the north bay. as kari said, the rain is coming in. be care everly. we'll -- everybody. wee bell back in half an hour. >> have a great morning. . good morning chicago shocker. questions mounting this morning after all charges are suddenly dropped against jussie smollett, accused of staging his own hate crime. the actor claiming vindication. >> i've been truthful and consistent on every single level since day e. >> but prosecutors still standing by their case and saying he is not innocent. top chicago officials confused and up in arms >> this is without a doubt a whitewash of justice. >> do i think justice was served no. >> so could smollett still face federal charges? what is going on here? we're live with the latest. all-out war. president trump and democrats

reignite the battle over health care with the justice department now pushing a judge to toss out obamacare entirely what that controversial move would mean for millions of americans. grilled on capitol hill. education secretary betsy devos slammed over her proposal to eliminate all federal funding for the special olympics >> why you would go after disabled children in your budget, you zero that out, it's appalling. >> the high-stakes showdown before congress that turned very personal those stories, plus boeing's new problem. a 737 max jet forced to make an emergency landing as the company gets set to show pilots their fix for the fleet. barbara bush unfiltered. the new insider account that claims the former first lady blames trump for her heart attack and line 'em up. the powerball jackpot hits three-quarters of a billion dollars and big crowds with even bigger dreams are scooping up tickets for the next drawing

today, wednesday, march 27th, 2019 >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with va ssavannh guthrie and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. hi, everybody, good morning. welcome to today we've got craig here, hoda out on assignment. boy, that news from chicago was a stunner. >> a story that's captivated the nation for weeks now. >> we've got outrage, confusion and a lot of unanswered questions this morning surrounding the move to suddenly drop the criminal case entirely against "empire" star jussie smollett we'll start this morning with miguel almaguer. good morning to you. >> good morning. this was a stunning turn few saw coming jussie smollett's case has been wiped clean. he won't face any criminal charges after he was just indicted on 16 felonies. police say they had a mountain

of evidence. while the actor walks away clean, prosecutors, the very ones who let him go, say his claims of being a hate crime victim are bogus walking out of court no longer facing criminal charges, jussie smollett claiming victory and still maintaining his innocence. >> i have been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one. >> reporter: but while cook county prosecutors dropped the 16 felony counts of lying to police, they say the "empire" actor has not been exonerated. >> he is not a victim of a hate crime. >> reporter: the bombshell decision comes after cook county prosecutors agreed to a deal charges dropped in exchange for two days of community service and $10,000 in court costs the prosecutor calling the controversial move standard procedure. >> it's not something that is unique it's not the first time this has happened. >> this has been an incredibly difficult time honestly one of the worst of my entire life. >> reporter: while the

prosecutor says he stands by the police investigation and calls their case solid, chicago's top cop says he was blindsided. >> if someone falsely accused me, i would never hide behind a brokered deal and secrecy, period. >> reporter: chicago's mayor also offering a sharp rebuke, saying the actor was sure to be convicted. >> this is without a doubt a whitewash of justice and sends a clear message that if you're in a position of influence and power, you'll get treated one way. other people will be treated another way. >> reporter: it was just three weeks ago smollett was indicted by a grand jury after the actor told police he was beaten on this street by two masked men who yelled "this is maga country. poured a chemical on him and left a noose around his neck police say smollett hired the two brothers to stage the attack and was looking to cash in on the publicity. >> we have nothing to say to the police department except to investigate charges and not try

their cases in the press, but to allow matters to be investigated. >> reporter: with the case now sealed, the public may never see the evidence gathered by investigators after this perp walked last month. smollett left court monday, stopping to take a selfie with a fan. >> now i'd like nothing more than to just get back to work and move on with my life. >> is there no decency in this man? this is a person now who's been let off scot-free with no sense of accountability of the moral and ethical wrong of his actions. >> reporter: this is no doubt a major victory for jussie smollett, but he could still face a federal charge of mail fraud after police say he mailed himself a fake death threat, also to drum up publicity. for chicago police saying this is a huge disappointment is a major understatement guys, back to you. >> all right, lots to unpack here i think we need a lawyer. >> i think we do

i think we've got one. nbc legal analyst ari melber joining us to try to help make some sense of all of this. we go from 16 felonies to zero there's so much about this case that just doesn't smell right. what happened yesterday? >> i think the plot twist in season two here is none of this makes any sense. and i think there's going to be a lot more scrutiny, as we saw from a very unusual press conference there by the police and mayor, the leaders of basically the rest of the law enforcement system of chicago. this looks like something went sideways we don't know why. did the underlying evidence go sideways or is this special treatment for a celebrity. >> well, that's what's so weird about the whole thing. first of all, the fact that the mayor and the police weren't told apparently, were blindsided by this decision to drop all charges. look, as you well know, sometimes plea deals are reached. sometimes somebody doesn't plead to all 16 counts, they don't go to trial, they plead to one and there's some kind of arrangement.

here's a situation where there's no deal like that. prosecutors dismiss all charges but then say their case was solid and they don't believe he's innocent. it makes no sense. >> somebody is covering for something. as you say, savannah, in a traditional deal where you say something is nonviolent and someone will take responsibility and you have total agreement, that can happen. this isn't that because jussie smollett's lawyers now and he, as we just reported, are claiming total vindication, which is at odds with the arrangement that was apparently just reached. >> now, the prosecutor will say, and it is true, you can sometimes do like a pretrial diversion program and not be charged. he's saying, well, that happens every day of the week. there's nothing funny about this situation. >> what doesn't happen every day of the week is a national campaign, according to the evidence and the other witnesses, to fake a hate crime to inflate one's own career. this was a serious case given the resources, given the nature of the deceit and given how long it went. so i don't think this is a

natural disposition, which doesn't tell you whether or not after a fuller cause, a fuller trial there would necessarily be jail time. this looks really, really suspicious and ultimately there may be an investigation of the investigation. >> how common is it in a case like this to seal the records so that the public never actually finds out what happened? >> there can be sealed records. >> but why >> well, for example, when the police and the prosecutors say, okay, we're not going to take this to trial, so you're not going to have that public process if you take responsibility, we are doing you a solid. we're basically letting you -- >> but did he take responsibility >> he did not. he did not take responsibility, that much we know. that's why it looks like they're at odds. it looks like there was some effort to say, okay, people want this to go away and the mayor and police were not in agreement with that. who wanted this to go away this fast it didn't have to be this way if they had a big strong case with eyewitness testimony, video and a motive. >> and text messages and surveillance video so many questions, ari melber,

thank you. now to washington where new battling are erupting between the trump administration and democrats in the aftermath of the mueller report health care and proposed cuts to the special olympics now hot topics we'll start with nbc's chief white house correspondent hallie jackson at the white house for us hallie, good morning. >> reporter: hey, savannah, good morning to you this morning democrats seem very ready to turn the conversation from robert mueller's report to health care in this pivot to policy, focusing intensely now on something that affects tens of millions of americans and something they see as a winning issue against president trump. health care back in the headlines this morning, after the trump administration asked the courts to scrap the entire affordable care act, not just parts of the law as they had been arguing before. if that happens, more than 28 million people could lose their health insurance >> the gop will never stop trying to destroy the affordable health care of america's families. >> reporter: a popular provision of obamacare guarantees people

