thanks for being with us today. the "today" show live from pyeongchang starts now. good morning. the face of evil. a disturbing picture emerging of the suspected gunman behind that florida high school shooting massacre. a 19-year-old former student recently expelled now accused of killing 17 people and wounding 14 others. >> this is just absolutely pure evil. >> investigators now poring through his disturbing social media posts. the fbi searching his home. this amid dramatic stories of survival and heroism. >> a teacher pulled me in and just locked the door. i was in a classroom with 40 other kids. >> as the nation mourns another senseless tragedy, we have the very latest on the investigation, the suspect and the victims. today, thursday, february 15th, 2018.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is a special edition of "today," florida school shooting, with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb, live from pyeongchang, south korea. welcome to "today" on this thursday morning. we are here in olympic park in pyeongchang, south korea, but it goes without saying that our hearts are definitely back home. >> they're back home and our hearts are heavy. it's hard to even imagine that this has happened again. >> again. >> it's happened again. and we want to get right to the latest overnight. the death toll, in a word, is st shootings in american history. at least 14 others were wounded, some of them are in critical condition this morning. >> the suspected gunman is in custody. officials identifying him as 19-year-old nikolas cruz, a former student at marjory

stoneman douglas high school who had recently been expelled. >> we are also seeing disturbing images recorded and shared by frightened students as they barricaded themselves in classrooms. thache went through. this is how it looked, how it sounded and how it felt for them. we are going to show you one of those videos now. we should warn you it is disturbing. >> holy - [ gunfire >> oh, my god! oh, my god! [ gunfire ] [ screaming ] >> there's something about seeing that video that puts you exactly where those kids were. >> and we cannot become numb to this. >> we can't. we have complete coverage for you this morning and we're going to talk to one of the students who was wounded. we will begin, though, with nbc's gabe gutierrez. he is at the scene in parkland, florida. gabe, good morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning. it is so difficult to watch that video. just a short time ago the suspect was booked into jail and

he is now facing 17 counts of premeditated murder. authorities say the young gunman began his rampage here outside the school killing three people before going inside through school security killing 12 more, two later died at the hospital. students and teachers huddled inside classrooms, recording some of the carnage on social media. some of them didn't know what to make of this at first because they had a fire drill earlier in the day. but unfortunately, this time it was no drill. >> let's go! >> reporter: these are the unforgettable images of the horror inside the nation's latest school massacre. authorities say the lone gunman, 19-year-old nikolas cruz, was a former student at marjory stoneman douglas high school in parkland, florida. just after 2:30 wednesday afternoon, investigators say he stormed in with an ar-15 rifle and magazines of ammunition. >> we hear gunshots. >> reporter: freshman brandon

corasco is just 14 and yet he saw the unthinkable. >> i saw two girls dead next to each other holding hands. there was another body in front of me. there was three on the bathroom door. >> reporter: s.w.a.t. teams swarmed the building, racing from one classroom of terrified children to the next. >> we've got the patient loaded. we're going to get him out of here. be advised he is stating there are multiple people shot inside the building. >> reporter: from students barricaded inside came heart-breaking messages to parents and loved ones. >> she was sending us texts saying i love you, i'm sorry, because she didn't think she was going to make it. >> reporter: overnight the fbi interviewed eyewitnesses including senior julian de costi, he and 15 other students crammed into a closet. >> i can't run i just had surgery. i'm hopping to her. i hear gunshots to my .

>> reporter: as authorities cleared sections of the students were marched out of the building. >> we didn't know what was going on. once we saw the students running, i started to think what's happening. then i heard the gunshots and i was like oh, my god. i just ran. >> i just hope all the other kids are okay. oh, my god. >> reporter: president trump, not speaking on camera but tweeting my prayers and condolences to the families of the victims. no child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an american school. among the 17 people killed, a football coach. 14 others were injured. not all of the victims have been identified. >> some of these children had no i.d., they had no -- they left their backpacks, there were no cell phones. >> reporter: investigators say the alleged gunman slipped off campus by mixing in with crowds of students. police tracked him down to a neighboring city and took him into custody about an hour later. >> no parent should ever have to send their kids to school and have them not return. >> reporter: florida governor rick scott calling this pure evil.

now, there are no classes here for the rest of the week. today grief counselors will be on hand at a site nearby. hoda and savannah, it seems like we say this so often now, but this is now among the deadliest school shootings in u.s. history. >> that is heart breaking, gabe, thank you. we turn now to a young woman named samantha grady, a junior in that high school. samantha was hiding in the classroom and was actually grazed by bullets during that shooting. samantha, good morning. it's good to see your face. thank you for being with us. >> any time. thank you for having me. >> samantha, first, i want to know how you're feeling. i know you did get some bullet wounds and i know your best friend was shot right next to you. >> yeah. >> do you know how she's doing? have you been able to hear what happened >> samantha, we are so --

>> we're so sorry about that, samantha. so sorry. are you okay, honey? >> i'm okay. thank you. >> we're sending love and prayers to you right now. >> thank you. >> tell us, if you can, what it was -- what it was like in that classroom during those moments. did you hear the gunfire first? what happened? >> well, i was doing an assignment for my holocaust class. we were -- like i was typing. i took my phone out because i wanted to show my friend something. and then i heard two shots. my friend pushed me and said, sma sam, and i ran to the left side of the classroom. that's where there was a big bookshelf. we all kind of huddled there together. we were all -- like we call clamped really close tightly together and then students in front of me, there was this

cabinet. they pushed it in front of them so that it would deter some of the bullets. and the gunman -- like there was two people in the hallway that i know, and i believe -- they were shot. and after those two -- after i heard those two gunshots, then we started running. then he came for our classroom. so he came after he shot those other two people. >> samantha, as i understood it, the door to your classroom was actually locked but he shot through the glass. is that what happened? >> yeah. yeah. the door was locked thankfully, but like he shot quite a few bullets into the glass and it hit a few people behind me. yeah. >> sometimes you put anything in front of you that you can to try to protect yourself. we are reading that your friend suggested to you just get a book, hold up a book.

>> yeah. my friend. >> tell me about that. >> she was -- she was the one who pushed me. and we were running, like we were already situated in the -- by the bookshelf. she's like grab a book, grab a book. so i took a book, it was a tiny book, but i held it up. and i believe maybe the book kind of deterred some of the bullets so it didn't hit me so badly, but she was the one who gave me the idea. she definitely helped a lot. >> samantha, i know you were able to get out of the school. you went over to where it was safer by the ambulance. at some point you were able to call your parents and see your parents. they must have been so happy to see you. what was that reunion like? >> well, when i first left the school, they didn't know anything happened, so i hid behind a truck and i called them. and i made sure i was kind of calm because i didn't want them to go crazy. so after that i -- after a long

story short, i went to the ambulance and then while i was in the ambulance, they rushed down to the school but their phone died so they borrowed someone else's phone and then i told them, i'm in the ambulance and i'm on my way to north broward and i will -- try and come there and then just ask for me, i'll tell them your names. that's what happened. so they rushed there. i was already taken care of, i was already in the hospital bed. they walked in and my dad was really worried. like it was etched all over his face and my mom, she was like bawling. as you can imagine, it was pretty scary for both of them. >> well, you are such a brave, young woman. just the fact that you were in that classroom, you had the presence of mind to call 911 and you're worried about your parents' feelings. that's what you're thinking about. tell us what happened when you got home. were you able to talk it out with your family? did you feel like discussing it?

