morning. good morning. joined at the hip. shooting from the lip. >> marco rubio, your campaign is almost over, buddy. >> chris christie turns attack dog for donald trump. rubio firing back. >> donald probably needs a lifeline after last night. he called in chris christie. >> how this tag team could impact trump on super tuesday. while the democratic side, the focus is on south carolina. hillary clinton and bernie sanders taking shots at each other as voters ss go to the polls in the palmetto state. heroic chief. details about the police chief able to stop a gunman ending a rampage in kansas. the ex-girlfriend is now under arrest. and breaking her silence. jennifer garner speaking out for the first time since slitting

what she has to say about the up. president obama with an impromptu performance during the white house tribute to ray charles. hey ho >> even the first lady looked surprised. today, saturday, february 27th, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> welcome to "today" on saturday morning. i'm erica hill. >> i'm jeff rossen along with dylan dreyer and sheinelle jones. >> the first lady is looking at him and saying what are you doing? >> you said you weren't going to do this. >> the song like that, you just can't not do it. we all started to get in on it.

>> and leon bridges, here featured on the "today" show. you can catch that tonight. our top story this morning is the race to replace president obama. republican frontrunner donald trump's campaign saying he will be back on the trail today with his newest supporter. new jersey governor chris christie. marco rubio meantime is ramping up attacks on the billionaire. hillary clinton is poised for a big win on the democratic side in south carolina. we have full coverage for you this morning. we begin with nbc's hallie jackson in nashville covering the republicans. hallie, good morning. >> good morning. even though the #nevertrump is trending today for those not supporting the republican frontrunner. he is making headlines who is. chris christie. embracing the billionaire and going on the attack. >> reporter: together today on air trump, they are taking it on tour. chris christie now out of the

as an attack dog for donald trump. >> marco rubio, your campaign is almost over, buddy. showing a lot of desperation. >> reporter: the endorsement of the new york billionaire sending shock waves through the republican race. >> i look forward to working with him. >> reporter: last month, he was calling out carnival barkers. >> showtime is over, everybody. we are not electing an entertainer in chief. >> reporter: trump hoping christie can help him stay ahead of cruz and rubio. >> these are two desperate people. i saw him back stage with makeup where he is taking it with a trowel and putting it on. he was soaking wet and he was out here. you know, i only say it because honestly this is not a presidential guy. >> reporter: rubio firing back. >> look, chris is an articulate guy. donald needs a lifeline after last night.

now. at times gleefully. >> the makeup thing applying makeup around the mustacheh mustache. >> reporter: nbc news supporting the supperort super pac supporting rubio. rubio hoping his attitude is not coming too late to take trump down. >> you all have friends thinking about voting for donald trump. friends do not let friends vote for con artists. >> reporter: all of this triggering speculation that chris christie may be angling for a high level position in a trump administration. maybe vice president or attorney general. christie is insisting when he is finished, his term as new jersey governor, go into private practice and make a lot of money. >> hallie jackson, thank you.

democrats where today is primary day in south carolina. pivotal race leaving hillary clinton and bernie sanders with something to prove. nbc's kristen welker covering the democrats for us in south carolina. kristen, good morning. >> reporter: jeff, good morning. carolina. i'm at a polling place in columbia where folks started to file through. secretary clinton has a double digit lead here. her campaign insists they are not taking any votes for granted. senator sanders is not giving up. tuesday. hillary clinton and bernie sanders trying to catch fire at the oyster roast friday night. making a series of stops at voters head to the polls. >> let's have a great turnout in south carolina. >> the south carolina primary is personally important to me. >> reporter: and the democratic candidates are sharpening

hillary clinton hitting sanders on guns. >> we need to strip the immunity that the congress voted for, including my opponent, giving gun makers and sellers immunity. >> reporter: and sanders trying to court critical african-american voters here criticized clinton's stance on the death penalty. >> my opponent believes in the death penalty. i do not. >> reporter: the toughest words from rapper killer mike who slapped the term super predators. some saw as a slight. >> where was concern for black boys that are lying dead in the street because somebody chose to call them super predators. >> reporter: this after an apology for the 1996 comments earlier in the week. >> do you apologize to black people? >> reporter: clinton said she was talking about drug cartels.

