central freeway which is holding traffic up. keeping away from the bay bridge where it's light traffic that sunlight will affect folks earlier in the commute. a note for monday morning's commute. >> yeah. we have to think about that on monday. that's going to do it for us. >> the "today" show is next. see you back here on monday. independence day in a primetime address, president biden looks ahead to summer celebrations and announces all americans will be eligible for a vaccine by may 1st. >> by july the 4th, there is a good chance you, your family, and friends will be able to get together in your backyard or neighborhood. >> just ahead, the key question, when will there actually be enough vaccine for every american and the economy about to get its own injection. our one-on-one with treasury secretary janet yellen on the billions in relief money about to hit bank accounts

have you overshot the mark are you spending too much? our exclusive conversation with the treasury secretary just ahead. criminal case? the groping allegation against new york governor andrew cuomo reported to the police, as 59 state democrats call for his resignation. an impeachment investigation is launched we'll have the very latest. royal rift >> we're very much not the racist family. >> reaction to prince william's first comments on harry and meghan's claims, and what to make of his admission he hasn't spoken to his brother since the bombshell interview. can the brotherly bond be mended fighting back. the pentagon condemns fox news host tucker carlson for his comments about women serving in the u.s. military. >> what we absolutely won't do is take personnel advice from a talk show host >> tucker carlson doubling down overnight. all that, plus, jaw dropping

the piece of digital art that just sold for a record $69 million. >> i'm going to disney world >> just ahead, the artist behind that collage that's turning th art world on its ear. and lending a hand al heads to texas to shine a light on people still in need one month after those historic winter storms. >> the process is taking so much longer than we expected. >> he gets a little help from matthew mcconaughey. >> i have purpose. if something like this happens, purpose comes in with a capital "p." >> mcconaughey and roker, a duo that's al-right, al-right, al-rightal-light today, friday, march 12th, 2021. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb, from

studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. hi, everybody. good morning welcome to "today. friday morning, glad to have you with us. hoda is on assignment. craig, we have you here. al in texas. >> hoda is working al is working down in the lone star state that state still very much recovering one month after the historic winter storms we'll get to al in a moment and the good work he is doing down there. we start with the coronavirus and the goals laid out by president biden during his first primetime address. >> yeah. there are three key dates to circle on the calendar, starting with may 1st the president says he will direct all states to make every adult eligible, eligible for a vaccine by then. >> of course, that doesn't necessarily mean the doses will be available by then the white house hopes that will happen by the end of may it will take even longer for everyone to then get the shot. >> if all goes well, the president says we could see some sense of normalcy, including small gatherings with family and friends on the fourth of july.

want to get to chief white house correspondent kristen welker watching the speech last night good morning. >> reporter: hi, savannah and craig. good morning to both of you. president biden marking the pandemic milestone with a sober address, and that is where he made those announcements that goal of having all americans qualify for vaccines by the start of may, as you say. important to underscore, it could take weeks or even longer before everyone is vaccinated. and the question, can the president meet that benchmark? there have been some mixed messages when it comes to vaccine timelines. all of it comes as republicans are pushing back against president biden's victorious tone, arguing he does not deserve all the credit for where the country is now in his first primetime address to the nation, a somber president biden commemorating the first anniversary of the covid pandemic. >> a year filled with the loss of life and the loss of living for all of us. but in the loss, we saw how much there was to gain.

>> reporter: it was a speech short on policy but filled with promises, including a vow to direct states to make all americans eligible for vaccines by may 1st. >> that's much earlier than expected let me be clear, that doesn't mean everyone is going to have that shot immediately, but it means you may be able to get in line beginning may 1. >> reporter: the president targeting the fourth of july for small group gatherings. >> that will make this independence day something truly special, where we not only mark our independence as a nation, but we begin to mark our independence from this virus >> reporter: republicans already blasting the vaccine message, pointing out that former president trump began that rollout. house republican leader kevin mccarthy tweeting, president biden's plan is to rely on the work that's already done by "operation warp speed." the president also touting the nearly $2 trillion covid relief package he signed into law on

thursday. administration officials saying americans will start seeing those $1,400 direct payments by the weekend. republicans also slamming the relief package, saying the sweeping bill will add to the ballooning deficit, projected to reach over $2 trillion this year. one of the highest since the 1940s. that's not even counting the new stimulus. critics also say the bill is full of non-covid related items, like funding for the arts and climate change. >> this wasn't a bill to finish off the pandemic. it was a multi-trillion dollar trojan horse filled with bad, old liberal ideas. >> reporter: the partisan tensions raising questions about whether the president will be able to achieve his other agenda items. as for the pandemic, president biden urging americans to stay the course. >> i will not relent until we beat this virus, but i need you, the american people. i need you. i need you to get vaccinated when it's your turn. >> reporter: now, the president has not said what his next

legislative target will be, but the fact that he passed covid relief without any republican support could spell some real trouble for the rest of his agenda. other items mr. biden has said he wants to tackle, immigration reform, spending trillions more on infrastructure, climate change. it's hard to see that republicans and even some moderate democrats would back a bill that adds even more to the deficit. as for today, the president and vice president will hold a signing ceremony for the covid relief bill in the rose garden, joined only by top democrats. another sign of the deep divisions here. savannah? >> thank you. let's focus on the pandemic's economic toll and how the new round of relief will impact it. you got some answers last night from treasury secretary janet yellen. >> i joined janet yellen, and we talked about what lies ahead, including how soon the paychecks will land in accounts of americans. so this massive bill is now signed into law.

some estimates up to $475 billion of the last relief package still hasn't been spent so how do you make sure that th? >> we're working hard, first, to get the direct payments out, the $1,400 checks to our direct deposits. americans will begin seeing those show up in their bank accounts this weekend. there is payments for rental assistance, for homeowners in trouble. there will be money to support vaccinations, money for state and local governments to open schools. we will also work to get this money out as quickly as possible. not all of it will be spent this year, but a good chunk of it and into next year. it'll provide a lot of relief. >> you and the president made the argument this is the time to go big or go home. that being said, even progressive economists say this stimulus is up to three times

bigger than it needs to be. have you overshot the mark? are you spending too much? >> i don't believe we've overshot the mark. i think that this package is the right size. we put it together by asking, what are the needs of americans? where do we need to get money, and how much, to relieve all the suffering that's occurring in the economy? when the pandemic struck, the unemployment rate was 3.5%. i'd like to see us get back there next year. if all goes well with the vaccination program, there's a good chance of accomplishing that. >> the congressional budget office, which is independent, says the economy is, right now, about 3% below its potential. that's $600 billion or $700 billion. we're about to spend $1.9 trillion. it's almost like if you had a headache before and took one aspirin, knew it wasn't good enough, but that doesn't mean next time you take the whole

bottle. is it just far too big with temporary fixes that don't address those underlying problems? >> well, this is a package that addresses the pandemic and helps people get to the other side in we don't want to have people be scarred by long spells of unemployment, being out of the labor market because children can't go to school. we want to get the economy back operating in the normal way, and then we do have long-run challenges to address. we're prepared to do that. >> every american watching knows there is no such thing as a free lunch. do you expect taxes to be raised in the first term to pay for some these priorities and the big bill that was signed into law? >> we did not propose any tax increases in this bill. i think america has enough fiscal space to be able to afford this relief that

americans need. when we tackle longer-run priorities and longer-term investments, we'll look at ways to fund those projects later on. >> sounds like maybe yes, in the future, for other priorities? >> for other priorities, yes. >> that conversation that will definitely be continuing. but the checks, they say, will be in the mail very soon. >> starting this weekend for some folks. meantime, while the president eyes the summer for a return to some sense of normalcy, he mentioned july 4th, specifically, a growing number of states are already moving to end mask mandates and other restrictions. it comes despite a plea from health officials to wait until more americans are vaccinated. nbc's morgan chesky is in texas, which allowed businesses to fully reopen this week. now, well now, there is a legal showdown brewing between the state's attorney general and the mayor of austin. at the state capital, morgan, good morning. >> reporter: craig, good morning.