>> well, we did have -- i mean a lot of people asked -- actually at the hospital someone came in and they told me talk about it as much as you can so it can get out of your brain and so we don't have like nightmares about it. so whenever the opportunity came, like whenever someone asked, i freely talked about it because i don't want nightmares. and so like my family, we talked about it at the hospital and then we came back. we had discussions. i told them different little details that i didn't tell like other people. i told them specific details, and they -- like it was an intense moment. my whole family like -- we came together. it was pretty -- it was bad. but the support was nice. >> samantha, you have been through too much, way too much for a young woman your age, but what bravery you showed. our hearts are with you and we're sending you our love. thank you for being with us. >> thank you. any time. thank you for having me. >> thanks, samantha.

as we said, we are now learning more about the suspected shooter. this is new video of 19-year-old nikolas cruz. he was arriving at jail this morning. tom costello has that part of the story. >> reporter: good morning. police say the picture that's emerging of the suspect is of a troubled teenager who had a preoccupation with guns. both of his parents had died. he had been kicked out of the high school last year and then wednesday came to school with a semiautomatic weapon. this morning it appears 19-year-old nikolas cruz meticulously planned the attack on his former high school. >> he had countless magazines, multiple magazines, and at this point we believe he had one ar-15 rifle. i don't know if he had a second weapon right now. >> reporter: his intention, authorities say, to cause chaos and kill as many people as possible. >> he wore a gas mask and smoke grenades. he set off the fire alarm so the kids would come out into the

hallways. >> reporter: investigators say cruz had been expelled from the same school last year for behavioral issues, including threatening other students. according to the "miami herald" cruz's instagram page underscored his love of weapons and contained images of cruz wielding knives and showing off a gun. this morning buzzfeed is reporting the fbi was warned last year about the youtube post from a user named nikolas cruz who wrote i'm going to be a professional school shooter. according to buzzfeed agents with the bureau's mississippi field office spoke with the person who alerted them back in september and asked to follow up once again after yesterday's shooting. fellow students say cruz was a socially awkward kid who had a preoccupation with guns. >> i was in the vocational school, the alternate school. he went ahead and showed me his layout of guns and said how he'd shoot them for fun. >> he's always been a really crazy kid. i heard some people say one day he would have done this. unfortunately, i think that was

today. >> reporter: since his mother died in november, cruz has been staying with the family of a friend. a lawyer for the family says this all came as a shock. >> he was a very mild-mannered kid, going through some tough times with losing his mom. >> reporter: the question for investigators, was anyone aware of what he was planning? veteran fbi agents and police chiefs say the m.o. is all too common. >> oftentimes in these incidents that you have a disenfranchised young man who is really outside just to make a name for himself? there's multiple motivations. >> reporter: this morning yet another mass murder at an american school. yet another heavily armed angry young man determined to kill. this is the 18th school shooting this year alone. since the sandy hook massacre in 2012 when 26 were killed, there have been 273 more school shootings. fbi profilers say there are signs of danger to look for

among a potential shooter. somebody who is brooding, depressed, disenfranchised from other students, making remarks about others online, maybe drawn to firearms and previous mass murders and almost always, say investigators, there are warning signs on social media if anybody is paying attention. savannah and hoda, back to you. >> all right, tom costello. tom, thank you. as we mentioned, the president tweeted about this. he offered his prayers and condolences and he's tweeting again this morning. let's go right to nbc's national correspondent, peter alexander, who is at the white house. peter, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you. a senior administration official telling me this morning there is a strong chance that president trump will publicly address this tragedy at some point today, but for the moment there are no public events on his schedule. on wednesday the president didn't make any on-camera remarks. an aide tells me some advisers recommended he say something but he opted not to. you talked about him on twitter. just moments ago literally the president this morning tweeting so many signs that the florida

shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. must always report such instances to authorities again and again. with parkland, three of the top ten deadliest shootings in u.s. history have now happened during president trump's time in office. officials here this morning saying since the shooting the president and staff have been speaking directly with law enforcement and local leaders, including florida's governor, rick scott. connecticut senator chris murphy, an outspoken advocate for gun law reform, especially in the wake of the sandy hook massacre, tweeted this. he wrote don't tell me this isn't the appropriate time to debate gun violence. if you're a political leader doing nothing about this slaughter, you are an accomplice. an interesting note here, the school where the shooting occurred is actually about 40 miles away from the president's mar-a-lago estate. this morning a senior administration official tells me advisers are discussing whether the president might visit the

area when he's scheduled to be in florida this weekend. savannah and hoda. >> peter alexander at the white house, thank you. we will of course continue to cover this throughout the morning. but 7:17, we should get our first check of the weather. good morning, al. >> good morning, guys, on a very difficult morning. we'll show you what's happening. first of all, we've got foggy conditions stretching from the gulf coast on into northern florida. sunshine through southern florida. foggy and wet conditions through the upper ohio and mississippi river valleys. snowy through the northern rockies. record highs in the central plains and heavy rain making its way into the southwest. we're going to get to your local forecast c

good morning. i'm meteorologist bill henley. lots of clouds and warm air, too. philadelphia, cloudy, mild, 63 degrees this afternoon. 64 in the suburbs and new jersey. up to 65 degrees. i think it's going to be dry during the day. there's a chance we'll see a light shower, maybe even a sprinkle in delaware this afternoon. high of 62. and plenty of clouds in the lehigh valley. but into the 60s with a chance of rain returning tonight. >> and that is your latest weather. hoda. >> all right, al, thanks so much. just ahead we'll have much more on the investigation and the victims of that tragic shooting in florida. and then we are going to talk to one of the teachers who's being hailed as a hero this morning. she hid her students in a closet as the gunfire rang out. we'll talk to her just ahead.

first, this is "today" on nbc.

