>> the same area with the gails play. >> hopefully some cheering. >> a lot of cheering today. tune in for our midday forecast. >> we have more news coming up for you at 7:25. it's going to be a great day out there. no rain. good bring it on. president trump pushes for the public release of the mueller report. >> let it come out. >> this morning, anticipation building in the nation's capital. could the results of the independent counsel's investigation be handed over to the attorney general in the next few days? we're live at the white house. breaking news overnight. new zealand announces a ban on all assault rifles. >> the time for the easy availability of these weapons must end. today, they will. >> the swift action taken by the prime minister less than a week

after the country's worst terror attack. the fbi joins the investigation into how boeing 737 max fleet was certified to fly. just ahead, the new scrutiny facing the world's lgest plane maker and the faa. the new information surfacing about the deadly crashes. those stories plus out of the public eye, what robert kraft is doing to stop the video of his spa encounter from being released. look out above. the bizarre story behind this massive fireball in the skies over l.a. feeling lucky? with no winner overnight, the powerball jackpot skyrockets. 625 million new reasons to get your ticket today, thursday, march 21, 2019. >> from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb.

live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> thank you for joining us. you checked your numbers and you didn't get them. >> it rolls over. closer to a billion. >> that's this weekend. we begin with our top story. president trump is backing the release of the mueller report as the white house and the world anxiously awaits its findings. our team has it covered. we will start with peter alexander. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. from this end of pennsylvania avenue to the other, this town is awaiting special counsel robert mueller to deliver his final report to the attorney general. it could happen very soon. there is, of course, a ton at stake. with the investigation overshadowing the trump presidency since its early days. this morning, president trump's waiting game. >> no collusion. no collusion. i have no idea when it's going to be released. >> reporter: with anticipation growing that special counsel robert mueller could wrap up his report any day now, the president now says he wants it made public.

>> i think it's ridiculous. i want to see the report. let it come out. let people see it. >> reporter: the mueller investigation was authorized nearly two years ago by the president's justice department with bipartisan support. its legitimacy upheld by multiple judges. its mission to investigate russian influence in the 2016 election. possible collusion between the trump campaign and russian officials. mueller's team has already indicted or received guilty pleas from at least 34 people, including the president's former personal lawyer, michael cohen, his former national security adviser mike flynn and his former campaign chairman paul manafort. the allegations wide ranging from making false statements to campaign finance violations. so far, there have been no charges alleging coordination between the campaign and russia. the president's accusing mueller of personal bias without offering any evidence. >> i know that he is conflicted. i know that his best friend is

comey, who is a bad cop. >> reporter: despite president trump's attacks, a majority of americans say they have confidence in the fairness of the investigation. according to a new associated press poll. once the attorney general receives the special counsel's confidential report, it will be up to him, william barr, to decide how much to make public. he said he wants to release as much of the report as he can by law. house democrats have signalled they may subpoena the report and possibly mueller, too, should barr decide to keep the report private. another focus of the investigation, did president trump obstruct justice? no matter what mueller finds, the white house is facing looming investigations from capitol hill to the southern district of new york. president trump insists he is under attack, trying to turn the inquiries into a political advantage heading into his re-election campaign. >> peter alexander at the white house. thanks.

joining us now, ari melber. >> we know this report will come out eventually. the question is, what form? is it multi-page, a one sheeter? >> four options. we only hear about one, the mueller report. the first option, is that there would be further indictments. then he would speak through those the way he has before. the second is no report at all and no indictments. they don't have to release anything. i think the third option is a short report. that's the most likely thing. not giant boxes and boxes people remember from the clinton investigation but something spare. the fourth option would be a longer report. the star report was hundreds of pages. that's possible. it's unlikely. >> the question is, now the president is saying, congress can see it such as it is, whatever it is. there's talk of having mueller come and testify. once he says i'm done with my work, which people expect to happen any day now, any moment

now, how does any of the material, the underlying investigation, become public if at all? >> it's a great question. one i think the country will get interested in. the rules don't require that anything go public. the rules only require that he tells congress through the justice department that he is done and if they disagreed on any big calls. if mueller wanted to charge someone and he was overridden by doj, congress would know. it might leak. anything else, that's for the doj to decide. >> people are wondering, you get confused about what the scope of this thing was in the first place. what is mueller actually looking for? >> they are investigating three things that we know about. was there a conspiracy in the election between russians and americans trying to help donald trump? was there obstruction or other crimes arising out of that investigation? and then number three, what else did paul manafort do to break the law? because when mueller found that, he carefully went back to doj

and said, i found other crimes. should i handle them or someone else? you go ahead. it's now three things that we though about. >> there have been other things that mueller has come across and his team have come across that they have farmed out to other is doesn't fit within our scope. maybe it belongs in the southern district of new york or elsewhere. >> exactly. those can continue. this is fascinating. it feels like we're going through law school every morning. most of the country is just divided up into where the crime happened. bob mueller is the only person who has an extra authority on a topic, not a location. his jurisdiction eventually ends. he will farm everything else that's remaining to those locations. >> you said something interesting. you think the indictment phase of this is over. you don't expect further indictments. >> as i like to say around here, i have no idea. >> okay. i was going to hold you to it. >> we have not seen in the clues the grand jury that's required for indictments has not been active. my only point would be, if there are no more indictments, we're

talking about reports and information, not a higher escalation of what he found. >> we will need you. thank you very much. >> thank you both. the president is facing new criticism from both sides of the aisle after unleashing fresh attacks against the late senator john mccain. chrkristen welker has that stor. >> reporter: good morning to you. there's a growing chorus of republicans criticizing president trump for escalating his attacks against john mccain. the mccain institute releasing this list of mccain's accomplishments. at the top, his service in vietnam. for his part, president trump remains unfazed, despite the fact he is having a one-sided argument. president trump digging in on his renewed attacks against the late senator john mccain. >> i endorsed him at his request. and i gave him the kind of funeral that he wanted. which as president, i had to approve. i don't care about this. i didn't get thank you.

that's okay. >> reporter: nearly seven months after mccain's death from an aggressive form of brain cancer, the president unleashing a nearly five-minute rant against the arizona senator in ohio wednesday, zeroing in on mccain's decision to give the fbi that unverified dossier which allegedly links mr. trump to russia. >> john mccain got it. what did he do? didn't call me. he turned it over to the fbi hoping to put me in jeopardy. that's not the nicest thing to do. >> reporter: again lashing out at his no vote to repeal and replace obamacare and accusing the former vietnam prisoner of war of failing to care for the veterans. >> mccain didn't get the job done for our great vets and the v.a., and they knew it. >> reporter: the mccain institution firing back, arguing he fought to improve health care

for america's veterans and voted against the obamacare bill because it failed to offer a replacement. his daughter making it clear while her father can't respond, she won't let us. >> he would think it was hilarious that our president was so jealous of him that he was dominating the news cycle in death as well. >> reporter: now a growing number of those within the president's own party are saying, enough. >> it's deplorable what he said. it will be deplorable seven months from now if he says it again. i will continue to speak out. >> reporter: democrats were scathing in their criticism. >> to have a president, to see the way he talks about a war hero, who is dead now, to me that is almost repugnant or unacceptable. >> reporter: it is worth noting that a number of republican lawmakers up for re-election have stayed silent. overnight, the senate's top

democrat chuck schumer tweeting out that he plans to reintroduce legislation that would rename a major senate office building after the late senator john mccain. a man he called an american hero. >> thank you. craig joins the table. >> good morning. the federal aviation administration is placing a high priority on the software upgrade that boeing is expected to release soon for every max plane that's grounded worldwide. this is families of some of the victims in the lion air crash. they are suing the aircraft manufacturer. tom costello has been following this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. 387 boeing max planes remain grounded worldwide, 74 in the united states. when boeing pushes through that upgrade that you discussed, that's not going to get this plane in the air. we have multiple investigations now into how the faa approved this plane for flight and now