the show down comes after the city voted to override the governor's mask mandate. the mayor telling us, trust the science, masks work. meanwhile, in a few hours, we're expecting a line of people outside the ballpark in arlington waiting to get vaccinated and in a few weeks' time, we could have thousands of fans in these stands when it comes teem for opening day. no mask, no service, no more. in much of texas, it is starting to look like 2019 again. >> freedom. freedom. >> reporter: inside bars and restaurants, the tables are closer together, and the masks coming off. >> it's great, man. should have done it a long time ago. >> reporter: the texas rangers, the first major u.s. pro sports team to announce plans to reopen this season at 100% capacity. that means some 40,000 cheering fans packing stands yet again. but not everyone is celebrating. >> could open up 75% or even 100%, but you have to wear your mask. i think it is too early. >> reporter: businesses are

still allowed to require employees and customers to cover their faces and limit capacity. cities can choose to do so in municipal facilities. but in austin, a democratic stronghold, mayor steve adler maintained a city wide mask ordinance, triggering a legal fight with the state. >> we think that masking is so important. the doctors and the data all indicate that. we're going to stay that course as long as we can. >> reporter: adler added in a statement, we are not aware of any texas court that has allowed state leadership to overrule the health protection rules of a local health authority. texas may be out front, but it's not alone in the push to end stringent covid-19 rules. a growing number of states announced plans to drop restrictions on mask wearing, events, and gatherings, including oklahoma. >> the standard for normal cannot be zero cases. in oklahoma, the standard for normal is freedom. >> reporter: but with just under 10% of the u.s. vaccinated, the head of the cdc says trying to

return to normal too soon could lead to yet another deadly surge. >> i think we have to be cautious because we've seen so much death in the year past, that we just need to be humble with regard to what this virus can do. >> reporter: now, the details are still being worked out, but we have heard word of the safety protocols in place when they reopen, including cashless systems for merchandise, tickets, concessions. fans will be required to masking up going to the seat but they can pull that down when they're eating or drinking. frankly, tough to enforce. craig? >> definitely difficult. morgan chesky at arlington, thank you. this morning, there are new developments in the sexual harassment scandal surrounding new york's governor andrew cuomo. sheinelle joins us with the details on that. good morning. >> good morning. overnight, after an hours' long emergency meeting, new york state lawmakers opened an impeachment investigation into the embattled governor. that decision following growing pressure from his own party to resign.

this week's accusations from a sixth accuser. anne thompson joins us with the very latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, sheinelle. today, new york governor andrew cuomo is not just in political trouble for undercounting covid nursing home deaths or t allegations of inappropriate behavior. the groping accusation against him has been sent to the albany police. the woman has not filed a complaint. it's the governor's counsel who said she was obligated to inform authorities. this morning, andrew cuomo is fighting to hang on to his job >> andrew cuomo, you should quit >> reporter: new york's governor barraged with calls for his resignation and impeachment, after a sixth woman, described as much younger, says he fondled her. albany police telling "the new york times," they've reached out to the woman's attorney to offer their services, but that doesn't mean they'll open a criminal

mean they'll open a cr case "the times union of albany" sourcing someone with direct knowledge of the woman's claim is reporting the unidentified staffer alleged cuomo aggressively groped her in a sexually charged manner. cuomo's political rival, new york city mayor bill de blasio, did not mince words. >> it is disgusting to me. he can no longer serve as governor >> reporter: 59 democratic legislators reaching the same conclusion in a letter, saying the accusations of inappropriate behavior and altering nursing home death data have cost cuomo the confidence of the public and state legislature. it is time for governor cuomo to resign >> this governor has made it very clear that he does not intend to step down, and so i believe the next step must be impeachment. >> reporter: with the backing of the state democratic chairman late thursday, the assembly speaker authorized an impeachment investigation. under siege, cuomo responded earlier this week to the groping accusations, saying he's never done anything like this, and

calling the details gut-wrenching. but he would not address the specifics given the attorney general's investigation. lindsey boylan, the first of the six women to accuse cuomo, says the governor gave her an unwanted kiss on the lips and made uncomfortable remarks when she worked for him speaking for the first time on camera, boylan wants accountability. >> we do not have accountability when the governor of this state preys on women, mostly younger than myself, and then lies about it >> reporter: now, cuomo has denied boylan's allegations. in a sign of just how fast the independent investigator's probe is moving, we have learned next week, charlotte bennett, one of the accusers, will be interviewed by the investigators. sheinelle? >> thank you. sts time for the first check of the weather al is on the road in texas this morning lending a hand to communities still struggling after the historic storms last month. hi, al

good morning >> hey, good morning, guys yeah, we're in austin, and i've got to tell ya, the spirit here is high. we're so excited about what we are going to bring you but we've also got something we're bringing everybody is talking about spring coming. we have spring and winter on the map at the same time let's show you what we have happens. we've got winter weather advisories, winter storm warnings, and flood warnings, as well we're also looking at severe weather outbreaks possibly today from the panhandle of texas into oklahoma, on into tomorrow for the possibility of tornadoes, hail, damaging winds that stretches right on into sunday take a look at what we're expecting. along this frontal system, moisture converges along the front. more soaking rains for the plains then colder air being pulled in behind it, into the rockies with heavy snow in the mountains. gusty winds. difficult travel talking about snow continuing in colorado through sunday. a flood risk for the east central plains, kansas city to houston.

rainfall amounts 2 to 3 inches of rain. back to the west, we're talking snowfall amounts in the rockies of 4 feet or more. we could see some record-breaking snow greatest snowfall in colorado of all time, 75 inches back in silver lake in 1921. they may break that record with the weekend forecast of up to 60, could be more even still we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds my sub will help you put points on the board, unlike some other subs. why would you say that, jayson? hey man, i'm just talkin' about subs here. oh c'mon. my sub is gonna throw down on your... my sub has more rings than your sub. my sub has bacon. choose better, be better. and now buy one sub, get one fifty percent off in the app. subway eat fresh. but not jayson's sub.

good morning. we've got sunshine over san jose right now. still cold, 30s and 40s to start. but let's look at your microclimate highs this afternoon. talking about 50s and 60s for the coast line. mid and upper 60s for the interior valleys and we will see mostly clear conditions but a quick reminder. we'll be missing out on an hour of sleep on sunday as we spring forward. >> by the >> by the way, guys, i've had my shot and am socially distanced, but i have my mask everybody here is masked up. here in austin, they are still taking the mask mandates very seriously. guys >> good to hear it mr. roker, we'll come back in a few. coming up, prince william's first response to harry and meghan's interview, exposing more on the rift between the royal brothers keir simmons is at buckingham palace with a live report. then a spotlight on women in

the u.s. military after fox news host tucker charlson labeled their roles as a mockery, and single members. this morning, why the pentagon says the host couldn't be more wrong. first, this is "today" on nbc. t

coming up, carson has a powerful story to share, on the hidden wounds of war. >> carson's conversation with a veteran and purple heart recipient on the mental health struggles he faced while serving, and his personal fight to get some help for other vets. help for free. first, your local news including boise... ...and even bakersfield. yeah, we're exhausted. whew! so, tonight... i'll be eating the gyro quesadilla from...al quick stop...in... hyde park. (doorbell) excellent. and, tonight... i'll be eating the chicken pot pie from...founding farmers...in... foggy bottom. (doorbell) (giggle) i had so many beignets i thought i was going to hurl. do ya think they bought it?

