good morning. winter in april. the northeast getting pounded this morning by that big storm that rolled across the country. >> i started screaming and yelling, oh, my god. >> high winds, heavy rain, even snow in some places. temperatures plunging to 20 degrees below normal today from boston to the big apple. and this new blast of wintry weather isn't over yet. dylan's tracking it all. trump's apology? a rare mea culpa from the republican front-runner about the picture of ted cruz's wife he retweeted and it comes after a very bad week for him and the potential of a big loss in wisconsin. we're live on the campaign trail. philly flans flying. a frightening scene when an escalator went out of control, fans toppling on top of each

other, amazingly, no serious injuries. the final two, the ncaa basketball championship now set. villeneuanova crushing oklahoma 44 points. >> five seconds. >> can you believe? >> number one seed north carolina letting number ten syracuse know who's boss. >> the dribble. maybe they should do more of that. >> oh! >> from 64 teams down to just two and the excitement at a fevered pitch "today," sunday, april 3rd, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today," live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> and welcome to "today" on this sunday morning. i'm erica hill. >> glad to have you with us. i'm craig melvin with sheinelle jones, dylan dreyer here, lots of you probably sleepy because the games were fantastic. second game was fantastic. the first game not so much. >> a blowout.

half my neighborhood went to villanova, they were very happy. >> you knew what happened with that without turning on the tv. >> you could hear it down the street. >> the north carolina game we're showing you there. north carolina heading to the big dance, beating syracuse. that oklahoma and villanova game, i think chuck todd put it best it was as if oklahoma just stopped playing, worst blowout since they started the final four. >> a rough way to go out. >> we'll get to more of that in a bit. >> to our top story, though, that's that bitter blast of cold expected today in the northeast. part of that same storm that caused some significant damage in the midwest on saturday. this morning there are more than 300,000 people without power from new york all the way back through indiana. dylan is following it all and has a closer look of what we can expect today. talk about a rude awakening. >> especially in april. go figure. there were those power outages, traffic accidents, downed trees everywhere. it was not a pretty scene in the midwest. we already have seen some of that in the northeast this morning. and it is likely to continue.

cold air, snow and winds up to 60 miles per hour battered the midwest saturday. ripping the roof off a house on chicago's south side. >> gust of wind came through and it slung it up in the air like a tarp before it landed here. >> reporter: tropical storm force winds strong enough to uproot a 50 foot tree. >> i started screaming and yelling, oh, my god. >> reporter: the power company tweeted it had hundreds of damaged poles and wires, 6,000 customers lost power there. 54,000 more without power in indiana. 53,000 are in the dark in ohio. spring storms brought surprisingly heavy snow. wisconsin drivers in spring mode were caught by a wintry surprise, authorities reported almost a dozen accidents within hours saturday morning. i-43 in milwaukee was shut down for a time. our own kerry sanders covered with snow while covering the wisconsin primary. whipping winds blew more than 9 inches of snow in parts of

michigan and rare thundersnow outside our nbc affiliate. high wind warnings overnight for new york city. >> any loose items really need to be tide down or brought inside. >> reporter: whiteout conditions near niagara falls, new york, as the storm moves east and temperatures plummet. with more extreme weather expected today, our eyes are seeing winter, but our hearts assaying spring. it is tough, especially considering friday it was nearly 80 degrees in new york city. in the lower 80s in washington, d.c. and now the winds are kicking in, but they will ease over the next several hours. here is that first storm system. this is the one that produced that quick burst of snow. and the very gusty winds that we're dealing with right now. this will pull away. then we're going to see the next storm system sweep right in here. damaging winds, still a possibility this morning and you're seeing a lot of the snow fall in southern new england. but it will wind down t feels more like february out there, though. that's why it is a bit of a shock to the system. as we go through the next several hours, we have high wind warnings in effect for new york