african-americans by double digits, leaving some to wonder if sanders can stop her. >> can a democratic candidate win the nomination? >> i don't think so. the african-american coalition is probably one of the most important to a democratic candidate. >> and while senator sanders is hoping to narrow the gap here, the past week he has been campaigning in super tuesday states. where the race is closer. in fact, he is not going to be here when the votes come in. instead, he will be holding a rally in minnesota. jeff and erica. >> we will watch it. kristen, thank you. harold ford jr. is a tennessee congress member and political analyst. so is josh barrow. the new york times correspondent. good morning. >> good morning. >> nice to have you with us. this chris christie announcement

popped up on our phones yesterday. interesting specifically because some of the terminology he used to describe donald trump in the past. naive. on february 7th, he told a crowd he is just not the right person to be president of the united states and not the person we want representing our country. what is the impact of not only the flip flop from christie, but the endorsement when it comes to voters. do they care? >> politics has a long history. ronald reagan chose george w. bush. kennedy chose johnson. we have a long history of this. that wasn't the big surprise. the surprise for some was that christie gives him an imprint of an establishment republican with him. i think most important for christie, i'm sorry, trump, christie will be an important surrogate with him in the early states and ones after that. making the case that rubio is

important day for trump. >> josh, are you surprised that marco rubio is getting more aggressive. talking about makeup application with donald trump. now comments about donald trump wetting his pants. is this a smart tactic or is it too late? >> i don't know. i think it is very late. if he was going to do this, he should have done this months ago. he is trying to be donald trump. why did he want the full length mirror? it is really undignified. it is weird. for months, one of the cases is donald trump is too undignified. if the only way to beat him is to act like him? i don't know. we are three days away from super tuesday, it is too late to make the shift. if you are going to beat trump, you have to make him look small and silly. calling him a con artist is a good line. calling out trump university is a good call. you cannot make the argument this quickly.

down in three days. >> the question is where was this before? the animation and emotion and pointed attacks. i agree with you. i don't know how this sticks with trump this late in the game. >> is there anything at this point that rubio or cruz can do to make a move? >> i think we will know that by march 15th. the republicans award delegates proportionately. winner takes all on march 15th. >> you have texas in the first. the winner take all. if trump wins texas, a lot of this, before we get to the 15th, you see trump being able to make the case that i'm prohibitive frontrunner. it is difficult to stop me. you may see more endorsements. >> what about the democratic side? any path for bernie sanders? >> it is challenging. when you look at the states that is have already voted, states that are favorable to sanders. especially iowa and new hampshire. if sanders was going to just

probably needed to win he iowa by 20 points. he about tied it. he needed to win new hampshire by 30. in south carolina, he can lose it, but lose it by too much. as the map gets more filled in, he continues to underperform, he will not be the nominee. >> two weeks ago. the story was powerful if sanders pulled off the victory in nevada. i think the chairman from south carolina said it well. the demographics and the african-american population, bernie sanders has issues. i know he has one surrogate about the remarks she made 20 years ago. the path seems to have narrowed in the last week or two. >> lots to watch. harold ford jr. and josh barro, thank you. >> nbc is the place to be for super tuesday coverage.

10:00. there are new developments kansas. the shooter's ex-girlfriend is in custody this morning accused of giving him the gun. this morning. blake, good morning. >> reporter: erica, good morning. ex-girlfriend. along, the authorities wanted to know how cedric ford was able to get his hands on the guns. this is a convicted felon whose rap sheet dates back decades. police know this morning who helped him. with the kansas workplace shooter dead, attention turns to this woman. sarah hopkins. an ex-girlfriend who is charged with knowingly giving weapons to convicted felon cedric ford. he later used the guns in his attack. police recovered an ak-style assault rifle like the one on ford's facebook page and glock .22 pistol.

different woman than the ex who filed a restraining order against ford calling him an alcohol, violent and depressed and someone in need of desperate psychological help. it was the restraining order that police believe caused ford to go on the rampage and shooting coworkers and injuring 14 and killing three. >> i never seen it coming. from cedric and for him to take it out on us and coworkers. we worked hand-in-hand with cedric cedric. >> reporter: at the vigil last night, people remember renee benjamin. >> she always had a smile. >> reporter: brian sadowsky who loved rock music and josh higbee. engaged to be married. he leaves behind a 4-year-old son. >> his son was his world.

