you're headed east. >> that's right. our first monday after the time change, it's always a doozy, isn't it? that's going to do it for us this morning. >> a live look at the bay bridge, looking into the city. have a great monday and see you back here tomorrow morning starting at 4:30. the "today" show is next. good morning. wild weather. a massive, late winter blizzard slams the rockies and parts of the midwest. up to 3 feet of snow. airports and interstates shut down. the national guard activated. so where is it headed next? al is tracking it all. signs of life. the nation's busiest travel weekend since the beginning of the pandemic. airports, beaches, and bars edc. a record number of vaccines given in a single day, but

experts still urging caution. >> if you're going for a touchdown, don't spike the ball on the 5 yard line. wait until you get to the end zone. >> dr. anthony fauci's new warning to states rushing to reopen. losing support. more key democrats abandon embattled new york governor andrew cuomo, as another woman comes forward with accusations. and president biden weighing in for the first time overnight. >> i think the investigation is under way, and we should see what it brings us. >> just ahead, the first accuser preparing to speak with investigators. we'll have the latest. new twist. buckingham palace reportedly set to bring in outside investigators to look into claims of bullying against meghan markle. what that means for the royal family rift, and the touching messages on a special day in the uk from prince william's children to princess diana. all that, plus, ladies' night. >> the grammy goes to beyonce! >> women rule at the grammy awards, led by record-setting wins for beyonce and taylor

swift. ♪ cause you were mine to lose ♪ >> straight ahead, the night's other big winners and memorable performances. >> and life's a brees. what is ahead for drew brees after announcing he is leaving football? >> so he can spend more time with us. >> yay! >> in his future, his kids, the hall of fame? tv stardom? and hoda. drew's exclusive, live interview with his number one superfan today, monday, march 15th, 2021. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning, everybody. welcome to "today" on this monday morning. we're glad you woke up with us this morning. i can't believe it, but then i can, drew brees is retiring. >> i know. >>prised he's here though. >> well, i'm representing.

just want you to know, on the set, i am representing with the saints. drew, he had a 20-year career, spent most of his time at the saints. a lot of saints fans are a little upset this morning, but he has big plans for the future. we'll visit with him in a little bit. >> of course, he's coming to talk to you, hoda. can't wait for that. a lot more happening today, including signs of normalcy slowly returning across the country. we saw an in-person celebration for last night's grammys. the stars socially distanced and with no audience. they performed for each other. air travel, by the way, also on the rise. passengers breaking the record for flying since the pandemic. march madness is back. the bracket was revealed last night, one year after college basketball, the 2020 tournament for college basketball had to be cancelled. we'll have the latest. also, the message of caution being voiced by health officials. >> nice to see the signs of life. let's start with the historic winter storm. even as the clock sprung forward this weekend, heavy snow

wreaking havoc and snarling travel across the rockies and midwest. al is standing by with where that storm is headed next. first, let's get to gadi schwartz. he's in denver for us, where folks are going to be digging out for a while. aren't they, gadi? >> reporter: hey, good morning, guys, the snow has finally stopped here in denver. the sun is sun shining and now beginnings the long process of digging out just like this crew is doing. the snow totals we're seeing around the state are staggering. in the rocky mountain region, a tense 24 hours of rescue after rescue. blizzard conditions stranding people in their cars along interstates in wyoming and colorado. snowbanks so treacherous even plow trucks and ambulances needed to be rescued. police using 4-wheel drive armored vehicles to carry passengers to safety. in cheyenne, the snow piling up.

in the mountains of utah, an avalanche swept over four skiers that had to be rescued, fortunately, all survived. denver's metro area, power outages to tens of thousands. 2 feet of snow shutting down all the runways at denver's airport, leading to 2,000 flights being canceled. while in quiet neighborhoods, lines of cars sat half buried in the snow, as thousands spent the day shoveling out from the quick-hitting storm. crews of teens were out making cash. how is the money today? >> it's good, really good. >> reporter: many in colorado happy to see this epic snow. people are building igloos in their backyard. look at this. others venturing out to arctic-looking city parks. >> i love it. we didn't ski because we thought it'd be too dangerous to drive. trying to enjoy it. >> reporter: 1,000 miles away, the front end of the storm pushed through texas and into oklahoma and arkansas, kicking up a string of tornadoes that left homes damaged and this cell phone tower destroyed.

several states now cleaning up after one of the last winter storms before spring. just to recap, the snow totals here in the denver metro area, about 17 inches. out at the airport, 27 inches. what we understand is that they're hoping to get those runways reopen by about 10:00. but so far, they're still closed. back to you. >> what a mess. all right. gadi, thank you very much. after burying parts of the rockies, the storm is heading east, toward the midwest right now. al is here with what to expect. >> good morning. we have a fair amount of winter weather advisories and storm warnings from colorado all the way to illinois. we've got this system now. you can see snow from pierre, south dakota into des moines, rockford, heavy rain to the south of us. it'll move to the midwest today. afternoon into chicago then. early snow tomorrow morning into the great lakes.

a wintry mix here in the northeast. we may see some rain and some snowflakes. heavy snow tonight stretching from minneapolis to davenport. maybe an inch or two, slushy amounts for chicago. now, for today, we've got severe weather to talk about. birmingham, laurel, kansas, isolating storms. tomorrow, it expands out. 5 million people at risk from wichita, oklahoma city, down north of dallas. wednesday, here's where we're really concerned. 26 million people at risk for strong storms, tornadoes possible, hail, and damaging winds, over a wide swath. then we're looking at heavy rain making its way down all the way from louisiana up into the mid-atlantic states. this bull's eye here in the southeast, anywhere three to five inches of rain possible. we're going to continue to track this, as well. snow and severe, hoda, it's all in one. >> all right. al, thank you so much. turning now to the coronavirus and two sides of the story now emerging. >> yeah. the weekend brought another milestone in the nation's

vaccination effort.single day. that's a new record. this is happening as more reopenings begin today. airline traffic hitting a record of its own, fuelling new concern among health officials about too much, too soon. nbc's tom costello joins us more from reagan national airport with more on this. tom, good morning. >> reporter: hey, guys. good morning. incremental progress here, but progress absolutely. with more vaccine shots and, as you mention now, the most airline passengers we've seen since last year's spring break. of course, that, though, is against the cdc guidance, which is suggesting, please, it is still too early to travel. this morning, vaccinations are picking up, as coronavirus cases nationwide are slowing down. now more than a quarter of all adults have received at least one dose of vaccine, including a record 2.98 million in one day alone. while the seven-day case average is continuing downward, the nation's top infectious disease expert is still urging caution.