city until 2:00 in boston in effect until 7:00 p.m. we have the potential of gusts near 50 to 60 miles per hour, causing some delays this morning and some of the big airports in the northeast. we still have the snow falling across eastern long island. all across rhode island, in the boston we're seeing some heavier snow as well. but as this pulls away, we will notice those wind gusts instead of 50 to 60 miles per hour, we'll drop down to 30 to 40 miles per hour. still very windy. and we are looking at additional snowfall off of lake erie where we could end up with another 6 to 8 inches of snow. this one will continue to pull away. the next one will continue to move in here. that's the one that is also going to produce another burst of snow. but this time for the monday morning commute, especially up into boston. it is not going to be a lot of snow, but it reduces visibility like we saw in this area this morning and that could cause some problems for the commute. >> all right, dylan, thank you. to politics now and just two days to go until the crucial republican and democratic presidential primaries in wisconsin and both front-runners are in trouble there. this morning, donald trump

apologizing for retweeting that unflattering photo of ted cruz's wife a couple of weeks ago. we're covering both sides. let's start with nbc's kerry sanders in milwaukee, wisconsin, covering the republicans. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, craig. donald trump, the candidate, is known for making bold statements and trying to steer the conversation and he doesn't disappoint this morning. firing back at president obama saying that he knows more about nuclear weapons than the president does, that nato is obsolete and this morning, telling the "washington post" he sees our country heading toward a recession, and that he could solve eliminating the national debt in eight years. but there is one issue that continues to dog his campaign, one that is deeply personal to women. abortion. >> i think we're going to have a very good day on tuesday. >> reporter: across wisconsin -- >> nobody has greater respect for women than donald trump. >> reporter: -- in city after city. >> thank you.

>> reporter: donald trump trying to regain momentum, briefly addressing his rapidly evolving position on abortion. >> you could debate that subject for years to come. >> reporter: first he said a woman getting an illegal abortion should be punished. >> there has to be some form of punishment. >> reporter: then that abortion should remain legal. then that abortion is murder. some donald trump voters not phased. >> i think he said the right thing. i don't think this is going to hurt his campaign at all. >> reporter: in wisconsin, recent polls show trump trailing ted cruz by double digits. in this morning's "new york times," a rare trump admission of a mistake. regarding that much talked about retweeted heidi cruz picture, telling columnist maureen dowd if i had to do it again, i wouldn't have sent it. asked about the apology -- >> you know, it's gotten to the point where i could not care less about donald trump. >> reporter: women are likely pivotal here as voters can cross party lines in tuesday's

primary. and if trump slips with women voters in wisconsin, it could prove to be a weakness, that the gop establishment can use against him. if you live here in wisconsin, you're as likely to bump into a candidate a few miles from your house the next couple of days. in fact, as likely as an april snowstorm. we may see it again today. >> kerry sanders in milwaukee this morning. kerry, thank you. >> we felt for you in those pictures yesterday. now to the democrats where bernie sanders is hoping to pull off another victory over hillary clinton. it would keep his winning streak alive as he tries to cut into clinton's delegate lead. both appeared at the same dinner last night. kelly o'donnell has more on that this morning. kelly, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. safely inside with the coffee brewing, we can tell you that tensions here in wisconsin between the campaigns are definitely rising. they are debating over the debates and the rival teams are

battling over when and what time and should they have more debates for the next clinton/sanders face-off. with the usually private negotiations spilling into public, clinton's team says that what sanders offered is just playing games with the schedule, while the other side says what clinton offered is ludacrewudic. crisscrossing, wisconsin, hillary clinton is pointing out to voters she has been a long time democrat, battling for the issues important to the party. while sanders who has been an independent is suggesting she is suggesting he's a newcomer. bernie sanders, who has been touting his supporters' big energy and pointing out a record 6 million individual donations. and as you mentioned, both were in milwaukee for a democratic dinner last night. and that is one place where they could find at least one issue of unity and that is battling donald trump. erica? >> kelly o'donnell for us this morning.