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residents at the city college of san francisco mass vaccination site. now, those are the residents in the phase 1a and 1b, but millions will be eligible for the vaccine if they have underlying health conditions. some are concerned due to the limited supply so it's important to talk to your health provider first before seeking a vaccine. now we want to look at the weather forecast with vianey arana. >> good morning, sunshine today. even though, you know, it's still a little nippy out there now, by the time we hit the 2:00 or 3:00 hour we'll top out in the upper 50s. upper 60s in the interior valleys, it will be like spring and we'll keep the sunshine through tomorrow and guess what? we've got more rain on the way. we've got a system pushing in on sunday evening. that will bring light to moderate rainfall and another big drop in temperatures especially for inland areas.

we go from upper 60s today, back down into the upper 50s on sunday night into monday with lowing in the 30s. kris? >> more local news in half an hour. have a great friday morning.

♪♪ we're back, 7:30. this is the video blowing up the internet right now. a breath-taking bowling ball eye view of a bar bowling alley. you see the ball go in there, crashing into the pins. i guess -- is it a drone? >> it is a tiny drone. this is a business in minneapolis, by the way. one of the many businesses struggling during this pandemic. they decided they'd make this video to try and, you know, drum up some support. seems to be working. >> bowling has never been more exciting, right? >> yeah. oscar-winning director tweeted, jaw on the floor. >> wow.

it's really good. >> yeah. >> i love bowling. all right. let's get a check of the 7:30 headlines. gun reform was front and center on capitol hill yesterday. the house passing two bills that would expand background checks. one bill requires background checks on nearly all gun purchases from unlicensed sellers, including sales over the internet and at gun shows. the other bill aims to close the so-called charleston loophole, which allow it is sale of a firearm to proceed if a background check is not completed within three days. the bill moves to the senate, where the democrats need the support of ten republicans to make it law. netflix cracking down on password sharing. the streaming service is testing a new feature with select customers. users are prompted to verify they have permission to use the account through a code sent via email or text message. netflix says the company tries hundreds of different tests a year, according to the research

share their password with at least one other person. >> 33%. engineers in europe are taking transportation to new heights. look at this. electric flying taxis are now being tested in the skies over germany. the vehicle is a cross between a helicopter and a drone. the goal is to have them up and flying in time for the 2024 olympics in paris. the company developing the flying taxi says a 15-minute flight will likely cost you between $80 and $100. >> would you do it? hop in there? >> well, we'll see. also this morning, a lot of people are reacting to prince william's first comment since harry and meghan's tell-all, addressing their racism claims and revealing the princes haven't spoken since that interview. >> "today" senior international co keir, good morning. >> reporter: hey, craig. hey, savannah. good morning to you. the news about william's

comments breaking on air yesterday, on the front pages today. take a look at this. one front page, "we haven't spoken," says one headline. another one, william blasts back at race slur. it has to be said, that is exactly the british tabloid de

our eyes. >> you said that you love your brother and always will love your brother. you didn't tell me what the relationship is now, though. >> the relationship is space at the moment. you know, time heals all things, hopefully. >> reporter: time heals, guys. the end of a tumultuous week of royal divisions. the royals find themselves at the center of divisive debates. we did reach out, if you like, to both sides. no comment from either side. they may feel, after this week, they've said enough, craig. >> yeah. so many layers to this. keir, any idea at this point when the two brothers might see each other again in person?

>> reporter: great question. prince philip's 100th birthday is in june, and then there is a plan for william and harry to unveil a statue to diana in the summertime. now, there are reports that, at least on william's side, he is saying that he does hope to repair the relationship. i guess that means that they will see each other again. look, this can get worse, craig. it's been a really difficult week. there are more accusations that could be thrown. the problem for the palace behind me here is it only means more damage will be done. craig? >> all of it happening while prince philip is, of course, still in the hospital now, almost 30 days. keir simmons at buckingham palace this morning, thanks, buddy. coming up next here, the incendiary comments fro headline that will infuriate news host tucker carlson about women serving in the military. the pentagon's top brass up in arms this morning. but first, these messages. rmula,

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the controversy. >> reporter: no retreat and no apology. >> the department of defense has never been more aggressively or openly political >> reporter: fox news host tucker carlson overnight doubling down on his monologue from earlier this week, insulting pregnant women who serve in the military. >> so we've got new hairstyles and maternity flight suits pregnant women are going to fight our wars it's a mockery of the u.s. military >> reporter: carlson terminating his tirade with an anti-trans dig. >> china's military becomes more masculine, assembling the world's largest navy our military needs to be, according to joe biden, more feminine, whatever that means, as men and women no longer exist. >> reporter: outrage across the military. >> drama tv. >> reporter: including from pentagon spokesperson kirby. >> what we absolutely won't do is take personnel advice from a talk show host or the chinese military. >> reporter: military women tweeting photos of themselves

pregnant in uniform. politicians and veterans lik tammy duckworth, who lost her legs fighting overseas, praising america's female warriors. >> we died for this country, for the freedom, for tucker carlson to spout off these falsehoods. >> reporter: carlson's comments coming just days after biden promoted two female generals one included jacqueline von ovost. >> you're the highest ranking female in the military has that sunk in >> reporter: she spoke with savannah last week, about how the military is more inclusive. >> we're allowing women to fly pregnant we did two things. we're developing a maternity flight suit, and a two-piece, to make it easier >> reporter: carlson defiant in the face of criticism. >> since when does the pentagon declare war on a domestic news operation?

>> reporter: advocates, like the liberal group vote vets, out with a new ad, hoping they get the last word. >> this is the u.s. military, the men and women who defend your freedom something a prep schoolboy like you will never understand. >> hallie, obviously, this story has caught on all over social media. we heard from the pentagon spokesperson has anyone else from the pentagon weighed in? >> reporter: this has hit the very highest levels of the pentagon, savannah secretary austin is aware of this, and apparently, shares what has been described as the revulsion of others about carlson's comments, according to a spokesperson the secretary has also basically given the green light to other officers to criticize carlson. i'm told he has no concern about their willingness to speak out on this. savannah >> hallie jackson, thank you very much. time for another check of the weather. mr. roker down in austin, texas. hey, al. >> hey, guyss the country, we see a developing snowstorm in the rockies.

plains we're going to be watching that. another mild day in the northeast, then temperatures cool down. the warmth continues down south. plenty of sunshine from the northern plains into the pacific northwest. snow and rain developing down through the southwest. that's what's going on around >> and now we're talking about the sunshine, here it is. we'll see it stick around for at least saturday into the first half of sunday. your microclimate highs will be warmer than yesterday. mid and upper 60s for the interior valleys. it will feel more spring like around here. saturday and sunday, a change happens with the arrival of rain moving in late sunday night into early monday morning and big pretty drop in temperatures for the inland areas. >> and that is your latest weather. guys >> al, thank you. coming up next, an update on a story we've been trying to wrap our minds around this week, how digital art suddenly became

a hot commodity. >> we were laughing about it a few days ago >> looks like they were laughing at us. >> kerry sanders talking to the artist whose piece just sold for the jaw-dropping sum of 69 million bucks. that's right after this. when applied to stained textiles, plant-based surfactants like the ones in seventh generation detergent trap stains at the molecular level and flush them away. plant-based detergents clean your clothes. it's just science! just... science. seventstains. boy: i wish i could wake up and say hi to a giraffe. ride a train in the sky... narrator: stay in the magic at a disney resort hotel.