>> don't spike the ball on the 5 yard line. wait until you get into the end zone. we're not in the end zone yet. >> reporter: despite the warning, a growing number of states are relaxing restrictions. from california, where many counties, including l.a., can welcome guests back inside at restaurants, gyms, and movie theaters today. >> it gives us more chance to actually start paying our bills. >> reporter: to minnesota, where bars and restaurants are now operating at 75% capacity. gyms at 50%. salons, no limit. >> we're winning. we're winning, and this is coming to an end. >> reporter: air travel showing signs of rebounding. on friday, u.s. airport passenger levels hit their highest since march of 2020, though still down 38% over prepandemic levels. the uptick in travel comes as health officials are raising concerns over spring breakers, with images like these, of crowded beaches, and news that tickets to all four disney theme parks in orlando are sold out

this week. meanwhile, the cdc is studying whether to cut social distancing guidelines in half. that after a new statewide study of massachusetts schools found 3 feet of distance is just as safe as 6 feet, with precautions. overnight, a powerful tribute in a former epicenter of the virus. ♪♪ images of covid victims projected onto the brooklyn bridge to help mark one year since coronavirus took its deadly toll in new york city. >> at the same time, tom, we're hearing that europe is facing a more worrying situation, impending lockdowns, new wave of cases there? >> reporter: yeah. absolutely. you know, i've got family in europe, and this is all they're talking about right now. the third wave of the virus that they think is now washing across much of europe. in fact, two-thirds of italy going to lock down again. they're seeing the most cases since early february. some people in france describing the situation right now as grim again.

so the problem is, they haven't as quickly across the european union as they have had in the states or in britain. savannah? >> this is a global pandemic. tom, thank you very much. appreciate it. also this morning, demands are growing for embattled new york governor andrew cuomo to resign after new allegations of inappropriate behavior toward women emerged over the weekend. his support is crumblingng amon the state's top democrats. now, president biden is weighing in. nbc's anne thompson is at the new york state capitol in albany. anne, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, hoda. governor cuomo is digging in, determined to stay in office until the investigation into the sexual harassment allegations against him is complete. this despite a cascade of demands from politicians, many fellow democrats, saying that he needs to step down for the good of the state. this morning, andrew cuomo stands alone, increasingly a

political pariah in new york and the nation. in his first comments on the scandal, president joe biden urging patience. >> i think the investigation is under way, and we should see what it brings us. >> reporter: but many aren't willing to wait. this morning, almost all of the state's democratic congresspeople are calling on cuomo to go. along with its two u.s. senators. majority leader chuck schumer and kirsten gillibrand. >> governor cuomo has lost the confidence of his governing partners, as well as the people of new york. >> reporter: cuomo says he's not going anywhere. >> people know the difference between playing politics, bowing to cancel culture, and the truth. let the review proceed. i'm not going to resign. >> reporter: ratcheting up the pressure on the 63-year-old governor, two more younger women who, last week, said he had been inappropriate with them, bringing the total to seven.

>> it's very simple. i never harassed anyone. i never abused anyone. i never assaulted anyone. >> reporter: the seventh accuser, journalist jessica bakeman, in a new first-person account in "new york" magazine, bakeman describes how the governor physically touched her while she covered him in 2014. writing, "he uses touching and sexual innuendo to stoke fear in us. that's the textbook definition of sexual harassment." asked about bakeman's allegations, the governor's office referred us to his earlier denials. this morning, reports that cuomo's vaccine czar has been calling county executives to gauge their loyalty to the governor. the "new york times" and "washington post" reporting that one executive was so upset by the call, the person filed an ethics complaint with the state attorney general's office. now, cuomo's vaccine czar, larry schwartz, tells the "wasngton post" that he didn't do anything in the meantime, this week, we should get a better idea of just

what the timeline will be for the state assembly's impeachment investigation, and the investigators appointed by the attorney general will interview accuser charlotte bennett. anne thompson, thank you. we've got a lot to get to including an early wake-up call in hollywood. nominations were revealed a short while ago. husband and wife nick and preanka jonas. >> good morning to you. >> good morning to you, craig. >> because of covid it's an unusual year for the oscar nominations. for the first time, streaming services where being released in theaters were considered. like we saw it in last nig and diversity in the film industry.

>> reporter: the breakout star of borat is nominated for her supporting role and a favorite to win up against hilly elegy's glenn close who was nominated ten times but never won an oscar. and the scene stealing role in minari. the supporting actor, with judas and vying for the prize. and sasha barren coh

and nominate, vanessa kirby for pieces of a woman and andra day for the global winning lead role in united states versus billy holliday. the lead actor field is wide open with the role as a musician going deaf in the sound of metal. he's up against veteran actor anthony hopkins who plays an early man suffering from dementia in the father. steven yu as the young dad in minari. gary oldman made the cut. and chadwick boseman who posthumously won the role. and nome mandland, the father, judas and the black messiah, minari, sound of metal and the chicago 7 with six nominations and promising young woman has five. and it's already proving to be

an historic oscars for women. 70 receiving a total of 76 nominations. that is a record for the oscars. for the first time there were two female directors nominated up against each other, chloe zhao or nomadland. and the oscars take place april 25th and sure to be a very diverse oscars, craig. >> natalie, thank you. >> craig is this is widely considered one of the most exciting sporting events. just after a year of absence, guess what, march madness is back. >> gonzaga overall seed. michigan top seed in the midwest. >> thursday, the first full round. also, tip-offs on friday and

saturday. a major change from years past, all the games will be played in the indianapolis arena, that's due to the pandemic. but there will be some fans allowed in the stands. man, we keep saying this, baby steps to normalcy. baby steps to normalcy. >> yes. >> i can feel it. al has his eye on the other march madness, the weather. >> that's right. >> it's crazy. >> it's crazy. mind-blowing. i mean, look at this. much colder in the east. temperatures have plummeted. sunshine, though, severe storms down through the south. snowy conditions through the plains. they'll be digging out in the rockies for the next several days. windy conditions through southern california. some more mountain snows coming into the sierra. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. n the next 30 seconds okay i've got your w-2s just a few more questions. who's that? that's dave, a free turbotax live tax expert. why do you need a tax expert? i've always done those for you. my taxes are different since i moved out. besides, dave's advice is free and i can file for free.

hey dave, if my son still eats my food does that make him a dependant? haha haha, no. file a simple return for free now with advice good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. as we take a look at storm ranger right now, we've seen some very spotty, light showers, still lingering across parts of the bay area, even a little bit of snow on some far peaks, but for the most part, we're getting a chance to dry out, with the gusty winds continuing. a wind advisory will be in effect through 11:00 this morning where gusts may reach over 45 miles per hour. once the winds calm down, we'll go back to some quiet weather for the middle of the week. >> and that is your latest weather. guys >> al, thank you. coming up, how exciting is this a "today" exclusive. what is next for nfl superstar drew brees after announcing his decision to retire, with the help of his adorable kids? well, the legend himself, he is

going to join us live. yes! his first interview as an official retiree. >> how does that sound, retiree, drew plus, we have new developments on the investigation going on this morning into bullying allegations against meghan markle keir simmons is live with what buckingham palace had to say about that overnight first, on a monday morning, this

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♪ ghirardelli caramel squares. makes life a bite better. a very good morning to you. i'm laura garcia. it is 7:26. pete suratos has more on the reopening classrooms. >> reporter: it will take places in limited capacity begin march 30th. teachers who want to be vaccinated should be able to get their first shot by april 19th. the teachers union still needs to vote on this agreement. if approved the school districts will ratify it as well. i'm bob redell at the mass

vaccination site in pleasanton. the state of california opened up the covid-19 vaccine for another 4.4 million californians, anyone between the ages of 16 and 64 with an underlying condition is eligible, including cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic pulmonary disease, down syndrome, weakened immune system due to a solid organ transplant. the forecast with meteorologist kari hall, how is it looking for this monday? >> it's been pretty wind youth out there and we have some rain during the overnight hours, but a lot of that rain is starting to taper off so as we look at the activity here on the radar, still the storm system is spinning across the bay area and will bring us some gusty winds and so the times a chance of spotty showers. overall, we'll see those high winds continue for the next few hours, with the wind advisory continuing up until 11:00 and then after that, it will be a

fairly quiet day. we have sunshine tomorrow and our next chance of rain back in the forecast on thursday. laura? >> all right, thanks so much. thank you for joining us as well. we'll be back with another local update in half an hour.