with pre-existing conditions are protected, and even some republicans acknowledge there's no clear alternative if the law goes away. >> many republicans didn't have a good answer to how you're going to deal with the very real problem of people with pre-existing health problems. >> reporter: the president's promising the gop will be the party of health care. >> if that is true, god help middle class americans. >> reporter: but it's an issue that helped propel democrats to control of the house in november republican whip steve scalise. >> democrats see this as a winning issue and point to the midterms as proof of that. >> democrats want more government control, so it's freedom versus washington control over things in their lives. >> reporter: democrats making the pivot to policy after the attorney general's summary of robert mueller's report found no collusion between the trump administration and russia. >> the mueller report was great. it could not have been better. >> reporter: according to a justice department official, it will now be a matter of weeks, not months, for attorney general william barr to share mueller's report publicly. and now, after a victory lap at

the capitol, a confident commander in chief's downplaying the prospects of impeachment. >> i don't think they're talking about impeachment. we have the greatest economy we've ever had our country is in incredible shape. >> reporter: but some democrats are talking impeachment, with rashida tlaib asking her colleagues for backup to investigate impeachable offenses house leaders dismissive. >> we didn't run on impeachment. we didn't win the house of representatives on impeachment we're not focused on impeachment. >> reporter: and on the topic of the attorney general, he is now effectively leading the legal battle against the affordable care act but a new report this morning says both he and the health secretary, alex azar, initially objected to the administration's move to try to invalidate the law. we reached out to both agencies but have not heard back. a spokesperson for azar tells politico he fully supports the administration's litigation in the aca case which bears his name

>> programming note tonight, lester holt will have an exclusive interview with former fbi director james comey this is his first since the mueller report came out. now to that capitol hill grilling education secretary betsy devos faced over her department's proposed budget calls, including a call to slash all federal funding from the special olympics kristen welker joins us with that story >> reporter: hi, craig, good morning to you the special olympics is the world's largest sports organization for people with disabilities now the education secretary is under fire for aiming to slash funding in an exchange that's now gone viral secretary of education betsy devos in the hot seat, after getting grilled by lawmakers for proposing to cut funding for special olympics >> i still can't understand why you would go after disabled children in your budget. you zero that out. it's appalling. >> reporter: it was the first time that devos, a wealthy former michigan republican party chairwoman, had been called

before a democratic-led panel to go over the president's spending priorities. >> also in this -- >> reporter: wisconsin democratic congressman mark pocan pushing devos, asking if she knew how many children would be affected by the elimination of special olympics funding. >> we had to make some different questions with this budget. >> this question is how many kids. >> i don't know the number of kids. >> it's 272,000 kids i'll answer it for you, that's okay, no problem it's 272,000 kids that are affected. >> it is an awesome organization that's well supported by the philanthropic sector as well. >> reporter: the confrontation growing more tense as he talked about his own family members. >> i have two nephews with autism what is it that we have a problem with with children who are in special education why are we cutting all of these programs over and over within this budget? >> well, sir, we have continued to retain the funding levels for

idea and held that level -- >> i'm sorry i don't think i brought up i.d.e.a i brought up special olympics, special education grants to states, the national institute for the blind. >> i will address the broader question. >> or if you could address the question i asked, that's a better way to answer a question. >> supporting students with special needs, we have continued to hold that funding level -- that funding at a level amount in the context of a budget proposal, that is a 10% reduction. >> reporter: the exchange going viral. this tweet from 2017 resurfacing. devos saying it was great spending time with special olympic athletes one person tweeting this hypocrisy is absolutely astounding this isn't the first time devos has been in the spotlight, the billionaire philanthropist sparked controversy during her confirmation hearing saying guns may have a place in sml schools due to the threat of grizzly bears.

so far no response >> kristen welker at the white house for us thank you. hundreds of airline pilots and executives are arriving in seattle this morning to see firsthand the urgent software fix for boeing's grounded 737 max planes for the airline maker it's all about trying to reclaim confidence in the plane, but it comes just one day after an emergency landing involving one of the planes. tom costello is in position at boeing headquarters for us hey, tom, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah boy, the timing could not have been worse these airline execs and pilots are coming here to seattle, to boeing, to hear about this upgrade, this emergency landing in orlando meanwhile, today in washington on capitol hill, they're going to be talking to the department of transportation and the faa, putting them on the hot seat about certifying the 737 max and faa oversight. two weeks after the 737 max was grounded worldwide, an emergency landing in orlando tuesday

>> we just lost our right engine need to declare an emergency. >> reporter: a southwest airlines max 8 flying with two pilots and no passengers forced to return to the airport because of an engine problem the plane was flying legally to a maintenance base in california importantly the engine issue is not related to the software issue suspected of bringing down a plane in indonesia last october and possibly an ethiopian jetliner two weeks ago. together those crashes killed 346 people this morning, 200 airline execs, pilots and regulators will get a firsthand briefing from boeing on an urgent software fix to the automated anti-stall system called mcas. boeing proposed a preliminary upgrade on january 21st, but it still wasn't finalized or approved two months later when the ethiopian jetliner crashed in a statement the company says boeing has been continuously providing the required documentation to show compliance to faa regulations with the

final submission expected at the ends of this week. >> boeing is making a very conscientious effort to improve the transparency of the process. >> boeing pilots have been test flying the max with the new software and letting airline pilots test fly it in simulators but without enough simulators to retrain pilots, boeing wants to use an ipad program instead. a former ntsb chairman says this may not be good enough. >> i would want to train my pilots to that new information not just have them read it but have them hands-on do it before they fly the airline again. >> reporter: also today congress will demand answers from transportation secretary elaine chao and the acting faa chief about how the max was originally certified for flight and the program congress itself approved that gives boeing the authority to certify itself. >> these two accidents occurring within a five-month period of time has really alarmed the traveling public and alarmed politicians and air worthiness authorities.

it's causing them to prompt these intense investigations. >> reporter: here in seattle, some of the boeing 737 maxes that are stacking up on the runway behind me, because they are grounded worldwide, this entire episode has wiped off $28 billion in market cap, market value off of boeing. meanwhile, there is really no evidence that this plane is going to fly any time soon guys, back to you. >> tom costello in seattle for us this morning. thank you. it seems like this might be a nice time to check on the weather. for that we turn to mr. roker. it looks like our friends in the midwest can't catch a break. >> unfortunately, craig and savannah we've got temperatures that are going to be anywhere from 5 to 20 degrees above average today as we move into the weekend, it's going to be even warmer from denver to minneapolis, temperatures upper 60s to mid-70s. that's 15 to 20 degrees above average. you had add those warm temperatures to already heavier than usual snowpack in the upper midwest and we could see 6

inches of snow melt going into the missouri and mississippi rivers add to that a 1-2 punch of another storm system, a front that stalls out and allows rounds of showers and thunderstorms tomorrow right on into friday. flash flood watches are likely moisture will move east along this front and anywhere from 2 to 3 inches of rain causing some river flood rise we'll watch this very closely over the next 72 hours we'll get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. th hey, dan! your coworkers told me you haven't done your taxes. i just want to say, you can call a turbotax live cpa for help. we'll help you get your refund and get back to your life. you'd really do that for me? yeah, dan. it's literally my job. thanks, guys! so, there's no snacks...nothing? i brought kale. turbotax live now with cpa's on demand. good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall,

tracking a round of rain through the north bay. this will continue to move closer to san francisco within the next few minutes. we'll even have a chance of thunderstorms. we're seeing the cloudy skies over the south bay. going into the rest of the day our rain chance goes up and some thunderstorms possible by early afternoon. as we go through the rest of the forecast, a few more waves of the rain that will linger into tomorrow. it clears out by the weekend with the temperatures warming up as well. weather. craig. >> all right, al, and your glasses, thank you. straight ahead, the new move by patriots owner robert kraft to fight that prostitution case against him. and what the nfl's commissioner is now saying about all of it. and a new look at the life of barbara bush through the former first lady's own words, including why she reportedly blamed president trump for her heart attack but first, this is "today" on nbc.