congress is launching hearings. this morning, the relationship between the faa and boeing is under intense scrutiny. the fbi, a federal grand jury, congress and the dot inspector general are now all investigating. because it's understaffed and underfunded congress allows the faa to delegate inspection authority to boeing. southwest says it, too, has concerns. >> our pilots are aware of the investigations that are ongoing. we feel that with all the visibility with the governmental investigations as well as the investigations on capitol hill, that will lead to wherever it needs to lead. we fully support those investigations. >> reporter: investigators believe a single sensor on the lion airplane that crashed in indonesia fed bad data to the computer system suggesting the plane could stall. the computer forced the nose down as pilots fought to pull it

back up. investigators in ethiopia say that plane crash shows similar characteristics. even after two fatal crashes in five months, u.s. airlines continued to fly the plane until last week. the airlines insist they were looking at hard data, not profit issues. american says during 46,000 flight hours, it never experienced similar problems. united says the data showed the plane was safe and united pilots agreed. the ceo of southwest says, the only real factor that we were thinking about was safety. >> i think right now, both the faa, boeing and possibly even the united states as a world leader in aviation have all taken a hit, credibility and reputation-wise. >> reporter: boeing under scrutiny for last week's crash in ethiopia that killed 157. last october's crash in indonesia that killed 189 people on board. an attorney represents 12 of the

families suing boeing in a u.s. courtroom. >> my clients are pleading with not only boeing but the united states government and the international aeronautics community not to put this airplane out until we know it's 100% safe. >> there was a news conference this morning about that lion air crash. what did we find out? >> reporter: it's in indonesia. authorities are saying they actually went to the faa and boeing, they went into a simulator to recreate that doomed flight to figure out what was going on. they also acknowledge, yes, as we reported yesterday, the pilots were so confused about what was happening, they were pulling out a flight manual to look for answers. the day before that exact same plane involved in a very similar incident, but the pilots were able to figure out what the problem was and deactivate that computer system. they also say this investigation is going to take many more months. >> tom costello for us at ragean

national. . new zealand's prime minister taking swift action following terror attacks on two mosques there. she announced a ban on almost all semiautomatic and assault rifles. kier simmons has more on that. good morning. >> reporter: folks are stunned this morning by how quickly new zealand is moving to change its gun laws. the overnight announcement getting attention from both sides of the gun debate in the u.s. some demanding america learn lessons. others insisting the two countries are not the same. 36 minutes of terror that changed new zealand's history, now the country's prime minister promising laws will change sf. >> the time of availability must end. today, they will. >> reporter: 50 lives lost. the gunman heavily armed with semiautomatic weapons, killing indiskrip natal indiscriminate

indiscriminately. new zealand planning to ban the guns he we will ban all assault rifles. we will ban all high capacity magazines. >> reporter: the new law will take affect in just three weeks. includes a buy-back scheme, that could cost the country $138 million. there's widespread and bipartisan support. >> it will stop it from happening again. >> you cannot control people. you gotta control the law. >> reporter: mass shootings have sparked intense debate in the u.s. for years. nothing like new zealand's swift action. saying on twitter, sandy hook happened six years ago and we can't get the senate to hold a vote on universal background checks. an nra spokeswoman tweeting, the u.s. isn't new zealand. while they do not have an ina r

to bear arms, we do. more funerals were held amid prayers and grieving and tough action. here is more of that dramatic new zealand plan. amnesty for folks to hand in all military-style semiautomatic weapons and a ban on parts to convert guns into semiautomatic and all high capacity magazines. the most impactful part is how quickly this law will come into force, by april 11, three weeks from now. >> thank you. if you are waking up and you hope you won that massive pow powerball drawing, we have bad news for you. that's because nobody hit the big prize. the good news, that jackpot for saturday's drawing has grown to $625 million. that's the fourth highest powerball jackpot ever. if you are going to pick up a ticket, get them early. we hear lines at the convenience stores on saturday could be a doozy. >> we want to get in on it.

it reduces your chances. first full day of spring. >> good morning. we have spring showers trying to figure in across the northeast. we have winter storm watching in effect across upstate new york and parts of vermont and new hampshire. flood watches in effect as the rain moves in from the south. heaviest rain this morning across virginia and north carolina. this is all going to strengthen into a coastal storm that is going to produce significant winds on the back side. the rain fills in through virginia, through maryland, through delaware, washington, d.c., new york and new jersey, into pennsylvania through the day today. boston, you probably won't see heavier rain until closer to midnight. the snow will arrive through upstate new york and into central and northern new england later on tonight, into early tomorrow morning as well. look at the winds on the back side of this. this pulls away, we could see gusts as high as 35 to 45 miles per hour. the reason why we have the flood

watches, we're looking at two to maybe three inches of rain, if it falls really quickly in a short period of time, that could lead to brief flooding. coastal flooding because of the giant moon out there. that will affect high tides. the winds will increase, especially on the back side of the storm. once the rain and snow ends, that's when we could see the gusts up to 35 to 45 miles per hour. that could cause airplane delays saturday. as for snow, most will fall in the higher elevations. we could see up to a foot, maybe two feet, especially across the highest elevations over 6,000 feet. that's a look at the weather across the kurcountry. we will get to your local forecast in the next 30 seconds. ♪ get ready ♪ oh oh oh oh oh ♪ hey

good thursday morning, i'm meet yolgsz carry hall. you can see the low clouds over san francisco right now. we will have dry weather for the rest of the day as the sun will be filtered by thin clouds. overall, looking good with inland valleys reaching 63 degrees. rain will be back tomorrow with a high of 59. off and on showers throughout the day. should be moving out by saturday morning and sunday is looking dry. more rain early next week. >> that's your latest that's your latest forecast. >> thank you. the latest on the prostitution sting involving robert kraft. his move to black tock the vide from becoming public. the spa's former owner is speaking out. how the university of southern cal is responding to the admission scandal.

still ahead, ellen puts david letterman in the hot seat. and craig goes back to school, literally, to soak up the march mad -guys, i want you to meet someone. this is jamie. you're going to be seeing a lot more of him now. -i'm not calling him "dad." -oh, n-no. -look, [sighs] i get it. some new guy comes in helping your mom bundle and save with progressive, but hey, we're all in this together. right, champ? -i'm getting more nuggets. -how about some carrots? you don't want to ruin your dinner. -you're not my dad! -that's fair. overstepped. -that's fair. wolfs, the wild ancestors of your dog. they share many traits like a love for meat. so grain free blue wilderness is made with more of the meat they desire. try blue wilderness, because he's wild inside. forget injections and look up to 5 years younger in 12 weeks

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♪ and you never felt this type of emotion ♪ ♪ 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 ♪ i )m - -... u-c berkeley is responding to good morning to you, it's 7:26. i'm marcus washington. u.s. berkeley is responding to accusations made by a former student in a post on her facebook page, she alleged harassment by members of the football team, including the coaching staff. in a statement, the school says the matter has been referred to the campus office for prevention and harassment and discrimination, which will investigate. the school says the allegations remain confidential, unless disciplinary action is taken. right now, let's get a look at that forecast for you. >> a beautiful sunrise. the temperatures are cool. here is a live look outside in

san jose, highway 101. a nice commute for drivers. throughout the day, we go from the mid-40s to upper 50s at noon, eventually, low 60s today. the seven day forecast shows by tomorrow, rain will be back. off and on waves of rain, moving out by saturday morning. the rest of the weekend is dry. we could be tracking more storms early next week. cool in san francisco with upper 50s over the next few days and cool during the early morning hours. let's head over to mike for an update on the commute. >> looking good. the south bay sees more traffic over the last half hour. 17 is slow over the summit. a crash south at 17. here, a crash at fish ranch road westbound 24, the disabled vehicle, the camper blocks one of the middle lanes. that's a problem slowing folks down out of lafayette making the maze a bit lighter, though. the bay bridge toll plaza shows

the lighter. headlights coming toward us, the sun is causing folks to slow down a bit because of visibility. back to you. >> thanks, mike. more local news coming up.

