thursday we've got a strong system that all of a sudden looks like it's going to start developing bringing heavy rain, gusty winds, airport delays from d.c. to new england and lake effect snow behind it, anywhere from an inch to three inches back through western new york, but along the coast anywhere from one to three inches of good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we're already starting to see

some clouds moving in. this is a live look outside in san jose over highway 101. it will be a mostly cloudy day but the rain holds off until later on tonight, by 7:00 to 8:00, we could start to see light to moderate rain spreading across the bay area and it will continue into the day tomorrow. we'll see it gradually moving out by thursday, and much cooler temperatures moving in. we're going to see the showers until about saturday morning. >> and newscast yothat's your l weather. >> thank you so much. coming up, a revealing look at addiction in america through the eyes of a young man who beat the odds to become one of the country's hottest chefs. he'll share his message of hope. we will meet the 8-year-old homeless refugee living here in new york taking the chess world by storm. then, what luke perry's riverdale co-star is saying about the show's future without its star. we're going in depth on that college bribery scandal, how the college bribery scandal, how the admitted ring leader m ♪

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. this morning on in-depth today, the fake charity at the center of that college cheating c scandal we've been talking about. >> it allowed the admitted mastermind to funnel large sums of money. how did he get away with it for so long? nbc's joe fryer joins us with that part of the story. >> the charity william singer

set up to facilitate his scheme should have raised lots of red flags, perhaps the biggest, millions of dollars were coming in, but none of it went out to help programs for underprivileged kids like it was supposed to. >> what is my game plan as far as schools i'm going to apply to? >> for many of william singer's clients that game plan came with a hefty price tag, wealthy parents intent on getting their kids into the best schools at any cost allegedly paid him big bucks, money that according to authorities was given to corrupt coaches, crooked test proctors and others. all of it from singer's key worldwide foundation, a charity that was supposed to benefit underprivileged kids. parents structured payments as purported donations to kwf. >> utilizing this charitable business facade, singer was able to conceal the true source and nature of the bribe payments. >> according to the complaint, singer told some parents including tv personality jane buckingham that not only could they buy higher test scores for

their kids, but those payments would be tax deductible. buckingham answered, oh, even better, but the foundation's tax filings show minimal documentation. this one from 2014 declares singer's compensation was zero and says he worked zero hours per week. it also listed gordon ernst a former georgetown tennis coach as an independent contractor. he's accused of accepti ing bribesment before pleading guilty to racketeering and other charges, singer had been actively promoting himself and his services. tmz has this tip of him pitching a reality show about college admissions. >> we have families in miami and they send a plane to pick me up. >> many wondering how he was able to get away with it for so long. >> we gave her hope, she believed. >> reporter: experts say the irs

doesn't have the resources to scrutinize how most charities spend their money, according to the agency's data, in 2017, a tax exempt organization stood a less than 1% chance of being selected for an audit. the scandal causing outrage online with celebrities like jim carrey weighing in. he tweeted this caricature of actress lori loughlin. it reads all cheaters will eventually receive a failing grade. felicity huffman's desperate housewives co-star is also speaking out without ever mentioning huffman by name. >> i mean, we don't know the facts, but we can be extremely disturbed by the entitlement, the power and money that can take away from less privileged, and that to me is disgraceful. >> late last night usc announced

it's placing holds on all of the students' accounts associated with the alleged admissions scheme following other universities taking steps after the massive scandal was revealed. attorneys with experience on these sorts of cases say singer and others could face additional penalties related to tax fraud or tax evasion. back to you guys. >> joe fryer, thank you. >> hard to believe so few charities are being scrutinized by the the irs. california's stunning super bloom of wild flowers, take a look at that and what people look at that and what people nearby say is i hear it in the background and she's watching too, saying [indistinct conversation] [friend] i've never seen that before. ♪ ♪ i have... ♪

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(dr. kloecker) i started katy on keytruda and chemotherapy and she's getting results we rarely saw five years ago. (avo) in a clinical trial, significantly more patients lived longer and saw their tumors shrink than on chemotherapy alone. (dr. kloecker) it's changed my approach to treating patients. (avo) keytruda may be used with certain chemotherapies as your first treatment if you have advanced nonsquamous, non-small cell lung cancer and you do not have an abnormal "egfr" or "alk" gene. keytruda helps your immune system fight cancer, but can also cause your immune system to attack healthy parts of your body. this can happen during or after treatment and may be severe and lead to death. see your doctor right away if you have new or worse cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, diarrhea, severe stomach pain or tenderness, nausea or vomiting, rapid heartbeat, increased hunger or thirst, constipation, dizziness or fainting, changes in urine or eyesight, muscle pain or weakness, joint pain, confusion or memory problems, fever, rash, itching, or flushing. these are not all the possible side effects. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including immune system problems, if you've had