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7:26. i'm tracy davidson. starting out with clouds. we'll find out what's to come with meteorologist bill henley and the most accurate neighborhood weather forecast. bill? >> fog, too. camelback, socked in there, too. that's not the only spot. seeing thick fog in coatesville. zero visibility. it's down to a quarter mile, dense fog at pottstown, too. it will take time, but fog will disappear. the temperatures, the cold has disappeared. doesn't look anything like february. 48 right now in northeast philadelphia. 50 degrees in dover. we'll hit the 60s later today. >> thanks. now let's check with jessica boyington and first alert traffic for you this morning. focus on the problem -- you've been watching for a while. >> yeah, a few things happening now. to start, we're on the schuylkill expressway. cameras at girard avenue. eastbound, huge delays. 56 minutes for the total trip on the eastbound route from the blue route to the vine. to the teens with the crash here

and only the right-hand shoulder moving through. and closed 73 southbound near 295. back to you. fire tore through a twin home in darby this morning spreading to one other house and sending one person to the hospital. flames broke out after 2:00 a.m. on fern street. neighbors tell us they helped a woman escape the flames. red cross is on scene helping people who were forced out of their homes by the fire. pennsylvania's first medical marijuana dispensary opens today in western pennsylvania, another opens in bethlehem and in sellersville and devon on saturday. join us weekday mornings for "nbc10 news today" from 4:00 to 7:00 a.m. i'm tracy davidson. the "today" show continues in a moment.

good morning, everybody. 7:30 on a thursday morning. it's the 15th of february, 2018, and it's a hard morning, a day when sadly our country is mourning and coming to grips with yet another school shooting. this time it was parkland, florida, which is near ft. lauderdale. >> the 19-year-old suspect was taken into custody, into jail earlier this morning where he has now been booked on 17 counts of premeditated murder, 14 others were wounded in that rampage. in a moment we are going to talk to a very brave teacher whose action may have saved some lives. but first, nbc's tammy leitner has the latest on the investigation. tammy, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, guys. this community is waking up realizing that 17 members of their community are dead. while police are searching the gunman's house trying to find

answers as to why this shooter has opened up and fired on this community in yet another deadly school shooting. now, this morning we are getting our first look at the shooter, 19-year-old nikolas cruz. he has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder. we now know cruz entered the school yesterday just after 2:00 p.m. he had an ar-15, multiple magazines. gunfire rang out. students took cover running, barricading themselves inside classrooms wherever they could. this went on for more than an hour. cruz was somehow able to slip outside of the school but not before killing 17 and injuring 14. police tell us they were able to look at surveillance video from the school to determine who cruz was. they located him less than a mile from the school. they picked him up, took him to a nearby hospital and then booked him into the jail. now, yesterday we spent afternoon speaking with students, teachers and parents.

most of them said that there were warning signs. they tell us that cruz was a troubled individual, that he had shown other students pictures of guns that one day he had even brought bullets to the schools. and so the big question today is could this school shooting that is now being called one of the deadliest mass school shootings have been prevented. guys. >> all right, tammy, thank you so much. melissa falkowski teaches journalism at douglas high school. she hid with 19 students in the closet during the shooting. all of them made it out safely. melissa, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> i know you had such a long night. just let us know how you're feeling this morning. >> i'm not really sure. i didn't sleep very well last night. mostly i just feel grateful that i got to go home to my family when many others didn't get to do that. >> you had such a presence of

mind to get your children and put them in a closet. was that just instinct? >> i think that that really speaks to the training that we had. we had a training about a month ago. you know, we talked about these different scenarios and what to do. and so, you know, once we made helicopters, it was very obvious based on the time that it was happening that it wasn't a drill. i just made the decision that that was another layer between us and whoever was the active shooter. and so we just moved into the closet and we were there for a while, until the s.w.a.t. team came to get us. >> melissa, it's 19 students and you in a small closet and you're hearing gunfire and helicopters and sirens. i can't imagine what those moments were like. how were the students holding up?

how were you holding up? >> i mean we were -- we were on the opposite side of the building from where the shooting was happening, so we didn't hear any gunfire, but we could hear the helicopters and, you know, the kids, some of them, they were hysterical from moment one. and so it's just, you know, trying to keep them calm and telling them that they're going to be okay and everything is going to be okay. just knowing that it doesn't really matter like what i'm feeling in that moment, but they need to be calm and feel like they're going to be okay. you know, that's my -- that's my job. i just did my job. >> you did your job, but i know there was a moment when you called your mom. that must have been heart wrenching. >> yeah. my mom actually, she called me. you know, when i picked it up, then in that moment i sort of lost my composure. i told her i was okay but i had to get off the phone because i didn't -- she needed to know i was okay but the kids needed me

to be composed and so, you know, it's hard to in that moment to stay composed so i sort of got off the phone with her and then recomposed and carried on. >> there were so many casualties in this. i was just wondering if you knew any of the students who passed away? were you close with any of them? >> you know, they haven't really released the names, so i only know kind of what i'm hearing, you know, through rumors and the grapevine, so i know that there are some former students and current students that i have that may have had siblings that they -- that they lost in the shooting. i don't think that there's any one of us at the school in this community that isn't going to be affected, know someone who's affected, know a student, know one of the faculty members and feel that sense of loss. >> melissa, you did everything

right. you did exactly what they told you. you knew the drills, you put the kids in the right place, and yet this happened anyway. so what -- what message do you have given all that? >> i just think, you know, i've seen this on tv, we all have, you know, this shooting after shooting. there's always the same thing is said. it's not the time to talk about gun control. it's not the time. it's time to pray for the families. i just think that that hasn't gotten us anywhere. here we are and we're the latest statistic on school violence. as a society, you know, as americans we're failing our children. we're not keeping them safe. congress is failing us and the government is failing us and something has to be done. >> melissa falkowski, a teacher at douglas high school, as hoda said, melissa, you did it all right yesterday. thank you for your bravery. our hearts are with you. >> thank you.

>> all right. let's switch gears now and go to mr. roker. hey, al. >> all right, guys. as we talk about what's happening, as far as our weather is concerned we're looking ahead to the weekend. early saturday low pressure in the southeast brings heavy rain, moderate rain across the region. a secondary storm forms off the southeastern coast and merges, bringing snow with it saturday night, depending on where that storm forms and how far off the coast, we could see heavier snow along the coast. right now we think the heaviest amounts will be up into parts of coastal connecticut and on into new england. snowfall amounts about 4 to 6 inches. the rest of the country today heavy rain in the southwest, record highs in the central part of the country, and we've got plenty of sunshine in central california down into the southwest and a few showers move into the pac good morning. i'm meteorologist bill henley. lots of clouds and warm air, too. look at these temperatures this

afternoon. philadelphia, cloudy, mild, 63 degrees this afternoon. 64 in the suburbs and new jersey. up to 65 degrees. i think it's going to be dry during the day. there's a chance we'll see a light shower, maybe even a sprinkle in delaware this afternoon. high of 62. and plenty of clouds in the lehigh valley. but into the 60s with a chance of rain returning tonight. >> and that's your latest weather. savannah. >> all >> all right, al, thank you so much. when we come back, we'll turn to the competition here at the winter olympics. mikaela shiffrin, she had a delayed debut but it was worth the wait. she grabs gold overnight. >> could it be the first of many for her here in pyeongchang? we're going to catch up with her in a little bit right after this. ♪ ♪i'm singing in the rain,♪

