and a s.e.a.l. team 6 member comes home. "early today" starts right now. good morning, i'm danielle vino, super tuesday is here and it could be donald trump's greatest day yet. for republicans, 600 delegates are up for grabs, more than a quarter of all primary delegates. the latest nbc news survey preference among registered republicans shows trump with 40%, marco rubio at 21 and ted cruz at 18%. a pro marco rubio pac is running ads slamming donald trump. trump blames the misstep on the klu klux klan on a bad earpiece. meantime 2012 nominee mitt romney called the interview quote disqualifying and not in the character of america. at a rally in virginia, protesters for black lives matter were escorted out of a

"time" was slammed to the ground by a secret service agent when he tried to leave an area designated by the press. even with this controversy, trump keeps nabbing endorsements including nascar's ceo and several drivers. >> if the people that like it watch nascar, vote for donald trump, they can cancel the election right now. nobody can win. nobody. >> cruz, meanwhile, is pushing hard at home. hoping for a large share of texas's 155 delegates. the senator has 27,000 volunteers across the state, including eight u.s. congressmen, 11 state senators, 43 state representatives and both current and former texas governors. but, he's not predicting a sweep. >> tomorrow i believe we're going to do very well here in the state of texas. our campaign is the only campaign that has beaten donald trump. and that can beat donald trump. what i think is likely, come

trump will have a whole bunch of delegates that we will have a whole bunch of delegates and that there will be a big, big drop-off between us and everybody else in the field. and that in turn will effectively narrow this field. >> with support from the front-runner transcending even pizza, it's an uphill battle for the rest of the pack. tonight we'll know if the surge pays off and if any of the candidates can take down trump. 11 gop states are in play. the democrats also have 11 states in play and bernie sanders faces the fight of a lifetime with hillary clinton blowing him away in the delegate count. while another 1,000 delegates are on line today. now despite having an all-time high in the latest nbc news survey monkey weekly tracking poll, he's hoping for a super change in fortune today. in a rally in minnesota monday, he told supporters they have to show up in the polls, he says

caused his poor showing in south carolina. >> in ten months, a few things have changed. here in minnesota, you can make that change even more significant. minnesota can play a huge, dare i use that word. we can win. no question here in minnesota. if we have a turn-out. >> sanders gave that same message in massachusetts. he desperately needs a big day to stay competitive. but there's some good news for him. sanders leads clinton by five points in oklahoma, even though it falls in the margin of error. the former secretary of state beat then candidate obama there by 24 points in 2008. meantime the sanders campaign announced it took in more than $41 million in february. raking in more than $5 million yesterday alone. clinton, on the other hand, is looking past sanders to the general election and her likely opponent. >> you know, america never

we've got to make america whole. i really regret the language that is being used by republicans. scapegoating people. finger-pointing, blaming. that is not how we should behave toward one another. when you've got somebody running for president, who is insulting people? insulting their religion? i'll tell you, that makes a hard job even harder. i got to tell you, i'm looking forward to those debates. because at some point you can't just say whatever pops into your head if you want to be the president of the united states of america. >> tonight, sanders is expected to watch the poll results at a rally in his home state of vermont, while clinton is expected in florida. nbc news will have special primetime coverage of the super tuesday results starting at 10:00 p.m. funeral services are being held today for the 28-year-old

first day on the job. last night, more than 100 patrol cars lit up the sky as they escorted officer ashley guindon's body from a funeral home to a chapel. dozens more officers saluted as the procession passed by. officer guindon's funeral will be held after a viewing. ronald hamilton has been charged in the killing, being held without bail. sports reporter erin andrews cried in court monday when she took the stand in her $75 million civil trial. earlier in the day, the man convicted of stalking andrews testified, telling the court how he altered the peephole on andrews' door and secretly filmed her. as nbc's morgan radford reports, it was andrews' turn. >> erin andrews, still haunted by the video she says damaged her career. >> i felt so embarrassed and i'm so ashamed. >> her chance to look jurors, seven women and five men, in the eye and tell her side of the