♪ i don't know if i could ever go without watermelon sugar >> how good was that cobbler back. that's harry styles. he opened up last night's grammys with the performance of that yet. a watermelon sugar. and later in the night that song, by the way, landed harry, his very first. >> grammy. husband said to me love those. that band that harry that is the mark of >> yeah. t is the mark of

>> i was like, new addition. no, i was like, i couldn't remember the name. i couldn't. >> harry styles was the last act here. >> yeah, he was. he's amazing. >> by the way, women dominated last night. >> they did. >> beyonce, taylor. we'll get to all of it in a bit. >> those highlights coming up. first, though, we start this half hour with one of the biggest stories in the sports world over the last couple of years. biggest one in your lifetime. >> i would say so. >> enough about us, right? one of the most celebrated careers in nfl history. legendary saints quarterback drew brees announced his retirement yesterday with a really sweet instagram post and video featuring his adorable four kids. >> this morning, drew is with us exclusively. we cannot wait to talk to him about what's next. but first, nbc's morgan chesky is at the superdome with a look back at drew's incredible 20 years in the league. morgan, good morning. >> reporter: yeah, hoda, good morning. just an incredible career no matter how you look at it.

and a full-circle moment came yesterday when drew made this announcement exactly 15 years to the day that he joined the new orleans saints. since then, he has made this city his home, and he leaves behind a legacy that here in the city and those in the sport will can match. it's official. legendary saints quarterback drew brees announcing his retirement after a historic career in the nfl. >> tonight, it's about us! it's about us. >> reporter: sharing the news with a sweet video message from his kids. >> after 15 years in the saints and 20 years in the nfl, our dad. >> is finally going to retire. >> so he can spend more time with us. >> yay! >> reporter: the 42-year-old great saying good-bye after 20 seasons. a record 80,000 passing yards and a super bowl championship. >> brees fires, and that's caught. >> reporter: tributes pouring in. the saints tweeting, you came to us at our lowest point. you led us to our highest. tom brady tweeting, congrats, my friend, on an incredible career.

the two nfl legends sharing this quiet moment on the field after this year's nfc championship, in what we now know is brees' final nfl game. brady throwing a touchdown pass to one of brees' kids. brees' nfl career started with the chargers in 2001. it was during his 15 seasons with the saints that his legacy took shape. he signed with the team in 2006, when new orleans was still reeling after hurricane katrina. >> i'm going to do whatever it takes to get me back as fast as possible. >> reporter: brees coming off a career-threatening shoulder injury. but the resilient player and the city that adopted him found success together. in 2010, he led the franchise to its first and only super bowl championship. >> we played for so much more than just ourselves. we played for our city. >> reporter: but it hasn't been a perfect ride. last year, brees apologized after calling kneeling during the national anthem disrespectful, saying his comments lacked awareness. >> brees under pressure, throws, and that'll convert.

respec studio 1a. >> oh, my god! >> surprise. >> i'm wearing your number 9. hey, i want you to know, i got your jersey. >> we know where hoda's loyalties are, and we love it. she's a new orleans girl. >> reporter: last year, after covid hit louisiana especially hard, brees and his wife britney let us know what they did to help. >> you thought, maybe i can help out, too. drew, we love ya. >> love you, too, hoda. >> all right. a lot more -- >> reporter: earlier this year, after what would become the game.

of course, you don't get that respect without earning it on the field, guys. i've got to tell you i'm just going to read off some of the records that drew has broken during the incredible run here. of course, we know he's the all-time leading in passing. how about career completions. most seasons with 5,000 passing yards. best completion in a season. best game with 300 passing yards. three passing touchdowns, five passing touchdowns, most seasons with 30 passing touchdowns. all that to say, drew, good luck in retirement. sending it back to you. >> thank you, morgan. joining us now, the man himself, drew brees. drew, good morning. how are you this morning? >> good morning, hoda. doing great. >> well, it's great to see you. boy, that must have been a big decision. i was thinking about you, because i know your love for the saints and i know your love for that city. drew, when did you know for sure that it was time to say good-bye to football? >> you know, that's a decision that you don't just wake up one day and say, "hey, i'm going to

retire." it's definitely a process. listen, i'm 42 years old. i've had a chance to play this game for 20 years in the nfl. the last few years, i felt like this moment was coming. it just made me so laser focused on staying in the moment. each and every day, enjoying the moment, enjoying the preparation, enjoying the grind, enjoying the celebrations with my teammates. just knowing that, at some point, i will retire and move on to the next chapter, and i want to be able to look back with ach incredible memories and knowing that i gave it my absolute best. >> when you ran off the field that time and looked back over your shoulder pads, did you kind of know then, that that was it >> i did really, i've approached the last four seasons with that mentality, of i'm just going to pour everything i have into the season, and then i'll give myself at least a little while

after the season to soak it in with my family, my wife, and then make a thoughtful decision. going into this season, i felt like this was going to be it, and let's go get it. >> drew, what are you going to miss the most about football >> you know, there's so many things i mean, the moments on the field after the game, i think those are the moments that my kids most look forward to i think that's been one of the most special parts of this whole journey, is watching our kids grow up through this be able to, you know, retain the information and come to the saints facility. they would jump in the hot tub with me. jump in the cold tub with me jump in the whirlpool. they run around the indoor facility they'd bring their footballs to the game, knowing they'd have an opportunity to go on the field after to play. having them be a part of this, knowing there's memories and, hopefully, moments of inspiration for them that will

last a lifetime, that's what it's all about. >> let's go back to when you moved to new orleans i remember, i just thought it was the most interesting thing of all, because you came off almost a career-ending injury with san diego, and new orleans was decimated after hurricane katrina. decimated. i thought, how will these two things come together and create magic and you ended up winning the super bowl -- the saints won the super bowl a few years later it should not have worked, that combination. why do you think it did? >> you know, i feel like there was divine intervention there. i can remember like it was yesterday, britney and i visiting new orleans it was six months post katrina, and the city was in shambles i think the saints were trying to show up the best of the city. they were trying to show us, you know, maybe some neighborhoods

that were still intact and, "hey, look, you can live here, raise a family this is a great place. it wasn't until sean payton got lost driving us back to the saints facility, because keep in mind, he'd been there a month. and he got lost in lakeview right next to the 17th street canal where some of the worst flooding and destruction occurred i remember seeing houses ripped off the foundations. at one point, the car stopped, and we both looked up and there was a tugboat in the middle of the road we had to turn around because we couldn't pass. that was the moment where britney and i looked at each other and said, "this is so much more than football this is part of the resurrection and resurgence of one of america's greatest cities. it was a calling. >> oh, my god, it certainly it and new orleans is, you know, the kind of city -- and you said it in your comments, if you love it, it loves you back and loves you back hard how have people been reacting to you? >> it's been amazing i think just the outpouring of support and emotion and

memories you know, that's -- i think anything you do, especially when you just pour your heart and soul into it, i think you hope that you're able to impact people in a really positive way. you know, life is full of defining moments, and life is full of kind of next chapters. i think that whenever you leave one chapter and go on to the have left the legacy behind it, where you left it better than when you found it. that's always been my philosophy that's always the way i've tried to approach life these are memories and relationships that will last a lifetime we're all better for it. >> okay. you said next chapter. you said next chapter, so what's our next chapter, drew what you got cooking >> well, i am going to be working for nbc. >> whoo-hoo! >> yeah, part of the team now. >> yes >> a new team. listen, i'm excited about that

journey. i'm excited to stay very closely connected with the game of football it's been such an important part of my life and i continue to be able to talk about it and show a passion for it and bring my kids along for the ride there, as well. let them be part of some of those special moments. there's so many philanthropic endeavors that we are involved with, especially here in the city of new orleans. a lot of those will be announced here over the coming months. i'll be honest, i am most excited about those things because i think that's where we can make the biggest impact. there's still so much need in this country, and certainly this city, and i'm excited that we have the opportunity to be involved in those things create some models, some sustainable models that we can replicate throughout this country to continue to push us forward.sing room, you guys it is, like, saint drew.