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good morning. it's 7:26. aisle kris sanchez, a live look over 101 in san rafael, where we've seen some drivers dealing with soggy conditions. kari hall is tracking a new round of rain moving right now through the same area. >> we are seeing much of that rain through the north bay. as we look at storm ranger, it's making i way to the rest of the bay area. we've seen it making its progress, but through the rest of the day, we also have a chance the this morning, small hail, rumbles of thunder also possible. that shifts out of the north bay, and then this evening we

have some dry weather for a little while. that rain will be off and on, even into the day tomorrow as the tomorrow system continues to move through. and into the afternoon. then our weather dry out. the weekend is looking very pleasant, highs near 70 degrees. that continues into next week, with san francisco, cool temperatures to start, but a mild weekend ahead. let's head over to plik for an update on the commute. >> a mild commute right now. kari was talking about the rain mo mo moving in gently. it's ought cleared. we just got a warning there's a crash there at the specific intersection. we started out with this shot. kris showed you some slowing. just be careful. highway 37, it doesn't sound

like the rain will be big enough to cause closures. thank you mike. more local news coming up in a half hour. we hope you stay dry.

we're back, do you feel it, craig? are you feeling the fever? >> i do, i do. >> it's powerball fever because the jackpot is at an eye-popping -- i can't even say it $750 million. >> if someone here wins it, we're going to have to do the show ourselves because half the floor crew -- >> oh, they're in. they're in we've got to get in the pool and then it will just be an empty space. >> well, hoda will be here. >> yeah, exactly lots going on but a lot of people talking about that big jackpot. let's start with a check of the headlines. more on the jackpot in just a moment there is growing backlash after authorities decided to drop all charges against actor jussie

smollett prosecutors still insist the "empire" star faked the anti-gay attack on himself, but the 16 felony counts related to making a false report were dropped in exchange for two days of community service and $10,000 in court costs. chicago's mayor, rahm emanuel, strongly condemning that decision. >> this is, without a doubt, a whitewash of justice and sends a clear message that if you're in a position of influence and power, you'll get treated one way. other people will be treated another way. >> smollett could still face a federal charge of mail fraud after police say he mailed himself a fake death threat. a suburban new york county is taking an unprecedented step. they have declared a measles emergency after 153 cases in the last six months. they're banning unvaccinated children under 18 from all public places including stores, restaurants and schools.

that ban will last 30 days or until the children receive the mmr vaccine. the outbreak has been concentrated in jewish orthodox communities where some have religious objections to the vaccine. officials say with the growing health threat, views are changing. big news from the nfl this morning. on tuesday team owners approved an expansion of the league's replay review system to include pass interference penalties. all of it stemming from that controversial noncall in the nfc championship game back in january. you remember that play officials missing an obvious pass interference call in the fourth quarter of the rams 26-23 win over the saints. the new orleans saints insisting it cost them a trip to the super bowl well, now pass interference will be reviewable both offensive and defensive. coaches will be able to challenge both calls and noncalls saints coach sean payton reacting tuesday saying, quote, i'm thinking we got it right. >> i think that's the real reason hoda is off today she couldn't bear that watch that one more time.

now to a high-profile prostitution bust we've been following involving robert kraft, the owner of the new england patriots now he says he's going to fight the charges and go to trial rather than take a plea deal that was offered nbc's gabe gutierrez is at the palm beach county courthouse for us gabe, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. it appears robert kraft is not backing down as this case moves forward. he was supposed to be arraigned here at this courthouse tomorrow but he's now waived that hearing and his attorneys are asking for a jury trial this as overnight the nfl commissioner spoke out about the scandal. this morning robert kraft is in phoenix for the nfl's annual meeting, but commissioner roger goodell won't say whether the league will punish him. >> the personal conduct policy applies to everybody, commissioners, owners, executives, players, coaches and it will be applied to everybody. but it will be done after we get all the facts. >> reporter: in florida, kraft's attorneys are signaling the new england patriots owner is not

interested in the plea deal palm beach county prosecutors offered him and other men caught up in the scandal. kraft waiving his scheduled arraignment tomorrow and instead pleading not guilty and asking for a jury trial the billionaire and two dozen other men have been charged with solicitation of prostitution after authorities set up hidden cameras in this day spa as part of a human trafficking investigation. >> the video that we obtained, it shows the act that took place. >> reporter: over the weekend, kraft responding personally for the first time since being charged, publicly apologizing in a written statement, but not admitting any wrongdoing i am truly sorry, he wrote i know i have hurt and disappointed by family, my close friends, my co-workers and our fans a spokesperson previously denied craft did anything illegal prosecutors have offered the 77-year-old and other suspects a plea deal that would have required them to admit there was sufficient evidence to find them guilty at trial among other conditions but so far kraft isn't taking it, and instead will have his

day in court >> so, gabe, depending on what happens here, whether he goes to trial, whether he's convicted or not, does that all implicate what the nfl can do? can they punish him or censor him either way >> reporter: yeah. technically, no, it doesn't matter the nfl could still punish him if they rule that he did violate the personal conduct policy. he could face a hefty fine or a suspension he's due back here in court on april 9th. if convicted, he does face up to a year in jail savannah. >> we'll see where this goes gabe, thank you. >> in addition to hosting the show you're our chief legal analyst. if this goes to trial, are we going to see that video? >> i think so. i think you would unless the defense, bob kraft's defense lawyers could somehow get the video thrown out on some legal basis. but if it went to trial, yeah, the video would be a matter of public record. we turn to mr. roker for another check of the forecast. what's the word? >> well, thanks for that anyway, let's show you -- >> don't kill the messenger.

>> i know. it seems a long way from deflategate. anyway we're looking at a low-pressure system pushing in from the west. it's going to bring rain and snow to northern california on into parts of the pacific northwest. and this is just going to be a slow-moving system as it drifts to the east. rain and heavy snow throughout the sierra we're looking at this lasting right on into about friday generally 1 to 2 inches, but there could be some rainfall, hourly rates, at three-quarters of an inch which could cause flash flooding and snowfall in the sierra we're looking at 9 to 18 inches good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. that rain moving through the north bay, continuing to make its way into the rest of the bay area. during that time we may have thunderstorms, looking out for the potential of thunder and small hate. thrill still by scattered rain in the forecast throughout the

day tomorrow, all clearing out by friday. by sunday, we're reaching into the low 70s as the sunshine continues. >> i'm just going t >> i'm just going to say it. i love when you talk legal >> i'm just going to say that i love your glasses and i would like to steal them. >> oh, yikes coming up, we'll talk more about those glasses. also, one of the world's highest-paid athletes this morning reportedly under investigation after being accused of sexual assault. we'll have the very latest in a live report. also ahead, we'll hear from the family of an army staff sergeant who died in iraq saving other soldiers, as they prepare to accept the nation's highest military honor on his behalf. then the race to scoop up tickets for tonight's powerball jackpot. it's worth an eye-popping three-quarters of a billion dollars. and next, a first look at a new book revealing barbara bush's dislike of president trump and her dismissal of the republican party but first these messages you know that look? that life of the party look.