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♪ dancing in the moonlight good song. good shot. 7:30, thursday morning. how pretty is that? super moon, the third one and the final one of the year. it's the first time a full moon has landed though this close to the first day of spring. how beautiful is that? >> little king harvest singing to us. great song. >> spring moon. we are going to begin this half hour with a check of today's headlines. anticipation is building in washington this morning as the nation awaits the release of robert mueller's report. when that time comes, president trump says he wants it made public. the mueller investigation was authorized nearly two years ago by the justice department. its mission?

to investigate russian influence in the 2016 election and possible collusion between president trump, that campaign, and russian officials. mueller's team has already indicted or received guilty pleas from at least 34 people, including the president's former personal lawyer michael cohen and his former national security adviser michael flynn. residents in deer park, texas, have been told to shelter in place again today over concerns about air quality following a four-day chemical fire. it reignited wednesday, sending a massive ball of flames and a plume of black smoke into the air. within minutes, the fire was out, but now officials are concerned after detecting the chemical compound benzene in the air. area schools cancelled classes for the day. officials continue to monitor that situation. it was the talk of the town in los angeles. a mysterious bright light streaking across the evening sky. there it is there. social media lit up with pictures and videos of what appeared to be a meteor. this one lasted longer than your

typical celestial event. turns out, the whole thing was a stunt by the red bull air force. the team jumped from a helicopter 4,000 feet from the city and dove down at 120 miles per hour in custom wing suits. the los angeles police department eased fears saying, psa, a meteor did not crash into downtown los angeles and, no, it is not an alien investigation, just a film shoot. this is tinseltown, after all. now the sting at a florida spa. patriots owner robert kraft and others are fighting to keep a key piece of evidence out of the public eye. this as the woman who used to own the spa speaks out. kerry sanders joins us with more on this story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. billionaire nfl patriots owner robert kraft has until next week to decide whether he is going to accept or reject a plea deal. meantime, his lawyers have gone to court, arguing that the

videos from the police, the undercover videos that were taken allegedly of the encounter should remain secret. this morning, new england patriots owner robert kraft and other men arrested in a prostitution investigation are asking a florida court to block the release of hidden camera videos and other evidence in the case. attorneys for kraft and more than a dozen defendants filing a motion, seeking a protective order wednesday in an effort to prevent any public access to the evidence gathered during the investigation. authorities rigged surveillance cameras inside the orchids day spa in florida, charging dozens of men last month. in the filing, saying, certain videos depict defendants engaged in sexual acts and should not be made public. kraft faces two counts of misdemeanor solicitation of prostitution. he pled not guilty and has

denied any illegal activity. palm beach county prosecutors are offering kraft and other defendants a deal to avoid prostitutipro prosecuti prosecution. kraft's attorney won't comment on whether or not the 77-year-old billionaire would accept a plea deal. sources close to the state attorney's office say they haven't heard from kraft's lawyers but add, it is common for prosecutors to listen to counteroffers on plea deals. meanwhile, the former owner of the orr which i hchids of asia speaking out. li "cindy" yang has not been charged in the prostitution investigation and has denied illegal activity. she's making headlines after this selfie with president trump at a super bowl party recently surfaced. yang sat down with nbc's cynthia mcfadden. >> you're a devoted donald trump supporter. >> yes. >> reporter: she says the last few weeks have been a nightmare, with questions raised about

whether she was selling access to the president. yang created a company that appeared to offer chinese businessmen access to the president's mar-a-lago resort, and maybe even the president himself. yang says none of it is true and denies she even knows the president. the white house has said the president does not know yang. >> i'm part of a american. i love american. i love our president. so i don't do anything wrong. >> kraft is trying to block the release of the hidden camera videos, but i guess the question is, what does florida law say? what do you think a judge will do in this case? >> reporter: well, florida has some of the nation's strongest public record laws, so typically, evidence like this would eventually become public. kraft's lawyers are arguing that the police illegally placed those surveillance cameras inside the day spa to begin with. this is sort of a fruit of the poisonous tree, and that those

videos themselves, if the cameras were illegally there, should be erased and never released. ultimately, as you noted, it'll be up to a judge. >> kerry sanders in west palm beach, florida, thank you. now for the weather. dylan is in for al roker this morning. hey. >> good morning again. we have rain on both coasts. more rain starting to move into the san francisco area. this will move on shore as we go through the day, also in the southwest. we have areas of heavier rain near phoenix. this will move eastward. as it moves into the middle of the country tomorrow, it is going to weaken a lot. even though we are still dealing with the flooding through nebraska and iowa, that will continue to remain an issue, the additional rain should not exacerbate the problem too much. it is still just that snow melt and everything flowing into the rivers. heavy rain falling through environment. it'll make its way to the northeast as we go throughout the day. moving to the boston area by the time we get to midnight tonight. lake-effect snow will be a big issue on the backsi side of thi st

good morning, i'm meteorologist, kari hall. all clear across the bay area. that's a live look outside at the golden gate bridge. we are going to see a rain-free day and temperature reaching 60 degrees. 63 is the high in oakland. livermore reaching 62. off and on showers starting in the morning for the north bay. the rest of the area in the afternoon. the high reaches the upper 50s. 62 degrees on saturday as the rain moves out. all clear on sunday. >> that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thank you. coming up, new concerns over the nation's opioid crisis. we're going to meet some of the incredible people working on the front lines right now in the fight against fentanyl. also ahead, important information for families on an alarming new risk tied to common adhd medications for teens. then on pop start, the burning questions that ellen had for late night legend david

letterman. next, who is william singer? insight into the mastermind behind the college admissions scandal. scandal. from teachers and students who ♪ pardon the interruption but this is big! now with t-mobile get the samsung galaxy s10e included with unlimited data for just $40 bucks a month (alarm ringing) wake up to great tasting flavor. (alarm stops) belvita breakfast biscuits. flavors like delicious blueberry or decadent chocolate, gently baked in a tasty biscuit. (alarm ringing) belvita breakfast biscuits. it's time to taste the day. belvita breakfast biscuits. a lot will happen in your life. wrinkles just won't.