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good tuesday morning. right now at 7:56, we are starting out with a few more clouds. here is a live look outside in dubl dublin, as the sun peeks through. it will be a mostly cloudy day, and rain moving in later on tonight. i'd say by about 7:00 to 8:00 we could start to see some showers moving in, and it will continue as we go into tonight, with waves of rain lingering into tomorrow, and then gradually tapering off on thursday. we will have much cooler temperatures as we welcome in spring. we go from 70 degrees to 59 degrees tomorrow, and it gets a little bit warmer into the weekend. our rain tapers off on saturday morning. after that, it looks like we'll have a break for the weekend, and another round of some scattered showers moving in early next week. san francisco get ready for those temperatures to go from the low 60s to the mid-50s by tomorrow.

let's get an update on the traffic alerts from mike. >> just one remains out in the altamont pass. give me a second to locate your drive here. westbound 580, we have just one lane closed now, still very tied up out of the altamont. tracy, 205, westbound at north flynn road, things clear up because you're past the scene of that big rig. still have to clear that from the roadway. the south bay looks good. northbound routes build through san jose. north 17 jams up but the southbound side of the distraction is because of a crash at the curve and 101 you see the volume and the build. back to you. >> thanks, mike. happening now, firefighters are talking more about a deadly rv explosion and fire early this morning that killed two men. two other men suffered serious burns. it happened at the dixon may fairgrounds in the north of vacaville. firefighters found two vur vifrs o survivors outside of the burning rv. the pent gottagon is out wi cuts to military projects to

build the wall. the only bay area hit involves the shuttered concord naval weapons station. for our web page, find the full list. ♪ no hormones!

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. it's 8:00 on "today," coming parts of the midwest still under water this morning after heavy rains caused historic and deadly flooding. >> i can't believe how much water came in. it's insane. >> while in the south a massive fire at a chemical plant near houston enters its third day. >> i've seen nothing like this for this long. >> we are live from nebraska and texas with the latest. plus, recipe for recovery, how a young chef addicted to drugs and alcohol turned his life around and became a rising star. >> the straw that broke the camel's back was when i broke in here and i took $4,000 in cash

out of the safe. went home, got high. >> he'll be here to share his inspiring story. and once a pawn a time, meet the homeless 8-year-old chess champion whose family is getting a fairy tale ending. >> i'm so proud of him. >> he's joining us live to talk about his next move, today tuesday, march 19th, 2019. ♪ i'm a sucker for you, yeah >> from austin, texas. >> celebrating my sweetheart's birthday. >> shoutout to my brothers and sisters in greenfield, indiana! >> it's chrissy's birthday today! ♪ >> hi to my friends and family. >> in wichita falls, texas. >> maria's sweet 16. >> in nyc. >> hello, we are betty and bill of new jersey, new year and celebrating our 74 years of marriage. >> wow. >> love it.

>> that's an awesome milestone. welcome back today on this beautiful tuesday morning, a little cold outside, but our crowd is packed again you guys. >> that's one for the my today plaza hall of fame. that last one. we love seeing those messages. get out your phone, send us more using the #mytodayplaza. put it on instagram, post it to twitter, we'll get it and post it on tv. >> we're going to start this half hour with your news at 8:00. twin disasters are testing the endurance of families living in those danger zones. we have live coverage of the historic flooding in the midwest and that massive chemical fire in texas. we're going to start with nbc's kathy park on that flood devastation. >> reporter: these flood waters have turned dangerous and deadly, at least three deaths confirmed so far. behind me is the missouri river. it is still running fast and high. this entire park is still under water, but fortunately the water is slowly starting to recede, and some residents are able to return home for the first time

and are seeing some extensive damage, a lot of flooded out basements and property damage, and some people actually lost everything. later on "today," vice president mike pence will be in the area to take a closer look at the devastation. fortunately we've had some sunnier days so the area has been able to dry out, but rain is back in the forecast today. the concern now is downstream the mississippi and missouri rivers. hoda, back to you. >> all right, kathy park. thanks. and now to that inferno at a chemic chemic chemical storage site in houston. gabe gutierrez has the latest from the scene. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this inferno has continued to flare-up this morning as the sun is rising. it has grown in intensity overnight, and firefighters say they were dealing with low water pressure, and they're bringing in new contractors this morning to help fight the flames. right now the plan appears to be to let it burn itself out. this all started sunday morning.

it's been burning now for about 48 hours. local authorities insist that the air quality is safe, but some local residents still have some concerns. schools have reopened today but they say this fire could continue to burn until at least tomorrow. savannah, back to you. >> all right, gabe, thank you. top democrats in congress want the fbi to investigate the founder of a florida spa chain who was photographed at a super bowl party with president trump. a letter released monday asks investigators to look into cindy yang and her possible ties to the president. it raises concerns that one of her businesses reportedly offered access to president trump for clients from china. yang first made headlines after new england patriot's owner robert kraft was accused of paying for sex at a spa she once owned. a lawyer who says she is representing yang says her client denies the allegations. former president george w. bush is urging lawmakers in washington to dial down the

rhetoric and update the nation's immigration laws. mr. bush and his wife welcomed about 50 new citizens at a naturalization ceremony in dallas. he said that despite all the sharp debate, we should never forget that immigration is quote, a blessing and a strength. >> whatever the opinion of one retired politician might be, i believe we will see our way clear to immigration policies that are just, fair, and in the interests of the whole nation. >> mr. bush also encouraged the group to take part in what he called our boisterous democracy by voting. police in las vegas have released dramatic surveillance video of a deadly shooting on friday. it happened outside the bellagio hotel and casino. take a look hear, the suspect tries to carjack a black bmw after robbing a cashier in the poker room. he points a gun at the driver, but officers arrive and order him to get on the ground. the suspect then fires on the officers, struck one who was saved by his bullet proof vest. others returned fire fatally wounding the gunman.