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♪ ♪ olympic glory doesn't just belong to athletes. and it doesn't just happen every four years. it happens one morning at a time, and one cup at a time. folgers. proud sponsor of team usa. welcome back. we're live in south korea, and of course our thoughts remain back home this morning, but we do want to turn our attention to the winter olympics and our american athletes who are competing here. >> indeed.

today's craig melvin joins us now with the latest. >> good morning to you. for the fifth night in a row, team usa struck gold after a string of weather delays, mikaela shiffrin making that debut here in pyeongchang and promptly won the giant slalom. now one of the world's biggest skiing stars hopes more gold is in her future. >> giant slalom gold for mikaela shiffrin in pyeongchang. >> with the fierce winds on the mountain finally settling down, american skier mikaela shiffrin blowing the competition away, grabbing gold in the women's giant slalom. after bad weather postponed the event for several days, shiffrin got her first chance at a medal. >> finally down goes shiffrin in search of more olympic history here in south korea. >> after putting up the second fastest time on her first run -- >> not the kind of run that she was capable of, but certainly enough to put her in contention. >> the 22-year-old shiffrin glided through gates to a gold

medal finish. >> these games could not set up any better for 22-year-old mikaela shiffrin. >> that second run, i really -- i risked everything that i could. it's an incredible feeling right now. >> from the top of the mountain to a showdown on the ice, the u.s. women's hockey team battling what may be their toughest competition, canada. the two teams pushing and shoving each other, mask to mask in a rivalry that dates back two decades. >> score! 2-0 scan today. >> the canadians taking a 2-0 lead into the third period. the u.s. quickly scoring a goal of their own. >> 23 seconds into the third period, the united states is on the board. >> then a last-second shot leading to a scramble in front of the canadian net. >> the puck is under there somewhere. the question is did it cross the line.

>> following a lengthy review by the referees, the answer the americans did not want to hear, no goal. >> so the game is over. canada officially wins it 2-1. >> and finally, another first for team usa. married figure skaters alexa and chris knierim becoming the only u.s. pair to execute a quadruple twist in olympic competition. >> beautifully done. >> the duo, who won a bronze in a team event, finished in 15th place in the pairs free skate. they say despite their score, they skated from the heart. >> we wanted to skate for the 17 children that died in the florida shooting. today was much more than about us. we had a lot of mistakes, but i think, you know, our motivation was to skate for those who were lost today. >> as for the overall medal count this morning, norway and germany are still battling for the top spot. the united states is still in

fifth. and here's what to watch for today. mikaela skiing for gold number two in her signature event, the slalom. the men's competition will start with nathan chen, adam rippon and vincent zhou. medals will be handed out in the always entertaining snowboard cross as well, guys. >> all right, craig, thank you so much. >> lots to look forward to. coming up, some new insight into north korea as we dur the dmz. first these

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a couple minutes before 8:00. good morning, i'm tracy davidson. let's get to meteorologist bill henley with the most accurate neighborhood weather forecast. bill? >> a cloudy day, foggy, too. temperatures are certainly not

cold. starting off in the 40s. 45 now in philadelphia. might see a few breaks of sunshine that could really help boost temperatures during the day. 44 degrees right now in the suburbs. this afternoon, mostly cloudy skies, you might see a sprinkle in a few neighborhoods, but you can leave the umbrella at home and the heavy coat, too. temperatures will warm into the 60s and stay nice and mild when showers return this evening. >> thanks. now let's check the roads with jessica boyington. >> watching the schuylkill expressway still, and cameras around girard avenue with a crash off into the shoulder. but the delays remain and are worse than last time. over an hour for what should take you 25 minutes or so from the blue route to the vine. average speeds into and below the teens, as well, eastbound. still watching 295, blocked on the southbound side diverting traffic around the scene.

this morning we've learned the flu has killed the first person in delaware who didn't have an underlying illness. the 47-year-old woman died this week. the delaware division of public health says the number of flu cases continues to rise. everything must go today at the holiday inn at the stadium complex in south30 days. you can buy pretty much everything that you can find in a hotel room. and single-game tickets for the philadelphia phillies go on sale today at 9:00 a.m. first home game is april 5th against the florida day mfrom 4.

coming up, high school horror. >> we hear gunshots like that. >> a florida community reeling after 17 people are killed in a tragic school shooting. 14 others wounded as new details emerge about the suspected gunman, a 19-year-old former student. >> he had countless magazines.

>> he's just always been a really crazy kid. >> i heard people say one day he would have done this. >> we're live on the scene. plus, inside the dmz. >> that's the north korean guard tower. >> we take you on an exclusive tour of one of the world's hot spots, the demilitarized zone between north and south korea, as we hear from the soldiers north korea? >> right. and that guard post there, that is a north korean guard post and you are being observed at. an skier mikaela shiffrin earns her first gold medal of the pyeongchang games, but she says she's not done yet as she looks to defend her title in the slalom. today, thursday, february 15th, 2018. welcome back to pyeongchang, south korea, on this thursday. it is 10:00 p.m. here, 8:00 a.m. back home.

>> and we want to get right to the news. the very latest on that tragic school shooting in florida. >> survivors are describing how they endured this latest tragedy, and they're talking about all kinds of warning signs that we've also heard before. nbc's gabe gutierrez is outside the school in parkland, floridaa eo [ trying to find out why the gunman opened fire. within minutes after the shooting started, s.w.a.t. teams swarmed marjory stoneman douglas high school in fauparkland, florida, racing from one terrified classroom of cld to the next, marching students out of the school with the irbe one tclassmatesay troublemaker. >> he always talked about guns and stuff like that. >> so you would say at least to >> yeah, not at all. >> i heard some people say that one day he would have done this. unfortunately, i think that was today. >> reporter: this morning, authorities say cruz carefully planned his attack. > he had countless magazines,

point we believe he had one ar-15 rifle. >> reporter: florida senator bill nelson says cruz came armed with smoke grenades and a gas mask, all designed to kill as many peoe as possible. >> we didn't really know what was going on. once we saw the students running, then i started to think what's happening. then i heard the gunshots and i was like oh, my god. i just ran. >> reporter: students barricaded inside sent heart-breaking messages to parents and loved ones. >> she was sending us texts like saying i love you, i'm sorry and all that because she didn't think she was going to make it. >> he was a very mild-mannered kid. >> reporter: since his mother died cruz had been staying with a local family, according to a lawyer for thatnd he said cruz obeyed all the house rules. >> he lived here without any concerns or issues for almost three months. they are shocked and horrified by the allegations that are being made. >> reporter: florida governor rick scott has a different take. >> this is just absolutely pure