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we're back with carson and also a story we brought you earlier this week on the explosion of digital works of art. >> now, this piece just sold at auction for nearly $70 million eye-popping price that's turning the art world upside down. >> kerry sanders, who first told us about this, is back with more kerry, i guess it's really catching on. >> reporter: absolutely. you know, the ownership of digital art is still kind of a hard concept to grasp because anybody can just google it and look at it only one person can own it as we just heard carson say, some collectors are willing to pay extraordinary amounts to own the art. art that you can't hang on the wall, again, because it is digital. this most people understand. masters like monet, da vinci, in private

collections and museums, sold for tens to hundreds of millions of dollarscollage, entitled "tht 5,000 days," a work that took 13 years to create. it sold thursday in an auction hosted by famed christie's for $69.3 million. cameras rolled as the artist watched the bidding rocket from $50 million. >> oh, my gosh >> reporter: to almost $70 million. >> i'm going to disney world >> reporter: what is your takeaway as you look back at what just happened >> it'll take a second to process, to be honest. maybe three months from now, i'll be president of the united states i don't know where it even goes from here. >> reporter: experts say digital art like this may be the start of something big is it here to stay, or will it go poof? >> i think it is definitely here, and it is going to continue to build on itself. again, this could go south faster than you can say "cat in

the hat. >> reporter: other digital art now for sale, sports video clips, even screen grabs of tweets all trading for hundreds of thousands or more. >> my question is, huh >> reporter: suggesting our reaction earlier this week is proof the joke's on us. >> $3 million right here you can have it. >> you own it, baby. >> no, no, i'm selling it, right now. >> reporter: you saw our segment the other day. who gets the last laugh? were you offended by our laughter >> i will say, savannah, i heard that there was a lot of laughing. al roker, too, it's very hard to offend me. to be honest, i really think this is going to be something that you're going to be hearing more about in the future >> reporter: who bought the artwork? well, the auction house, christie's, and the artist aren't saying. this morning, it's a mystery guys >> i wasn't laughing i wasn't laughing. i didn't think it was funny. >> no, i already know that'll

live in infamy that internet, so silly. who would do that? i'm out. i'll just watch it all happen, right? >> fair enough. >> thank you, kerry. coming up, wait until you see who advanced in our st. patrick's day bracket. plus, new music from our buddy, gwen stefani. first, a check of your local news and weather (sigh) mr. bublé? not again... just fixing a little typo, gladys. oh, what's this? bublé bounce?! yeah. a little caffeine, no calories. it's great. a kick of caffeine just what i needed to fix all these. would you pronounce it bounce or bouncé? yeah, bublé bouncé. that's not how it's pronounced. no calories. no sweeteners. just a kick of caffeine. a lot can change in a month. you could... meet the love of your life. and his kids. and their dog. which is why carmax created the love your car guarantee. with 24-hour test drives and a full 30 days to return and get your money back. the way it should be.

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good morning to you. 7:56. i'm kris sanchez. here's what's happening now. >> good morning, everyone. i'm scott mcdrew. president biden and vice president harris will hold a signing ceremony in the rose garden today for the stimulus bill which is technically already been signed. all members of congress are invited. we expect many of the democrats to show up. i'm bob redell. contra costa county might be able to move into the red tier this sunday after the state loosens guidance. under the current rules you need to be at 7 cases per 100,000 people and right now, they're recording 8.3 people.

however, governor newsom said it can be 10 per 100,000 expect once the vaccine is administered to underserved communities. well, vianey, your forecast looks pretty nice early on anyway. >> it does. we're officially welcoming spring this weekend and it will feel that way for today and tomorrow. upper 60s in the forecast. no rain in sight. we have the high pressure that's really been keeping us dry. however, look at your seven-day forecast on sunday afternoon and into the evening, we do get light to moderate rain that moves in and don't forget to put those clocks ahead one hour on sunday evening. back to you. >> don't forget. we have more local news coming up in half an hour.

it's 8:00 on "today. coming up, mark your calendars in his first primetime address, the president recognizes the anniversary of the pandemic with hopeful news vowing all adul americans will be eligible for the vaccine may 1st. >> you'll be able to get in line >> we're live with the latest. march madness. all eyes on the tournament after a positive covid test shuts down one of college basketball's top programs >> it wasn't just some program saying we're out, but it's duke.

>> how the ncaa is creating its own bubble to keep players safe. plus, hidden wounds of war carson's candid conversation with a decorated veteran about mental health. >> i tell folks, look, you're going to fall down again at some point, but now you know how to get up. >> coming up, his important message to all military members. and lending a hand al's live in texas with a firsthand look at how millions of residents are recovering from that devastating winter storm. >> i was melting snow to flush the toilet ♪ i can count on you ♪ >> al will go one-on-one with proud texan matthew mcconaughey about the star power behind the recovery >> texas is rallying around helping out the people that will need it. >> we're sure mr. roker has a few tricks up his sleeve. >> it'll be a shindig. >> today, friday, march 12th, 2021 ♪ i'm blinded by the light ♪ >> all she can talk about for her 50th birthday is - >> celebrating with the "today"

show >> we want to wish grandma a happy 80th birthday on "today. ♪ in the night ♪ >> i just graduated with a degree in meteorology. al roker is my weather hero. >> what's happening in our neck of the woods >> from north carolina. >> it's my birthday. >> happy birthday, mason >> thanks. and i'm turning 5. ♪ i'm running out of time ♪ good morning, everybody. welcome back to "today." it's friday. you made it. we're glad to have you with us as mentioned, hoda is on assignment, working on something pretty cool for next week. >> big story for our ongoing celebration of women's history month hoda catching up wit kimmy ng, the first general manager of a major league baseball team on the field down in florida we cannot wait for that conversation coming up here on monday >> it'll be a good one. let's get to your news at 8:00 the president using his first primetime address to mourn those lost to the covid pandemic and to set a timeline for getting back to normal

"weekend today" co-anchor and chief white house correspondent kristen welker has the reaction from the speech. good morning >> reporter: good morning. in that first prime time address, president biden announcing that all american will be eligible to be vaccinated by may 1st. it is worth noting, it will likely take until the end of that month before everyone is vaccinated the president also laid down another marker independence day >> if we do our part, we do this together, by july the fourth, there's a good chance you, your families and friends, will be able to get together in your backyard or in your neighborhood and have a cookout or barbecue and celebrate independence day >> reporter: republicans are already blasting that vaccine message. they point out that former president trump began the vaccine rollout. meanwhile, the president is also touting the $1.9 trillion covid relief package no republican supported it, arguing the bill will add to the ballooning deficit, which is projected to reach over $2

trillion this year one of the highest since the 1940s. savannah, you pressed the treasury secretary about that. >> if you had a headache before and took one aspirin, knew it wasn't good enough, but it doesn't mean next time you take the whole bottle is it just far too big with temporary fixes that don't address those underlying problems? >> this is a package that addresses the pandemic and helps people get to the other side in tact we don't want to have people be scarred by long spells of unemployment, being out of the labor market because children can't go to school we want to get the economy back operating in the normal way, and then we do have long-run challenges to address. we're preparing to do that >> reporter: now, as for today, the president and vice president will hold a signing ceremony for the covid relief bill in the rose garden, joined only by top democrats, underscoring the deep divisions here savannah >> kristen welker at the white house. thank you.