police believe this is the same suspect who robbed the bellagio back in 2017. he also had two bank robbery convictions. we've got the news covered. you guys want a little boost? >> yes, we do. >> we want a big boost. >> it's kind of the evidence of the power of the morning boost, it's not every day that one of our boosts makes it to the bright lights of hollywood. let's set the stage. we first met 16-year-old cecily hennigan on the boost last summer. now the young singer has taken the next big step in her career. here's how it all started. >> a south carolina teen cannot believe all the attention she's getting after singing her way through a mcdonald's drive through. cecily hennigan says it's something she wanted to do since she was a kid, and she memorized a drive-through song she heard online ♪ i want a number six super sized with a sprite and large fries, mustard ketchup only please ♪ >> i wish carson daly were here

every day but especially today. >> the voice chairs would all be turning. >> i agree guess what, okay, that was on the voice last night. cecily appeared on "the voice" during the blind auditions. wowed the audience with her cover of jewel's foolish games. take a listen. ♪ guess i'm mistaking you for somebody else, somebody who gave a damn, somebody more like myself ♪ ♪ and these foolish games are tearing me ♪ >> cecily now a member of team blake. i have a feeling we're going to be hearing more about her in the weeks ahead. >> we're team cecily. >> are we ever, that's incredible. and "the voice" even played your boost. >> they played that whole boost. >> is that how they found her? or did she happen to apply to the voice. >> i don't know how she came to them, but we do know she caught

their eye. >> in the telling of the story. the poppy mania, the wild flower explosion that has folks racing to california. first, though, an eye opening look at addiction. >> i was failing everyone around me. i had lost the respect of anybody close to me. >> the young chef who hit rock bottom and turned his life around and is now a rising food star. he's going to share his story to help others. that's right after this. ♪ make you're jaw drop drop say oh my drop drop drop ♪ ♪ make u say oh my god my drop drop ♪ ♪ make you're jaw drop make u say oh my god ♪

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so i can rent fast without getting a hair out of place. heeeeey. hey! ah, control. (vo) go national. go like a pro. we are back now at 8:11 launching a new series called battling addiction today to shine the light on a situation that's happening all over the country. >> the number of people impacted by alcohol and drug addiction is really staggering. according to the national survey on drug use and health, about 20 million americans over the age of 12 are living with addiction, and if you want to put that in perspective, that is more than the population of the entire state of new york. >> few diseases cause more deaths. each day more than 100 people die from drug overdoses. that's an increase of 300% over the last two decades. >> we will highlight the dangers of addiction and the warning signs, but we'll also talk about

the success stories. >> and we start with chef ashish alfred. today he is a rising star in the washington, d.c. area food scene. fiver years ago the guy was literally waking up in a gutter, battling the demons of addiction. he hopes that by sharing his story he can show other addicts out there there is life beyond the disease. >> is it fair to say this is one of those spots that you'll always remember? >> me and my dentist will always remember this spot. i got really high in my apartment, and i thought i was running, and i fell, and i hit my face really hard, and i spit out a bunch of my teeth. >> a bunch of your teeth? >> yeah, about five. >> reporter: if you met chef ashish alfred today, what you would see is the intensity, passion, p focand focus requirea rising culinary star, owner of not one but three celebrated restaurants, a man beloved by he

has family and friends. but just five years ago he almost threw it all away including his own life. >> the straw that broke the camel's back was when i broke in here and i took $4,000 in cash out of the safe, went home and got high. >> reporter: he was an addict, first alcohol, then cocaine, then heroin. his rock bottom stealing from his own restaurant. >> you wanted to commit suicide? >> oh, yes. >> why? >> because why stick around. i was failing everyone around me. i had lost the respect of anybody close to me. the one person who i did really care about, my mother, you know, she at one point couldn't stand the sight of me. >> reporter: his mother gina and father immigrated before he was four. >> i never really fit anywhere.