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♪ ♪ this morning on in depth today, a former first lady unfiltered >> bash brbara bush known to be outspoken, now there's a new book just coming to light. >> it's a new biography of barbara bush offering rare insights into the wife of the 41st president and the mother of the 43rd reminding us that she was never afraid to speak her mind this morning the former first lady in the last month's of life revealing to her biographer hr strong dislike for donald trump.

so fierce, she blamed trump what she called a heart attack. >> bush is 1% in nevada. why doesn't he just give up, go home go home. go home to mom. >> reporter: then candidate trumpbelittling jeb during the primaries. >> like bush, this guy bush, he's like low energy. >> reporter: mrs. bush said she was originally hesitant for jeb to enter the race, feelings she shared on "today." >> there are other people out there that are very qualified and we've had enough bushes. >> reporter: she was so alarmed by trump she agreed jeb should run and campaigned for him in new hampshire. >> he's decent, he's honest. he's everything we need in a president. >> reporter: her dislike for trump went back decades. in her diaries bush describes trump as greedy, shelfish and

ugly by 2016 bush was dismayed by the nation's city visions and by the direction of the party she had worked for and so long telling page in one interview, i don't understand why people are for him and in another expressing astonishment that women would support him. in fact, when the bushes went to vote that november she wrote in her son jeb's name and her husband voted for hillary clinton, the first time in his life he had voted for a democrat but despite her harsh feelings for president trump, the former first lady wrote melania trump well coming her to the first ladies club. the fact she had even written a congratulation letter to bill clinton thinking hillary would win. but she of course never mailed that

mrs. bush never got over her distaste for president trump a friend even gave her a trump countdown clock marking the days remaining in his term. a clock that she kept by her bedside until the day she died >> it sounds like quite the fascinating read >> a lot of bomb shells in that book thank you, andrea. a lot more ahead for us including the odds of winning the historic powerball drawing and its 3 quarter of a billion jackpot. jake... seresto, seresto, seresto. whatever your dog brings home to you, it shouldn't be fleas and ticks. seresto gives your dog 8 continuous months of flea and tick protection in an easy-to-use, non-greasy collar. seresto, seresto, seresto. ohh no, jake. seresto. 8-month. seresto, seresto, seresto.

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molly got dressed for a big night out with her closest friends. john got dressed for his first first date in what feels like a really long time. john! hi! >>hi. sasha got dressed to crush her job interview. it looks good! and millions of other americans got dressed for millions of other personal moments. that's why at stitch fix we don't just see your size or your style. sasha greene? we see you. we're back carson daly joining the table. we're talking about this latest case of lottery fever sweeping

the nation >> tonight's jackpot is 750 million bucks and one of those millions hoping to get rich later today. good luck. >> reporter: yeah, good morning from liberty bagel and deli here decisions, decisions, do we get a bagel or a lottery ticket? i think we're going to try for both here. and the reason why, $750 million that is the reason it is a huge jack pott and the chances of somebody winning tonight i hate to tell you are not very great 292 million to one to win the jackpot so it's likely we'll see that lottery possibly grow up into the billions of dollars that's what we've seen in the past those huge massive lottery tickets. we'll be filling this out here if you wonder what the lump sum looks like it looks about $465 million that is what experts say you should take because the dollar of today is going to be stronger

than the future. but the decision to ask before you buy one of these lottery tickets, what are you going to win if you win the lottery i just want an island in the bahamas, possibly a helicopter, maybe a submarine and i need some help with some of these numbers so if you guys have any numbers, what do you think >> how old are you >> i'm 64. >> so a 64 >> 64? >> all right >> 39. >> we're doing ages? >> 25. >> this is not an obligation to split it here. i'll give you guys a ride in the submarine. you guys are just saying numbers. >> good luck >> you don't think it's going to happen to you, but in january there was a $425 million lotto ticket sold five minutes down the road from my house in long island >> it didn't happen to you >> that's enough

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right notice it's 7:56 on your wednesday morning. grab the umbrella before you head out the door. we have a round of rain through the north bay, making its way into the rest of the bay area. this rain has been coming down at almost a quarter inch of rain an hour, where we see the yellows and reds. you can track this if you have the nbc bay area app. if you have a this morning heading through your location, we'll be tracking it, as well as tomorrow. off and on rains there will be breaks in between, maybe a bit of sunshine for the evening commute. tomorrow still in scattered showers moving in and around the bay area, but some parts of the bay area will sees much rain, like the south bay. then we dry out heading into the

rest of the forecast. sunshine just in time for the weekend. mike? we're looking at northbound 101 and hellier. i think that's a he -- i'm circle this area from los gatos. highway 9 looks like an issue. and i'll track that with the police and let you know. so far just rain coming in from the north bay. the bay bridge toll plaza, there was a stall that clear and now just the fast-track lanes are backed up. firefighters are trying to figure out what caused an early morning fire that destroyed a home in concord. within womb did surminor burns. you can see the full story in our twitter feed. also oakland residents will gets an alert right around the 11:00 hour this morning. the state is testing the first shake alert quake system, meant to detect quakes before the

shaking actually starts. you'll find out more on hour home page to see if you're effected. the test is limited to 40,000 people. tomorrow, an inside look what will make the new exhibits more unique this time around. ra popular museum is given a makeovers. >> what will make the exhibits more unique this time around. plus a smartphone mess. >> a lesson that all of us can take.

it's 8:00 it's 8:00 on "today," coming up, smollett shocker, the bomb shell decision by prosecutors to drop all charges against jussie smollett, blind siding chicago police and city officials. >> this is a person now who's been let off scot-free with no sense of accountability of the moral and ethical wrong of his actions. >> this morning the prosecutor's decision under fire amid new calls for an investigation. plus, lucky to be alive, a 3-year-old boy nearly drowns in a hotel hot tub unnoticed until two employees spring into action >> i radioed to maintenance, i said get over to the hot tub there's a little boy drowning. >> that baby is alive today

because of her and the maintenance man. >> police praising the heroes, the mother now facing charges. we're live with the latest. and reigning supreme, diana ross celebrates her 75th birthday with a star-studded celebration including a songbirs from beyonce. ♪ happy birthday ms. ross >> an inside look at the party that will have you stopped in the name of love, today, wednesday march 27th, 2019 ♪ >> hi to our family and friends in charlotte, illinois! >> i'm rhea, and i'm dino from colorado >> my last official spring break because i'm retiring ♪ >> our family's spring break from south carolina! >> in maryland celebrating 35 years of service to the

community today! >> shoutout to bloomington, illinois. >> hope you're having a great vacation good morning, welcome back to "today" on wednesday morning we have craig here and a great crowd outside. >> how great are those shout-outs we love seeing those we'd love for you to join in on the fun. record a quick video on your phone from wherever you're watching, use the #mytodayplaza on your screen we'll snag it off instagram or twitter, and we'll put you on tv >> let's get right to the news at 8:00 and the curious case against jussie smollett became even more puzzling when all charges against the actor were abruptly dropped on tuesday. police still believe he lied about being the victim of a phony hate crime prosecutors say their case was solid. miguel almaguer joins us. good morning >> reporter: good morning. the decision came as a shock to chicago police and the mayor who were not consulted before

hand and are outraged, the conviction they say was a slam dunk now the actor walks away without a single criminal charge. >> reporter: walking out of court no longer facing criminal claiming victory and still maintaining his innocence. >> i've been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one. >> reporter: but while cook county prosecutors dropped the 16 felony counts of lying to police, they say the "empire" actor has not been exonerated >> he is not a victim of a hate crime. >> reporter: the bombshell decision comes after cook county prosecutors agreed to a deal, charges dropped in exchange for two days of community service and $10,000 in court costs. >> this has been an incredibly difficult time, honestly one of the worst of my entire lime. >> reporter: the prosecutor calling the controversial move standard procedure, but chicago's top cop says he was blind sided. >> if someone falsely accused me, i would never hide behind a