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admitted he set up and profited from the scam is facing new scrutiny. joe fryer has been on this story. good morning. >> good morning. some who know william singer describe him as a charming, charismatic guy. others tell a different story about the man who prosecutors say is the mastermind behind a widespread scheme of cheating and fraud. >> reporter: years before rick singer became the face of operation varsity blues, he was a consultant, helping local kids prep for the s.a.t.s. she was stunned to learn singer was accused of the multimillion dollar scandal. >> like who knew? because he just never struck me as the type of person that would ever cross a line or break a rule, let alone a law. >> reporter: prosecutors say singer paid off corrupt coaches and crooked test proctors to help wealthy parents get their kids into elite schools, all while running his college prep business. tmz obtained this clip of singer

pitching a reality show about the madness of college admissions. >> this is a game. just realize that this is a game. the things that i see on a daily basis are amazing, what was going on in people's homes across the country. >> reporter: california high schoolteacher karl gruba say singer's program was popular in his community, but it raised a lot of eyebrows, with one parent rejecting singer because he wanted $50,000. >> i think he'd take anyone's money if he could get them in the what he calls a side door. it is morally bankrupt. >> reporter: singer pleaded guilty to racketeering and other federal charges and is cooperating with authorities, even wearing a wire to dispose others. like isaacson and her husband, whose daughter was featured on singer's blog and got into ucla as a soccer player, though prosecutors say she'd never played competitively. they've declined to comment. at least nine colleges are impacted by the scandal, though

none have been charged. one is the university of southern california, plagued by scandals. on wednesday, usc welcomed a new president who promises to tackle the school's challenges. >> this is going to be all our universities. i think, especially when you get down to admissions, trust is so important. everybody wants to believe that we are doing the right thing, for bringing people to our universities. >> we know rick singer pled guilty. what is the likelihood others do the same? >> legal experts say prosecutors might be offering deals to some of those charged right now, and the window for accepting those deals might be a small one. many of those named in the indictment are expected back in court next week. back to you. >> joe fryer in la, thanks. coming up next, our guide to march madness. we are going to reveal our bracket picks because we are experts. >> yes. >> well, maybe one at the table might be. >> no. you are. >> coming up [ "werk it" by mama haze ] ♪ watch me werk it now ♪ woo ♪ baby do you like the way i werk it now? ♪

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we are back. carson joins the table, our favorite time of day. ncaa tournament kicks into high gear today. it is time, the time when we reveal our picks. >> exciting. >> all right. that's right. w let us see. who do you have winning it all? >> oh. >> every year, i emotionally pick the university of arizona. that's my alma mater. >> you won last year with arizona. >> they're not in the tournament, which we're going to repress. i picked wofford, in solidarity with craig. >> you made a lot of people in the palmetto state happy. >> i got hokey hokey hokey high. my alma mater, they're going all the way, baby. >> i have them against each other in the final. >> roker went with duke. he has duke beating wofford in the final. >> you convinced a lot of people. >> apparently not everyone. >> no, no, no. i'm sick of like doing this whole bracket thing with my heart, you know.

i'm going with -- i want to win it, so i'm going duke. >> ms. dylan? >> i have wofford out in the first round. sorry, craig. i had to go with seton hall. i have lsu going all the way. >> why? >> i don't know. it seemed to be what was left when my brain stopped. >> lsu was an awesome pick. that was my second pick. >> because new orleans. >> yeah. >> it seems like the less you know about basketball, the more likely you are to do well in the bracket. >> here's what's funny. last year, we were looking at our stats. savannah won the bracket based on points. >> whatever that means. >> she out performed everybody at the table. >> what does that mean? >> your strategy was? >> emotion. pure emotion. i like this. that's pretty flowers there. that kind of thing. >> i hope that serves us well this year. if you won last year and picked the terriers. >> yes, but my team didn't win. >> you pick your horses that way, too. look at that pretty horse. >> i like the name or whatever, exactly. >> jockey seemed nice. >> i do. the south, i like the south.

i always pick west. what about you? >> i do the same. i have my teams, like from life, my heart, louisiana teams, virginia tech. >> try to pick upsets early on? >> i picked a couple. in fact, belmont won. wasn't an upset. st. john's was ousted. >> yeah. >> much more on the tournament ahead, including a trip back to the -- if i had known you were a wofford fan -- >> we could have gone together. >> i went back. on pop start, amy schumer gets personal. what she revealed to seth meye i didn't really know anything about my family history. went to ancestry, i put in the names of my grandparents first. i got a leaf right away. a leaf is a hint that is connected to each person in your family tree. i learned that my ten times great grandmother is george washington's aunt. within a few days i went from knowing almost nothing to holy crow, i'm related to george washington. this is my cousin george. discover your story. start searching for free now at ancestry.com

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♪ hey good thursday morning. right now, sunshine across the bay area. looks good in oakland. a cool start with temperatures in the mid-40s, heading up to 63 degrees today. a high of 63 in san jose and 62 in livermore. napa, a high of 64. as we go into the next couple days, rain returns starting tomorrow in the morning for the north bay and working across the bay area. the highs reaching upper 50s. that rain starts to move out on saturday. the rest of the weekend is looking dry. the high temperatures upper 60s for sunday. by next week, we will be tracking a new storm system to bring heavier rain to the bay area between monday and wednesday. the temperature is staying cool in san francisco. let's head over to mike for an

update on the commute. >> the south bay, the northbound pushes through san jose. not as bad as it sometimes is. 87 looks extra slow. it jams up from the summit. it is because of a distraction and a traffic alert southbound 17. this just called. we have had one lane blocked for some time. the rest of the bay is a smooth drive. 24, another problem. the other two cleared by the caldecott exit. back to you. happening now, uc berkeley is responding to allegations made by a student who says she was sexually harassed during her tame with cal's football team. in the post, she claims coached ignored her when she brought it up to them. for the full story, including what the school is doing about this. firefighters are investigating an early morning suspicious fire in downtown san

mateo. on our twitter feed, the full details, including video from the scene. more news coming up in 30 minutes, i'm marcus washington. e the price you pay to cross the golden gate bridge! increasing tolls, the next step to the price you pay across the bridge. when you need to pull out the umbrella. >> join us tomorrow 4:30 to 7:00 a.m.

coming up, coming to a close, as anticipation grows over robert mueller's report, the president is speaking out, saying he wants it to be made public. >> i think it is ridiculous, but i want to see the report. let it come out. let people see it. >> so when will it drop, and what will it reveal? we're live with the latest. plus, operation hope. how one community is working together to help stop the rise of opioids in their city. >> people are dying every day. so it's like an active shooter situation, where this is taking lives. we have got to take action. >> and why they'll stop at nothing to help those battling addiction. and hoop dreams.

march madness revs up with 64 teams battling it out to bust some brackets. we'll get a firsthand look at how the madness is already taking over one college campus, as craig heads back to school. >> can you lead us in a wofford cheer? >> go wofford. get up and go wofford. >> say what? >> hey, go wofford. >> i like that. >> today, thursday, march 21st, 2019. ♪ baby, why don't you just meet me in the middle ♪ >> high school in napa, idaho. >> go! >> she's turning 80. >> on the "today" show. >> checking off my bucket list. ♪ i'm losing my mind just a little ♪ >> celebrating two years of marriage. >> on "today." >> teaching trio from maine. >> from iowa!

>> i think we have a winner. >> adorable factor just went into the red. awesome. >> welcome back to "today" on this thursday morning. a little wet outside, but our crowd is hanging tough. how cute was that little group? >> love that little class. >> using the hashtag. >> gosh, it's raining outside, it's never raining here but it is on the plaza. use #my today plaza, instagram, twitter, whatever, and we'll find you. >> we'll head out in a bit, but we want to get to your news at 8:00. the focus is on the finish line for special counsel robert mueller's marathon russia investigation. nbc's white house correspondent peter alexander joins us with the very latest on this one. hey, peter. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. washington anxiously waiting for robert mueller to finally hand over that final report to the attorney general. that could happen any day. even as he blasts it as ridiculous, the president is calling for it to be made public.