kelly, thank you. chuck todd is nbc's political direct and moderator of "meet the press." chuck, good morning to you, sir. >> good morning, craig. >> i feel like every week we ask you variations of the same question. is this the week that the rhetoric catches up to donald trump? it was, of course, a no good, very bad week for him. but was this week any different than weeks past? >> well, we'll find out tuesday. that's always been the -- the pattern has been this, right, he has one of these weeks, says a lot of controversial things, people that are trying to stop him inside the republican party get excited, think they're going to be able to beat him at the ballot box and then voting happens and his voters show up and he wins. that's what could be different this time is on tuesday, in wisconsin, instead of the voters bailing him out of a bad week, and winning and him being able to say, see, none of this affects me, he could lose by ten points or more and then all of a sudden you got to wonder is this a snowball effect because then

you have cause and effect. bad week, bad results. >> so if he does, in fact, lose wisconsin on tuesday, chuck, is a contested convention at that point inevitable? >> i think it becomes more likely. i don't want to say inevitable, but it becomes more likely. a few other things happen this weekend that indicate donald trump is getting outorganized and is not prepared for contested convention. there were some battles for delegates in north dakota, battles for delegate slates in tennessee. the tennessee thing was very instructive. donald trump won the most delegates, most votes in that primary, he has the most delegates, but he didn't get to pick the people that will represent him at the convention. and legally, those tennessee delegates only have to support him for two rounds of balloting. you look at the list of names, these aren't people that are going to stick with him through thick and thin. >> democrats for a second here. on tuesday in wisconsin, it appears as if right now bernie sanders has a decent lead there.

if hillary clinton loses in wisconsin on tuesday, what then -- what then does that mean for her in new york? >> well, it just puts pressure on her to win in new york. you know, it is an adopted home state for her. obviously it is the state she's represented while serving in the u.s. senate. and so there would be a symbolic problem for her if she somehow lost it. i think just sanders winning -- i think margin of victory matters on tuesday. a narrow win for him and i don't know if really a lot of things change. but a big win, you know, something high single digits, double digits, something that looks more like the new hampshire victory, than michigan, then i think that could give him some momentum in new york. so that's what the clinton campaign is so worried about, that wisconsin, if they do too badly there, that it gives sanders an opening in new york. >> chuck, thank you. and we will look for your exclusive interview with hillary clinton later this morning on "meet the press."

get you caught up on some of the other headlines on this sunday morning. the brussels airport reopened today nearly two weeks after it was shut down because of the terror attacks. first of three flights taking off just about an hour ago. no planes will land at the airport today. the dee parting passengers were shuttled through a temporary terminal. full airport is not expected to be operational for several months. meanwhile, a terror scare here in new york city last night. police cleared out a section of times square to inspect a suspicious vehicle. the bomb squad was called in when patrol officers saw a truck with wires out of the dashboard and gas canisters behind the seat. that vehicle was deemed safe. so far they have not filed any charges. in philadelphia, a scary scene on an escalator after a flyers game there. the down escalator malfunctioned, catching people off guard, throwing them on top of one another as you see in the video. escalator was immediately shut down and amazingly no serious injuries reported. it was a much happier scene

in boston last night. for first time in ten years, an american woman finally won a medal at an international figure skating championship. ashley wagner pulled off an incredible performance at the figure skating worlds, winning the silver medal and ending a long drought. no american had won a medal at the world figure skating championships or the olympics since 2006. russian skater won it all. american competitor grace gold finished fourth. dylan is back with the look at the rest of the country's forecast. >> that was good. tough to do on the fly. >> sounded natural. >> well done. >> thank you very much. >> we have got some very unseasonable-like temperatures in the forecast in the northeast. again, about 10 to 20 degrees below average, feeling more like february than april. it was so warm, not that long ago. as we go through this afternoon, buffalo will only hit a high of 33 degrees today. that's 16 degrees below average. boston dropped into the mid-30s where snow is falling right now.