we were the only indian people that i knew. >> were you bullied? >> yeah. >> just because you're indian? >> for a lot of reasons. i was small. i kind of came off as insecure because i felt insecure at home. >> reporter: at 13, ashish discovered alcohol as a way to fit in. >> when does the drinking become drugs? >> the drinking became drugs probably around 15 or 16. i'd fallen in with a grown up of guys, the more violent i could act when i was around them, the more accepted i would be into that group. cocaine came quick. cocaine came around 17. >> how'd it make you feel? >> i felt on top of the world. it gave me a sense of confidence i didn't find before then. >> did your parents suspect anything? >> no. >> reporter: barely graduating high school ashish convinced his parents to send him to new york city to the french culinary institute. >> i got settled into my apartment, and then that night i went out and got hammered. my mother bought me a cross, and

i sold it for cocaine. >> reporter: despite his addictions, ashish excelled in culinary school. he moved back to bethesda, maryland, and opened his first restaurant. >> 25ish-year-old chef, two years out of culinary school has no business opening a restaurant, but it was, you know, kind of my addict's egothat weg ego that was telling me you got this, hold my beer. >> reporter: two years later his 67-year-old mother showed up at his door. >> i said you will go to a rehab or you will not see me again. i'm not your mother. you're not my son. >> reporter: the next day ashish checked into a 28-day in patient rehab program, sober for the first time in a decade, he returned to his bethesda neighborhood to rebuild his restaurants and reputation.

>> i was not going to be sober and then spend the rest of my life walking on egg shells, so for me my sobriety had to mean i could go anywhere i wanted to go and do whatever i wanted to do. i just wouldn't drink or use. that's how i live my life today. >> here's the money, chef, butter, butter. >> he's been clean and sober five years now, even recently cooking at new york's famed james beard house. he's hoping his story can help other addicts get to the other side. >> what did you discover about yourself? >> i discovered that it's okay to not always feel okay. i have bad days. i mean, my worst day sober is still better than my best day messed up. >> get in there camera guy. there you go. >> wow. powerful story. >> we're happy to have chef ashish alfred here in studio 1a. >> happy to be here. >> my father got out of rehappen

six months ago, you've been out about five years. talk to me about the good days and the bad days. how do you get through those days? >> i meant what i said. my worst day sober is still better than my pebest day messe up. keeping it simple is what works for me. i tell people you don't have to be sober for the rest of your life. you just have to be sober for the rest of today. all i have to do is wake up, try to be a good person and go to bed and do it the next day. >> they always talk about people who make a step like you did, they have to make the decision on their own. your mom came to your door and said it's this or that. did you make your own decision after she went that far? describe that moment in there. >> as i told craig when we met, i was ready to kill myself. i guess i didn't have the courage to do it outright, but i was slowly killing myself. while i might not have taken the initial step, i was ready. >> you were ready. >> i was ready. and i think that's what kind of made it a little easier on me.

when i was done, i was just done. i had no desire to go back to that. >> could you even have imagined all that you have attained since then, in your darkest moment when you thought you were giving up on life. if i said oh, no, no, no my child, you will be here in five years. you will be cooking at the james beard restaurant. >> i would want some of what you were smoking. >> but you did it. >> you have three huge restaurants in the baltimore, d.c. area, accomplished. they're incredible. did you ever worry then or do you still worry that the pressure that it takes to keep up those three restaurants especially in, you know, the restaurant business some may argue not exactly a healthy environment would possibly jeopardize your sobriety, and how do you deal with that? >> i think if i wasn't doing that, i'd be somebody that ran three marathons a week or i'd be one of those lawyers that worked 100 hours a week. it keeps me sane. the busyness keeps me going. yes, it is a lot of pressure, but i knew that getting into it.

>> are you a better chef today than you were five years ago? >> i like to think so. >> duck duck goose just named by southern living magazine as one of the best restaurants in the south. >> awesome, congrats again. >> i can attest that your food is as remarkable. >> aren't you all going to cook or something? >> it's online. the two of us we did some cooking. >> what'd you cook? >> fillet. >> and where is it now? >> steak o'puff. craig did most of the work. i just stood there. craig did most of the work. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> i'm so proud of you. >> chef, great story. thanks for telling it. >> thank you for having me. >> today.com/food for the cooking. let's take a look. out west they had a record warm day in seattle. 76 degrees, daily record warmest winter day on record. not only that, it's the earliest in the calendar year they've gotten this warm. and so far they've got the third warmest march on record. the other end of it, we've got a lot of heavy rain, snow melt, ice jams causing flooding

throughout the midwest and the southern plains. to give you an idea of how much water they've got, 900 million gallons usually per hour flowing past omaha at the missouri river. they're now at 5 billion gallons per hour. that's twice the number of, the amount of rain, the amount of water that falls over the niagara falls at that point. and we're going to continue to see these good morning, i am meteorologist kari hall, a lot of clouds over the bay area, we'll start to see some rain. by 9:00, we'll see scattered showers moving through and it continues to go into the day tomorrow. some more rain in the forecast and much cooler temperatures. we go from 70 degrees to cloudy to rain tonight. only reaching 59 degrees tomorrow. expect the rain to continue at times until about saturday morning.