but he's also still trying to discredit mueller, suggesting the president's election in 2016 disqualifies an investigation. this comes as a growing chorus of republicans is criticizing the president for his unrelenting attacks on the late senator john mccain. the latest complaining he was never properly thanked for mccain's funeral, even accusing the former vietnam prisoner of war and pentagon booster of failing to care for the country's veterans. one leading republican calling the president's insults deplorable, arguing the country deserves better. hoda. >> peter alexander on the white house lawn, thank you. less than one week after the country's deadliest mass shooting, new zealand's prime minister announced a ban on most military style semiautomatic and assault rifles. prime minister ardern expects the laws to be in place by next month. they'll outline the guns used in last friday's terror attack that killed 50 people at two mosques. high capacity magazines also will be banned. the prime minister promised a

gun buy-back program for those people who already own those weapons. the country's main opposition party says it supports the ban. many people rely on stimulantses to treat their adhd, but could certain drugs come with a frightening side effect? two common amphetamines are linked to psychosis in teens. dr. natalie azar is here with more on this. this is a scary headline for folks who take these drugs. what's the biggest concern here? >> yeah, it definitely is a scary head line, craig, but i think there is a lot of useful information that people can take away from it. importantly, for context, since 2007, the fda required a label on the drugs, that they may increase the risk of psychosis. what we don't have a lot of information on is comparison between different kinds of stimulants. this study looked at that. we had a group taking the amphetamine group, and the other group were prescribed a medicine

called ritalin. they found that the rate was higher with the adderall group. about two times heighter than the group with ritalin. it is 0.2% difference, but it is small but meaningful. >> if you're a parent and your child is advised to take these medicines, what do you do? >> right, so, savannah, importantly, you raise a good point. this group was teenagers and young adults, 13 to 25, and they were new prescriptions. for parents or people taking these drugs and have been established on them and are doing well on them, there's absolutely no reason to discontinue them. we can't understate how beneficial these drugs are in actually treating the symptoms of adhd. >> if you're making a decision today, my kid would have to go on it, would you say no? don't go on it? >> i would not say no. what the study does is opens up the line of communication between the health care provider and the patient to say, look, this risk is there. it is small. we can't really predict who is at greatest risk for having this happen, but awareness of it and

potentially looking for signs and symptoms of something when you start it is very important. >> dr. natalie, thank you very much. useful information there. heavy rainfall is causing an invasion of toxic toads in south florida. they're known as cane toads. because they were brought to this country to control the pests in sugar cane fields. because breed in water. they're storming streets and porches when they feel threatened. they secrete a substance that can irritate skin and be lethal to pets. the problem may not go away soon. a new batch is expected to hatch in about three weeks. everyone knows i do have a fear of frogs. >> why are you doing that story? >> i could barely get through it. we need a boost. i have your boost right here. remember when you were a kid and you got kind of the present you dreamed of? you were over the moon? >> yeah. >> all right. here's exactly how it went for one little girl. girl. >> ah! >> yup, those are her second

birthday elmo sneakers. elmo, of course, is her favorite. when she saw the bright red sneakers, first she looked at them, and when she saw the logo on the side, the little eyes, she went crazy. now that is happiness. >> man.>> right there. >> that is. >> what a doll. >> that's a nice boost. just ahead, ellen putting david letterman in the hot seat with some burning questions for the late night icon. first, kate snow with the story of healing and hope from a man helping others beat opioid addiction, a struggle he knows all too well. >> why are you so emotional? i see it. >> the help. >> it that you feel like you >> it that you feel like you might not be here witho [zara larsson - "wow"] ♪ ♪ baby i'm not even in a gown ♪ and the only thing u have to say is wow ♪ ♪ make you're jaw drop drop say oh my drop drop drop ♪

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that there's a lobster i in our hot tub?t. lobster: oh, you guys. there's a jet! oh...i needed this. no, i can't believe how easy it was to save hundreds of dollars on our car insurance with geico. we could have been doing this a long time ago. so, you guys staying at the hotel? yeah, we just got married. oh ho-ho! congratulations! thank you. yeah, i'm afraid of commitment... and being boiled alive. oh, shoot. believe it. geico could save you 15% or more on car insurance. that guy's the worst. we are back with our series badly addiction today. new numbers out this morning showing the rise of the deadly drug fentanyl in this country. >> beginning in 2013, the death rate from overdoses started nearly doubling every single year. by 2016, more than 18,000 americans died because of this one powerful drug. >> nbc's senior national correspondent kate snow has been covering this story. she's here with what one

community is trying to do to slow this down. >> good morning, guys. fentanyl is a synthetic drug, 50 times more potent than heroin, but it is the potency that draws people to the dangerous opioid. in some communities now, fentanyl has taken over. we went to portland, maine, to meet a dedicated group of people trying to beat it. >> transition to sober living. >> reporter: this isn't the first time vaughn hanson found himself in a police station answering questions. >> are you still on probation or anything? >> no. >> reporter: he's 51 years old, just out of prison. this time, he's gone to the scarborough, maine, police headquarters voluntarily. he is there to get help through operation hope. the program allows almost anyone with substance abuse issues to come in and get assistance without worrying about going to jail. >> i oded a few times. i'm not proud of it, but it is part of my addiction. >> reporter: how many times? >> five, six, i don't know. >> reporter: vaughn used to frame houses. now he hops from one friend's

couch to the next. he switched from heroin to fentanyl. >> you want something different. >> reporter: you want the stronger, the next stronger thing? >> exactly. you know, people say, well, people are dying from that. that's when you say, well, it must be good. >> reporter: chief robbie multon's department launched operation hope in 2015. in his more than 40 years on the force, he's never seen anything like fentanyl. >> people are dying every day. it's like an active shooter situation, where this is taking lives. we have got to take action. we can't sit back and plan and talk about what we're going to do. we've got to take action. >> reporter: crime analyst jamie higgins spearheads operation hope. for her, the project's mission is personal. her brother, devin, had been in recovery in the fall of 2016 when the siblings attended a rally for recovery together. >> we were super excited to be celebrating. he died the next night. >> reporter: the next night? >> mm-hmm.

>> reporter: from fentanyl? >> fentanyl. we got his toxicology. >> reporter: must have been crushing for you? >> it was. i was here writing thank you notes for operation hope when his friend called. that's how i found out. >> reporter: jamie is devoted to helping others avoid a similar heartbreak. she connects vaughn with a detox facility. one of the centers is in nearby portland, milestone recovery. it has only 16 beds, and until recently, was the only non-profit facility in this state to accept people without insurance. bob fowler is the executive director. >> it is not unusual for us to turn away 100 people in a given month because our beds are full. >> reporter: dr. mary dowd also works at milestone. >> most of what we're getting in maine, virtually all of it, is fentanyl, though the patients may think it is heroin. >> reporter: it is really fentanyl? >> really fentanyl. about 60% of the overdose deaths in maine due to opioids are because of fentanyl.

>> the word fentanyl is anxiety, like danger. it is like a swear, you know? >> reporter: bobby sheean was addicted to fentanyl. he's been clean two years and now works at milestone, helping others put their lives back on track. how many times did you come to detox? >> 22. >> reporter: he's lost his father to opioid addiction and his brother, but he found people who care about him, an adoptive family that bears this burden together. why are you so emotional? i see it. >> i had a lot of help. >> reporter: is it that you feel like you might not be here without them? >> yeah, yeah. >> reporter: sorry. i'm so glad you're here. so is dr. dowd. for her, bobby's success is a miracle. at one point, she wrote a poem about his struggle. >> 22, fourth overdose, narcan five times before they got him

to the er. his chest still hurts from cpr. >> he knows how lucky he is. lucky to be back, to be upright, sensible, safe now for five days, maybe seven. then what? back to the streets, back to the shelter, back to the dealer, back to the shadow lands. >> reporter: that was your life? >> yeah. >> reporter: not anymore? >> it was. >> bobby is so strong. i'm crying here again. things are really changing in maine right now. the new governor signed an executive order to distribute 35,000 doses of that overdose anecdote narcan across the state. vaughn, the man we introduced you to at the beginning of the story, we met him when he was just getting help. he's in recovery now. he is staying at a sober living facility. he is working on getting a job. he even sent a thank you card to operation hope at the police station to thank them for getting him some help. >> it is like you need more of those places where someone can