it is accumulating to about 2 to 4 inches possible in the boston area across southeastern massachusetts as well. washington, d.c., 54 degrees, that's not even taking into account the windchill, which makes it feel like 10 degrees colder loochlt a colder. look how warm it is in kansas city. 18 degrees above average. chicago will make it into the mid-60s today. so you can see where that dividing line is between the warmer air and the colder air. we also have that lake-effect snow that has kicked in back towards erie, pennsylvania, through western new york, most of michigan dealing with some snow. this area of low pressure here, that's going to be the second clipper system. that's going to race through, bring more snow to the same areas that saw snow overnight last night. and we're also looking at that to affect the monday morning commute. that will make things tricky, across southern new england. temperatures won't really rebound. by the time we get to tuesday, that's when we'll bottom out with highs in the northeast good sunday morning,

tracking some very windy conditions. winds gusting near 60 miles per hour. a cold one, too, feels like february. temperatures around 45 degrees. later on this afternoon. milder sunday, 68 rain arrives, could see snow in the poconos early monday. then a cold one once again tuesday, wednesday 52, thursday temperatures back 60s then a cool one on friday with a breeze 52. have a great day. and that's your latest forecast. recast. >> dylan, thanks. it may not feel like baseball weather now, especially after dylan's forecast, but today is opening day for the 2016 season. tens of thousands of fans expected to pour into stadiums across the country this week for first taste of baseball. >> and it is in those stadiums that one of the true classics of the game goes front and center. the hot dog, of course. nbc's kevin tibbles has more. >> reporter: opening day is here. the crack of the bat is in the air. >> we love hot dogs.

>> reporter: and so is the scent of summer. and what better place to celebrate this all american staple than chicago's vienna beef, where the dog is king. here at vienna beef we relish our customers' buns. mark reitman instructs students on how to open their own stand. helping customers unleash their taste buds. >> when i hear the crack of the bat, i want to have a hot dog in my hand and a cold beer in my other hand. >> reporter: and chicago dog is, well, a masterpiece. must tard, neon green relish, onions, tomatoes, peppers, a pickle and a dash of celery salt. ketchup, folks, is a no-no. >> i got to have ketchup. >> if you have to have ketchup on your polish, you put it on. >> most people talk with their mouth full.

>> reporter: students are gobbling up the course. >> when you take the hot dog, there is just a snap to it, there is a flavor to it unlike any other hot dog you can get. >> reporter: do you think you're going to eat your profits away? >> i hope not. if i do, my wife might leave me. >> reporter: you can get romantic about a hot dog? >> oh, yes siree bob. >> reporter: you have to learn the art of the cart, running your own small business and dressing the dogs in a steaming hot bun. >> that is a thing of beauty. >> when you see that guy walking down there, yelling red hots, red hots, what else can you do but grab a hot dog? >> red hots. >> reporter: graduation day arrives not a moment too soon. here you go. could someone please pass the pepto? for "today," kevin tibbles, nbc news at hot dog university in chicago. >> we didn't get the side of pepto. >> these are chicago style hot

dogs. >> yesterday, i said, we should have hot dogs, kind of regretting that decision now. >> you are? i'm not. >> this is covered in onions and -- >> i don't know. >> chicago style, the key is the tomatoes. tomatoes, pickle. >> that makes it healthy. got your vegetables. >> brilliant point, erica hill. >> salad and a hot dog. >> i love a hot dog from time to time. >> the only bad thing, if it is baseball, you need beer. >> got to have a beer. >> it is early. >> thank you kevin tibbles for doing that story on hot dogs for us. "saturday night live" takes on donald trump again and it is getting physical this time to the couple wondering what a good deal looks like... no. seriously? we'll give it a 6 for composition. scary. wow, what about just putting a fair, no haggle price on the window?

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here is a live look over center city where those wind gusts are whipping those flags around. those what we're doing to be tracking. windy thunderstorms caused some damage overnight. take a look at the tree that fell right on top of a car in conshohocken, montgomery county. fortunately was hurt. we're keeping an eye on power outages. we'll continue to update that. let's get to michelle grossman, more on the forecast. michelle. >> continue to see winds whipping, 52 miles per hour, adding cold with powerages not a great morning. we're doing to continue see the wind whipping over the next several hours. here is a live look outside, you can see wind turbines moving. up to 43 in allentown, 49 mile-per-hour wind gus in millville. so the winds continue. they are to continue at least until noon with that high wind warning. it is cold. temperatures in the 30s. a lot of temperatures below freezing. 31 in reading, 31 lancaster, 37