>> my naked body was on the front page of the "new york post" like they had put bars over my body parts. my girlfriend was calling me, telling me she was running around new york city throwing coffee on all the papers because she felt so bad. >> just hours earlier, andrews left the courtroom as her stalker explained the sordid details of the day he secretly recorded her. >> i could hear her shower in her room zblflt in two taped deposition videos, michael barrett explained how he followed andrews to her hotel room and altered the peephole. >> was it your intent to get her without clothes on? >> yes. >> her mother testified, describing the embarrassment her daughter continues to face. >> it's a nightmare that doesn't stop. we kept telling her, it's not your fault, you're ra victim. you've been, you've been assaulted. >> andrews devastated.

it was my private time, we never thought this would happen. i never thought a hotel would let somebody next to me without telling me. >> that was nbc's morgan radford reporting. president obama awarded the medal of honor to a member of s.e.a.l. team 6 in what he called a rare opportunity to catch a glimpse of one of the elite silent warriors. navy s.e.a.l. senior operator edward byers was awarded the medal for a 2012 mission to rescue an american doctor held hostage by the taliban. after hiking in the mountains of afghanistan for hours, his team approached the building where the doctor was being held. the point man in the operation, navy s.e.a.l. nicholas check went in first. he was shot and later died. byers entered second and shot and killed two guards while holding down a third in a room where the doctor was being held. he heard the doctor called out and laid on top of him to protect him, all the while restraining another hostage-taker. by the throat that was until the rest of the team arrived.

award for himself, but for the entire s.e.a.l. community. >> for the brotherhood. it's for everything that we have sacrificed. since 9/11. in defense of our country. >> byers has completed 11 overseas deployments, nine combat tours and he has two purple hearts. a federal judge in new york city says the fbi cannot force apple to open a locked iphone. now the ruling is in relation to a brooklyn drug dealer case, but it could help apple in their fight with the fbi in california. that one is over a locked iphone used by one of the san bernardino terrorists. the new york judge says the government can't order apple to unlock the phone because congress rejected a bill requiring companies to make locked data available to law enforcement. a house committee will hold a hearing this afternoon on security versus private

james comey is expected to testify. veteran actor george kennedy has died. his film career spanned six decades, he won an academy award for best supporting actor as a chain gang prison anywhere 1967's "cool hand luke." but decades later he would win a whole new generation of fans. >> you see these cufflinks i'm wearing? they're not just cufflinks, each one fire as single dart that knocks out your victim for a few minutes, but does no permanent damage. here, let me demonstrate on ed. >> yeah? -- why? >> that's when kennedy was cast alongside lesslie nielson in the "naked gun" srs. 22 million people heading to the polls this super tuesday may get hit with severe weather. nbc meteorologist bill karins has the forecast. good morning, bill.

too many tornadoes, maybe a few brief ones, but not long-track ones like last week. here's the map where we're at risk for severe storms. there's a cold side of the storms with snow and ice, but most of those areas are not voting today. damaging wd gusts and large hail is the biggest threat. isolated brief tornadoes, the four states voting today, arkansas, alabama, georgia. the map goes like this. the worst of the weather will be down to the south with the severe storms, the snowy side is up through the great lakes, that's fine. in new england they'll be dealing with snow. not until late tonight. so vermont and massachusetts are clear, virginia, no problems there, i told you about the storms rolling through tennessee including nashville today, montgomery, even atlanta will get storms late today. we're voting today, oklahoma, arkansas and texas. we're going to clear it out behind the storm. so maybe early-morning rain in arkansas. north dakota, minnesota, going to be a little chilly, not too bad and colorado looking for a

our last state, up in alaska, 46 today, mostly clear, it should be nice for all of our friends up there voting in alaska. now here's a closer look at your day ahead. >> well wet weather on the west coast, no voting issues here today. northern california, wet weather as the cold front moves onshore. along with the i-5 corridor. not expecting any problems with the weather, just a period of rain. so overall, not too bad, our friends on the west coast it's going to get stormy in the days ahead. more details as it approaches. >> they always have better weather than we do. >> especially california. coming up, something happened at the supreme court that hasn't happened in ten years. plus, after almost a year in space, scott kelly is headed home today. you're watching "early today." (cell phone rings) where are you?