literally, they sent it to me, and your face is on it it kind of is defined -- >> that's normal, right, drew? >> totally normal. you have to practice broadcasting, babe it's not simple. >> she's saying, come over she'll give some lessons hoda's advanced school of broadcasting. >> we'll help you out. i'm representing today, like i do every day love you, drew >> we love you, too. thank you. >> we'll see you here at 30 rock soon, okay >> congrats. >> who dat >> who dat. >> congrats. >> first ballot hall of fame quarterback. mark my words. first hall of fame sports broadcaster, as well. >> he'll be amazing. we'll see you around here soon, okay >> okay, thank you. >> future is looking bright everywhere coming up next, guys, we're going to take a turn, go overseas and look at this new situation, these bullying allegations made against meghan markle by royal staffers now, the palace is going to investigate. >> keir simmons is standing by at buckingham palace we'll have a live report

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we're back it is 7:45 with in-depth this morning. new royal drama one week after meghan and harry's tell-all interview. >> it is tied to the investigation by buckingham palace into allegations that meghan markle bullied members of the royal staff. >> "today" senior international correspondent keir simmons joins us with the very latest on all of it. keir, good morning. >> reporter: craig, savannah, hoda, good morning to you. the palace says that it is committed to looking into the circumstances surrounding these allegations. it says it won't provide a running commentary you have to wonder, can it really keep the details of this inquiry behind palace doors? a little more than a week after claims of bullying against the duchess of sussex, this morning, buckingham palace preparing to bring in outside investigators it threatens to further sour relations with harry and meghan, whose team called the bullying allegations a calculated smear campaign and this was a close friend of the sussexes on british network's itv last week.

>> i can say she's not a bully i also know why someone had to leave, and it was for gross misconduct the truth will come out. there's plenty of emails and texts about that. >> reporter: but a report in the "london times" newspaper this senior ai month quoted a 2018 email by senior aide, not seen by nbc news, stating royal aides were driven out, saying the duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights. in their interview with oprah winfrey, harry and meghan said palace life left her struggling with her mental health >> i just didn't want to be alive anymore. >> reporter: and they accused an unnamed member of the royal family of racism >> there was a conversation with you? >> with harry. >> about how dark your baby is going to be? >> potentially, and what that would mean or look like. >> reporter: days later, big brother william denying the royal family was racist. >> we're very much not a racist family.

>> good morning. >> reporter: this weekend, the royal family putting on a show of business as usual releasing this video of the queen taking part in a science zoom last week >> very successful >> reporter: while william and kate's instagram posted noted from their children to princess diana for british mother's day the 7-year-old future king writing, "dear granny diana, i love you very much and think of a spokesperson for prince harry says he sent flowers to princess diana's grave over the weekend for the uk's mother's day. what would princess diana think of all this? >> keir simmons for us at buckingham palace, thank you. another check of the weather from mr. roker. >> brisk when we walked outside. >> it was. what happened? >> march chill coming in here. look at the wind chills. 14 in pittsburgh feels like 16 in detroit 9 in buffalo zero in boston 16 in atlantic city. today, temperatures are way below normal from chicago down to columbia, up to portland.

we will start to see a little bit of a break coming. cincinnati starts to warm up nashville, they'll be 77 still chilly here in the east. later in the week, we warm up, and then we dip down 37 on friday in boston 50, d.c. 62 in charlotte. 57 in nashville. that's what's goin good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. as we take a look at our radar right now, still some active weather across the region, but most of us are taking a break from the rain. it's just really windy out there, as we take a live look outside in dublin, some breaks in the clouds, but watch out for some of that snow and may be falling on some of our bay area hills and temperature also stay chilly with a slight chance of rain passing by, highs reaching into the mid-50s. we will clear out by tomorrow and more rain on thursday. >> and >> and that's your latest weather, guys? >> al, thank you. >> thank you, al. still ahead, a troubling twist with those incredibly realistic deepfake videos we've been talking about

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and provide lasting steroid-free remission. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections. before and during treatment, your doctor should check for infections, like tb and do blood tests. tell your doctor if you've had hepatitis b or c, have flu-like symptoms, or are prone to infections. serious, sometimes fatal infections, cancers including lymphoma, and blood clots have happened. taking a higher than recommended dose of xeljanz for ra may increase risk of death. tears in the stomach or intestines and serious allergic reactions have happened. you could take your uc treatment in a different direction. ask your gastroenterologist about xeljanz. coming up, inside look at music's biggest night. >> from historic wins for women to creative performances, we have all the grammy highlights coming up after your local news. n

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neutrogena® good morning. it's 7:56. i'm laura garcia. pete suratos has what's happening now. >> reporter: the oakland unified school district reopening will take place at limited capacity beginning march 30th. it teachers who want to get vaccinated should be able to get their first shot by april 19th. they need to vote on the agreement, if approved the oakland unified school district will ratify it as well. good morning, everyone. i'm scott mcgrew. a group of republican lawmakers is expected to travel to the border today to examine the crisis of unaccompanied minors trying to cross. president biden is asking fema for help in housing all of those children.

we want to check in with meteorologist kari hall with a look at our forecast for this monday morning. >> starting out windy out there especially after some of those showers move through parts of the bay area, and this storm system still bringing wind gusts near the coast and parts of the inner bay, about 25 to 30 miles per hour and may get higher as we could still see the wind advisory continuing up until about 11:00, and some of the gusts could reach up to 45 miles per hour. we're watching that, but as far as the rain is starting to wind down, and dry weather continues at least through wednesday. laura? >> all right, good to know. thanks so much. another local news update in half an hour.

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it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, on the move. a massive snowstorm pummels the rocky mountain region. motorists stranded. tens of thousands without power. in texas, that same system twisting into a string of tornadoes. where's it headed next? al is tracking it all. plus, bring it on. how a pennsylvania mother allegedly used deepfake technology to manipulate photos of girls on her daughter's cheerleading team to get them in trouble. >> i couldn't really comprehend, like, what was going on. >> just ahead, we'll hear from the teen at the center of the .

hoda goes one-on-one with major league baseball's first female general manager. >> i was a little bit of a rule breaker. >> you were? >> oh, yeah. >> in what way? >> i just didn't take any guff, you know. it wasn't, you know, you can't play with them because girls don't do that, it was, i don't care. choose sides, let's go. >> her inspiring story straight ahead. and ladies' night. the grammys kick off in socially distanced style for a show unlike any other. >> i am so honored. i'm so excited. >> with women taking most of the major awards. we'll break down the top winners. ♪ beautiful people ♪ music to movies, the oscar nominations revealed this morning. monday, march 15th, 2021. ♪ i need you to hold on ♪ >> good morning, hoda, savannah, and craig. >> turning double digits on the "today" show. >> i'm 10!