>> and if you're heading out, catch us on sirius xm channel 108 today at 1:00, off the rails. now to the so-called poppy apocalyp apocalypse. it's drawing huge crowds in california. carson's in the orange room with this one. thanks to an unusually wet winter, the city of lake elsinore is experiencing a super bloom. the hillsides of walker canyon is filled with stunning poppies. it's turned into somewhat of a beautiful disaster. officials say that disneyland sized crowds have flocked to their city of 66,000. it's causing traffic to back up for miles putting people and the poppies in harm's way to capture that perfect social media picture. the city took to facebook to discourage visitors writing people are creating chaos out there, and we have already had an injury. this is a public safety crisis, so we ask you for your support. the concern grew so big that over the weekend they shut down

the area saying the situation has escalated beyond our available resources. we know it's been miserable and has caused unnecessary hardships for our entire community. on monday the cit did reopen the canyon, not because -- whoa, hold on. there we are. they reopened the city because the resources, they just don't have it. they didn't have the resources to even keep it shut down. so they're trying to figure out alternate ways. people are doing whatever they can to get into that super bloom to get those pictures. the #superbloom an anand #poppyapoc and #poppyapocalypse. one person writing had to check out what all the fuss was about, and there you go, guys. the city says they're evaluating the situation and they're exploring all sorts of solutions, especially before even larger crowds could arrive this weekend. so i guess if you want to see it, look online but maybe avoid going to the lake elsinore area

of california. >> poppy start. first up, we're going to start with miley cyrus. the singer and former coach on "the voice" did attend janice freeman's memorial service yesterday. she was on team miley during season 13 of the show. unfortunately she passed due to complications of lupus and a bronchial infection. at her memorial service miley honored the singer with a few words and a special tribute with the help of her dad billy ray syrus. >> before we sing this song for janice. i just want to clear up a rumor. i was never her coach, ever. she was always mine. i had planned on singing a song for her, but just losing her it's just too much for me, so just my dad's going to take care of this for me. i'll always be your sister, i'm here for you, and i'm here for your family. and janice i'll miss you more than i could ever say.

♪ amazing grace how sweet the sound ♪ ♪ that saved a wretch like me >> a beautiful performance. she had a tough time in the impin beginning. miley was able to compose herself. you can tell janice made an impact on everyone she met. very nice moment from miley. up next in a preview of car pool karaoke, here's a look. >> i think you should -- >> rich you like said this the whole time. i said it's not going to work. >> we gay it a try. >> w-- we gave it a try. >> i look like a big

multicolored chicken. >> along with his co-star richard madden, ed jer ton eventually does bust out benny and the jets. the full episode comes out this friday over on apple tree on the ap -- apple tv app. the movie for once upon a time in hollywood, brad pitt, leonardo dicaprio take center stage. the story line will include the infamous charles manson murders, an all star cast is being arranged for the film. you've got margot robbie, once upon a time in hollywood is going to hit theaters this summer july 26th. that is all we have time for today. >> all right, you guys, we're excited about this next one, aren't we? >> yes, we are. >> this 8-year-old chess whiz, he's on a quest to be the youngest grand master in the world. he's overcome a lot, and he is in studio 1a.

plus, we're excited about this too. there they are, lifesavers. the team is here, they're going to help us with our spring cleaning. they have a brand new book out today. they will organize you top togo. i )m ... contra costa county leaders today debate a possible new layer of surveillance supporters say would boost crime-fighting efforts. the sheriff )s office is requesting new license plate readers in unicorporated discovery bay. they argue it would help better track criminals .. especially those cutting through the area to access interstate-5 from highway-4. supervisors today debate a 330-thousand dollar grant .. to cover the costs to install the cameras. up to 24 readers would be installed at key locations .. including the highway-4 corridor.

i )ll have another local news update for you in half an hour.

to simone, i leave the van gogh. to harrison, the wine collection. to craig, this rock. the redwoods to the redheads. the rainbows to the proud. i leave these things to my heirs, all 39 million of you, on one condition. that you do everything in your power to preserve and protect them. with love, california.

it is 8:30 now. it's tuesday morning. it's march 19th, 2019. we've got a great crowd out on our plaza. i love spring break. if it's not your spring break this week it will be soon. we just love having folks here. >> yes, we do. >> i have a new friend i want to meet here, where's debra?

oh, hello. >> hi. >> introduce yourself, would you? >> hi my name is debra linz. >> did you go to college with anyone who is currently a member of the cast of the "today" show? >> hmm. >> does it rhyme with hoda kotb? >> you're a hokie? >> i'm a hokie, hokie, hokie. >> and a delta delta. >> there's that picture. >> could you please prove it. she actually brought this awesome sorority picture. get over here hodie. do you remember debra? were you guys right next to each other in the yearbook? >> kl, debra linz, hoda kotb. >> you guys look awesome. >> just before between us, can you tell us any stories about hodie? was she a good roomy? >> she was a pledge class president. she was really good at