go without fear of being arrested and know they can start the rehab process. >> it's been making a difference in a lot of communities, where there is that kind of no judgment. we're just going to help you situation. >> think about how strong that is. 50 times stronger than heroin, fept no fentanyl. my dad was dying of cancer. he wore a fentanyl patch on his back for pain. >> that was the legitimate use. >> i wore gloves. you peel it off every 24 hours. even the sticky it comes off of, put it in the trash, and take the trash out so the dog doesn't get it. >> police have to wear gloves when dealing with fentanyl. if they touch it with protection, they can overdose. >> just by the skin. >> thank you, kate, for staying on this story. >> good work. dylan, we'll send it over to you. >> yes. the rain is starting out here in new york city, and we are going to continue with rain throughout the day. we have flood watches in effect. go farther north, and we have winter storm watches because it will be cold enough, especially

in the higher elevations, for significant snowfall. the heaviest of the rain falling across virginia now, moving into maryland. delaware will see the heavy rain shortly. we will likely see airport delays because of this heavy rain, especially in new york, philadelphia, washington, d.c. albany later today. boston, you don't get going with the storm until later tonight. winds will be extremely strong on the backside of this storm. friday into saturday, that's where we could see gusts up to 25 to 35 miles per hour. through the mid-atlantic, farther north, new england, we could end up with 45-mile-per-hour gusts. for snow, especially above 6,000 feet, we could end up with about 2 feet of snow. elsewhere across central and northern new good morning. i'm meteorologist carrey hall. highs in the load to mid-60s today. rain staying away. it will be back tomorrow, starting in the morning in the north bay, highs in the upper 50s and low 60s by saturday, as

the rain moves out. on sunday it's looking nice and dry. inland valleys in the urp 60s. more rain back in the forecast to the start of next week, as we look at san francisco's forecast, expected to be dry today but rain tomorrow. >> and if you're heading out, don't forget to check us out on our sirius xm channel 108. carson, it's that important time of the morning. >> we love it. >> pop start. first up, red nose day is coming up. kate mckinnon is partaking in the event this year to fundraise money toward ending child poverty. for a new fundraiser being called joke-a-thon. we'll get a look at what the "snl" cast member does best, tell jokes. it is intended to be a tutorial for kids to learn to tell jokes and make people laugh. >> an example of a joke that might work, for instance, is -- oh, i'm a comedian, and i can't think of a joke. i got one. what creature is smarter than a talking parrot? a spelling bee.

whew. thank god. okay. i can go on. what do you call a fish with no eye? any guesses? it's a fsh. what about this? what do you call two banana peels next to the bed? slippers. whoa. comedy gold. >> classic jokes there that the kids can learn. schools across the country will be partaking in the joke-a-thon. the red nose day special airs here on nbc. always a great night. may 23rd. up next, amy schumer, the comedian made a big entrance on late night with seth meyers last night. she talked to the host, supporting an abnormally large baby bump. she made it known it was fake and changed outfits. >> are you kidding? >> when she returned, seth asked about her netflix special and why she decided to open up about her husband's recent autism diagnosis. take a look. >> we both want to talk about it because it's been totally

positive. i think a lot of people resist getting diagnosed and even some of their children because of the stigma that comes along with it. you're not diagnosed and they throw you out. hopefully, if you can get help, like the tools we've been given have made him life so much better and our marriage and our life more manageable. i just wanted to, you know, encourage people to not be afraid of that stigma. >> you talk about how he's a -- he is incapable of lying, which makes such a great quality for a husband. >> yeah. he's here, and i came out. i was -- right before. i changed outfits. i was like, does this look okay? he was like, well, it's too late. >> blessing and a curse. great they're being open and sharing that experience. that was good tv last night. finally, in an episode airing later today, david letterman joins ellen degeneres on her talk show. letterman discussing how retirement was going and his son harry. it was during the game "burning

questions" when the former talk show host really started to open up. >> who was your first crush? >> girl named suzy frakes. >> how old were you? >> i was in the eighth grade. >> have you seen her since? >> i was a [ bleep ]. can you say that? >> yes. >> i ruined it. i loved her all the way through high school. i've done all right. >> yeah. besides your face, what body part do you look at the most in the mirror? >> i'll tell you what, when you get to be my age, you get stuff on your skin. especially out here in california. i have more stuff taken off me than the discount table at ralph's. >> tell us a lie you recently told. >> oh, the guy at the hotel

said, so you taking off? i said, yeah. >> you can watch the full interview. check your local listings. letterman there on ellen. time for the click? >> yeah. waiting for this one. while out for a walk, some people noticed a suspicious creature lurking in the woods nearby. roll the tape. what could be in there? branches are rustling around. a loch ness monster? look behind the tree. what could that possibly be? how about this? >> oh. >> a little dog emerges, carrying what seems to be the world's largest stick. >> he did it. >> where did he find that? >> what is happening there? >> yeah. >> makes a run for it. during the getaway, he hits his owners in the skin with that giant stick and charges forward. keeping his eye on the prize. >> awesome. >> thank you. >> there we go. >> love that that aired finally. >> it is adorable.

just ahead, your ultimate guide to healthy knees at any age. then craig's triumphant return to wofford to check on his beloved team before tonight's opener in the ncaa tournament. plus, the team's star and head coach will be there. good morning, it )s 8-26...

i )m ... firefighters are investigating a string of suspicious early morning fires .. all - a short distance apart .. in downtown san mateo. good morning to you. firefighters veking early morning fires a short distance apart in downtown san mateo. the biggest off of second avenue. burned trash cans outside a blood donation center. crews put out the other fires before causing serious damage. firefighters say witnesses saw people run from the scene of at least two fires. they plan to check the surveillance video from nearby businesses. let's check the morning commute with mike. >> start off with good news, traffic alert for highway 17 has been cleared. the crash cleared southbound at bush. the distraction is not there for

the northbound side. north 85 off of highway 17, slowing as well. another crash near around washington. should be cleared soon. slowing again. crash west 24, central laugh fayette. a slower drive coming through that drive of contra costa county. the maze, standard toward the bay bridge. talked about slowing off of 680. toward 24 jammed right now, laura. back to you. >> thank you. i'll be back with another local news update in a half hour. hope you join us for midday news as well. all of the day's news at nbcbayarea.com.

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♪ we are back at 8:30. it's thursday morning, the 21st of march, 2019. and this is world down syndrome day. something very special is happening right now. two days ago, 21 runners from the national down syndrome society embarked on the run for a 321. this is a 250-mile run, if you can believe it, starting in washington, d.c., coming all the way here to new york city. there they are. they're in the homestretch right now as we speak. we want to cheer them on as they cross the finish line. this is all about bringing awareness to down syndrome, to this community. they're making such great strides.

welcome home! yes! we have runners, families, friends, supporters all here. jamie just finished her run. hello, sweetie. this is her daughter, jaylin. >> yes. >> we are happy to have you here. first of all, how do you feel? you're not out of breath. >> i'm so excited. >> congratulations. this is so incredible. i know you ran for your daughter. what does this effort mean to you? why are you here today? >> well, i'm here to celebrate down syndrome and the opportunities that they deserve. my child, my teammates' children, everybody out there. you're the inspiration. of the ndss and sarah, our ceo and president. >> incredible. she gave you a big kiss. so proud of you. >> i missed my girl.