in millville and 37 degrees in wildwood. as we go throughout the afternoon, we're going to see winds diminishing but windy. your forecast, 45 today, feeling like february. then by monday we're going to see the clouds building in. it will be milder. rain builds in, bring the umbrella. 45, 52 on wednesday, breezy and rainy on thursday 61. to follow the latest in our weather with changes to the cold and wind, just tap nbc 10 app or go to our website nbc10.com. i'm rosemary connors. michelle and i will see you right back here at 9:00. vo: president obama endorses

katie mcginty for u.s. senate, calling her "a champion for working families." the 9th of 10 kids, her dad's union pension and social security made all the difference. in pennsylvania, mcginty helped implement obamacare and expand coverage. trump and toomey have attacked obamacare and social security. to fight back, president obama wants mcginty in the senate to protect women, families and seniors. vote in the democratic primary, april 26th. mcginty: i'm katie mcginty and i approve this message.

we are back on this sunday morning, april 3rd, 2016. it's a tad chilly here in the big apple. >> a little blustery. >> we got some incredibly brave souls taking some time out of their morning to spend it with us here on rockefeller plaza. and a big thanks to all of them. >> i think that energy kind of warms you up. by the way, we should point out, sheinelle has been handling it so well, it was a lot of work for sheinelle to get out here, but she wanted to make sure to say hello too. >> i got one good foot. >> that's what happens. >> you were having way too much fun on vacation. >> i know. >> she comes back with a

sprained ankle. >> no, we're not going to tell the story it too long, too elaborate. >> she's okay and she's going to see savannah's doctor tomorrow. >> who may have stayed up late to catch the basketball games. i don't know if you guys were up late watching, a little action. >> the second game. >> a little bit of "saturday night live" always a good laugh. >> "snl" tackling politics again, looking back at donald trump's week that was. here's just a little snippet of that. >> but there has been a lot of violence at trump's rallies recently. his campaign manager was arrested for assaulting a woman, a young girl was pepper sprayed. >> donald trump does not personally condone violence. >> really. okay. well, let's just randomly see what is happening right now at his rally. >> i'm voting for you!

>> okay, clearly that man had a bee on his face and donald was just trying to punch it off for him. ten times. >> the host was peter dinklish. he took on quite a bit from playing winnie-the-pooh to doing a sketch about his own show "game of thrones" and gwen stefani was the musical guest. ♪ why you have to go and make me like you ♪ ♪ why you have to go and make me like you ♪ ♪ i'm so mad at you now you got me missing you ♪ >> he's fantastic. >> hysterical. >> and winter is coming. >> winter is here. >> freezing outside. >> well played. well played. let's get another check of the morning's headlines. sheinelle has those for us. >> speaking of the fact it is freezing outside, the weather is our top story. the northeast getting hit with

cold air today from boston to new york city. we can see temperatures that are up to 20 degrees below normal. the midwest meanwhile is recovering today from the same system that left them with lots of damage and power outages. dylan will have more in just a minute. investigators in california are still trying to figure out what caused a small plane to crash land on a highway north of san diego on saturday afternoon. one person inside the car was killed. the pilot, his passenger and several of the cars' passengers were all injured. some people who saw it happen say it appeared as if the plane was having mechanical issues. and it all comes down to two, villanova is ready to take on north carolina tomorrow night's ncaa championship game. a lot of fans out here on the plaza. iing oklahoma. and north carolina took down syracuse by a final score of 83-66. sheinelle, thank you. >> dylan dreyer, so cold, she's

crying. >> my eyes are tearing up. we got to show the plaza crowd. they are out here on a very cold morning. and i want to introduce you to a vietnam vet here, so nice to meet you. where are you from? >> michigan. >> from michigan. are you used to this cold or it is just -- >> well, yeah. i'm used to it, yeah. >> yeah. i think we all have the same thing on our mind this morning, it is going to be very cold in the northeast and we're looking at another blast of snow to move through the great lakes including northern michigan where we could see a few inches of snow. boston could see another three to five inches tomorrow morning right in time for the morning commute. so it is going to be a ltle it good sunday morning, tracking windy conditions. winds gusting near 60 miles per hour. a cold one, too. feels like february. temperatures right around 45 degrees later on this afternoon. seven-day forecast, a little milder monday, 60 degrees but rain arrives. could see snow to start out in