college basketball's march madness tournament tips off next week, but one of the most storied programs in all of sports, the duke blue devils, are out because of the coronavirus. sam brock has more on what that means for the tournament sam, good morning to you >> reporter: craig, good morning. one of the reasons this is so surprising, duke's athletic director said the program went the entire season with no positive covid-19 tests, until now. craig, this is a reminder of the tightrope that these teams have to walk. it is a blow to the ncaa which has gone to the great lengths to protect the 68 teams that will be competing in indiana next week >> the duke blue devils' wednesday win is the last game the storied program will play for the rest of the season, after a positive covid case led against florida state. >> because of the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, you

have to be prepared for the unexpected. >> reporter: duke's legendary coach expressed concern when the virus surged. >> i don't think it feels right to anybody everyone is concerned. >> reporter: coach k writing a heartfelt message about his players. we have not asked for from any team in our history, and they deserve enormous credit for handling it like the outstanding men they are. >> that's why it was so jarring. it wasn't some program saying, hey, we're out because of covid. it was duke. >> reporter: dana o'neil, a senior writer for the "athletic," says the ncaa is taking no chances ahead of march madness, monitoring everything from bus trips to elevator rides at the central tournament site in indianapolis. >> hotel floors assigned by teams. no cross-contamination they're literally sending the elevators up one at a time, to the floor. >> reporter: the 68 teams will play on a half dozen local

courts with 25% capacity, including some fans, team staff, and employees, like ushers after duke's announcement, the ncaa president bracing for anything. >> i'm not naive there's going to be things that pop up in the coming weeks that we didn't anticipate, and we'll have some struggles and challenges to work our way through. >> reporter: an unprecedented test for one of sport's most cherished events the ncaa is going to be allowing replacement teams for schools that have to withdraw within 48 hours of the tournament being set. they need a minimum of five players active to actually take the court. the big question right now, craig, duke is out who is everybody picking in their brackets i will tell you this i checked our alma maters. not a lot of good prospects there. however, savannah's hoyas got a win in the big east tournament maybe there's magic there. >> all right. >> thank you, sam. >> sam brock >> we'll take it >> claiming the hoyas in the tournament >> i am now!

usually, i go arizona. i'll take the hoyas, georgetown. >> ku, i'm from kansas. >> you have to usually, they're really good i pick them in my bracket. we've covered the news let's do the "boost. >> no more sports? great grandma. he had to do his schooling he invited his 102-year-old great grandma to join his gym class. here he is introducing grandma to the classmates. classmates worked up a sweat great grandma is there matching the gym teacher move for move. brody is loving it his mom says this was one of the most special family moments ever she actually pointed out that great grandma is actually 102 1/2. >> and a half. >> i love. first grader days, you say, 6 1/2. 7 1/2. after 100, you count in half years again.

>> as you should look at brody. brody was feeling it. >> talk about a silver lining of remote learning. >> definitely. >> so good when we come back, carson's really powerful conversation decorated veteran sharing an important message on mental health >> i'll tell every single veteran, non-veteran, you're not alone. you're not >> this morning, that soldier's challenging journey. where he turned for help, and what he is doing now to help others right after this okay. then go there. (clicking) you like snow? go there. (clicking) do you like doing things in and around the water? great. go there. (clicking) the all-new, adventure-ready bronco sport. with seven available g.o.a.t. modes built to go over any type of terrain. i think the sketchy website i bought this turtle from stole all of my info.

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spencer milo i caught up with him at the intrepid air and sea museum. >> my grandfather was on the "u.s.s. sunfish. i have his battle flag tattooed on my back >> i have my grandfather's green beret tattoo right here. >> so proud of our grandfathers and retired sergeant milo who is helping future generations with his incredible story >> reporter: inspired by both of his grandparents who served in world war ii, spencer milo joined the army at age 21, rising to staff sergeant his first tour, iraq you're in iraq on a 16-month tour in 2008 you're injured escaping enemy combat. >> i was in our lead truck, lead gunner we were trying to get out of a situation, and we hit this basically wall, more or less we got back and went to the med shed oh yeah, i mean, you bonked your

head you're going to be all right. >> reporter: it was the middle of the surge in iraq milo was back on the front lines the next morning severe headaches began and neve sensitivity to noise and light and things, i assumed it was we're in war. >> reporter: how much time went by, where you were basically being told, rub some dirt on it, if you will, get back out there? and when you realized something serious was happening. >> probably 10 to 11 months. >> reporter: almost a year nearly one year after the head injury in iraq, a doctor delivered devastating news >> well, when you hit your head, it created a tumor you've got six months to live. finally, my family was like, we need a second opinion. >> reporter: milo was misdiagnosed he didn't have a brain tumor he wasn't dying. but his traumatic brain injury impacted his memory. getting married was a blur.

>> the craziest thing about this, during the timeframe, and i don't remember this, i asked my wife to marry me. we got married i have zero recollection of either of those things. >> reporter: in 2010, four months after finding out he received the wrong diagnosis, milo was redeployed. this time, to afghanistan. afghanistan, after all the why did you go back to serve in theater, back to serve back in afghanistan? after the trauma of iraq >> people were still dying over there. i needed to do what i could to help. >> reporter: you get injured again? >> january 19th, 2011. we were right on the pakistan border there was a child suicide bomber, maybe 5 feet further away than you and i are, detonated himself. i think the thing that i remember most is the look on his face it's one of the few things that really haunts me emotionless. i mean, just blank. >> reporter: no one in your platoon was killed >> we got lucky that no one died the vest was inside out, which is why we're still here. when i landed, i messed my back

up pretty good lost some hearing, which is why i have robot ears now. >> reporter: what are robot ears >> hearing aids. i call them robot ears >> reporter: you turn them up and down, like when your wife is yelling at you >> i can't tell you that on tv come on now. >> reporter: it's been a long road milo came home struggling with post-traumatic stress from combat and was in severe pain from injuries. physical wounds, but do you feel like you were experiencing a lot of invisible wounds? what was your mental health state? >> i was definitely depressed. the military is really good at training us to be resilient. like you said earlier, rub dirt on it and move forward i was self-medicating and drinking excessively. >> reporter: his wife, sarah, was pregnant with their daughter zoe. milo made a life-changing decision to get help at walter reed's brain injury training center in bethesda. >> if this works, wonderful. if it doesn't, i'm taking myself out of the equation. >> reporter: taking your own

life >> i was miserable not wanting to be here >> reporter: milo had to retire from the military, adding to his mental health struggles. he turned to headstrong, a non-profit that, since 2012, provided nearly 90,000 hours of free therapy to veterans across the country. >> i was in therapy. it went from where i felt like i was in a crisis to being more normal some of those horrible thoughts kept coming back into my head. i felt like, why am i still here i don't ever want to go back to feeling like that again. >> reporter: right. >> i get asked a lot, did headstrong save your life? it gives me the tools to make sure that i never feel like i don't want to be on this earth again. >> reporter: he says everything changed when his daughter, zoe, was born on memorial day weekend. >> the first thing that happened that saved my life was zoe being born into this world she reaches up and grabs my >> and he just melted.