>> i bet you have. you have to tell you logistics. 48-hour run. you start in d.c. you come to new york. how do you sleep? >> in intervals. it is not easy. you're on a bus. you're crammed in space. at any given moment, you'll get up and go back out and run. >> well, it's incredible, what you did. jaylin, i know you're proud of your mommy. sarah, thank you. today is world down syndrome day, bringing awareness. i hope you think about it and the strides this community made. we have more, including an essay i wrote about my uncle pierce on today.com. thank you, sarah. and team, great job. jaylin, thank you. >> a cause near and dear to savannah this morning. very cool. >> finished the race in the rain, too. determination. >> pretty cool. way to go, guys. coming up in a few minutes here, march madness has officially arrived, and it has taken over the city of spartanburg, south carolina. >> i heard of that spot. is that your spot?

>> home of those beloved wofford terriers, getting ready for tonight's big game. i went back to my alma mater. spent more time in the library on that trip than i did all four years at wofford. we'll check in on the excitement. we'll also send good vibes. i'll talk to the head coach and the team's star, described by "usa today" this morning as this year's steph curry. >> really? can't wait. >> when is their game? >> tonight at 9:40. >> you wanted to wake them up at the crack of dawn? is that so smart? the star player. get up at 4:00 a.m. on the big game day? also, do you have problems with your knees? we have the great dr. jordan metzl. we'll go over common problems at every age and also offer you some relief. on the third hour of "today," skiing sursper ta mikaela shiffrin is here. we'll catch up with her after a record-breaking season on the slopes. plus, she's opening up about something very personal to her. first, dylan, double duty, how about a check of the weather? >> gentlemen. it's chilly, rainy, not a nice spring day for sure. we are going to continue with some of that cooler weather for

the weekend. on saturday, we are looking at some very strong winds, especially across new england, where they can gust up to 40 to 45 miles per hour. temperatures will be a little below average. the sun will return. rain moves into the central plains, although it doesn't look like we'll see a lot of rain. just more or less showers, some isolated thunderstorms. mountain snow on sunday through the rockies. those showers and storms will slowly move east, keeping temperatures on the cooler side. it is nice and mild along the east coast. should be close to 60 in new york city, getting to the upper 60s and lower 70s across the soheutt.as that's a look at the weather good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. live look outside in oakland, already busy. we have some sunshine. we are going to see our temperatures going from mid-40s to the low 60s today. and as we look at concord's high temperature, 66. 61 in ukiah. rain comes back tomorrow. off and on showers through

saturday morning. we'll see a new storm system arriving next week. >> okay. so spring has officially sprung, and we're celebrating this morning with a sneak peek at macy's annual flower show. get ready because this year's show is out of this world. susan, macy's vice president of special productions and executive producer of the flower show, is here to tell us all about it. last year, we were whisked away into this magical fairy tale. this year, we are going to space. >> outer space. this is a fun time, a fantasy world. that's what the flower show is all about. we've gathedre inspiration from the planet afar, and we brought it into the store. march 24th to april 7th. we've got it in three different cities, in chicago, new york, and san francisco. we're really excited. >> this reminds me of little shop. we have a venus fly trap, and it is interactive, right? >> it is. >> it won't close on me, right? >> we have opportunities in the store for people to come inside,

take pictures, be amongst the flowers and celebrate spring. >> this doesn't move, right? >> it doesn't move. you' refine. >> i'll get out anyway. we have these awesome pods. what is going on here? >> we have a fantastic partnership with fit in new york, as well as fit em and columbia in the other markets. work with students to come up with designs that really play off the flower showheme and marry that fashion and flower show. >> fit students put these designs together? >> students done with beautiful faic. it is amazing. quite exquisite. >> they're beautiful. >> you'll see these in the store .n new york there are eight of them that are done. really beautiful. >> awesome. i love this infinity thing going on here. >> another photo opportunity. come inside, take a photo, and get a sense of it going on forever and ever. >> which is so fun. of course, you need instagram

opportunities. if it didn't happen on instagram, it didn't happen. >> exactly. the whole show is a photo moment. a lot of beautiful flowers. a lot of people coming to visit. we have to celebrate spring. >> if you had to put a number on it, how many flowers and plants are involved in these flower shows? >> hundreds of thousands of flowers and individual bulbs. there are so many, too many to count. >> new york, chicago, and san francisco. >> absolutely. >> thank you so much. you can catch the macy's flower show starting this sunday and it lasts through april 7th. the rain picked up in time for the end of this. >> just in time. >> dylan, thank you. up next, a firsthand look at how march madness has absolutely taken over the campus of my alma mater, wofford campus. the few of the fighting terriers will join us live ahead of, undeniably, our school's biggest game ever.

it's 8:39. it's march madness. if it's wrong, we don't want to be right. >> the round of 64 tips off in a few hours. as craig mentioned, on more than one occasion, he is all in on his beloved wofford college. >> we're all in. >> savannah, too. >> terriers, baby. a small school, 1,600 students, but the basketball team is mighty. did i mention we didn't drop a single game in the southern conference all season? >> yes. >> on the way to a conference title? >> you mentioned that. >> we'll talk to wofford's head coach and star. first, a little trip back to spartanburg, south carolina. went back to campus to check on things ahead of tonight's big game. >> reporter: when the wofford men's team marches onto the hardwood tonight, they won't be alone. i've made no secret of my support for the mighty terriers. the only team in the country undefeated in conference play. >> don't get cocky. we want you to do well. >> reporter: i've gotten the family fired up about my alma mater. small colleges have captivated

the country before in the tournament. remember butler, vcu? don't forget about davidson. they had steph curry. loyola chicago had sister jean. the tournament has its own impact on a school like wofford. does it boost admissions, applications? >> our applications have been increasing dramatically over the past several years. i'm happy to say we would expect to see the same trend next year. >> reporter: we found a lot of true believers on wofford's campus in upstate south carolina. you cry at the games? >> because they want it so badly. they worked so hard. i know how badly they want this. >> you're a terrier. >> i am. >> reporter: lead us in a wofford cheer. >> hey, go wofford. get up and go, go wofford. >> say what? >> hey, go wofford. >> reporter: i like that. >> get up and yell, go wofford. >> yeah. >> reporter: for most of wofford's 1,600 or so students, midterms have become a real distraction from the start of march madness.

you'll be pleased to know there is a movement afoot on campus to cancel classes on thursday. >> that'd be great. >> reporter: i talked to the president of the college about it. the movement isn't going well. this is the gold and black. while on campus, i took a stroll down memory lane. this is march hall, where i lived freshman year. this is the freshman dorm. it is co-ed now. when i was here, it was all male. hello. >> hi. >> reporter: is this your room? >> yes. >> i've been waiting on you. not creepy at all. this used to be my room. oh, my goodness. this used to be my side. this is so cool. this is a lot nicer actually. i left a message for her roommate, who was in class. perfect. and headed to the gym to catch the team's last practice before heading to jacksonville. fletcher mcgee is the team's sharpshooter. he is three baskets away from breaking the college record for

three-pointers. how aware are you of the excitement that surrounds this team? >> i think you're pretty aware of it just because the students and the community have been so supportive. >> reporter: coach mike young calls cameron jackson one of the best centers wofford ever had. what is it about this particular squad that makes it so special? >> we're so close. we love being around each other. practices are fun. we look forward to coming in and working out, being around each other. i think it makes the chemistry show more on the court. >> let's go. >> reporter: when schools like ours make it to the big dance and get to shine on that national stage, what does it mean? >> it gives us an opportunity to tell a great story, you know? we've got high character guys. they all graduate. they all happen to be really good basketball players. >> reporter: they say you can never go home again, but for me, every time i return to wofford, it's a homecoming. >> nice job. ready to roll.