encouraging the tri deltas and she was awesome. i do remember one time, we had a roach problem in our building, and i remember walking in, and hodie was scrubbing the floors, the kitchen floors because we all had to get rid of the roaches. >> oh. [ laughter ] >> i remember it was weird and gross but i didn't remember that. >> at least you pitched in and helped. >> good to see you debbie. >> oh, my god, throwback. that was wild. >> i thought i'd be hearing about underaged drinking and all kinds of stuff. coming up, you guys, we have this really cute little boy in our studio. he's got an incredible skill. tani is an 8-year-old chess prodigy. he just won a major championship. that's just the start of his incredible story. we're going to spend time with him in a bit. the new feature on instagram that could revolutionize the way you shop. >> and we're going to help you get a jump start on spring cleaning with creative storage

tips for your kitchen and bathroom. coming up on the third hour of "today," a guy who will change the way you look at your dinner plate. he's a self-complained dumpster diver who uses food that others throw away to cook. >> all righty. okay. >> are we going to eat it? >> probably. coming up on the fourth hour, guess who is filling in for kathie lee. we got mr. andy cohen in the house. >> ooh! >> isn't that cool? >> i hope he brings the baby. >> oh, wait, savannah did you do this? it says my senior trip i want to meet savannah. >> hi. >> what's your name? >> lydia. >> nice to meet you. >> where do you go to school? >> greenfield, in indiana. >> remember my fie kus tree that was dying? >> yeah, it's dead now. if you follow me on instagram, that's what happened. it's dead, but the digital tv

was not ready to give up on me. they decided to give me a different tree that hopefully will grow. that's my pal, he's a horticultu horticulturist, his name is chris. for those of you who don't have a green thumb, apparently this is the way. >> it's fake. >> it's not fake, it's real. >> what's the over under on this tree living. >> it's still alive one week later. it's interesting because people really get into the whole plant thing and he has a lot of tips. if you want to follow this new tree and learn about plants. >> i like it. get on it. >> mr. roker, you got a check of the weather? >> go with a cactus. >> i know, right? let's show you what we have going on starting with today. we are looking at sunshine up and down the east coast, some lake effect snow. look for high surf warnings along the southern california coast. record highs in the pacific northwest. turning milder through the plains as that warm air makes its way from the pacific

northwest. wet weather degetting itself together. finally drying good morning, i am meteorologist kari hall. we are starting to see more clouds moving in already, it will be a fairly warm day. we are going to see the rain moving in as early as later on tonight, waves of rain continuing throughout tonight and most of the day and off and on tomorrow. we'll have cooler temperatures as we go into the middle of the workweek. highs reaching into the upper 50s and low 60s the rest of the week. the rain will taper off on saturday. >> and that is your latest weather. you can always take this with you after the "today" show is over. tune in to "today" show radio on sirius xm channel 108. want to get everybody in. there you go, back to you guys. >> all right, the roker run.

al, thank you. straight ahead this guy, this inspiring 8-year-old chess master in the making. he's overcome a lot to be a champion. you're going to show me some of your go-to moves? you're not going to share your secrets? we're going to work on them. we're going to work on them. ot that's n ♪ [ camera shutter clicks ]

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we are back now, 8:38 with a chess champion making all kinds of headlines. >> at just 8-year-old old, tani adewumi is on his way towards mastering the game of chess. that alone is an impressive feat. >> he's a chess champion capturing hearts, tani adewumi beat out 73 other children to win the new york state championship for kindergarten through third grade. not only did he win, he went undefeated, an unlikely outcome since he learned the game just a

year ago, but getting here wasn't easy. the third grader, his older brother and parents have been living in a new york city homeless shelter since fleeing nigeria two years ago fearing attacks by the terror group boko haram. the family says they are seeking religious asylum. tani enrolled in the local elementary school where chess coaches russell and shawn martinez taught him how to play. the young refugee's story has gone viral. mccough ski set up a go fund me for the family. within three days thousands of families had donated over $100,000. they head into an apartment today. >> i'm so proud of him. >> reporter: the family overwhelmed, thankful, and now ready for their next move. we're so happy to have tani with us along with his coaches. who we just call coach russell and coach shawn. thank you so much, tani, this must be so overwhelming. how did you feel when you won that championship?

>> i felt surprised. >> did you? >> yeah. >> yeah. you couldn't believe you were that good that fast? yeah? >> when did you learn how to play chess? is it something you had played before? >> no. like a little bit over a year ago. >> why did you start? how did you get into it? >> i got into it when my brother, he started teaching me chess, but he didn't teach me the right rules. [ laughter ] >> until coach shawn came and then he taught me the right rules. >> what do your coaches mean to you? >> they mean a lot, like they're really supportive. >> when you meet a young boy like this and he's never -- he's never taken chess for real, how did you go about teaching him, and did he just pick it up like that?