>> reporter: high praise this morning for the cop identified as the town's police chief who hailed the gunfire to take the shooter down before backup arrived. >> saved a lot of lives. >> reporter: some estimates put the number of people inside the building behind me between 200 and 300 at the time of the shooting. the sheriff says if the police chief did not face that gunfire and run in, there would have been more deaths. he says the shooter would not have stopped until he was out of bullets. erica. >> blake, thank you. in washington state, five people are dead after a shooting rampage that led to a tense standoff. the suspected gunman called the sheriff's officer to say he shot his own family. the officer raced to the home to negotiate with the gunman. after three hours, the suspect walked out and shot himself right in front of the law enforcement agents. a s.w.a.t. team entered the home. a survivor, a 12-year-old girl,

john lennon's widow yoko ono is in the hospital. she was rushed from her home among reports of unconscious and suffering a stroke. sean later said his mother was suffering from dehydration. she is expected to be released shortly. now to the oprah effect which may be in trouble this morning. no one is rushing to hold a bake sale, but her bottom line is smaller. a huge stockholder in weight watchers and main spokesperson. the stock took a plunge on friday costing her tens of millions. we have olivia sterns with more. >> reporter: good morning, jeff. when oprah joined weight watchers in october, the hope is the magical fix and bring her star power to the brand and oprah would make weight watchers trendy again. if this weeks results are a guide, the talk show queen could be losing her touch.

let's do this oprah, weight watchers is a good fit. she struggled for years with her weight. who better to be the face of the nation's largest diet brand. >> every time i tried again, every time i tried again. it has brought me to this. >> reporter: in october, oprah bought in. sinking $43 million to buy a 10% stake. weight watchers doubled in more than a month. in january, she put out a tweet. >> i love bread. >> reporter: again, a spike. but on friday, the stock crashed. oprah taking a nearly $30 million hit. >> the company reporting a drop in sales as it lost more subscribers. >> oprah is not a panacea.

says the partnership is off to a strong start. the opportunity is huge. 2/3 of american adults are overweight. of course, that means competition. >> look who's back? >> reporter: jenny craig and weight watchers seem out of date. >> you can get free apps and your wearables. you don't have to go to a meeting or have a coach. >> reporter: you know, for many of us, the focus is more on wellness rather than weight. working out more and not just counting calories. the truth is, technology gives us options to track our diets for free. weight watchers does have their work cut out for them. don't feel bad for oprah. she lost nearly $30 million yesterday, but she bought the stock when it was so cheap, she still made a lot of money on the investment. at the end of the day, she is still eating bread. there is a win-win.

dylan dreyer has the check of the forecast on this saturday. good morning. >> good morning. >> eating bread? >> i'm always eating bread. we are looking at a really nice warm up through the weekend. we have the big ridge in the jet stream pushing the cold air up in canada. warmer air from the south. temperatures most likely break records. in minneapolis, the old record 53 degrees in 1896. a forecast of 79. oklahoma city, 73 degrees. cheyenne, wyoming, 65. same for the carolinas and new york city should be close to 60. we are looking at 55 in milwaukee. as we go into monday, we are still looking at scattered records to be broken. especially back through the midwest with st. louis in the mid-60s. little rock in 70s. raleigh at 59 degrees. we don't have a lot going on today, besides the warm up,

temperatures with readings in the upper 20s and lows 30s. we can expect to see mostly sunny skies today, light winds and pleasantly cool temperatures. afternoon readings should be in the mid-50s today with even warmer temperatures sunday and highs in the mid-60s. the next chance for rain will be tuesday night and wednesday. the polls are and that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thanks. >> two michigan lawmakers forced in a sex scandal are facing felony charges. former represent todd corser is charged with misconduct and lying under oath. he could face 15 years under prison. the other is charged with misconduct in office punish able by five year in prison.

one tried to cover up by faking a male prostitution scandal. coming together for the south beach food and wine festival festival. al roker and natalie morales with friendly competition. we tagged along for the ride. >> welcome back to miami, al. >> i wake up to you every morning. >> we're here in the miami wine and food festival where i get to be a judge. a hard job. i have to eat may way through the burgers. al, apparently, has a killer burger.

>> a brisket burger. the grilled cheese. 1,000 island. slice it up. you're done. >> how good is that? isn't that the best one? we need your vote. help a brother out. give us your vote. >> you think that burger can beat that burger? >> a lot going on. >> final cut. we made the final cut. >> this is my buddy al. he has been cooking up a storm all night. >> we made the top ten. >> you did? i'm not supposed to know your burger. give me a little bite, al. a little nibble. i'm judging.

heaven. burgers. >> that's delicious. >> now for the award for the best burger award. it goes to jersey dog. >> lights off, party's over. who did the better job? al or me? i'm in a meat coma. time to go to bed. >> good night, natalie. >> al has a busy weekend. he and natalie off to l.a. for the oscars. we will have a recap of all that. >> it will be hard to get into a dress after you have been challenged with all those burgers. >> in that is when you go for the moo-moos. a recap of the week's biggest stories and this caught on camera moment. when a man's pocket catches on fire. and remember the good old

we had that here in the studio? guess what? it is exactly a year after the dress drama and there is still jacket.