evil. >> reporter: florida's governor also says that the focus of this investigation a key part of it will be to find out if there were any missed warning signs here. the florida state attorney general says that the state will today. hoda. >> gabe gutierrez, gabe, thank you. >> this mass shooting means three of the ten deadliest shootings in modern u.s. history have taken place in just the last five months. nbc's lester holt is here with us in pyeongchang with more on that. lester, that's a staggering number. >> here's another staggering number, 18. this is the 18th shooting on a school campus in the united states this year. a tragedy that has unfortunately become disturbingly common. it's an image that should be shocking, but become heartied i shooting, their hands high in the air. >> oh, my god! [ gunfire ] >> it happened again wednesday in parkland, florida. the latest shooting taking even

more lives than columbine. now more than 19 years ago. since then, the tragedies in the small towns where they happened have become just names. columbine, virginia tech, sandy hook. this town was once voted one of the safest places in america, but in an instant that sense of peace was stolen forever from this idyllic community. and now douglas high school. troubling mileposts along a road of unspeakable loss, anguish, and questions we can never seem to truly answer. in this country where the frequency of the shootings makes us all a little less shocked each time, and we are left to simply ask how many, as if any comfort can be found in knowing it is not the most. >> it's devastating. i never want to -- it's the worst feeling for a parent to go through. >> like the communities before it, parkland, florida, was immune to this kind of horror until it wasn't, and the parents and children who would never have to meet in a field or

parking lot like this until they did. by now we all know the rituals of these tragedies, the candles, the flowers, the makeshift memorials. our presidents comforting a grieving community and nation. and, yes, the inevitable talk about guns. the third rail of mass murder. no matter how many social media postings or histories we examine for clues, we never quite know why the shooters shoot, but we keep asking in hopes that one day the answer will reveal itself to ending this recurring and uniquely american nightmare. savannah and hoda, we hear a lot of people say we're becoming numb to these things. i hope we are not becoming numb to them. they do happen disturbingly often, but these are real lives, these are families that are impacted and we can't lose sight of that. >> lester, thank you so much. i know you'll have a lot more tonight on nbc nightly news. >> and we have much more for you just ahead. we're going to take a turn and get you caught up on what's been happening here at the olympics.

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knowing before you go means more quality time sewing a costume for the school play that is not going to look anything like a frog. just a little heads-up, mrs. davis... ha ha ha, yay kids! i thought i was endorsing hershey's. you are. but this isn't chocolate. that's right. it's gold. you know how much i like gold. ['24k magic' plays] you really are fast. welcome back to "today" and our coverage of the winter olympics from pyeongchang, south korea. >> willie geist is in the mountains where all eyes are on a certain skiing star for team usa. willie, good morning. >> good morning, hoda, good morning, savannah. yeah, mikaela shiffrin really had to hate for this one. the race scheduled for monday delayed again and again because

of the high winds and the weather up on that mountain. today she finally got her chance, and it was worth the wait. way. >> it looks like she's coming out very aggressive. >> the american skiing star taking home gold in the giant slalom after strong winds had postponed the race. >> to be able to put down a run that was really taking risks and fighting for it. i'm so happy for that. >> shiffrin's first run, a good one, positioning her 0.2 seconds behind the leader. with all eyes on her second and final trip down the mountain, the 22-year-old taking a deep breath. skier having a shot at dethroning the american. >> and giant slalom gold for mikaela shiffrin in pyeongchang. >> for shiffrin, a quick turn-around. confirming to nbc she will not race in the super-g saturday, which would have made it three straight days of racing. instead, putting into her signature event later

today, the slalom. she'll attempt to defend her 2014 gold medal. >> we had these races postponed and the mental energy we're spending just trying to be race ready every day. we had this race boost, a littl >> meanwhile a heavyweight showdown in women's ice hockey. the united states and canada facing off in a potential preview of the gold medal game. in the second period, canada taking a 2-0 lead. in the final period, the u.s. got on the board. >> here comes a shot, score! >> with just seconds to go, the u.s. had a shot to send the game into overtime. >> and that will do it. >> but came up just short. >> no goal. >> the canadians winning 2-1. in curling, the american women bouncing back after a tough loss to japan, defeating medal favorite great britain to raise their record to 1-1. >> great shot. we're just out there having a

good time and being comfortable. it feels good to come out on top of them for sure. >> in the pairs free skate, husband and wife figure skating duo, alexa and chris knierim becoming the first americans to competition. >> beautifully done. >> but later admitting they took the ice with heavy hearts. >> today was much more than about us. >> saying the victims of the school shooting in south florida were on their minds. >> our motivation was to skate for those who were lost on the minds of a lot of the american athletes here in pyeongchang. let's take a look at the medal board right now as it stands. norway and germany battling near the top with team usa in fifth place for the moment. they still got a lot of opportunity to make up that ground. the schedule today, mikaela shiffrin skiing her signature event back-to-back days on the slopes for her.

she'll be in the slalom. figure skating, the men's short program featuring 18-year-old american phenom nathan chen and women's snowboard cross. so, guys, mikaela shiffrin had to wait about a week to get up on the hill and now we'll see her in consecutive days here in pyeongchang. >> it's going to be good. >> yeah, the wait didn't seem to affect her performance. and now to more on mikaela shiffrin and her golden debut at these games. keir simmons was there, he talked to her. he's with us this morning. hi, ikaela shiffrin now is. at the last olympics she came fifth in the giant slalom. today as willie said, she took the gold, and it's not even her best event. yet, she still admits even today she had to battle to stay confident. with breat run in the giant sla today to win a second gold medal in just two olympics. >> giant slalom gold for mikaela shiffrin in pyeongchang. >> her battle, she says, with

the mountain and inside her own head. >> i risked everything that i could. it's an incredible feeling right now. >> did you have any doubts in the starting gate? just talk me down. you were worried even then? >> i am always having doubts. every minute i have a million feelings of doubt but also have a million feelings of confidence and inspiration. >> mikaela feeling the pressure, becoming at 18 the youngest ever olympic slalom champion and america's skiing sweetheart. the expectation building after 41 world cup wins since the sochi games in russia. >> for sure i thought maybe i can't do it. what if i can't. and then i thought, well, who cares? the biggest thing is that you have to try. >> her family, especially mom eileen, a vital source of support teaching her to ski at a young age. her dad embracing her after this morning's race. >> i was trying to watch your dad and watch you. he was so calm all the way down. at the end he leapt up and was hugging everyone around.