let's go to jacksonville. >> there's that terrier. joining us now from jacksonville, a few of the proud wofford terriers. including head coach mike young, senior guard fletcher mcgee. morning, guys. >> morning. >> hope you all are well. >> hey, coach, let me start with you. thanks for waking up, by the way. carson is concerned this is going to affect you guys tonight on the court, waking up so early. >> don't worry about that. i told these guys they'll be in the starting lineup for helping me out here. >> coach, wofford is very small, looking to make a big splash in the tournament. for schools like ours, schools that are so tiny, what does going to the big dance, what does it mean? >> it's a huge deal. it's the greatest tournament of all them, in my opinion. to have the opportunity to compete against a team like seton hall, wisconsin, as we have in the past, is important

to our school. we're really looking forward to tonight. >> all right. fletcher, we're excited about your team. we're excited about you. you're just three three-pointers away from making that record. do you think it'll happen tonight? >> yeah. if it happens, it happens. you know, i'm just so consumed in doing whatever i can to help us win the game. if that's driving to the rim and taking more twos, if it is spending more energy running and playing defense, that's what i'm going to do. but, yeah, if the record comes, that'd be great. i don't want to get caught up or think about it at all. >> coach, this is not your first trip to the big dance. craig already told us that. but it is a big deal. how do you get the nerves calmed in yourself and, more importantly, in the players? >> i'm not concerned about their nerves. we've had a number of big games throughout the year. this is, you know, a different animal, the ncaa tournament. i'm more concerned about the start time. we won't throw the ball in the

air tonight until 9:50 or so. that makes for an awfully long day. >> especially since you got up with us. >> we'll manage and figure it out. >> hey, coach, carson daly here quickly. congrats on tonight. "sports illustrated" says about the mighty terriers, most potent, mid-major offense in the field. you have seton hall. possibly get by them, you have a number two matchup with kentucky. a wide open lane opens up for cinderella story to get into the final four. how do you not look down the field? >> carson, i've been doing this a long time. you start looking down the road, you're going to get in trouble. seton hall is terrific. very well coached. we have our hands full tonight. >> one at a time. >> we're pulling for you. >> we're proud of you. the hit on the right, storm murphy. >> if this doesn't work out, you have a meteorologist career for you. >> go get 'em, fletcher.

>> you pumped up? >> thanks, guys. >> you have to take your phone tonight and put it on you watching the game. >> no, no. >> i want to see your reaction. >> you'll be bleary-eyed tomorrow. the exercises at every age to keep your knees healthy for years to come. first, this is "today" on nbc. first, this is "today" on nbc. >> i've never been mo excited.re

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say "get a galaxy" to learn more. we are back with today wellness. this morning, the ultimate guide to healthy knees. >> dr. jordan is a sports medicine physician at hospital for special surgery, and he's teamed up with the "new york times" to create their first ever guide to all things knees. anyone can have access to it and learn how to take care of those knees. >> that's right. to go along with this rollout, dr. metzel is here to go over the common knee injuries, how to fix them. so many people complain about their knees. >> this time of year but all year, it is a common complaint in my office. we wanted to give people

information on how to recognize and prevent the knee problems. >> in general, how do you know if you put ice on it or see somebody? >> if pain is limiting what you can do, you can't walk, can't run, you have to see a doctor and figure out what's up. >> we start with our young man here. this is gabriel. what kind of injury would someone young like him have with the knees? >> teenager like gabriel, kids have dropping growth plates in their bones. gabriel's knee, there is a picture on the screen of what's the tibial tub. i'll point to that area, his growth plate. we see a lot of teen knees with pain there as they grow. we have a couple things to help them fix that. >> did you change languages? >> it is named after two doctors, british and german. >> got it. >> he'll start team rolling. we have teens loosen up the muscles on the legs. he's happy doing that. >> i know. is gabriel a real patient? >> everybody is a real patient.

he's great. we do that. the other thing we do with him, go ahead and stand up, gabe, is get them to use something called the knee strap. you can see he has one there. he'll put on the other one. this goes just above the area where the knee is hurting. it keeps the tendon from pulling on the growth plate. >> does he wear it all the time or only when working out? >> during basketball, whatever. >> thanks, gabe. >> brittany here. >> brittany of the orange room fame. >> hi, brit. >> in this group, we see runners knee. you can see there is a great picture on the screen of an irritation underneath the kneecap. patients say, my kneecap hurts a lot, there is pain under the kneecap. we work on strengthening the muscles around the knee. brittany is holding this. this is the bridge. she's utilizing her muscles to strengthen the muscles and really off load -- >> that works the knees, not the core? >> it is great. we're strengthening the hamstring muscles, and they

offload the knee. we challenge her by having one leg in the air when she gets really good. >> oh, wow. >> she's working on strengthening the muscles around her knee. that can help with this knee pain. >> she's strong. >> that's strengthening the opposite knee, right? >> the leg on the ground. >> good. >> then she'll hop up here. the other thing with runner's knee, we work on ways to keep them active. she'll start running. >> counterintuitive. you'd think you'd slow down on the running. >> as she's going along, she's striding long. something we have people work on is shortening the walking or running stride. she'll take smaller steps. why would that make a difference? what's happening, she's hitting the ground less hard when she shortens her stride. >> you like that length there? >> it is great. >> should she go on a 25 minute run doing that? >> yeah. she shortens the stride. i keep mine short by not doing it at all. >> that's a different issue. >> what do you have here? >> this is dale.

>> we see something called arthritis in the knee. this is a common problem we see. you can see there a nice picture of a normal knee on the left. on the right, you can see a knee where the red arrow is, where the cartilage has worn them. as i talk about in the knee guide, if you have arthritis, you should sit at the table and feel sorry about yourself? that is the worth you can do. get the knees moving, move if joints, the knees and the hips on a bike, then work on strengthening. >> we have a few seconds. >> there she goes. >> work through it. >> he doesn't believe in sitting around and feeling bad for yourself. that's why i don't go to you anymore. >> don't say that. >> i'm kidding. this is good. this is strengthening the knee? >> muscles around the hips and knees. it takes pressure off the knees. >> we have more on knee pain and how to deal with it. today.com. doctor, you're the best. thanks. we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

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that about does it for this particular hour of "today." we have a lot more great stories at today.com/all day. including our review of the ice cream that promises to help you sleep better. plus, the new addition of our digital series, quoted by. we have country music star trisha yearwood. >> t 0 you you he good morning, . i )m - -... u-c berkeley is responding to accusations made by a former student. in a post on her facebook page .. she alleges sexual harassmen uc berkeley responding to accusations made by a former student. she allegations sexual harassment made by cal's football team including the coaching staff. she says it happened with her time during the team's sports medicine unit. the matter has been referred to

the campus office for prevention of harassment and discrimination. the school says allegations remain confidential unless disciplinary act is taken. happening now, cal is the center of national news. four members of the national republicans are in washington. president trump will hold an executive order. clashes broke out in 2017 tied to conservative speakers. recently someone punched a conservative activist in the face as he recruited on campus. firefighters investigating several early morning suspicious fires in downtown san mateo put out before causing serious damage. on our twitter feed, full details including video. u in aho . n the next step to a plan to rae

the price you pay to cross the golden gate bridge! plus--kari hall is tracking your weekend forecast as you make your plans. when you )ll need to pull your umbrella back out! join us tomorrow from

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.

>> announcer: live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza, this is the third hour of "today." >> good morning. happy thursday. welcome. i'm sheinelle here with craig and dylan. al is off, but we had his voice. >> where is al? >> i don't know. i think visiting his daughter. we hear his voice, so he is with us in spirit. if your office feels less productive today, there is a good reason. march madness. you've been talking about it. it tips off around noon today. essenti essentially, this time tomorrow, the thought is, most brackets will probably be busted. >> not all of them. >> this is how little i know about basketball. i enjoy doiy doing a bracket an seeing how far i can get. i googled, were therees