brokered deal and secrecy, period. >> reporter: chicago's mayor also offering a sharp rebuke saying the actor was sure to be convicted. >> this is without a doubt a whitewash of justice and sends a clear message that if you're in a position of influence and power you'll get treated one way. other people will be treated another way. >> reporter: it was just three weeks ago smollett was indicted by a grand jury after the actor told police he was beaten on this street by two masked men who yelled this is maga country, poured a chemical on him, and left a noose around his neck police say smollett hired these two brothers to stage the attack and was looking to cash in on the publicity. >> we have nothing to say to the police department except to investigate charges and not try their cases in the press. >> reporter: with the case now sealed, the public may never see the evidence gathered by investigators after this perp

walk last month. smollett left court monday stopping to take a selfie with a fan. >> now i'd like nothing more than to just get back to work and move on with my life >> is there no decency in this man? this is a person now who's been let off scot-free with no sense of accountability of the moral and ethical wrong of his actions. >> make no mistake, this was a huge win for jussie smollett, but he's not out of the woods yet. the feds are still investigating the claim that he mailed himself a fake death threat. if convicted of that, he could still face a felony. savannah >> miguel almaguer, thank you. congress is gearing up for a major battle over the future of the affordable care act, also known as obamacare house democrats unveiled a bill designed to improve the law. it seems to lower premiums and bolster protections for people with pre-existing conditions the issue took on new urgency when the trump administration asked the courts to eliminate

obamacare entirely critics sa if that happens more than 28 million people could lose their health insurance >> education secretaries betsy devo came under fire on capitol hill tuesday while defending proposed funding cuts for the special olympics the trump administration wants to cut all $18 million in federal money for the program. one democrat said it was appalling to go after disabled children in the budget devos responded that the special olympics is an awesome organization, but she said it's well-supported by private philanthropy. now to new trouble for ufc star conor mcgregor. hours after he announced his retirement from mixed martial arts came word that he is reportedly under investigation for sexual assault nbc global correspondent bill neely joins us with the latest on this story. >> good morning, craig he earned $99 million last year according to "forbes" making him one of the world's highest earning sports stars, but now he's quitting. it came as a surprise, though it's not the first time he's

announced his retirement, but it comes after reports of a criminal investigation into him at home in ireland >> his fists have made him a fortune. conor mcgregor brutal inside a ring, brash outside it and it seems never far from trouble. arrested this month for smashing a fan's phone in miami, but now he says he's giving up fighting or at least the mixed martial arts variety tweeting, hey, guys, quick announcement i've decided to retire from the sport. i wish all my old colleagues well his announcement came hours after appearing on "the tonight show" with jimmy fallon hinting at a possible fight in july. >> to my fans, i am in shape, and i am ready. >> reporter: and outlining his values growing up in ireland >> where i learned the values of hard work, where i learned loyalty. where i learned how to fight.

>> reporter: but with his trade and his temper came trouble. he attacked a bus carrying fellow fighters in new york last year >> i regret my actions that led me here today. >> reporter: and now the "new york times" is reporting that mcgregor is under investigation over an allegation of sexual assault in ireland his spokeswoman saying this story has been circulating for some time, and it's unclear why it's being reported now. the assumption that the conor retirement announcement today is related to this rumor is absolutely false irish police have neither named nor charged mcgregor they say investigations are ongoing into the case, but the file hasn't yet been forwarded for a decision on prosecution. as for mcgregor retiring, we've been here before he did it three years ago, then changed his mind. >> i came back for the love of fighting and the love of war he lost that last fight, a match that famously ended with a wild brawl and his six-month

suspension from the sport. his global fans now unsure whether they've really seen the last of the man who calls himself notorious. >> so what do we think here, bill is mcgregor serious about retiring this time or as some critics have suggested, is it all another publicity stunt? >> oh, craig, how cynical. how could you suggest such a thing? [ laughter ] >> i think you're absolutely right. look, many of his fans don't believe this either, and his last retirement lasted just a few days it was a ruse to get himself a better deal and even his spokeswoman is hinting that he might fight again if he's shown more respect so i don't think we've heard the last from him at all, craig. >> i think you're probably right. our chief global correspondent bill neely, thank you. dramatic video from florida shows a group of spring breakers turning the tables on some would be robbers four cousins from indiana were filling up at a gas station near miami on sunday morning. a man from another car runs over

and points a gun at them police say he demanded money and other valuables. the cousins, well, they were no easy marks they pushed back, wrapped their arms around the gunman, then fell to the ground punching him. that's when the alleged get away driver jumps in to rescue his accomplice who loses the weapon. the other suspect did get away hoda is on assignment, this is usually when we would do the "boost." >> the "boost" has got to go on. >> should i try it >> yes. >> we'll give it a shot. a reminder this morning that a little help can go a long way. jacob sanders driving in las vegas when he sees a blind man wandering between cars in a dangerous crosswalk. jacob stops his car to help. before he could, a woman got out of her car and escorted the blind man safely across the street jacob whose brother is blind said the scene was so touching that he recorded it and shared it online to inspire others. mission accomplished. >> absolutely. coming up, the hotel workers

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the things that matter most happen one morning and one cup at a time. ♪ ♪ we're back it's wednesday morning we've got a dramatic rescue caught on camera. >> it happened at a hotel in florida when a toddler playing in a hot tub suddenly slipped beneath the water. morgan radford is here with more on that. the video is terrifying. >> it was a dramatic moment. it was all caught on camera. that little boy is waking up in the hospital this morning after a swim with his twin brother went terribly, terribly wrong, but thanks to one good watchful samaritan who saw it all unfolding that little boy is alive and his mother is behind bars. >> reporter: this morning a young boy is lucky to be alive, and his mother is in trouble with the law after the toddler nearly drowned in a hotel hot tub.

>> it was pretty obvious she was highly intoxicated and she wasn't watching, and one of the children slipped right into the hot tub and went under immediately. >> it happened sunday night at perry's ocean edge resort in daytona beach. while their father was packing up the family's belongings, surveillance footage shows the couple's 3-year-old twin boys entering the hot tub, one with arm floats, the other without. the one without the safety device slipped under the water. >> this is a 3-year-old child. they can't look after themselves these are parents with twins and somebody should have been watching that child at all times. >> reporter: thankfully one person was watching, desk clerk wanda van blarcum was monitoring the hotel security camera. >> i radioed to maintenance, i said get over to the hot tub there's a little boy drowning. >> reporter: when the maintenance man got to the boy, the child had been under for over two minutes he immediately started cpr. >> we got him to breathing, we got him to breathing but barely. >> reporter: police say the mother, 36-year-old april

connolly was sitting at a table away from the children. >> i was definitely watching my son. i turned around for two seconds, i have twins. >> police say connolly admitted she was under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, and prescription drugs she's now facing a charge of felony child neglect and destruction of evidence. police are calling the hotel workers who took action heroes >> that baby alive today is because of her and the maintenance man. >> it was a team effort, but i'm just glad, you know, i was watching if i could see that little boy today, you know, he's always going to be in my mind and my heart. >> reporter: that little boy's mother made her first appearance in court on tuesday where a judge agreed to release her under pretrial supervision, but with several conditions including that she have no unsupervised contact with her children police say the 3-year-old is in stable condition, and is expected to be released from the hospital today >> thank goodness for that hotel worker watching on surveillance, happening to see it on that grainy image. >> she says the second she saw