>> when you have the option, always watch my dad. >> were you nervous? >> no. >> you didn't look nervous. >> was i excited? yes. >> you looked excited. >> i was. >> congratulations. >> thank you. appreciate it. >> and what about your mom, what did your mom say to you just before the race? >> before she was talking to me about some technical things with my skiing and also saying like you can do this. so, you know, don't back off. >> and there's now another support in her life. mikaela interpreti interrupting this morning's interviews to climb over two gates. >> we just watched you climb over two gates to hug him. >> he's not just support, he's one of my favorite gs skiers so it's like a two-edge sword. he's my boyfriend and i love him but i'm also in awe of him a bit. >> mikaela shiffrin. >> but now the world's attention very much on her, poised to break more records. she could be thewoman, to win

back-to-back gold medals in slalom. and again, she's in the slalom tonight. that is her signature event, as willie said. so she may say that she has doubts, but there's no doubt that her eyes are firmly fixed on more medals. she's on top of the world right now, winning gold and in love. >> yeah, she's quite the hurdler. >> that's right. right in the middle of those interviews, she just climbed over those fences, got to him, gave him a big hug, climbed back again. he's a french guy and i think we may be hearing more of him. >> a french guy. >> she said she's in awe of him. she won the gold medal today. i bet he's in awe of her too. keir, thank you so much. now to something we always look forward to and always need. hoda, do you have an olympic boost? >> it's been a long and emotional journey for figure skate skate er sevchenko.

she has won five world championships but never won an olympic gold. today alongside her partner, bruno masso, she did just that. the couple earned the highest score ever recorded. that combined with their short program won the germans a gold. you've got to check out the reaction when they found out. >> at the end of this long journey in her fifth olympics, she wins a gold medal. >> oh, my word. look at that outpouring of emotion. it's joy, it's 20 years in the making. she won bronze in 2010 and 2014. but you've got to win an olympic gold that was decades in the making. oh, she's going to be reliving that moment for a long, long time. >> she had all of the feels, as the millenials say. al, what's going on? >> let's check your weather. first of all, show you what we've got happening starting with the radar. you can see a lot of wet weather

making its way through the outhwest, some snow in the norther rockies and wet weather in the ohio river valley. temperaturewise eastern two-thirds of the country and down through the gulf coast we're looking at temperatures in the 80s and 70s throughout a good portion of that part of the country. but much chillier through the plains. afternoon highs today as we look at sky conditions, we do expect some light snow making its way through the northern plains. record highs in the central part up oe country, foggy along the good morning. i'm meteorologist, bill henley. lots of clouds and plenty of warm air, too. look at these temperatures this afternoon. philadelphia, cloudy and mild, 63 degrees this afternoon. 64 in the suburbs of new jersey. up to 65 degrees. i think it will be dry during the day. there's a chance we will see a light shower, maybe a sprinkle in delaware with a high of 62. plenty of clouds in lehigh valley into the 60s with a

chance of rain returning tonight. have a great day! >> and that's your latest weather. guys. >> all right, al, thank you so much. and look who's here to say hello to us, four women who represent team usa in bobsledding. >> they are getting ready to compete next week. jamie groupel poser, elana meyers taylor and olympic rookie lauren gibbs is in the house too. how are you guys doing? >> great, how are you? >> how's the waiting? your event hasn't happened yet, how are you feeling? >> mixed emotions. we've been having hufun hanging out and watching our friends compete but now we're anticipating our time. >> you guys posted a cute pic on valentine's day. is it nice having your husband here? >> yes, it's awesome. to go out and see shaun white win halfpipe, what greater

valentine's day. >> look how cute you two are. >> you seem like you're having fun, you're not sitting around stressing out. you're taking in the olympic experience. >> i'm taking selfies. >> selfies everywhere. >> you're the rookie, lauren, how does that feel? >> i'm 33 and at the olympics for the first time. it's everything i could have imagined and more. >> are you guys getting to meet the other athletes and do a little hang? >> yeah. >> no, go ahead. >> that's the fun part about living the village. you get to meet so many other athletes from our own team as well as other countries, so it's been fun to mingle. >> we have two teams here. you seem tight, but when push comes to shove, pun intended, you are going to have to compete against each other. is there a rivalry there or is it just like we're all on the same team? >> well, it's been a great dynamic. you know, we are the best team in the world, team usa in bobsled, because we have such great athletes and because we push each other to be our best.

we have to work together. our sled is like 365 pounds, you can't move that thing by yourself so we all work together to get everything done. at the end of the day we do have two teams competing for gold. >> and we've seen a double gold medal in bobsled before. >> exactly. >> you're optimistic. >> so what happens, because your event is next week. we talked about the waiting. do you get to practice? we know you're having fun. >> how are you spending your time? >> but this is serious business. >> get your game face on. >> we're doing our lifting and running and sprinting off the ice. we had four runs before opening ceremony. we'll get back on ice on the 17th before competition starts on the 20th. >> who are you eyeballing as your competition? who is it? besides -- >> jamie is like -- >> i know where you sleep. >> yeah, we all live in the same apartment, so we have a lot of fun. >> what about the nigerian bobsled team, how cool is that? >> it's pretty cool.

the driver for nigeria, we were high school rivals growing up. we used to battle out in track and field and to see us now compete together in winter olympics is crazy. >> we love it. well -- >> we love you guys. >> may the best team win. you guys are already winners. thank you so much. come back and see us. >> good luck, guys. >> thank you. we've got a lot more ahead on a busy thursday morning, including our rare access to areas of the dmz between north korea and south korea. few people get to see it. but first on a thursday morning, a check of your local news, your weather and these messages. - when you wake up, it's where you turn... - welcome to "today." and it's the start of a big and busy day. - to find understanding... [child yells] ...hope, a smile. [woman laughs] welcome to all the possibilities the morning can bring. welcome to "today."

good morning. i'm rosemary connors. a few minutes before 8:30 o this thursday. let's look at our forecast with meteorologist. a bit foggy. >> a little foggy, you can see at the stadium. still looking at zero visibility in coatesville, improving now in pottstown and pocono mountains. fog is starting to disappear. the fog will be out of the picture as temperatures climb. they are already warm. near 50 degrees in northeast philadelphia, 51 in dover and expecting temperatures in the 60s today. >> all right.

jessica keeping an eye on the roads. what are you seeing? >> we are seeing a crash all morning long on route 73 on the southbound side. this is our camera from the 295 side. just near that area here diverting traffic and causing huge delays and newcastle on 95 northbound because of a crash near 141. this morning, new jersey governor will make an announcement about the transit. new comments showing the transit agency is having a difficult time making the fleet run on schedule. you can watch those comments live on the nbc10 app. a medical marijuana dispensary opening in western pennsylvania will be the first to deliver the drug to the state. others will be developing patients through the weekend and in sellersville it opens saturday and bethlehem. back to "today." [narrator] look around.