poconos early monday. then a cold one once again tuesday, 45, wednesday a cool day 52. thursday temperatures back into the 60s and a cool one friday with the breeze. 52. have a great day. and that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thank you. still to come, how students in some schools are now now usi meditation to help them deal with the stress of their daily lives. hey dad. hey sweetie, how was your first week? long. it'll get better. i'm at the edward jones office, like sue suggested. thanks for doing this, dad. so i thought it might be time to talk about a financial strategy. (laughing) you mean pay him back? knowing your future is about more than just you. so let's start talking about your long-term goals... multiplied by 13,000 financial advisors. it's a big deal. and it's how edward jones makes sense of investing. hannah's recipe for a successful bistro. feed the garden all year long.

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we're back on a sunday morning with a new program being used in baltimore schools to help kids cope with all the stress that happens outside the classroom. >> baltimore is a city with deals with crime and poverty. over the last year, at times social unrest as well. that can take a toll on people, especially kids. so doctors in that city are now looking at whether a form of meditation could help and so far it seems to be working. >> let's take a nice deep inhale in. >> reporter: for 12 weeks these inner city students have sat in this circle. >> and exhale slowly. >> reporter: focus their breath and work to calm their minds. they are kids learning to cope. >> what is happening. >> it was chaotic. in the middle of that, can you stay focused? >> i had a lot in my mind. and in my heart and it was a big relief. >> reporter: doctors at johns hopkins hospital in baltimore launched a program teaching mindfulness meditation, seeing too many young people saddled with what is called toxic

stress, brought on by living in a place where crime and poverty have soared for years. then any violence and unrest in the wake of freddie gray's death a year ago made it worse. >> my neighborhood there is a lot of fights and violence up there and i just -- i don't come outside. >> they already feel a lot of stress and a lot of weight on their shoulders. they worry about what they might find out when they walk out their door. >> reporter: erica studied the practice at two baltimore schools to see if it could help. the results were significant. in a recent study published in the journal of pediatrics, sabinga saw students that meditated saw fewer signs of stress and anger. >> it gives them the space to understand what is making them angry, giving them the tools so they understand that i don't have to react immediately in a moment of anger. >> reporter: at collington

square school, their program called destress not only teaches middle school students and journalists how to focus your mind, but also how to react to situations more positively, a lesson this 13-year-old needed. he used to get in fights at school. now he's almost mastered self-control. >> the breathing technique, just to calm myself down and walk away. >> reporter: courtney can tune out her surroundings to concentrate on school work. >> it made me felt like i could do other things to help me calm down and stop being stressed out. >> one of the things that those kids told me over and over is that the techniques aside, they really learned to stop before they act. like to think before they act. >> it is good. >> yeah. for a lot of these kids, like, this has been a saving grace. >> i've never heard of toxic stress. it makes sense because stress is toxic. you think about what the kids are dealing with, some of them day after day after day, it makes sense. >> to see the difference it made for them in really a short period of time, really

impressive. >> good. >> great story. thanks. let's send it to dylan in the orange room with today's plaza fans of the day. >> good morning. we have a nice group of girls here in the orange room from rhode island-ish. from new england area. we have jamie, shirley, brenda and tiffany here. what are you doing in new york? >> we're here on a girl's weekend celebrating my sister-in-law's birthday, my mother-in-law's and a little broadway last night and shopping today. >> a girls trip, there is shopping involved. still to come on "today," they're cute, they're cuddly, they're baby tiger cubs and harry smith is getting up close and personal with them. >> but first these messages. the citi double cash® card comes in very handy with cash back twice on purchases. earn once when you buy, and again as you pay. that's cash back now, and cash back again later. it's cash back déjà vu. the citi double cash card. the only card that lets you earn cash back twice on every purchase with 1% when you buy and 1% as you pay.