>> coming to you from orlando, florida. >> we're celebrating 15 years of marriage today. >> our family is celebrating my mom's 52 years in nursing, and still going strong. >> celebrated my bachelorette party all weekend long with these ladies. now, i'm starting my week off with hoda and savannah, my honorary bridesmaids. >> we want to go to the bachelorette party, don't we? >> hello, where was our invite? >> love that. welcome back to "today." it's a monday morning. happy you're with us live to celebrate, including a little sunshine in the air. we sprung forward, sunlight. al is over there with the snow picture. we'll get to that in a moment. actually, we'll get to it right now. here's the news at 8:00. a massive, late winter blizzard moving east after dropping more feet of snow across the rockies and midwest. the snow and ice shut down airports and highways, leaving people stranded in their cars,

waiting to be rescued. the national guard had to be activated to help out. farther south, that storm system spun off tornadoes, and al says it is not over yet. al, the aforementioned al with his snow pictures, there you are. >> this is the dead of winter, you'd say, and this is march. the ides of march. parts of i-25 shut down over the weekend. finally, they are going to get a break. the snow is coming to an end, but yind peak, wyoming, 52 inches of snow. 36 in cheyenne. denver, fourth largest snowstorm on record, the largest for cheyenne. buckhorn, colorado, top total. we still have snow out there. 8 million people under winter weather advisories, winter weather storm warnings, i should say. snow from the plains to the midwest today. afternoon burst of snow likely in chicago. then this moves to the east. early snow in the great lakes. wintry mix in the northeast as we get into tomorrow. heavier snow from minneapolis to

davenport. but as far south as chicago. we have severe weather with this today, down into the south and into the mid plains. tomorrow, it ramps up. 5 million people at risk from wichita to oklahoma city, down to north of dallas. look at wednesday, this is what we're really concerned about. 26 million people at risk for tornadoes, hail, damaging winds from mobile, montgomery, all the way to little rock. we're going to be watching this one very, very closely. craig? >> mr. roker, thank you, good sir. now the disturbing case involving deepfake videos that are manipulated to make it look like someone did or said something they did not. a pennsylvania mother is facing criminal charges this morning, accused of using deepfakes to harass a member of her daughter's cheerleading squad. nbc's stephanie gosk has the details. >> reporter: it's a troubling new take on cyberbullying. a mom in pennsylvania is accused of using so-called deepfakes to anonymously harass members of her daughter's cheerleading

team. >> i think i was just so much, like, in shock with everything going on, like i couldn't really comprehend, like, what was going on. >> reporter: maddie himes says after getting threatening calls and texts from unknown numbers, some even saying she should take her own life, her cheer coaches told maddie they received this video that supposedly showed her vaping. she and her mom shared it with us. they say it's fake. >> if i said to someone, like, no one would trust me. they have the video on proof, even though the video wasn't real. >> reporter: according to court documents, images from maddie's social media were also doctored to make it appear she was nude and drinking. her mother turned to police. >> i didn't know how to protect her from that. i didn't know who to protect her from. there were a lot of sleepless nights. >> reporter: authorities say behind it all was rafaela's phone, whose daughter is a teammate of himes'.

on the victory vipers cheer squad. she is charged with cyber harassment of a child and harassment. >> my client denies what they've charged her with, and we are going to aggressively fight this. >> reporter: in a statement, the victory vipers said, in part, their group has always promoted a family environment and they are sorry for all individuals involved. deepfakes showing videos before, like this one, this one appearing to be tom cruise. >> the real thing. >> reporter: they're not real. they're altered through software. the district attorney in pennsylvania fears this is the start of a dangerous trend. >> we've always taken for granted that a photo is a photo. a video is a video. we can't take that for granted any longer. >> reporter: a disturbing, new tool that has this community demanding justice. for "today," stephanie gosk, nbc news. >> we could use a boost. okay, i got you covered right here. there is a sheriff's deputy in florida. he was checking out a noise complaint from somebody who thought a dance studio was being used as an illegal nightclub. turned out, everything was

legit. a dance group, the pensacola pirouettes, were practicing their routine. the deputy wanted them to explain what was going on. asked if they were good. he said, well, are you any good? here's what happened. >> whew! [ laughter ] >> the deputy took up the challenge and showed them. by the way, the women had no idea he belonged to a dance group when he was in college years ago. >> wow. >> if he's not in their next performance -- >> wow. >> -- i mean -- >> wow. okay. >> perfect. >> i didn't see that going there. all all right. coming up, we'll take you right there? how women owned the evening at the grammy awards. historic wins, unforgettable performances we'll tell you everything about it, right after this l managing type 2 diabetes? you're on it.

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detergent trap stains at the molecular level and flush them away. it's just science! just... science. seventh generation tackles stains. we're back 8:14 carson is joining us for the highlights of last night's 63rd grammy awards. >> that's right, guys. good morning to you all. it was hosted by trevor noah the grammys gave us a pandemic-friendly ceremony featuring both live and pre-recorded appearances and performances it was a huge night for female artists, with strong messages of social justice, as well. joe fryer has all the details. joe, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. although there was no jam-packed venue with screaming fans, the grammys gave us a historic night filled with multiple firsts, and women sweeping all major categories

live music hosted in an intimate setting, the 63rd annual grammy awards started with a nod to coronavirus. >> this is not a zoom background, all right? this is real >> reporter: it wasn't long before history was made. taylor swift performed at the award show for the first time since 2016 ♪ you'll come back to me ♪ >> reporter: with "folklore," she was the first female artist to win album of the year three times. >> we want to thank the fans. >> reporter: an emotional megan thee stallion won three grammys, best new artist and best rap song for her "savage" remix with beyonce. >> one day, i'm going to grow up and be like beyonce. >> reporter: queen b became the most honored female grammy winner of all time with 28 >> i've wanted to uplift, encourage, celebrate all of the beautiful black queens and kings. >> reporter: it was also a night of firsts on a socially distant performed.

♪ stage. billie eilish, haim and harry styles performed ♪ watermelon sugar high ♪ >> reporter: styles, the first member of one direction to be nominated for an individual grammy, walked away with a win for "watermelon sugar high." anderson bruno mars debuted with is the silk sonic" dua lipa won for future pop album. and billie eilish won record of the year for "everything i want." ♪ as long as i am near the worl can't hurt you ♪ >> reporter: there was also a touching in memoriam to those artists lost over the year ♪ beside me ♪ >> reporter: there was strong recognition of diversity and social justice throughout the night. the first black female solo artist ever nominated in the country category sang "black like me. ♪ you should try to be black like me ♪ >> reporter: and h.e.r. won best

song for "i can't breathe. how has the past year impacted you as an artist >> i was able to learn so much about myself and my artistry, and learn so much about the world. it gave me hope for the future. >> reporter: grammys in pandemic times bringing us together as only music can. >> reporter: the awards weren't without controversy. the weeknd, whose "blinding lights" broke records, the first song to spend a year in the top 100s top ten wasn't nominated for any awards he boycotted the show and tweeted he would not b submitting his songs for nominations in the future. back to you guys >> yeah, thank you, joe. appreciate that. they're going to have to figure out the weeknd thing, guys you heard joe report that taylo first female she joins the ranks of stevie

wonder, paul simon and frank sinatra. >> oh, wow wow. >> good company. >> thanks, carson. mr. roker, another check of the weather. >> other artists have been snubbed, so get over yourself. anyway, show you what we have going on as far as your weather is concerned today much colder in the northeast we're looking at sunshine up and down the eastern seaboard. snowy up through the plains. digging out around the rockies look for some light snow in the sierra, and sunshine from the gulf all the way into texas. that's what's going on around meteorologist kari hall. as we take a look at the storm system still spinning across the region. it's bringing in dusty winds and will keep our weather a bit unsettled today with the chance of spotty showers and snow in some of our big area hills, but it's also very windy near the coastline and inner bay. that's where the wind advisory will continue up until about 11:00 for the coast and the bay. and then our weather starts to calm down and quiet down by the middle of the week. >> that's your latest weather. craig?