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and good morning, everybody! it is 10:30 at night, 8:30 back home in the usa. and we're so happy to be out here amongst all these team usa fans, members of team usa. we've got people from all around the world right here. happy birthday, hannah. and we'll help you get to know this region we're in a little bit better. we'll have our trip to the dmz, the exclusive sights and sounds as we got access to that border area between north and south korea. plus from the big city of seoul to a remote island, south korea has a little something for everybody and we'll highlight the most popular tourist

attractions if the olympics have you dreaming about coming to visit here. but first it's so pleasant out here. >> it really is. >> the wind is not that cold. >> i wish i'd gone with you on that trip because i need to get my license reviewed. >> al was like how was the dmv? >> she saw harvey levin there. >> anyway, i'll show you what's going on as far as your weather is concerned. we look ahead toward the weekend. tomorrow very mild but wet, mid-atlantic states back into the gulf coast. sharper cooler in the plains. more snow making its way into the pacific northwest. on saturday we are looking for snow overnight in the northeast. heavy rain, possibly flooding down through the central gulf. the mild weather continues in the southwest. snowy and wet in the pacific northwest. sunday, sunday, sunshine along the east coast, warming up in the plains. heavy snow in the northern plains. hoda is telling me to wish a happy 90th birthday.

that'sright. th at good morning. i'm meteorologist, bill henley. warm and mild. cloudy and mild, 63 degrees this afternoon. 64 in the suburbs in new jersey, up to 65 degrees. i think it will be dry during the day. there's a chance we will see a slight shower, maybe a sprinkle in delaware, high of 62. into the 60s with a chance of rain returning tonight. have a great day. and that's your latest weather. guys. >> al, that was perfection. all right, savannah shared some of her visit to the dmz on wednesday. and there's more you want to share today. >> that's right. as you know, the dmz, the demilitarized zone between north and south korea, it's about 40 miles from here where we are. u.s. army colonel steven lee gave us an exclusive tour of

this special shared area of the dmz where soldiers from both nations stand guard just feet apart. it's called the joint security area. we were given rare access to places reporters have not seen in years. the tour begins on the southern side with a rare look out from the balcony of the freedom house. >> that's the north korean guard tower? >> yes. they'll also be looking at us from that building right here. north korean guard tower. >> do you think they're looking at us right now? >> i'm sure they are. it's unusual to have people up here on this balcony. >> sure enough north korean binoculars peek at us through a window. we then head back down and out to the plaza. >> welcome. this is the place where dialogue between the united nations command and the north korean army. in front of you in between the two blue buildings is a concrete slab. that separates north korea and south korea and that is called the milar demarcation >> forces from bothh korea stan

head into one of the u.n. buildings. >> welcome to building t-2. this building has been decades. >> this is where the north koreans are supposed to regularly meet with u.n. command, but they haven't sat down at these conference tables in nine years. >> the microphones that you see on the table here, they denote the military demarcation line, the line that actually separates north korea and south korea. >> this is the border? e a few steps border, ye i'm standing in -- >> now you're in north korea. >> i'm in north korea. >> yes. >> wow. does it ever just hit you how kind of surreal it is? >> yeah. you know, that's one of the things that we have to overcome every day. like you said, sort of surreal that they're that close to the north koreans but the important thing is they have to constantly be vigilant and be ready, no matter what happens. >> we then head to a hillside checkpoint and take in a

panoramic view of one of the most dangerous countries in the world. >> on three sides you're going to be surrounded by north korea. >> this is all north korea? >> right. and that guard post there, that is a north korean guard post and you are being observed at this point. >> observed indeed. our cameras grabbing their attention. a north korean soldier briefly steps out for a closer look. >> straight ahead where that big north korean flag is flying is a north korean propaganda village. >> that is a huge flag pole. >> it is. it's considered one of the biggest in the world. but again, no one really lives there. pretty much a prop clearly hear music drifting over from the north korean side. >> why are they playing that music? >> so it's not just music. but also they broadcast their propaganda to our side, part of psychological operations if you will. and the south korean military on the front lines are authorized

to play our own music to help drown that out. >> so when you play something back, what do you play from the south korean side? >> so sometimes it's anything from what you probably heard korean popular music to just very generic news about the world. >> finally, we drive down to the so-called bridge of no return. >> crew members walked in single file across thethe sailors from captured ship, the uss alone to close, for good reason as it turns out. >> so back in august 2016 we observed the north koreans putting some land mines on the other side. that's why you've got that big yellow sign there now. if it went off now, we would hear it but it's not going to hurt us. >> but they recently are putting land mines right there. >> right. >> so we don't want to get any closer. >> no, no. >> a stark reminder that this

last bastion of the cold war is as hot as ever. >> wow. >> so fascinating and surreal is the word that keeps popping into mind when you're there, because you're so close yet so far. our two countries obviously are literally trading nuclear threats, and yet this dmz, there are public tours. people come to see -- you can buy a dmz button at the souvenir shop. i bought two. sorry, ai i didn't knowhat' oka >> one for we'll have to go back. >> we'll go back. >> so tourism i the north korea give tours on their side too. mostly it's people from other countries who want -- who come to north korea and want to see the dmz. >> on one hand you hear about the land mines and on the other hand you hear about the wh strange. there's the propaganda village, which is a fake village, nobody lives there. they have a humongous flag pole,

they blair north korean propaganda and our side is authorized to play stuff back, k-pop. >> how was the land mine worry? >> it was real. they don't let people out of that bus. they did let us out but the colonel kept saying don't walk off the road. don't walk off the road because the land mines from the korean war and the north koreans are still up to it, still putting land mines there. >> and see -- eyeballing the people with the binoculars. >> i have to give a shoutout to our camera operator, kyle. he's been to the dmz 15 or 20 times. i didn't see it when we were there. he noticed the north koreans checking it out. >> wow, that was great. coming up, something you have got to see, you're going to freak when you see this story. keir dives in with south korea's modern day mermaids. >> mermaids? >> yes, there are mermaids. but first, this is "today" on nbc. i was in my third tour in iraq

when my vehicle was hit by an ied. i looked down and i knew i was out of the fight. that, yeah, i might have been knocked down, but i'm up, and i'm honored to be able to represent the flag. comcast is grateful to all who have served our country, and we're proud to bring the 2018 olympic and paralympic winter games home to everyone.

and welcome back to pyeongchang. keir simmons has joined us.