it just got through to him in a way that i have never seen before >> reporter: after zoe came gunnar in 2019, he made it up to sarah and surprised her by proposing for a second time at a headstrong charity event where he was being honored >> that hopeless romantic type i got to find something we're both going to remember. >> he turns around, and i see him getting down on one knee it was just a whirlwind. it's a moment i will never, ever forget. >> reporter: milo advocates for veterans with brain injuries, treating both their physical and emotional scars. his powerful message, an example for so many others who are struggling >> i tell folks, look, you're going to fall down again at some point. now, you know how to get up. you're not alone it's never above you, never below you, always with you that's in my jacket. >> reporter: it is >> i'll tell every veteran out there, non-veteran, you're not alone. you're not >> spencer milo is also a purple heart recipient. he was featured in president

george w. bush's portraits of courage book he stressed a big part of getting veterans the help they need, it is not just about treatment when you're in crisis, but it is the ongoing work to maintain it. that's where headstrong comes in and is so important. i hope my friend, director peter burg and mark wahlberg were watching that. plays out like a hollywood story. spencer's story. maybe that will be on the big screen >> never above, never below, always with you. >> amazing nbc news executive in charge of "today" is on the board of headstrong we were talking about the great things they do for vets. if you'd like to learn more, we encourage you to check it out at today.com. >> great story. >> good conversation. >> carson, thank you so much >> shoutout, sergeant. >> absolutely. let's get a check of the weather from al, who is down in austin this morning. >> that was just terrific, carson thanks so much for bringing us that yeah, let's show you what we've got going on we've had some amazing weather in the east. some record-breaking temperatures yesterday, record highs in erie,

washington, new york, boston should say, newark today, temperatures will be, again, another above average day from the gulf all the way to the northeast, back through the great lakes. you can see the temperatures warming up for now then, as we head into saturday, temperatures dip a bit, from knoxville all the way up to portland, back into cleveland. then as we get into next week, temperatures take a bit of a dip, come back to earth a little more, so that they will be at or slightly below normal from tulsa to providence, all the way up to cleveland and into chicago, as well that's what's going on around the country. . i hope you get to enjoy today because spring officially starts tomorrow, but we're going to get a sneak peek of it today because it's going to be sunny outside. mid- and upper 60s in the valley. 69 degrees in concorde, 66 in

san jose, 67 in martinez, santa rosa, 68 degrees. and we do have rain that moves in to sunday night, but for now we're enjoying the sunshine into saturday evening. guys >> mr. roker, no one more versatile than carson daly. here we go got to switch gears. i want to thank the editing team for the last piece looked beautiful thanks so them, too. we have a lot to get to. start with the weeknd, the artist he's taking another shot at the recording academy, following his shocking shutout from the award season his statement, because of the secret committees, i will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the grammys. let's recap how we got here. after releasing one of the most critically and commercially successful albums of the year, the weeknd was snubbed by the grammys this year. didn't receive a nomination. at the time he said the grammys,

quote, remain corrupt and there needs to be more transparency. a former ceo said the secret nominating committees have relationships with nominated artists. the current grammys chief says there are no agendas in the nominating process clearly, there's a lot to unpack here people also speculating the weeknd was doing the deal for the super bowl halftime show, and that was part of this, too that's a theory that's out there. because to do the super bowl halftime show, you have to create a window of time which you cannot perform, let's say, on the grammys that could have been part of this whole thing, but it's a mess he definitely was snubbed. if anybody knows anything about music, he should have been represented this weekend next up, gwen stefani released a new single that takes us back to her classic stuff, the no doubt stuff, classic stuff. it is called "slow clap" is expected to appear on her upcoming album here is a little listen. ♪ it's what i'm doing for mysel come on clap, clap, clap, clap, clap clap, clap, and clap,

clap ♪ ♪ walk into the room like a bos slow clap ♪ >> b-a-n-a-n-a-s. >> i know. right? it is catchy >> i like it >> congrats to gwen. next up, peewee herman is getting the documentary treatment. break out the tequila and platform heels ♪♪ ♪ hbo officially producing a two-part documentary, chronicling the life and career of paul reubens, aka, peewee herman the doc is being produced by the same guys who directed adam sandler in "uncut gems." how reubens took his character and turned him into a pop culture phenomenon his statement says, i've been working with hbo since they were called home box office i'm honored and excited to continue my long history there i love hbo, but i'm not going to

marry them all way to "peewee's playhouse" >> documentary >> yeah. multi-parter. >> wowzer. sounds like a good one al is lending a hand in texas and teaming up with matthew mcconaughey to do some good after last mont good morning. it's 8:26. there's a video of anuber driver being assaulted and harassed. the woman in red turned herself in and the other is expected to turn herself in. the police are not seeking charges of the third one. one may have used what may have been pepper spray as she was getting out of the car. a look at that forecast for you on this friday. vianey has a look at that. >> we've got a beautiful day

ahead. a lot of sunshine, temperatures in tupper 60s. we will keep that sunshine heading into saturday. sunday, we're springing forward, so we're going to clock ahead an hour. we're going to lose an hour of sleep, but we're going to game some more sunshine and your daytime hours will be in the upper 60s. oakland, 65. san jose, 66, and over the next seven days here's a closer look at your forecast. sunday night the rain moves in and it lingers into monday morning's commute. so enjoy the sunshine. marcus? >> thanks, vianey. we'll have another local update in 30 minutes. i'll meet you back here then.

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like this device to increase volume on your cell phone. - ( phone ringing ) - get details on this state program call or visit still talking about "pop start. carson is explaining everything. 8:30 our corner of the world. good morning good half hour. >> yes, we are that's because al is down in austin, texas, doing what he does doing some good there. this time for the families hit hard by last month's storms. families still trying to bounce back he's going to share their

stories, and he is going to lend a hand, as well. also, one of the most recognizable texans around, matthew mcconaughey tells al about the work he's doing to help something very special he has planned to give back yes, even talks that matthew could one day run for governor shoutout for the al-right, al-right, al-right i heard that listening to sirius xm that was good. you sold it well. >> three hour sleep savannah >> i missed that one in the third hour, a heartwarming interview i sat down not knowing what to expect this was beautiful another one of my "through mom's eyes" stories. chatting with keke palmer's mom. let me tell you. heartwarming is an understatement. >> really? >> yes. >> looking forward to that speaking of great conversations, let's keep it going. next week on "today," jenna is going to talk with michelle obama. as you probably remember, healthy eating is one of her passions the former first lady has a starring role in a kids cooking series coming to netflix next

week so they'll talk about that and all the things, coming up. >> really cool. >> yeah. first, though, mr. roker, how about one more check of the weather, sir >> absolutely. let's look at the weekend. we're all thrilled we got here, so let's show you what we have going on starting off tomorrow, we're looking at a chill returning to the northeast. great lakes. severe storms in the central plans. back through the rockies, record-breaking snow possible. sunshine along the west coast. sunday, sunday, we're looking at more chilly weather in the north with maybe even a little snow in northern new england heavy rain in the central mississippi river valley flooding possible. blizzard-like conditions in the rockies. rain moving into the pacific northwest with sunshine from the gulf coast all the way into the mid-atlantic states. that's what's going on around the coun we're going to start warming up into the afternoon, and you're going to love the sun. going to be sticking around for

today and tomorrow. temperatures will be warmer compared to yesterday. upper 60s for areas like martinez and the valley. upper 60s in the coastline and peninsula and and we're tracking rain sunday night into early monday morning. don't forget to spring ahead on sunday. sunset is at 7:15 overall. weather. guys >> all right, mr. roker. you're going to have much more from texas in a few moments, including a firsthand look at what matthew mcconaughey is doing to help his beloved home state. >> i have a privileged life. i have three children. i have a family. i have a career. i have purpose something like this happens, purpose comes in with a capital "p." >> first, this is "today" on nbc. ay

♪ ♪ ♪ ay ♪ ♪ ♪ deposit, plan and pay with easy tools from chase. simplicity feels good. chase. make more of what's yours. welcome back it has been one month since texas was devastated by the historic winter storm and record cold.