his head go down, she knew immediately that something was wrong. >> fingers crossed the kid's okay the next 48 hours we will switch gears and go to alt's forecast. >> you're wearing many i glasses. >> seem to be the community glasses now. we are looking at wet weather down in northern and central florida, also wet weather making its way into the pacific northwest and parts of northern california we've also got rainfall forecast through saturday for the missouri, mississippi rivers you can see anywhere from one to three inches of rain isolated, some four-inch amounts may fall. we're going to be watching that for the river cresting for today a morning chill in the northeast, high surf advisories along the eastern florida coast. midwest warmth building in and sierra snow and wet weather. gorgeous weather in texas from the southwest. bey. good morning. . i'm kari hall. heavy rain moving through as we track it on storm ranger now starting to make it into the peninsula. we're going to see this starting

to make its way into the rest of the bay area with a chance of some thunderstorms. looking at the rain over south san francisco as well as the coastal areas on the peninsula, we'll see that moving through. and then by the day tomorrow, we're still going to have rain chances in the forecast. we'll watch out for that as well as some thunderstorms throughout the day today. >> and that's your latest weather, craig. >> all right, mr. roker, thank you. it is "pop start" time >> we are going to cover the phenomenon that is al roker's glasses in "pop start. we'll start with diana ross, the queen of motown celebrating her 75th birthday in l.a many stars were in attendance. check out who had the honor of singing happy birthday ♪ happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday

ms. ross ♪ [ cheers ] ♪ happy birthday to you >> how about that, huh >> look at that party, too. >> she's not the only one who sang during the night. diana ross herself taking the stage to perform some of her classic hits in front of all of her guests even stevie wonder joined her on stage. the celebration also came on the day the state of california declared march 26th diana ross day. very cool, happy birthday to ms. ross. up next john legend shared a photo of him and luna on a daddy-daughter date. notice the print on his shirt there, where this might be headed take a look. >> luna, do you know what's on my shirt >> yeah. >> what is it? >> daddy shark >> daddy shark doo doo doo, daddy shark doo doo doo, daddy shark doo doo doo doo, daddy

shark. >> mommy shark doo doo doo. >> she's standing up legend captioned the video making a little too much noise at launch. he brought it on himself once you start that song you can't stop i want to apologize to everybody here. now to kobe bryant, the former nba star was on "the late, late show. he and cara delevingne played a game with james corden spill your guts or fill your guts. you either had to answer the question at hand or eat something disgusting it was a tough one for kobe who was faced with eating a cow's tongue. >> i would like you to rank these legendary basketball players from best to worst [ laughter ] >> lebron james, michael jordan and kobe bryant. [ laughter ] >> you know i'm going to answer it, but i'm not going to answer it because everybody's going to sit there and debate about it, so i'm just going to take a bite of this. >> why that end? >> you can't answer.

it's pretty straightforward, i think. >> fine, fine, i'm the best, michael's second best. lebron's third >> what? i can't even believe he said it with a straight face better than jordan >> come on >> cow's tongue. >> if he doesn't think so, who will >> wow, bold move to say the least. >> sports radio is going to be all over that. finally, uncle al, your glasses have been the talk of the internet since debuting them on monday's show, the periwinkle glasses have garnered many fans online commenting on instagram, here's a few -- best dressed weatherman on tv, another wrote you are so classy trend setter and many news outlets wrote about them as well savannah, craig, myself, we've all been donning the blue framed glasses. >> they look good on you guthrie. >> what do you think about all the attention? were you surprised >> i think people were over the mueller report, looking for anything. >> they look great on you.

i think they look good on everyone who tried them on did you telling me that deborah, your wife, does not care for them >> deborah, what are you thinking, they're adorable i just e-mailed your eyeglass's person i'm going to copy you. >> when i find a pair of pants that fit well, i buy them in every color. will you buy these in every -- >> i think i will get a couple other colors i'm thinking maybe a purple, something else. >> they are perfect for your face perfect color. >> i think red too. >> might go with the red. >> we'll be twinsies. >> al roker, fashion forward. this woman was recording a birthday message for her friend when the greeting came to a surprising end. >> uh-oh. >> for your birthday you get the famous birthday song ♪ happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear margaret, happy birthday to you and mandy moore ♪ >> jazz hands. love you, hope you have an awesome day. oh, my god, somebody just hit

me i got in a car wreck call you back. >> wow. >> happy birthday. >> have an awesome day >> oh, my god somebody just hit me i got in a car wreck call you back. >> was everyone okay >> everybody's fine. >> i don't know if she was driving and -- doing a birthday video. >> the good news is -- >> it was a parking lot. >> it looked like she was stopped and then she started to go. >> she thought the video was over i can start driving now. >> glad everyone was okay. >> nobody was hurt. we've got a magical half hour ahead really it's very magical the musician dan white is here he's going to baffle and amaze. >> this is going to be good. >> can't wait. >> first a check of your local news. >> he looks intense, too good mo.

i )m ... a live look at the golden gate bridge. good morning to you. 8:26. a live look at the golden gate bridge. that's where we've seen drivers dealing with wet and foggy conditions out there this morning. meteorologist kari hall has been tracking the rain moving through some areas right now. >> especially the north bay where the heaviest rain is now and has been au morning long. now it's making its way into the peninsula. i'm watching for possibility of some thunderstorms. so far i haven't seen any. we have the possibility of some lightning along with some small hail. this start to make progress into the east bay as well as the south bay by noon. then there will be a break in the activity looking at some sunshine for the rest of the day. and then we'll see some more off and on showers throughout the

forecast tomorrow. clearing out in time for the weekend as well as early next week. we'll be watching all of that. now an update on commute from miking. > a little sunshine, that might be why folks tapped on their brake today. westbound 92 much more smoothly. slow for about five minutes. slower drive across there southwest the dum barton bridge to the peninsula. look at the radar moving in from off the coast. overall commute's looking pretty good. the north bay getting a lot more rain. novato. watch 101. >> we'll have more local news coming up in half an hour. ♪ no hormones!

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and we are back. we are back, it's 8:30 now on this wednesday morning, march 27th, 2019, as we say hello to another fantastic crowd. >> whoo! >> rolling spring break, baby. >> hi, you all. >> hey, ms. guthrie. >> what's up oh, guys, remember last night? >> yes >> we raised a glass to kathie lee. it was so much fun. >> it was a great time. >> a great party, hoda and kathie lee had us all crying with their speeches. an epic one from kathie lee. a great night, and it was so fun to toast her, and everybody turned out it was just a really special night. >> yeah, and i think the real

point of last night wasn't so much about saying good-bye because kathie lee is going to go on to the next chapter of her career, and she'll probably come back and promote her movie. >> and her music and her musicals >> we love her coming up, we've got magician dan white who is absolutely amazing he's going to do a few tricks for us i thought if we could since we're out on the plaza, if you don't mind, come over this way towards me where's eva? do you want to say good morning to anybody eva >> good morning to my mom and da and grandparents. >> where are you from? >> indiana. >> do you like magic >> yes. >> this is mr. dan white. >> hi eva, nice to meet you. >> who is one of the best on earth. >> hold that box, check that, make sure it's a normal box. and eva take any card you want out there at all don't show it to anybody yet don't show it to anybody you got it remember it. i'm going to place this in the