he's been eating, singing, even meditating his way around town. >> and he is back you are backh a remarkable group of women who do these crazy like free dives. >> that's right. >> for treasures. >> that's right. we all have daughters. we're all looking for those examples of proud powerful women to tell our daughters about. well, how about this. they are known as women of the sea. some of them even are called modern mermaids of korea. the story behind this group of amazing women is just simply inspiring. at the southernmost tip of south korea, a tiny island populated by a powerful female clan known as the henyo or women of the mo without air tanks holding their breath for up to two minutes at a time. these women collect sea weed, shellfish and octopus from the sea bed. a local photographer broht

here to meet one extraordinary family who follow a tradition that goes back hundreds of years. at 41, kim is the youngest on the island. all year round she, her mother and aunt dive together in these treacherous waters. >> how dangerous is it? >> translator: if you're thinking, it's really dangerous. >> last year one woman was swept away. >> is there a risk from sharks? >> translator: yes, a lot. >> a lot of sharks? >> translator: yes. >> with a handful of sea weed, kim demonstrates how to keep the mask from fogging and the whistling that helps the their breathing. few get the chance to dive with the henio. to start with, i wasn't very good. with a little help from my

friends, i began to get the hang of it. i just got one. keep working she says. stop talking, keep working. this is a tough living. the women having a saying, one breath, one shellfish. >> i want people know about henio. >> they have been documenting these amazing women in a book of extraordinary photographs. >> she's 94. >> 94. >> this is kim's grandmother. after 80 years, she still dives almost every day.

as night falls, it's time to cook up the catch. >> is this the octopus that you caught today? we saw you grabbing it out of the rock. >> the words of the song are why was i born. the life of a henio is so hard and the water is so calm. >> to the henio. >> henio! >> but at dawn, another day brings another dive. aspirin to thin the blood, chewing gum in the ears to protect against the pressure, secrets that may one day be forgotten, their daughters lured to more modern careers. only four and a half thousand are left in the whole of korea. >> how long do you hope this tradition continues for? just keep going, she says. just keep going.

>> and we're here celebrating olympic athletes, these are olympic level athletes. they are extraordinary. >> 94? >> she's 94. >> that's amazing. >> you saw the shot of her going down and grabbing an octopus. they don't have oxygen. if that octopus grabs onto something and her, she's stuck. that's how dangerous it is. incredible the way they just grab that. i'll tell you a secret. the shellfish that i caught, they kind of put them there. >> they salted the sea for you? >> just a little bit. >> you still did it. that's impressive. >> and you worry about whether you're going to get back up again. you're down. you're thinking how high is it, do i have enough breath left. >> you're brave! >> you have the greatest job in the world. >> brave and honest. coming up next, a must-see place to visit in south korea if

the olympics have inspired you to plan a trip here. first, this is "today" on nbc.

we are loving our time here in south korea. if the olympics have you dreaming about maybe visiting this place, we do have just the thing. >> that's right. we have just the person, contributing editor at "traveler" with must-sees for visitors. five of them. >> five amazing places. >> are they in any particular order? >> we can take them in an order. >> okay. how about seoul, obviously big city, lots to see. >> the place really the thing you want to see in seoul is like the forbidden city for beijing or versailles for paris, it's the palace. you can go inside. there's amazing history. 143-acre gardens, beautiful secret garden out back you have

to book a tour of. >> how far is that from the actual city of seoul? >> it's right in the city so it's very accessible. >> let's talk about if we want some traditional old school korean culture, you say there's something we should visit called bookchong hanok village. >> that's pretty good. that was good. >> well done. >> it's basically a bit like the west village in new york. imagine an old neighborhood, very historic, near the palace built initially as imperial housing for wealthy people. fell into a little disrepair and has boomed with lovely boutiques, restaurants. people still live there so it's a living part of seoul but history as well. >> and do you have to know the language? because we've been walking around and sometimes i wonder, we have people who are helping us with that, but do you think a tourist could warned arounder a enjoy?

>> instead of saying do you speak english, you can say i'm sorry, i don't speak korean and that's a really good open. >> what about the marketplaces, the oldest marketplace in seoul? >> i love that you asked this. you read my mind. this is guangjung. if you want to try all those delicious korean tidbits, which is like a fritatta or maybe live squid, which will still be squirming -- >> keir tasted it, right? >> you have to chew really carefully to make sure that it goes down. but it's very fresh. >> have you done that? >> i would. >> let's go outside the city for a second. the island that a lot of people call south korea's hawaii. >> we were just there with the mermaids. but if you're not going to go free diving, if that's a little too much, it's like a honeymoon destination. it's a volcanic island like

hawaii, 360 volcanos, but it is idyllic. you can't fail. >> it looks buceautiful. >> there is a place for foodies if you're into the gourmet. >> jeongju. >> if you've ever tried bibimbop which is basically the world's best leftovers, it's where it was invented. you've got to have it. you've got to have the version which is like a guacamole pot but it's cooked in a stone pot and crisps up like paella and it's basically like the best kind of foods all in a single bowl. >> i love it. >> thank you for this tour. >> yes. exactly. thank you so much, mark, glad to have you with us here. we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

we are back with a look at

the olympic cauldron, the olympic flame burning brightly on day eight of these games. we have a lot of great events coming up this evening. >> big night in primetime. we have the men's figure skating, so nathan chen, the quad king. and mikaela shiffrin. >>kaela shiffrin will be here. megyn kelly is coming up next. before that let's take a look at these images.

- when you wake up, it's where you turn... - welcome to "today." and it's the start of a big and busy day. - to find understanding... [child yells] ...hope, a smile. [woman laughs] welcome to all the possibilities the morning can bring. welcome to "today."

nbc10 news starts now. >> good morning. i'm rosemary connors. it's a few minutes before 9:00 on this thursday, dreary day out there but it is warm. meteorologist, bill henley is tracking it all in the neighborhood forecast. bill. >> itphiladelphia, and low 50s for millville. temperatures are climbing and we will see them warm into the 60s this afternoon. mostly cloudy, yes. we could get breaks in sunshine. if woe e do, temperatures go higher. better chance of showers and we could see showers return this evening. >> same trouble spot, jess? >> aim trouble spot all morning wrong, a pedestrian at maple shade. i was just looking a second ago. this is causing huge delays on secondary roads all around here

and the turnpike because people can't get off the ramp. waverley avenue h single game tickets for the phillies go on sale in a few minutes at 9:00. first time home game april 5th, against the florida marlins. triple-a p for regular unleaded because of the rising cost of crude oil. right now, they're paying an average of $2.85 a gallon. nbc10 is your home for the winter olympics. you will find the top five moments to look out for today on our app. megyn kelly is next and i will see you right back here at 11:00.

good morning, er i'm megyn kelly. we begin today with yet another mass shooting in america. yet againtnd marjory stoneman douglas high school in florida, and that number may yet rise. the latest in a shameful string of school shootings in our country. nbc's gabescene. the school superintendent tells me that the gunman showed up here by taking an uber car, shot peoe outside the school, then went inside the school, shot and killed 12