>> while the snow and ice is gone and the power grid is back online, a lot of texans remain far from okay. >> al is there now to shed a light on some of their stories you'll see a qr code on the corner of the screen if you want to help, hold your phone's camera to the screen to find out more. let's go to uncle al now al >> hey, thanks so much, guys and i've got to tell you, this is a huge state. it's got a big heart nobody has a bigger heart than one of their native sons, matthew mcconaughey. the oscar winner and his wife, camilla, stepped up big-time to help texans get back on their feet how are you, mr. mcconaughey good to see you, sir >> some places i feel i'm ahead of time. some places i feel behind time in texas, i'm on time. >> reporter: matthew mcconaughey wears many hats, writer, actor, philanthropist, father, son of

the lone star state. >> i just like it. it's home. hard to find places where you can feel creative and progressive, and also feel your roots and your feet on the ground. >> reporter: when texas hurts, he hurts so it's been a year since we've been dealing with this pandemic. and then this winter storm hits. what are things like on the ground now >> it's not like fires or a tornado or a hurricane you don't drive down a street and see the graphic problem from the street go inside the front door of so many businesses and houses, now you're seeing all the water damage that needs to be fixed. you're seeing people that need clean water that don't have it you're seeing people that need food you're seeing people that are out of their houses because their houses are uninhabitable so there's a lot of damage that has to be repaired now from this winter storm >> reporter: mcconaughey and his wife, camilla, decided to lend a virtual hand. >> howdy, world. howdy, america and texas >> reporter: their foundation is

hosting a benefit, directly helping the rebuilding efforts across the lone star state it's called, we're texas, and has a texas-sized guest list, including chip and joanna gaines, kelly clarkson, the jonas brothers, willie nelson, selena gomez, and more. >> everybody i've called within the first two minutes, "i'm in." i haven't had to call anybody back, "i'm in. texas is really rallying around helping out the people that are going to need it i'm going to host it, deejay it, intro bands, outro bands, rap myself. >> reporter: you're going to rap? >> i'll have to rap somehow. >> reporter: i will tune in for that. >> i'll rhyme something. i may not know it, but i'll rhyme something. >> reporter: when you do something like this, how does it affect you >> i have a privileged life, a career, family, kids i have purpose

something like this happens, purpose comes in with a capital "p." >> reporter: service is a part of mcconaughey's dna has a history of giving back, and it's brought amazing people into their lives like this 93-year-old. >> quite a few years ago, when camilla and i and the kids were giving meals on wheels away, she was on the list. fell in love with her immediately. she is a bright light. >> reporter: we decided to pay miss jessie may a visit. she hadn't seen mcconaughey in over a year because of covid-19. now that she's vaccinated, we brought her a mcconaughey sized surprise. >> hi, al roker. >> how you doing >> nice to meet you, ma'am one thing i know you miss, you got a little relationship with matthew mcconaughey. >> wonderful person, him and his family i missed seeing him last year. they went out of town. >> you missed seeing him yeah. >> he always comes every year. >> or every afternoon.

>> oh. really >> how are you, dear >> good to see you where'd you come from? >> around the corner good to see you again. >> running so good. >> he asked me that same question this morning. >> would you like to see him run for governor >> i'd vote for him. >> we know you got one vote. >> got one vote, and nobody can change that. >> reporter: mcconaughey has been hinting at a run. she thinks you should run for governor correct me if i'm wrong, you are considering running for texas governor >> look, it's a very honorable consideration. am i considering that? sure, it is a great and honorable thing to be able to consider what i've got to choose for myself is, i want to get into a leadership role in the next chapter of my life what role am i going to be the most useful in i don't know that that's in a political position, or if it is me as a free agent that's something i'm personally working on what is my position of most use in a leadership role

>> reporter: there's no announcement you'd like to make this morning on "today"? >> the announcement i'd like to channel, you're going to see a revival and a restoration of people coming together to help out our neighbors here in texas. we're inviting the world to come in and help us out, as well. it is going to be a shindig. >> it'll be a shindig. >> he didn't say no. >> he didn't. >> shindig that's right he did not say no. it's still open. >> yeah. looking forward to the youtube party, too, that shindig >> that's right. march 21st, 8:00 p.m. eastern/7:00 p.m. central on matthew's youtube channel. we will put the details on there u got coming up next >> in fact, when -- well, when we come back, we are going to lend a hand.

there are a lot of folks who are still suffering in this state, and we've got some surprises for them we're going to introduce you to these folks and what we can all do to help don't forget, there is a qr code on your screen that you can use to help lend a hand here in texas. first, this is "today" on nbc. this is a no-nonsense message from three. small business insurance usually forces you to piece together multiple policies. that's why three was created. it's one policy that covers everything you need... leaving those old policies in the dust. three. no nonsense. just common sense.

small business insurance is usually so complicated, you need to be a lawyer to understand it. that's why three was created. if you own it, three covers it. got a cheese slice for “spokesperson?" that's me. i don't even need to see what's happening behind me to know it's covered. three. no nonsense. just common sense. we're back 8:44 more of al's lend a hand in texas and a closer look at the ongoing impact of last month's storms that brought this state to a standstill. >> again, don't forget, the qr code you see under sheinelle there, that's where you can get out your phone, use it to find a list of organizations pitching in to help that recovery effort. >> well, guys, you know, look, officials here are calling this an invisible crisis. i mean, temperatures are in the 70s. the snow was all gone. you look at homes and they seem fine

you go inside the homes, and there is unimaginable damage, everywhere from moldy walls to broken pipes and no running water. and so i was able to get in here, visit with some folks, and see this damage firsthand. >> reporter: daniel and taylor harrison survived a devastating fire but nearly lost everything when that historic winter storm hit. >> it was kind of like camping inside of our own house, you know first, we lose power, the heat is electric so temperature drops, and then it is freezing we have no water, electricity. we're kind of sitting there making a fire in the fireplace, trying to stay warm. >> reporter: after two days with no power, relief it finally came back on. but officials say the power likely surged, sparking an electrical fire in the harrison's garage. >> there's a huge wall of flames shooting out of the garage it's just a couple minutes, maybe four, five minutes, before flames were clear to the other side of the house. >> it was a ten-minute ordeal that felt like an eternity it was incredible, how fast the