>> thank you. we turn to our special series "women are essential. >> for women's history month, we're sharing stories of remarkable women who have broken barriers to become pioneers in their field. you certainly met one. >> oh, she is amazing. so after nearly three decades of climbing the ladders of major league baseball, kim ng, a girl from queens, grew up playing stick ball, well, scored her place in history in november mlb's first ever female general manager. i got a chance to catch up with her at spring training down in jupiter, florida ♪ >> reporter: in a field of heavy hitters, kim ng earned a legion of new fans when she became the first female general manager in baseball history no >> hi, there. >> you are not standing here in the flesh. >> standing 10 feet apart. >> reporter: give me a little. i need a little of the text messages.

>> it was amazing. i think, first and foremost, was michelle obama billie jean king hillary clinton. i got an email from sheryl sandberg. >> reporter: despite a 30-year career in baseball front offices, ng had to overcome many obstacles to rise to the top did it ever bug you, those little dings, like the security guard who stopped you and says, "hey, not you, honey." >> yeah, it did. there was one time where they wouldn't let me into the clubhouse. i had the appropriate credentials. it was just the fact that i was a woman. i said, look, the credential he said, "nope, nope."i said, "o be sorry, though." i picked up the phone. our guy comes out, starts screaming at the guy i looked at him and said, "i told you i told you." >> reporter: what made you not put your hand up and say, you know what, this isn't really working for me >> i just never saw it as there was any other choice

you know >> reporter: yeah. >> you want what you want. you know you're good why would i do anything else >> reporter: ng is the oldest of five girls their family faced a tragic loss, ng's father died when she was just 11. what did you lose that day >> i lost my -- i lost a buddy, for sure he would have been pretty proud. >> reporter: yeah. she admits to ruffling feathers at an early age. >> i was a little bit of a rule breaker. >> reporter: you were? >> oh, yeah. >> reporter: in what way >> i just didn't take any guff it was not, you know, girls don't do that, it was i don't care choose sides let's go. >> reporter: ng played on her college softball team. after graduating, she interned for the chicago white sox. >> and my mother, she could not believe it in her mind, working for free, where is my return on investment >> reporter: yeah, what are you doing? but that internship paid off

she climbed the ranks of major league teams, including the yankees and the dodgers, but was unable to get a gm role, even though she was very qualified. did you not get jobs because you're a woman >> you know, it's hard to say, but i would suspect yes. >> reporter: joe torre has a bunch of great quotes. one was, women were always looked at as intruders into a supposedly man's sport did you ever feel like that, an intruder >> never in a systemic way you know, i had great bosses who had great wives who made them be better guys. >> reporter: it's guys who understood what women were capable of >> yeah. >> reporter: those were the ones who opened the doors for you. >> yes. >> reporter: thank god for women again. >> exactly >> we're doing everything. as ceo and part owner of the miami marlins, hall of famer derek jeter made the historic

move to hire ng. >> we officially announce the hiring of kim ng as general ita manager. >> reporter: she was one of jeter's bores when yanks won three world series in a row. >> when it happened, i thought to myself, it took a player to do this. it took that kind of courage to do this, and this was the guy. >> reporter: jeter even stopped by >> enough talking. we brought something for you >> reporter: wait, what's happening? >> jersey. >> reporter: got my last name on it can you throw it see if you still have the arm. >> you have to play to win. >> reporter: let's see >> nice. >> reporter: i'll put this thing on derek, are you pumped? look what you -- this is brilliant. >> want me to go away? >> reporter: don't you leave. >> you can tell the truth. >> i'll tell the truth time will tell if it was brilliant. >> reporter: first of all, look, what took so long for someone to hire kim to be a gm? >> i don't know. i'm glad they didn't, obviously, because she's here now when we decided to make a change, kim was the first person

i called she's the only person i called >> reporter: her husband, tony, was home when she got that call. >> he was listening outside the >> reporter: tell me about that. >> when i opened up the door, he was sitting on the stairs. and it hit me again. he just looked at me and he nodded >> reporter: he's been with you. he knows it all. >> it was cool >> reporter: what did your mom, by the way, think when she found out you got this gig >> you know, she's so funny. she didn't jump up and scream. we just pulled down her mask and looked at me, and she said, "long overdue. tiger mom. tiger mom. >> reporter: as you go, so go women, in a weird way. you win, we win. if you don't win, it's uh-oh so do you feel that pressure >> i do. i do i'm not sure if we don't win a world series, that my career will have been a failure, that

this would have been, you know, the failed experiment. i don't think that at all. but, you know, i do have to do well that, i know hopefully i won't be the last. i won't be the last. i won't. >> she's right she won't be the last. joe torre had a great quote, something about, pretty soon, people will have to overlook the fact that she is a woman and hire her because she knows baseball and finally, derek jeter did that think about that, she applied for the gm job 15 times. >> wow. >> 15. >> didn't she, at some point, i kind of remember talking, like, she was, like, it's not going to happen. >> not in the cards for me. >> then jeter called. >> isn't that right? they reached out to her. everyone keeps saying, "it's about time." >> her mother's response was the best, "long overdue. >> long overdue. >> cheering her on, man. >> that was really awesome just ahead, guys, if you're feeling sleepy this morning, this one is for you.

we are talking coronasomnia. yes, it's a thing. >> we brought in an expert who said the hands you picked up during the pandemic -- i'm marcus washington. one of the bay area's most popular tourist investigations reopens today. san francisco's famed alcatraz welcomes back visitors. because the city is out of the red, it allows museums to operate 25% capacity. indoor tours have been closed just about a year now. some parts of the old prison including the iconic cell house will open again. of course, masks are required. still looking at the forecast for you today, meteorologist kari hall is tracking that. >> yes, it's going to be really windy for that boat ride over to

alcatraz. we have a wind advisory in effect and also the storm system that continues to spin across the bay area, northern california. rain for late last night and starting to wiped down but we're still looking at high winds near the coast and parts of the inner bay. most of us are not and the wind advisories for areas in the yellows, including the coast and bay, and that will be in effect until 11:00 this morning as some of our guests could reach 45 miles an hour. as we go through the forecast, our weather quiets down for the end of the week and watching for more rain on thursday. marcus? >> thank you. we'll have another news update in 30 minutes. see you then.

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♪ i got you moonlight ♪ we're back 8:30 monday morning, the 15th day of march, 2021. it was this day ms. guthrie was getting married. >> seven years ago. >> yes, yes, indeed. and feldie >> happy anniversary seven years, wedded bliss. by the way, if you've had a hard time sleeping during the pandemic, two unrelated thoughts there, you're in good company. we're going to talk to an expert about why the past year has been so tough on our sleep habits, and the simple changes that can make a big difference.

>> sleep doctor standing by. also oscar nomination day. dave is standing by, as well, our man on movies. he's going to have the first reaction to this morning's nominees in a first moments. then on the "3rd hour of today," superstar athletes from different sports joining one team dylan will be chatting with alex morgan, sue bird, and simone manuel, joining together to shine a light on other female athletes tomorrow on "today," jenna goes one-on-one with michelle obama, as the former first lady releases a new netflix show. it's called "waffles and mochi." a cooking show for kids that uses puppets to promote healthy eating from all over the world and mrs. obama is the producer and star >> mrs. obama, as a little girl, would you have imagined yourself the first lady of the united states or the star of your own kids' tv show?