middle of the pack right about -- i'd say about there. it's about half the deck eva i want you to hold this box, and i want you to hold it right tight. i'm going to place your card in that box hold it real tight, hold that flap down. think of your card think of your card good, now i want you to look at the box, hold the cards out. good, and just relax and think of the card and as you relax, relax a little bit more, watch, what happens? >> whoa. >> eva, for the first time say your card out loud. >> 4 of hearts. >> is that your card >> how did it move up? my gosh. >> that's unbelievable eva there you go thanks for being here. we're going to get more from dan in just a little bit if you were impressed by that, wait until you see inside. >> were you in on the trick? >> that's magic. >> unbelievable. >> cool. thank you. >> speaking of magic, we've got magic happening on the third

hour of "today," laila ali is stopping by, and we've got a guy who went from 300 pounds to the toughest man alive he's going to share the lessons he learned by pushing his mind and body to the max. >> his name is david goggins a "new york times" bestselling author as well we've got a big announcement this morning, this one, savannah guthrie invited to be the commencement speaker at george washington university. the big day is on may 19th to help you get ready, some members of the graduating class of gw wanted to share a few fun facts about their school take a look. >> hey, savannah, did you know that past gw commencement speakers have included michelle obama and kerry washington >> did you know there are ten gw alumni currently serving in congress >> hey, savannah, gw is the only university to hold its commencement on the national mall. >> wow, no pressure. >> now i'm nervous >> no pressure. >> they also sent this

>> oh, my gosh. >> there you go. >> i'm ready actually, i'm not ready. i've got to write the speech. >> have you started writing anything >> i wrote some thoughts but i will i can't wait it's such a an honor we'll see you in may let's get a check of the weather. >> let's show you what we have for today. we are looking at chilly conditions in the northeast, mid-atlantic into new england, nice and warm in the midwest we do have high surf advisories along the florida coastline, and we're looking for some wet weather and sierra snow, pacific northwest and northern good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall tracking rain moving in and a chance of thunderstorms for today as we get a look at our hour by hour out look, rain moving through san francisco and the peninsula pushing into the rest of the bay area farther south into early afternoon. that's when we could see small hail and some thunderstorms. it clears out for tonight. the rain continues at times throughout the day tomorrow.

clearing out as we go into the weekend. we'll get some sunshine and warmer temperatures. >> that's your latest weather. don't forget, you can always check us out when you travel, go to today show sirius xm channel 108. guys. thank you so much. the medal of honor is of course the u.s. military's highest honor, and today the president will bestow it posthumously to army staff sergeant travis atkins he gave his life while fighting in iraq, and he saved three of his fellow soldiers. nbc's kristen welker is at the white house. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, 22-year-old trevor oliver says he is filled with emotion and pride as he prepares to accept his father is, army staff sergeant travis atkins who was 31 when he was killed trevor's grandparents will also be by his side all honoring a man trevor calls his personal role model and a hero for the country. >> reporter: for the family of

army staff sergeant travis atkins, this cemetery in bozeman, montana, is where they come to be close to their son and father. >> he was the big man in my life. >> trevor oliver was just 10 years old when his father left to serve his second tour of duty in iraq. >> i never wanted him to leave, but he had to. that's what he wanted to do, and that's what made it easier for me to let him go because i knew that's what he wanted to do. >> his parents say he felt called to serve his country. his mom elena knew it from the start. >> when we went to the graduation ceremonies for completing basic training, he said it was the most fun he had ever had in his life. >> reporter: but his father jack atkins, a vietnam veteran himself, urged his son to ask for a less dangerous assignment this time. >> i said you paid your dues change your mos to something less risky, and he wouldn't hear

it. >> reporter: and on june 1st, 2007 atkins was with his squad as they encountered two insurgents. hand to hand combat broke out with one of them he quickly realized the man was wearing explosives atkins threw himself on top of the suicide bomber saving three of his fellow soldiers but making the ultimate sacrifice. >> what do you remember about that day >> it's like a hole that will never be filled. >> it's very hard to take in as a young kid, but understanding what happened, it made me realize that it was such an extreme act of courage. >> reporter: and today the atkins family is here in washington with trevor now 22 years old. >> it means the world to me. >> poised to accept the medal of honor, the nation's highest recognition on behalf of his dad. for atkins' parents, the pride is palpable. >> he wasn't all about medals and honors he was about doing his job and he did it well.

>> how should we remember your dad? >> as the greatest father and soldier anyone could be at the same time. >> reporter: really emotional there. trevor says what means even more to him than the medal of honor, hearing from the soldiers whose lives were saved by his father, many making it clear they wouldn't be here if it weren't for that brave act the ceremony gets underway here at the white house this afternoon. savannah, craig, carson. >> all right, kristen welker there at the white house. >> tremendous. >> sergeant atkins. >> will be remembered today in the ceremony you can check it out actually. it will be worth watching for sure. >> we'll be back with more on a wednesday morning, but first this is "today" on nbc

what better way to liven up your midweek morning with some magic, some illusion that is just what dan white has in store

but first, what makes him so magical? >> reporter: he's the master of jaw dropping magic. >> that is how you do it right there! >> reporter: 37-year-old dan white once dubbed a smoldering magician has been thrilling audiences with his seemingly psychic abilities, incredible sleight of hand. >> did you feel that did you feel it? >> reporter: and masterful illusions. >> turn it over. >> reporter: growing up in philadelphia, white became enamored with the world of tricks and illusions working in a magic shop, eventually making a name for himself in the industry by creating acts for magicians like david copperfield, and white's big break came when jimmy fallon booked him for "the tonight show" putting him face to face with hollywood's biggest celebs. white continues to mesmerize

soldout audiences at his residency in new york's nomad hotel. this morning he's bringing that magic to studio 1a good morning again >> thank you >> before we get to the magic, congratulations, happy anniversary. >> i appreciate it. >> today is four years to the day you started at the hotel >> it's been an amazing ride. >> when folks come there, what kinds of show can they expect? >> it's only about 80 people and there's a lot of drinks served and it's very kind of dark and mysterious, but as soon as goes away, it's all fun it's about a two-hour show >> let's have some fun this morning. let's bring over my friends, mr. roker, ms. guthrie, mr. daly carson daly is a big fan of magic. >> congratulations on four years. great buzz about this show, about you and what you do. >> let's try something interesting right now. carson, you want to help out >> i'm scared. >> we're going to do something with numbers and coincidences. i want you to think of a number

between 35 and 100 i want you to change your mind a few times so everyone knows you haven't talked really in your mind there's a number that's just formed at this moment. you got one? >> yes. >> between 35 and 100. imagine that that number is written right here on this post it note, really big. you see that in your mind? >> i want you to do that if you wouldn't mind, step back a little bit so nobody can see what you write write that number big on that post it note i don't want anybody to see what the number is. i don't want to see. don't show it to the camera. let me know when you've done that >> i've written it. >> give me the pen back. >> fold that piece of paper in half fold it in half again. >> fold it in half. >> and place that piece of paper in one of your pockets. >> in half again. >> you're thinking of a number that nobody knows. >> inside my jacket. >> wherever you want. >> check out the deck of cards, there's no ink bled through. i'm going to take out two very important cards. we're going to use -- let's see, this one and this one. yeah, these two cards. great.

savannah if you wouldn't mind can you place your hand on top of those two cards >> keep it here? >> that's going to be your job for now. okay here's the interesting part. i'm going to try to deduce your number by asking you a series of questions, but i'm going to time this because i've been able to -- i'm going to try to get it underneath a minute. i've got my timer up here once i can get it open. be in charge of the timing okay you're going to be the time keeper when i say start hit start, when i say stop you hit stop. that's all you've got to do. here we go carson. i want you to think of the last two digits of your phone number. >> of my cell phone number >> of your cell phone number. >> good, what are they >> 00. >> and the rest of your phone number [ laughter ] >> you ready >> google it. >> start now go okay uh-huh mm-hmm, mm-hmm carson, what month were you born in >> june. >> so 6, correct >> correct

okay and what day of the month? >> 22, okay. uh-huh, uh-huh, and done, i think i'm done okay no, not yet. almost and how old were you when you had your first kiss? >> oh, gosh, i don't know if i can accurately remember that. >> there were so many. >> i would say maybe 12. >> 12, perfect good. >> hit stop now. hit stop good, i think i'm done carson, i just wrote some numbers. yes or no did i write the number on this board anywhere here? >> no, you did not >> are you sure? >> yes, i'm sure >> carson what was your number >> you want me to tell you >> yeah. >> 70. >> 70. check this out you could have thought of any number we haven't set anything up.