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this morning on sundays with harry, undeniably the most adorable story harry ever covered. >> i thought you were going to call harry adorable for a minute. >> that too. >> there is some invitations you just don't say no to. when the folks at the wildlife conservation society's bronx zoo asked if i wanted to meet a pair of tiny baby tiger cubs, of course we said yes. at first, the 12 week old tigers

seem to have their doubts about the stranger in their play room. nada and ozul keep their distance. ow! but soon they got used to us. catherine works with the cubs every day. and when she let me hold the bottle -- oh, my gosh -- their concerns seemed to slip away. how are they doing? >> wonderful. they're doing just great. they're gaining, eating well as you can see. >> reporter: they're so gorgeous. the cubs are malayen tigers, a slightly smaller version of what we recognize as bengal tigers. pat thomas is the general curator and associate director of the zoo. that noise what is that? >> that's their greeting call, it is called a chuffle. from an early age, they will normally be calling to their mother or their siblings, but that's a very comforting call. you should be honored they're calling to you. >> reporter: i am.

>> there you go. >> reporter: we're communicating. feels pretty good. how big will these guys get? >> anywhere from 225 to maybe 250 pounds. >> reporter: and these feet? >> all of the tigers' strength is in their front part of their body, so these enormous paws they will use to grasp prey. >> reporter: the tiger is disappearing. pat says once there were as many as 100,000 of these majestic anim animals, now perhaps 3,000 total and 250 of the malayen tiger. the problem, is it habitat? >> poaching, loss of habitat and with these tigers in particular, loss of prey. >> reporter: these animals are in a lot of trouble. >> huge amount of trouble. they require a lot of space. so we have to conserve vast tracts of territory to have viable populations in the wild.

>> reporter: maybe they sense a friend. >> i think so. >> reporter: along with the bronx zoo and other facilities, the wildlife conservation society runs hundreds of programs all over the world, teaming with local groups to restore habitat, stop poaching, and create safe spaces so cats like this can live free. i'm guessing i'm past the smell test. you want to come home with me? >> you may think you want a tiger. you probably really don't. >> reporter: probably. oh, my gosh. i'm sorry, they are wild animals, but they could not be any more charming. >> at this age. >> reporter: just another day at the office. >> right? >> what is that little noise? >> one more time.

one more time. >> you're supposed to do it back. >> there we go. >> okay. >> 2 million people go to the bronx zoo every year, nobody gets to do what i got to do. and i feel so lucky and thanks to those folks. >> going to go back and visit your friends there? >> harry smith, thank you. >> you bet. we're back after these we're back after these fortifying the we're back after these gravity-defying... adventure-collecting... friend-connector... fortifying the going-places... off-to-the-races... day-seizing... you. you're strong. and we're here to help you stay that way. new special k nourish. multi-grain flakes with quinoa, apples, almonds and raspberries. new special k nourish. fortify.

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my school could be bad.ing fast. could be a blast. can't find a single thing to wear.

will they be looking at my hair? won't be the same without you bro. ♪ when it's go, the new choice privileges gets you there faster. and now, stay two times and you can earn a free night. book now at choicehotels.com we are back on a sunday morning, and as many of you have likely noticed, erica hill has been pulling double, often triple duty over the last few months, not only hosting and reporting for this show, but also anchoring regularly on msnbc and "nightly news" as well

and that has led to a very difficult decision for you. >> it's tough. i love, love, love this crew so much and i always say i'm not going to get emotional, but since i have kids, it is very hard. we work with truly such a talented, smart, fun group of people on "weekend today", but that triple duty had me here six and even seven days a week and i had a lot of talks and this is going to be my last weekend at the "weekend today" anchor desk, but i am not leaving this family. in fact, i'm moving my home base across the street. so monday through friday, i am going to be focused on anchoring at msnbc with my good friend craig melvin who is there most days too. and also reporting for "nightly news" and today and all the other platforms. i'm excited about that. and i'm excited that, you know, we're all still together. because we are. and it also gives me some more time, some much needed time with my husband and my kids. he needs some car pool help, frankly, because if anyone else has children, the number of birthday parties, the travel lacrosse games, the t ball --