>> absolutely not. i mean, when i was very young, i wanted to be a mommy, like my mommy. then when i got a little older, i thought i wanted to be a pediatrician then i got a little older, and i realized there was math involved and i wasn't good at that. then i decided on law because i talked a lot >> they had a good conversation. those two always click it'll be a good one. they also discovered mrs. obama's mental health struggle she's been open about struggling during lockdown. talked about the black lives matter movement, even the royal they got a lot to talk about, e two. we look forward to hearing all of it tomorrow morning on "today." right now, though, how about one final check of the weather, sir? >> all right quick look. >> announcer: today's weather is brought to you by seventh generation laundry detergent powered by plants. tackles stains >> everybody told me there was a billboard, but i still talked anyway i'm old. anyway, let's show you what we have monday, cold returns here in the northeast. snowy in march as you get your way to the midsection of the country.

by midweek, we've got severe storms down through the gulf it is dry out west more snow in the central plains. the end of the week, rain, wet snow, a mess in the northeast. dry. don't hate the player. continued sunshine from the plains down to the gulf. a little rain in the west. as we make our way toward the end of the week. >> it's a monday. >> that's what's going on around the country. meteorologist kari hall. we had some rain last night and now a lot of it starting to move out but we are seeing the storm system nearby and it's kicking off some high winds. we do still have the wind advisory in effect up until about 11:00 for the coast and parts of the inner bay, where some of the gusts can reach over 45 miles per hour. it will start to calm down and then the cool temperatures continue for tomorrow. but then we'll watch out for more rain on thursday. >> that's your latest weather. ready for the best time of the morning? >> absolutely. >> mr. daly.

>> hit it. >> that is so nice of you guys good morning, everybody. >> good morning. >> "pop start" is on first up, in the hype, the film based on lin-manuel miranda's tone-award winning musical about washington heights neighborhood is finally coming out after being delayed by the pandemic. a brand-new trailer gives a look at the big dance number we can expect ♪ everyone we know ♪ >> we are not powerless. >> we are powerful ♪ hey ♪ ♪ once we get going we're never gonna ♪ ♪ 86,000 get it going ♪ ♪ 96,000 once we get going ♪ ♪ we're never gonna stop ♪ >> that is going to be good. >> sign us up. >> geez. >> cannot wait >> oh, that looks so good. "in the heights" hits theaters

and hbo max, mark it, june 18th. next up, acclaimed cellist yo-yo ma played at the white house, sold out venues while his latest performance was smaller in scale, it was just as notable. listen to this story clips shared on facebook shows yo-yo ma puts on an impromptu show for people at massachusetts covid site he was in the 15-minute observation area after getting his second shot and decided to treat everybody there to a little bach. ♪ >> pretty cool >> wow. >> i think you need a yo-yo ma for every vaccination site he is sitting down with jenna later today. we're excited to share that interview with you this week on "today." we'll have a little more of yo-yo ma next up, "king of queens." the cast of the classic sitcom got together over the weekend for a table read

afterwards, they paid a little homage to the late jerry stiller who played leah remini's character ridiculous but loveable dad they reminisced about the type of guy stiller was behind the scenes. >> jerry could have been in the first scene and they said it was okay for you to go you don't have to stay all night, you know, while we're filming. he would stay. jerry knew that most people who came to the show wanted to meet jerry. >> a lot of people see him, how he acts. you know, the cranky old man, yelling and screaming, but it was never who he was he's an angel, man he's a great man >> it's funny how, after "seinfeld," stiller got typecasted as the angry old man. he was anything like that in real life. nice words there. finally, guys, it is time for the next round of the only bracket that matters this month. that's right, we're down to our final four

the st. patrick's day bracket. the competition has been fierce, primarily green. no surprise here but corned beef and cabbage which may be the favorite took down wearing green with 55% of the voteaces shamrocks, which narrowly beat irish music,e boa have step dancing, that beat out your shamrock shake. 58% of that vote it goes head-to-head with another juggernaut, the guinness. >> made it out. >> it's going all the way. >> guinness made it out. >> you can't drink u2. >> guinness out of the south, craig, probably going against corn beef and cabbage out of the north. that'll be a classic unc/duke rivalry there. remember, head to today.com to cast your vote savannah, happy anniversary to you and mike >> thank you >> graphics department here, happy birthday to the graphics department. >> happy birthday. >> beat me to it

happy birthday, jack d. >> jack daly ahead, your guide to better sleep. >> an expert has advice for figuring out what is ruining your rest, and how to build a better routine to catch more zs. firs for nearly a decade, comcast has been helping students get ready. we've connected 4 million low-income students to low- cost, high-speed xfinity internet. we're working with hundreds of school districts across the country to sponsor free internet and laptops. and parents are seeing an impact.

and now we're turning 1,000 community centers so more students can be ready for anything. i'm trying to do some homework here. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

deposit, plan and pay with easy tools from chase. simplicity feels good. chase. welcome back it's national sleep awareness week we're kicking it off with a new series called "sleep better today. >> it is no surprise that the pandemic really shook up our routines what is surprising is the alarming effects it's had on our sleep. >> have you heard of coronasomnia you have now you may be experiencing it, even if you didn't call it coronasomnia we'll put our sleep habits to the test in a moment first, a closer look at what's causing the sleepless nights >> reporter: if the pandemic is keeping you up at night, you're not alone. nearly 40% of adults are having sleep problems during the covid-19 crisis.

drastic changes and uncertainty, including health, financial, work, and family life are causing stress to skyrocket and sleep to plummet, a problem some are calling coronasomnia. >> how is quarantine treating me it's 7:00 in the morning, and i have yet to fall asleep. >> this is 1:42 a.m. i have been up for about three hours. >> reporter: why the sudden restlessness experts say the disruption of our daily lives and routines could be to blame. >> what people don't realize is our sleep is incredibly dependent on how consistent our routine is prior to the pandemic, we'd wake up at a certain time let's say our children needed to go to school or we needed to go to work. all of a sudden, we all had a whole host of lifestyle changes. many of those lifestyle changes, even though you think it doesn't affect sleep, it actually does >> some of those changes, more hours at home and less levels of natural light, which helps keep our circadian rhythm in tact

more screen time and less movement and exercise. more working hours and blurred work/life boundaries, and less social activities to destress us it's all having consequences on our sleep. >> sleep is arguably one of the most critical things that your body needs to do, especially now. it's really up to us to be able to find the correct schedules and follow the right sleep hygiene. everything you do, you do better with a good night's sleep. >> well, that is for sure. how can we finally get a good night's rest joined by specialist dr. breus, who we just saw. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> so this is real, huh, coronasomnia >> it absolutely is. we're seeing it all across clinics. sleep specialists all over the country are starting to hear, as well as psychologists, psychiatrists, and general doctors, that people are just not sleeping well. >> all right we're going to put everybody to a test here. we've got our paddles ready. >> awesome. >> what are some of these

causes now, we're going to play never have i ever. y'all remember that? >> oh, yeah. >> craig remembers from college. >> cleaner version. >> different game here never have i ever woke up later or gone to bed l we have to. >> every now and then. >> is this an issue, getting off the routine? is that a problem? >> so, this is very unusual to have a whole group of people during the pandemic actually keep their schedules but it kind of makes sense because you guys are on a time schedule because of television. >> yeah. >> generally speaking, our bodies need these daily routines as cues, in order to teach us when to do what we should do the old morning routine, that coffee you got, even the yoga class helped create these cues for our lifestyle. keeping a consistent, consistent time, in terms of our going to bedtime, but most importantly, our wake-up time consistency will make you feel more rested. notice, if you want to stay up

late, i'm okay with it, but you have to get up at the same time every single day. >> all right never have i ever fallen off my exercise routine >> what? >> of course we have. >> yeah. >> first of all, i find that hard to believe. i know that al roker exercises every single day. >> no, no. in the beginning, i was having trouble. >> you were? >> yup >> so this is a perfect example of somebody who has a great routine, who is going strong, but the pandemic just wears you down wears you down. >> yeah. >> remember, sleep is reparative, okay this is our body's way of recovering if we don't do anything to recover from, our sleep will be light and of poor quality. do yourself a favor, right, and move around. i know we're stuck in our homes sometimes, and we don't get a chance to get out, around, and