>> right >> savannah can you please name a number between 1 and 4. >> 3. >> look, there are one two three, four rows on this board row number three, this is the third row, 5 plus 10 is 15, plus 3 is 18, plus 52 is 70 but what if she said row number one, 1, plus 12 plus 7 is 20, plus 50 is 70 or row number two, 49 plus 2 is 70, but not only that, what if we went down, 50 plus 11 is 61, plus 5 plus 4 is 70, is 70, 12, 49, 3 and 6, 77 plus 2 is 9. but more than that, what if we went diagonally, 49, 10, and 4 is 70, what if we just did the corners. 50, 11, 1, and 8, 12, 7 and 2, 53 and 9, 70, 10, 5, 41, 51 and 4 is 70. what if we did the outside corners, plus 4, plus 9 is 70. even the inside corners, these two numbers, these two numbers all add up to 70

the number that you just thought of but here's the craziest part remember this was a coincidence. at the beginning i put down two cards. lift up your hand. >> huh-uh. >> turn over those two cards 7 times 10 is 70 but wait, wait, wait there's more coincidences because you timed this whole thing. you hit stop yourself. look at the timer. it was 41 seconds and 29 milliseconds 41 plus 29. >> 70. >> is 70. >> here's the craziest part. you could have thought of any number >> right. >> you had to pick 70 because on this board, the whole time, i don't know if you can see this. >> he knew you were going to pick 70. >> it's the number 70. >> wow that's amazing >> mic drop. >> that's -- >> could you do any taxes? >> are you kidding me?

that's amazing. >> and by the way, i had switched numbers my mom would have been 75 in a couple of days but when you said switch numbers between 35 and 100, i was going to do 40 and i just landed on 70. >> did you plant 70 in his head somehow? >> no, we never met until a second ago. >> that's crazy. >> and this is permanent ink. >> that's crazy. >> i'm kind of creeped out. >> dan white, thank you. >> i appreciate it thank you so much for having me. >> nomad hotel. >> i meant 60. >> at the nomad hotel here in new york city. he wrote it, 70. >> look at that, it says 60, you're wrong >> that's incredible >> thank you >> go to the nomad hotel and see his show. >> up next, two magicians on the golf course, they're about to take their talents to famed augusta national we are excited to talk to them about it it is indeed historic. we'll have that, but first this is "today" on nbc. >> how'd you do it >> that's thcraziest thing. e

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the augusta women's amateur kicks off next week making history as the first women's tournament to take place on golf's grandest stage. sierra brooks and maria fassi are two of those golfers set to compete in this ground breaking event. girls, great to have you here, ladies i should say, the whole gang is here being the resident golfer, i want to say congratulations. what does it feel like to be among the first ladies to play in a tournament at augusta >> it's just so exciting i think it's a dream that's become reality for all of us. >> how did you guys get into it? how did the invites go out who's going to be there? the best in the world i would imagine. >> there were like certain things you had to have, so like based on world amateur rankings and collegiate golf, and then i know the usa has a certain amount of number of players they get to

have in the tournament yeah, it's basically the top 72 players in the world. >> it's the best of the best in the world. >> and augusta, this historic course, what does that mean to you to play there? >> it means so much. like i said before, it's always been a dream, and to be a part of history and just this historic moment is even more special. >> are you nervous >> yes >> you had surgery recently, didn't you >> i had it a couple of years ago. >> your wrist? >> on my wrist that was my first round of golf back after surgery so i got to go and, you know, it was heaven out there, and exceeded all my expectations. >> maria, you've watched the tournament on tv, the masters, did you ever dream that you would actually get to play on the course >> i never thought about being able to compete there. it was never -- i don't think in any of our heads just to have the opportunity to do that so now that we actually have the chance not only to play the practice round but then have the opportunity to also play in the competition is going to be unreal, and i'm just super excited for it. >> what is it about that course that makes it so special what is it about augusta

national >> i just think it's a historic moment with, you know, all the past players and champions and the green jacket and, you know, everything leading up to that tournament it's the biggest week in golf, and you know, to be -- have that chance for women now to compete there just it's going to really just inspire the next generation. >> and by the way, look at it. you don't want to hit your ball over here. >> no. >> you don't want to hit it too long on this one in particular there's water there. >> on the green. >> look at the trophy, tell us about the trophy. >> our first look at the actual trophy. >> if one of you wins this, are you going to drink some champagne out of it? >> for sure. >> i'm 21 already so i can do that you have to wait a little more >> i have a couple months. >> guys, congratulations play well, and that is really awesome. it's a beautiful trophy. thank you so much. again, the augusta national women's amateur begins one week from today you can catch the live final

round coverage on saturday april 6th. i know i'm going to be right here watching it on nbc. ladies, good luck, we're back in a moment, but first this is "today" on nbc

if you're a if you're a local trying to figure out the trick stuff -- check out today.com/allday. third hour of "today," things are about to get really personal we're going to reveal how we de-stress after a long day. >> craig gives me a foot massage. >> first your local news good wednesday morning. at 8:56, we're tracking a new round of rain moving in to the bay area. we're going to see this off and on. radar starting to fill in. rain bay throughout the north bay in the morning, more activity into the south bay. we'll be watching for thunderstorms. so far haven't seen small hail

or lightning but we will possibly see that as the system continues to move through. we will take a break from rain for the afternoon. but more scattered showers in the forecast going into tomorrow. and then it dries out in time for the weekend. we'll be watching out for the storm chances throughout the rest of the day. markus? >> what's happening now, oakland residents will get alert two hours from now at 11:00. the state is testing its early warning shake alert quake system meant to detect quakes before the shaking activity begins. get more of the back story on our homepage. firefighters are trying to determine what cause add early morning fire that destroyed a home in concord. everyone made it out safely. one woman suffered minor burns. the full story and more dramatic video from the scene. we'll have more news for you coming up in an hour. tomorrow,

what will make the new exhibits more unique this time around. plus--a smart-phone mess. the lesson all of us can take from a san jose woman )s headaches. join us tomorrow from 4:30 to 7.

live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza, this is the third hour of "today." a good wednesday morning, everyone. craig melvin here along side dylan dreyer, al roker. sheinelle continues to enjoy her well-deserved vacation. >> i don't know was it really we-deserved? >> she works a lot. >> she does. i'm just kidding. >> a lot of important stuff to get to. before we get to any of that, we need to talk about this phenomenon sweeping the kscount. al's glasses. i didn't know they were periwinkle. >> i just thought they were bright blue. >> these are just a f