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this one in ohio. a teenaged student opened fire yesterday in the cafeteria of madison junior/senior high school. two students were hit, both in stable condition in the hospital. two others were also injured in the chaos. according to police, the 14-year-old suspect tossed his handgun and ran out of the building. he's been caught and charged with attempted murder, assault and making terrorist threat. well for the first time in ten years, supreme court justice clarence thomas spoke during oral arguments on monday. and people gasped. he asked the justice department attorney ten questions about a federal gun law. with fellow conservative justice scalia gone, perhaps he felt it was time to speak up. in southern california police chased a driver of a hummer for hours, he allegedly kidnapped his girlfriend and their two boys for hours. he ran away after a standoff and police are still searching for the suspect.

scott kelly will be returning to earth after setting an american record for the longest time in space, 340 days. he's due to land in kazakhstan after 11:00 p.m. eastern standard time. just ahead, the hottest leap day dunks just for you. one of the most heart-breaking finishes we've seen in a very long time. sports is next. background) with heart failure, danger is always on the rise. symptoms worsen because your heart isn't pumping well. (water filling room) about 50 percent of people die (dog whimpering) within 5 years of getting diagnosed. but there's something you can do. talk to your doctor about heart failure treatment options. because the more you know, the more likely you are... (dog whimpering) to keep it pumping. many sleep-aids have pain medicine but zzzquil is different because why would you take a pain medicine

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this morning on "today," tina fey stops by to talk about her new movie, "whiskey tango foxtrot" and what it was like to ditch comedy to play a journalist in afghanistan. to sports now, we've got four amazing dunks for you. >> later! >> would you! >> nader coming at you! "sportscenter" top ten nominee. >> jabari parker leads it -- slam! >> coming off the backboard, if you say nothing, your teammates keep coming. >> uh-oh. >> boom! >> what a finish. >> and finally this guy, billionaire steve vollmer, the clippers owner getting it done with a trampoline and lowered hoop. and then there's this, it was the thrill of victory or -- was it? players from rhode island's

they had won the championship against cherry hill high school. in a premature celebration the ball was grabbed and a time-out called with a second left on the clock. well that set up a final play. a long dunk to the basket and a quick tip-in that ended the game with cherry hill shocking burrville 60-59 after a reminder to never celebrate too soon. we've got the latest entertainment news straight ahead. including the details of leonardo dicaprio's private after-hours party, that's next. you can help prevent blindness in undernourished children all over the world. when you get your vitamins at walgreens, you help give life-changing vitamins to kids across the globe. get vitamins here. change lives everywhere.

choose your match new revlon colorstay 2-in-1 compact. expertly-matched foundation and concealer deliver a flawless, complete look that lasts. choose love new revlon colorstay 2-in-1 compact. announcement: this storm promises to be the biggest of the decade. with total accumulation of up to three feet. roads will be shut down indefinitely. and schools are closed. campbell's soups go great with a cold and a nice red. made for real, real life. a heart attack doesn't care if you run everyday, or if you're young or old. no matter who you are a heart attack can happen without warning. if you've had a heart attack, a bayer aspirin regimen can help prevent another one. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. bayer aspirin. this is where i keep my meatballs. do you think it's squishy in there or something,

choose your match new revlon colorstay 2-in-1 compact. expertly-matched foundation and concealer deliver a flawless, complete look that lasts. choose love new revlon colorstay 2-in-1 compact. mom: hm, how about...? dad: hey haley, break a leg, huh? girl: that's rude. that means you're going to do fantastic. oh! well, thank you. are you nervous, honey? a little. buena suerte, mi hija. i'm gonna rock this thing! vo: now that's the good stuff. the sonoma collection.