>> my kids, my husband, you can't do five jobs? there is a precedent. >> i need better instruction on handling it, my friend. >> how are you? >> good to see you. >> we're making this about you? >> i was just walking -- i was just walking by. this one still -- this is so fun. congratulations, but it is our gain because we're going to be seeing more of you at "nightly news". the moment you start here, the tape is rolling for those moments, you want to roll the tape? >> let's roll the tape. >> let's look back at some of our fond moments. >> welcome to "today." >> welcome to "today" on this saturday morning. >> welcome to "today" on this easter morning. i'm erica hill. that is our top story this morning. the devastating scene in nepal,

aftershocks shaking the region. so many people trapped in the rebel. there say glimmer of hope for some migrants who had been stuck in hungary. overnight many refugees were able to make it into austria. the latest on the crash this morning. new reports emerging about the final moments of the doomed german airplane. we do begin this half hour with an average day at a school that changed into a day that will be forever remembered for both its horror and its heroism. >> she was found protecting her kids, doing instinctively that she knew to do, trying to shield them from the spray of the bullets. >> a night of sheer terror left at least 128 dead. over 200 injured, and the toll continues to rise. not too far behind us, the music venue. and you made it out. you were able to run and your friends were okay too? we are following the very latest on the attacks in brussels. isis has claimed responsibility for a trio of explosions. their loved ones are holding out hope for the best and doing

their best not to fear the worst. tomorrow is a big day for erica as she runs in the new york city marathon. >> each athlete has a reason to run. for me, that reason is my dad. steve hill, who died four and a half years ago. we met some great people in baltimore. >> some quinoa. >> okay. this is a trick i learned. in one week, tony's corner store is transformed. >> they put tony and mary, but one important word and that's community. >> pranks giving, a bike ride, food drive all in one. >> we're here with our run for today fans. >> joining us this morning with

special guests. >> your boys are so cute. >> thank you. these are my kids. >> you made a great bunny head. >> when we were given the assignment of an experience to share with our moms, the first thing i thought of was including my sister. ♪ and welcome to "today" on this sunday morning. i'm erica hill. >> we'll be with you shortly. >> we're going back in time with prom scene cult classics. >> this is going to be the best night of our lives and we won't regret anything. >> the crazy thing is, they thought -- >> no, no, no. >> did you prank yourself? >> i'm new at this. you might want to keep your

distance. >> oh. >> in my eye. >> welcome to the blind auditions of season nine of "the voice." my name is carson daly ♪ i know she'll be the death of me ♪ ♪ >> tell you what, man, that was incredible. ♪ ♪ >> thanks, guys. >> how much fun have we had? i love you guys. we have the best time in the show. we get to do what we all love and that's cover the news and that's -- that's my passion and that's why i'm here. but, god, we get to do cool things. >> don't you want to change your mind after seeing that? >> i'm excited about brunch. i thought we were going to brunch next weekend, lester at,

like, noon. it is such a treat to have you here. >> we juggle so much on the show that when you see a piece like that, you realize how much you do day in and day out there are days where we'll work together, i'll look up and she's on nightly news and then you're ankering on ms. so cheers to you. i know your boys are going to be so excited. they get to see mommy. >> they said, really, mommy, we get to spend more time with you? so nice. >> i have to say, i have adored working with you. it is so much fun. even when you made me sleep in an ice hotel, i know i bailed halfway through the night, but -- >> you didn't stay in the ice hotel. >> still a fun -- just -- and if you don't know, erica will always say these kind of little side comments, you know, usually between commercials, but i'm always listening because they're hilarious. i'll give you a good hearty har har and she's, like, thanks. >> a toast to a dear friend. >> and a toast to my dear friends. >> one of the most authentic

people i ever worked with in tevision. >>le t

powerful winds whipped through the region overnight. here is a live look down the shore. you can see that camera just shaking. you can expect strong gusts throughout the day. this is going to be with us. the overnight that brought wind and rain took down trees and power lines. we'll update the power outages and show you the damage throughout the area coming up. villanova's victory continues. can the wildcats bring home a national championship. we'll take you to houston where a team of reporters is following the action. good morning, this is nbc 10 news today. i'm rosemary connors. 9:00 on