about, and move. do yourself a favor. in between each zoom meeting, spend five minutes and do five jumping jacks or five push-ups or stress a bit. i promise, it'll do you good. guilty >> al, you never hav the gold star here importance of the exposure to sunlight, right? sunlight is critical, critical, critical number one, vitamin d. we love having that. it helps with our internal clock. also when we get sunlight specifically in the morning time, it turns off that melatonin faucet in our head, which is what we call brain fog. getting outside time, fresh air, sunlight, is critical, critical, to making your entire sleep cycle work most people wouldn't think about that, the sun being helpful for sleep at night. >> never have i ever worked from my bed or bedroom. wow. >> from your bedroom >> well, reading news. >> wasn't today your anniversary, as well >> yes that's why i'm not bringing up

husband's snoring. a little anniversary gift. >> it took a turn. >> we'll talk about that later look, working from the bedroom, we've got to have defined boundaries, guys, right? when we look at the bed, we don't want to think about work think about it for sleep, okay remember, you want to separate your work and your life balance, even if that's just saying, i'm going to take my work stuff and put it away because i don't have any other place other than my bedroom to work. that's an important thing to do to get your mindset ready for sleep. >> we're out of time let's just call it what it is, never have i ever enjoyed a few quarantine cocktails we all have. terrible for sleep, right? >> bad idea, guys. affects the l >> stop your judging, dr. breus. >> alcohol affects the physical restoration of our sleep if you can -- >> yeah, yeah. well, we're ou >> dr. "no booze" breus. for a better night's res head to today.com/sleep.

coming up next, we have this morning's oscar nominations with morning's oscar nominations with pri'm morgan, and there's more to me than hiv. more love,... more adventure,... more community. but with my hiv treatment,... there's not more medicines in my pill. i talked to my doctor... and switched to... fewer medicines with dovato. prescription dovato is for some adults who are starting hiv-1 treatment or replacing their current hiv-1 regimen. with... just 2 medicines... in 1 pill,... dovato is as effective as a 3-drug regimen... to help you reach and stay undetectable. research shows people who take hiv treatment as prescribed... and get to and stay undetectable... can no longer transmit hiv through sex. don't take dovato if you're allergic to any of its ingredients... or if you take dofetilide. hepatitis b can become harder to treat while taking dovato. do not stop dovato without talking to your doctor,... as your hepatitis b may worsen or become life-threatening. serious or life-threatening side effects can occur, including... allergic reactions, lactic acid buildup, and liver problems. if you have a rash and other symptoms of an allergic reaction,...

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coming up on 8:49. this morning, the hollywood announcement of the academy award nominations just happened a couple minutes ago >> almost no one went to the theaters last year, there were incredible performances in films. we all got to see them from the comfort of our couches. >> yes imdb's special correspondent dave carter is here with hot takes on the oscar races okay, so, let's go through it. just got the nominations dave, what do you think? >> well, this was the year we were all sitting at home watching movies, streaming nominated this morning were movies on netflix, amazon, hbo max before they were anywhere else. eight nominees for best picture, starting next year, there's

going to be ten. the current system allows for somewhere between five and ten usually it comes out to eight or nine so you have movies like "mank," netflix, "the sound of metal," amazon, "judas and the messiah," hbo max, "nomadland" on hulu a lot of these movies were movies that people were watching at home. then there's a couple that number isn't there like "minari" and "the father" wit anthony hopkins, available mostly in theaters right now people are going to have to wait before they can stream those at home by and large, a group of movies that were available on streaming services. >> dave, any snubs in the best picture category you just read them off >> yeah, i think the two i think were left out there that had gotten acclaim over the season so far wer "ma rainey's black bottom," which boseman had a nomination for, and "one night in miami,"

that did not do as well as many expected this morning. that's the one directed by regina king. she'd gotten a golden globe nomination for best director, but the movie only got best supporting actor for leslie odom jr. and best song and the screenplay it was out of the best picture category. >> dave, looking at this list here, give us a few of your picks. who do you think wins best actor, best actress, best film >> sure. best actor seems to be chadwick boseman, which is so bittersweet. because it is a posthumous nomination for him for "ma rainey black bottom. one of nine performers of color out of the 20 acting slots this year >> wow. >> definitely not be an oscars so white controversy ahmed in there hopkins for "the father.

gary oldman for "mank." if anyone was left out, lindo for "the five bloods," which has been overlooked throughout the season. >> are you surprised, dave, "judas and the black messiah" seemed to do fairly well >> judas and the black messiah did very well, it's a movie coming out very strong in the later part of the season it premiered in theaters and hbo max in february. this is the movie responsible for the biggest surprise in the acting category. you have daniel kaluuya, playing hampton from the black panthers, and has been winning all the awards he, of course, was nominated but his co-star letice stanfield who plays the fbi informant wh infiltrates the black panthers, he was also nominated. he was the big surprise. people were thinking best supporting actor was ripe for a surprise nominee, and who would it be. i'm happy for paul racie in "sound of metal. she was someone with a 50/50 shot people left out was bill murray for "on the rocks. little alan kim from "minari," who won the critics choice

he was kind of like on the bubble and i thought he had could sneak in there >> so cute real quick, the ladies i don't know how much time we have. >> for best actress, i think viola davis for "ma rainey's black bottom." that's not a surprise. frances mcdormand. the five nominees for best actress in a drama at the golden globes day won, but carey mulligan has a shot "promising woman" did well two women nominated in the best director category. including emerald fennell who wrote and directed "promising young woman." "nomad land" is the one to beat, i think. >> dave karger, thank you. this was dave's 200th appearance on the "today" show. >> wow. >> no one better thank you, dave. >> we got a toaster coming your way. few minutes on the third hour -- and and a cozy throw from "steals and deals." >> we're going to talk to two of the nominees glenn close is going to join us,

and leslie odom jr. will join us live, as well, in a few minutes on the "3rd hour of today. what about the fourth hour >> first, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up on "hoda and coming up on "hoda and jenna," the foods to help you get some sleep we're keeping your sleep theme going. >> first, your local news and weather. >> bye-bye good morning, it's 8:56. i'm marcus washington. oakland schools have reached a deal with teachers to get children back into the classroom. l, announced by the district late yesterday, to bring children back in phases. children up to second grade will start march 30th.

students third through at least sixth grade will return on april 19th. but the union still has to sign off on the plan. and it may not be easy as it sounds. some teachers raised concerns about returning too soon. happening now, we're speaking with the teachers and parents and we will have a live report during the midday newscast. you can also head to our home page right now for more details. ful millions of more californians waking up eligible for the covid-19. on our home page, find out who qualifies. don't miss out on the grand opening of floor and decor in pleasant hill! our expansive store is fully equipped with safe distancing guides, so you can browse our wide aisles and be amazed with our even wider selection. or easily order online, and pick up all the products you need for your flooring project curbside! so come discover the perfect floor at the perfect price

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live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza, this is the "3rd hour of today." >> good morning. it is monday. welcome to the "3rd hour of today." it is march 15th. i'm dylan here with al, sheinelle, and craig. we've got the whole group here. >> the whole gang is here. >> have a good weekend? >> the ides of march. yes. >> halfway through march. >> can you believe it? so funny, when dylan started speaking, you drank your tea or coffee, and i was like, you know you have nothing to say in the next 20 seconds. >> i did. >> there's a lot of thoughts going through our head, other things. >> yeah. >> actually, not me. >> no? >> you're just staring straight