>> every kid deserves the opportunity to learn chess, and tani was no different. he wanted to play and we wanted to have him, and his acceleration and his progress and his interest and enthusiasm really took him from first learning how to move the pieces. he was competitive very quickly. it was actually something he did. we didn't give him any extra opportunity. it's all him. >> coach shawn, when did you know this is potentially a prodigy, this is someone who really has a gift? >> i started seeing him performing at tournaments really well and consistently, ask that's part of being a really good competitor is being consistent, and he just showed a lot of natural talent, especially at the state championships when in his fourth round game he ended up sacrificing a bishop which in my opinion is like a master level idea. >> for a pawn? >> for a pawn, yeah. and he really impressed me. i actually had to plug it into the computer because i wanted to make sure he was completely accurate, and he went from -- so

if you go plus white's better. if you go negative black's better and he went plus 80 after that move. so i was completely mind blown. >> for those of us who don't -- we don't speak chess, does that mean like -- >> it was a good move. >> that was a good move. >> >> it was a great move. >> can you show us a move? can you show us like one of your -- how would you start a match? what would be your first move? >> don't give away all your secrets? >> if i'm white or black? >> you'll be white since you're on that side. >> okay. >> is it always the same first move? >> no. >> did you see how he answered it? >> what are you talking about. >> done. >> bye bye. >> check mate. >> i was trying -- that was my strategy. >> carson wants to know does this help you with fortnite? >> that's what i want to know. >> are you good at other games like checkers or monopoly. >> check mate. >> check mate?

>> queen. it's a queen. >> queen, excuse me. on your second move? >> yeah, yeah. >> impressive. >> guys, there's another part of this story, which of course you know, tani and his family just moved here from nigeria fleeing religious persecution. they're christians, they were fleeing the terror group boko haram. this whole time while he's excelling at chess living in a homeless shelter. when you found out their back story, what did you think? doesn't this make him even more extraordinary? >> when he won the state championship and went back to the early communication between me and his mother, and the reference of her being in a homeless shelter, many students and the fact that it might have slipped my mind at that point, and when i followed up with her that she confirmed she was still there, it broke my heart. not on our watch. not in this community, not in this city, it's not happening. >> well, they happen to be in our studio, your mom, your dad, your brother is there. you must be so proud of your

son? >> is this genetic? are you guys great at chess, too? >> tani said. my brother is also good. >> your brother is also good. >> there's good news because a go fund me page was set up, and i believe a generous donor has come forward and said there's an apartment that the family can use? >> yeah. >> i'd like to say to everybody thank you, people are kind. people are good, and that showed this couple in the forefront, love is deep. love is real. tani's moving into a home after we leave here, he's getting his bags. tani is no longer homeless. has a home, thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you, honey, we love you. we're happy you're here. >> thank you. >> keep crushing it. >> you got a big trophy right? >> yeah. >> how big is it? >> it's half of my size. >> how far can he go in chess? what is the next -- what does the future hold? >> right now he's rated at about

1,500, which is above average for his age pretty much. if he gains say another 500 points he could be the next expert, the next youngest expert. the way he's moving right now and the acceleration he's going, i think he could shoot for the stars. >> this sounds like a story we should watch. thank you to both of you coaches for what you're doing on the board and off the board, of course. >> pretty cool. thanks, guys. >> congratulations. >> congrats. creative new approaches to spring cleaning, but first this is "today" on nbc. >>

sarah's last tuition payment, sent off. feeling good? oh yeah. now i'm ready to focus on my project. ♪ ♪ this is why we plan. ♪ ♪ you never cease to amaze me, maya. see how investing with a j.p. morgan advisor can help you. visit your local chase branch. 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.

we're kicking off a special series this morning, spring clean today. the new season arrives tomorrow. all week we're going to help spruce up your home and your life. we have called in the best of the best to get it started. the home edit, they have organized the homes of hollywood stars clatransforming khloe

kardashians and they are here with organizing hacks from their new book. it's called "the home edit." good morning. >> thank you for having us. >> you know we are super fans here of you. >> like wise. >> we think you make magic happen. you've already cleaned up hoda's act and you're going to come visit my house soon. that's to come. lets start with the entryway. it's always a mess. >> right. >> i never think about cleaning it up. >> it doesn't have to be a mess. first we like to start with a bench. it's kind of like a silent invitation for people to take their shoes off and above it is a great place to place hooks. >> this is like a perfect spot. >> it sort of decorates things. >> and everyone in the household can have their own. >> okay. great. and you also get this cubby which really speaks to me. >> and it really helps. if you have a flat top surface, this is a place that's a drop zone for mail, keys, and whatnot. below it is a great option for storage. >> if you put little inserts in

it. >> it's organized in there. >> this is a little grab and go so you can easily go with your sunglasses, sunscreen, right when you're walking out the door. >> okay. perfect. another option is to have an activities bin. where's my baseball mitt. here it is. >> if everyone throws everything in the entryway. >> shoes go on the bottom. >> let's go to bathroom. i can't wait to see what you do with the bathroom. >> we love a bathroom, it's the way you start your day. if you have a medicine cabinet you know it's like prime real estate. there are a few ways to organize it. >> it just makes me happy. we like to do it by daytime and nighttime routines. you can also do it by category. >> hair, makeup. >> where do you get these cute labels? or do you write those? >> you get the containers at the container store. something for everyone. >> let's peek inside your makeup. >> if you're short on any sort of counter space, you can just use these cute, stackable acrylic doors. we do it by category, lip, eye, makeup, that kind of thing.