fire spread. >> reporter: when firefighters arrived, water pressure so low in the neighborhood from residents dripping their faucets, trying to prevent frozen pipes, they struggled with not enough water to put out the fire they battled that blaze for nearly six hours, but it was too late looking at this, thinking about what's in there, what's been lost, how do you move on >> so many people in austin are experiencing things like this. it's going to be a while the process has taken so much longer than we expected. >> reporter: so many families across texas have been struggling to repair the damage done to their homes from frozen pipes bursting and flooding, leaving millions without running water. families like cathy kadina and her 17-year-old son, elijah. >> i was melting snow to flush the toilets, and it takes a lot of snow to flush one toilet. >> reporter: nearly four weeks later, the kadinas still don't have working water they're forced to make daily

trips to fill jugs at a water shop. >> i fill up close to 30 gallons a day. it's usually gone within 24 hours. >> reporter: the demand for clean water so high, the store had to impose a 10 gallon limit per person >> i felt really bad because the lady behind me wasn't able to get water because everything ran out. it was only, like, 2:00 or 3:00. >> reporter: this crisis, a one-two punch for so many. cathy cleaning homes for a living was already struggling to make ends meet because of the pandemic but on the ground, so many stepping up to help water mission, a non-profit dedicated to providing safe water, rallying their forces, bringing in plumbers from all around the country, fixing pipes, restoring water. but the list of those in need remains long

still, cathy and so many here in texas say they're hopeful. >> i'm grateful. i just try to keep a good attitude, that things are going to work out. they seem to, when you think that way >> well, these families are just representative of the thousands of families that are suffering throughout texas we want to bring you and reintroduce daniel and taylor. good to see you. >> hi, al. >> thanks for being here lowe's heard about your story and wanted to help out they are pitching in with a $5,000 gift card for you guys when you start rebuilding, to help you out. >> oh, my god. >> wow. >> amazing. >> incredible. >> oh, thank you >> we also met cathy and elijah. how are you guys doing >> good. how are you today? >> how are you >> we know you've had a difficult time when you don't have water, it's something you take for granted the folks at water mission are going to help you. they are sending a plumber to

your home today, so that you can have running water by tonight. >> that's awesome. >> we're thrilled to try to help you. and lowe's is going to give you guys a $5,000 gift card to help you get back on your feet. >> wow. >> wow. >> how you feeling >> awesome. >> awesome. >> thank you. >> it is our honor to help the folks at lowe's, thank you we have some other folks here. all these families, you guys, how are you all doing today? guess what you may have noticed this nice lowe's truck over here guys, could you open this bad boy up for us? because lowe's is giving every one of you a bucket full of essential supplies there's water. because, you know, we know things are tight right now, they're going to give each of you a $1,000 gift card >> wow [ applause ] >> thank you to everybody there at lowe's. what's your name >> chris. >> chris. all right, thank you i think you'll need more people to help unload that. why don't you start giving them

out? we appreciate that of course, all these folks, it's hard to have no running water, maybe no power well, we've got all these fantastic folks over here at operation barbecue what do you guys -- these are all hot meals, right everybody gets a hot breakfast meal we're very excited about that. we want everybody to enjoy nothing better than texas barbecue, ladies and gentlemen that is pretty cool. by the way, we want to make sure that you help out. if you could scan that qr code that's at the bottom of your screen, that, my friends, will help get help to the thousands of families here in texas who still need your help again, thank you so much to the folks at operation barbecue relief and our friends at lowe's thank you all for everything you do a lot of you folks are helping other people while you're still suffering.

that's what texas is all about, guys >> al roker. >> good work, uncle al. >> lending a hand. >> $1,000 will go a long way. >> yeah. >> yup. >> again, as al mentioned there, the qr code is still up at the bottom of your screen. if you would like to lend a hand, as well, you can go to the qr code. we're going to go back to austin, texas, in our thir

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explore floor and decor's newest east bay area location march 18th, or shop our milpitas, burlingame welcome back i love this. ♪ time for a st. patrick's day bracket challenge. two, three weeks since we had a bracket? >> 28 days, yeah >> let's go. >> long time for the bracket department >> what is this bracket? >> st. patrick's day favorites round two here we've already eliminated a bunch. we started with 16 incredible contenders after tens and tens of thousands of votes on today.com -- >> where is -- >> almost shut us down yesterday.

the votes were coming in big. >> is that true? >> no. >> elite eight. >> no way. >> soda bread never had a chance knew that going in 68% of that vote now, corn beef facing wearing green. >> that beat green beer? >> irish music beat irish parades, 60% to 40%. it'll face shamrocks, which took down leprechauns. >> enough said >> annoying? >> scary. >> too mischief you? >> under your bed, it's not cool. >> too humorous, small >> what about the little -- >> dangerous leprechauns. you never know >> all right. >> the shamrock is an ultimate, clean symbol of -- >> yeah. >> it's great. it won other side of the bracket, step dancing crushed kiss me i'm irish t-shirt. 72% of the vote. it will face the shamrock shake. >> what? >> not so magically delicious,

apparently. >> lucky charms? >> what? >> this was a good one guinness against irish whiskey guinness, 55% of the vote. guinness will go on to u2. >> who made this list? >> sometimes, the afc or the championship is better than the super bowl >> yeah. >> that's the reality. >> i feel like anything can happen. >> chiefs playing the bills, that game might be better than the chiefs and the bucs, whatsoever it is >> what happened with that one >> u2 up against guinness. >> guinness goes all the way. >> not right. >> guinness is going all the way. >> it is random, right music versus, like, a clover >> that's the way of the bracket world. >> in this situation, u2 can face the shamrock. >> what is your heart telling you? >> u2? >> what would you pick >> to go all the way >> u2. >> now that leprechauns are out. corn beef and cabbage. >> corn beef and cabbage my irish grandmother, margaret ann mcdermott, would love this i think she would want corned beef and cabbage >> we encourage you to go vote head to today.com to vote. we'll have the final four

tomorrow >> tomorrow -- no, monday is the final four. >> whenever. whenever come to my house tomorrow, and i'll have the results. when we come back, if we come back, on the third hour, we will have a lot more from mr. roker. >> friday? what >> austin, texas, lending a hand hoda and jenna have the superfoods to give you a big boost of energy. spoiler alert, not corn beef and cabbage. >> i can't believe the leprechauns. devastating. >> who doesn't love the leprechauns? >> carson. >> sergeant milo, shoutout get well in colorado good morning. i'm marcus washington. the government will prioritize low income communities. that's when rates of vaccines

will increase and that could happen today. this weekend the state will allow breweries and wineries to reopen for outdoor purple tier counties and visits are limited to 90 minutes. happening now, bob redell will have a live report on our midday newscast. and good news for the johnson & johnson vaccine. it's rolling out in one of the largest vaccination sites. more local weather in an hour.

today on california live, laker superstar anthony davis, this morning at 11:30 a.m. on nbc bay area. getting our kids back into the classroom, the major east bay school district where students are set to resume in-school learning. plus we take a look back at the major events that led us to this point in the pandemic. join us monday morning, 4:30 to 7:00.

majestic mountains... fertile farmlands... there's lots to love about california. so put off those chores and use less energy from 4 to 9 pm when less clean energy is available. because that's power down time.

live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza, this is the "3rd hour of today." >> good morning. welcome to the "3rd hour of today" on this friday, march 12th, fri-yay. what was yesterday? friday eve. >> friday eve. >> he has a saying for every day. happy fri-yay. i'm here with craig and dylan. al is down in texas this morning. we're going to check in with him coming up in a minute. he has done a phenomenal job this morning. we have a big show coming up. >> before that, happy birthday to roque. >> it is your birthday?