now for some entertainment news. salma hayek's neighbor says he accidentally shot and killed her dog. he fired an air rifle toward the dog after it wandered into the garage and fought with his dogs. the shooting was ruled justified by the case will be sent to prosecutors for review. the daughter of late actor abe vigoda says she is furious that her dad was left out of oscar reviews. he died in january. carol told tmz the oscars dismayed many and cheated her father's talents by not being recognized. the 88th academy awards drew in 8% fewer viewers than last year. 2008. but still plenty of great moments.

twitter, a best actress winner brie larson hugging every sexual assault survivor that performed with lady gaga. and you had to know that deyap yoe was going to celebrate big. dicaprio celebrated with friends until the wee hours of the morning. >> big fancy people and no shocker that ben affleck was partying. >> 24 of your closest and best friends.

this is "early today." [music] no, no, no, no, people are both soft and strong... yey! which is why our products are too.

leading the news on nbc news.com. bill clinton's presence felt onstage and off. president clinton echoing her words that america has never stopped being great but we do need to make america whole again. in "u.s.a. today," hillary clinton ships fire from sanders to gop ahead of super tuesday. in the "washington post," gop candidates on a frantic sprint to slow trump before fateful super tuesday. ahead of today's 11-state race, senators ted cruz and marco rubio made their final

campaigned across texas banking on a victory in his home state, rubio addressed crowds in suburban areas seeking to unite the gop's anti-trump forces. macedonian police clash with syrian and iraqi refugee who is stormed the border with greece yesterday. police fired tear gas and used stun grenades to repel the migrants to tried to tear down the gates. the refugees are frustrated by the restrictions that have kept them stuck at the border for days. the cdc expects one in five people living in puerto rico to be infected by the zika virus. if you do the math, that's around 700,000 people. so far there have been 117 confirmed cases of the virus, which causes birth defects in newborns. and check out this dramatic surveillance video of a car barrelling into a gas station in arlington, texas. it knocks a gas pump to the ground as you saw which causes it to burst into flames. the driver, though, was able to

arrived. now it could be the largest sheepdog litter ever in california. >> cute alert. >> stella the sheepdog recently gave birth to 17 puppies in a single litter. 11 male and six female. and they're all healthy. >> mommy deserve as nap. >> you probably won't be able to adopt one this particular type of sheepdog is bred only to protect livestock so all the adorable pups are going to farms in california. >> we need to see all 17 out in the field trying to like -- >> herd, trying to get the livestock. >> i've seen them, they are amazing. all right. now a look ahead, president obama will meet with senate leaders from both sides of the aisle to discuss the vacancy on the supreme court. republicans say they plan to reinforce their position they will wait until after the november election to fill the vacancy. happy birthday to the biebs himself, justin bieber turns 22.

actress and plays in "the force awakens." lupita nyong'o is 33. child actor turned director ron howard turns 62 and who singer roger daltry is 72.

watching "early today."3 (alex)>> super tuesday is here... and that means all eyes are on 12 different states... what we can expect in the day ahead coming up... 3 (samantha)>> plus... a protest at the tesla gigafactory site .. why some people are upset over hiring practices there .... 3 (bill)>> and... we will introduce you to renown's "leap year baby"... and his parents are now wondering when to celebrate his birthday... for the next four years. these stories and more.. coming up on this tuesday, march 1, 2016. 3 ((male voice: you're watching

3 (bill)3 >> good morning and thank you for choosing us to start your day. i'm bill frankmore.(sam) >> and i'm samantha boatman. 3 (bill)>> it's the biggest 3 day in the presidential race so far.12 states are casting their votes for the candidate of their choice. news 4's alex cannito joins us in studio with a look at what we can expect in the day ahead. 3 (alex)super tuesday is here and all eyes are on 12