>> i read some of your book, and categories are huge. >> we love a category. >> we put the prettiest ones on top because that's what you're going to see. this is our favorite, the daily drawer. >> what is the daily drawer? >> it's your bathroom's greatest hits. >> the things you're using all the time. >> we have a special trick for the daily drawer. everyone asks us how do i keep these from rattling around in the drawer? it's made to hold down like antiquities, you stick a little piece at the bottom. >> where do you get that? >> at the container store. you just stick a little piece at the bottom and nothing moves around. >> it's magic. >> wow. >> it's great. i know you all love a lazy susan. >> we love a lazy susan. you can use it for back stocked hair products, anything you need. >> you can use it throughout the whole house, in my opinianyplac need to have access to things. >> cleaning products, anything. >> if you opened my refrigerator

right now, things would come flying at you. >> i want you see how a beautiful fridge can look. >> wow. >> so most people think an organized fridge -- >> everyone's wowing. the wowings are everywhere. >> most people think an organized fridge isn't possible. >> i do. >> you'll notice at first our labels. we love fridge labels so much we included them in our book. there's a whole set of fridge labels. >> stickers? >> in the back. >> the stickers are really helpful. it keeps everything organized, and it designates a spot. everything has a home. that's really critical. >> and everyone is held accountable. there's no excuses. >> if you start top to bottom, beverages on top, obviously a spot for leftovers. you have to have that. joann and i don't cook. stackable food storage helps keep your meal prep items, cut fruit organized. and you know what? like you see what you have and you end up eating healthier. >> it's incredible. it just makes me happy. i follow you on instagram just to see how normal people live. i love it, thank you so much,

girls, we appreciate it. >> thank you so much. >> we're going to have a lot more with the home edit girls in the coming weeks including the transformation of hoda's closet. >> it was so fun. it was like our best ever. >> you're going to do my play area next. >> you can find the book at today.com/shop. >> hoda, i heard they used a chain saw for your closet. that will be interesting to see. coming up, guys, what you need to know about the new feature that instagram is launching this morning that could change the way you shop. we'll tell you what we know about it. first this is "today" on nbc.

we're back with something new from instagram this morning. check out, a feature that allows you to shop while you scroll. here's nbc's morgan radford. >> reporter: it's a retail revolution. today instagram launching its latest feature, check out hoping to change what and how we buy. >> you're just going to be able to tap and check out instantly.

the path from being inspired to actually oewning the item will e easier than ever. >> the social media giant partnering with brands like adid adidas, zara and color pump. by registering a debit or credit card to your profile. >> younger consumers have been trained by these companies to expect incredible convenience and immediate kbrgratification. if instagram which has been famous for being a feel good social media experience becomes a place that's really only about selling you stuff, people may not stick around. >> reporter: right now there are roughly 80 million millennials in the united states, and each year they spend about $600 billion. by next year, some experts estimate they'll represent 30% of total retail sales. that's a whopping $1.4 trillion annually. >> this has the potential to be big money, right? for instagram and for other people and businesses who follow your lead. >> i think that this is huge

potential for businesses especially, for the brands on instagram. >> which is why brands like warby parker and sephora are merging technology and fashion to show how their products will look on a prospective buyer and companies like boxed and brand liks list are sending foods straight to your door. >> you can get in front of people you know are interested in your product. that is absolutely the future of how we're going to sell things. >> for "today" morgan radford nbc news, new york. third hour, straight ahead.. i )m - -... later today a north bay school district may move one step closer to changing its controversial name. i am laura garcia. later today a north bay school district may move one step closer to change its controversial name. leaders in dixie agreed the name is offensive and ideally change by next fall. the question is to what?

right now two possible alternate names. voters may have the final say. if that happens, it would not take place until next year. happening now, special hearing set for 5:00 p.m., our pete suratos will join us in our live report on our midday newscast. firefighters are talking more of a deadly rv explosion that killed two men. two other men suffered serious burns. it happens at the dixon north fairground. more on my home page. tich the pentagon is out of its list of possible projects to cover cost for a border wall. it amounts to $12 billion. from our web page you can link to the full list. another local weather update in an hour. nbc bay area, we investigate. th

meteorologist kari hall prepares you to head out the door. and our team will track any trouble on the roads. plus-- a south bay woman complains about her dishwasher drama. the rain is set to return. our team will track any trouble on the road. >> our consumer investigators clean up the mess. join us tomorrow morning from 4:30 to 7:00 a.m.

fr >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and a good tuesday morning, welcome, everyone. craig melvin here alongside mr. roker back from alabama. >> welcome back. >> good work down there, by the way. >> thank you, thank you. >> sheinelle jones, dylan dreyer. >> you're back too. >> yesterday i shot down to south carolina really quickly. >> special sm. >> yeah, yeah, a lot of folks racing to finish those brackets in time. >> done? >> done, done. >> march madness, by the way, those games tip off later today before the real flurry starts on thursday. >> it's always fun. >>