>> it's gold. and it is still to come on "today," dylan and sheinelle as intern interns. >> i have gone on twitter to look this up. >> that is the last time i cried. the fun we had together. >> the best. >> i'm excited to see this piece.

how great everybody its a clear and cool morning ... lets go ahead and find out whats in store for us for today. john has the first warn forecast. we are starting the day off with cool temperatures with readings in the upper 20s and lows 30s. we can expect to see mostly sunny skies today, light winds and pleasantly cool temperatures. afternoon

today with even warmer mpetenday and highs the mid-60s. the xchance for in will beesdayitand wednesday.the polls are w open foruth carolina's second primaryekend... this time for the democratic candidates. voters will choose between hillary clinton and bernie sanders. voter turnout is not expected to be nearly as high as last weekend's primary on the gop side. clinton is expected to win, and we've learned sanders will not even be in the state to watch the results. the polls close tonight at seven oclock. police in rock hill are searching for the person they say chased a jogger with a knife. it happened near the winthrop campus. a 20 year old woman says she was jogging there when she passed a "strange" man. then she realized he was chasing after her. when she turned around, she saw he had a knife. she immediately ran into a local bank for help. police say the man followed her inside,

turned around . fire crews are working to figure out what ignited flames at uptown's only gas station. the "circle k" on north graham street caught fire friday. police say there were 8 people inside at the time, but all of them were able to get out without being hurt. the fire destroyed the business. the today show is next... then we're back with another check of the forecast in half an hour. we are starting the day off with cool temperatures with readings in

what's going on in here? >> nothing! >> who did this? >> she did! >> liar. >> tattletale. >> was this an accident? >> it will never happen again. >> all right. girls, we decided to have mercy. >> some things never change. a moment a lot of us "full house" fans want. "fuller house." 20 years after the original went on the air. more on that in popstart. outside on this saturday, february 27th, some chilly fans out there. >> not for long. it will warm up. >> good. tell them that. >> i will. guys, it's going to warm up. >> stick around.

>> here is a look at headlines. donald trump on the campaign trail. this time with his one time rival chris christie. christie announcing on friday he is endorsing trump for president. on the democratic side, primary day in south carolina. hillary clinton holds a huge lead in the polls over bernie sanders there. the ex-girlfriend of the shooter in a horrible rampage in kansas now under arrest this morning. police say cedric ford's ex knowingly gave weapons to the convicted felon that elatehe later used. and information from the irs showing a cyber hack from 2015 is actually much worse than originally thought. the agency now saying hackers accessed more than 700,000 taxpayer accounts. that is more than double than what originally thought. let's begin this half hour with "the download."

>> from donald trump's win to the gorilla in space. here are the stories that caught our attention. >> a hat trick for donald trump. with his third win in a row coming this week. the latest in nevada. >> we have to go all the way. >> trump thrives leading to fireworks with the republican debate ahead of super tuesday. >> if he hadn't innherited $200 million. >> tough issues for the democrats. >> hillary clinton again pressed about releasing transcripts about her goldman sachs speeches. >> if you are going to ask for things, everybody should be on the same playing field. >> and sanders challenged about what he said in 1974. >> have they done things which they should not have done on behalf of the united states government? absolutely. >> deadly weather ripping across the nation. heavy snow in the midwest. >> blizzard like conditions

>> it is terrible. it will get worse. stay home. >> more than 30 tornadoes across the south. >> flying out the window. i had her by her ankles. >> what do we want? >> protests outside fbi headquarters as apple resists the orders to access an iphone used by one of the san bernardino terrorists. >> apple is willing to help, but not it is against customer privacy. a kentucky man stopped to buy a snack and his e-cigarette exploded in his pocket. the culprit? the lithium ion battery. a high profile battle shaking up the music industry. kesha and producer dr. luke are fighting each other in and out of the courtroom. >> a judge denied the singer's bid to be released from the

the producer she is suing alleging sexual assault. >> allys rallying for support. >> dr. luke took to twitter saying i did not rape kesha. now to outer space. did this gorilla stowaway on the international space station? >> it is astronaut scott kelly having fun in a gorilla suit chasing around a crew member. where did he get the suit? >> acme. >> no, it was sent by his twin brother. and kate mckinnon does a mean hillary and bieber, but this will make you do a double take. >> you're ellen. >> of course i do.

>> she's got it down. >> kate mckinnon does a better ellen than ellen. >> and the biebs. true. >> dylan, how about another check of the saturday weather? >> we are looking at drought conditions in california. california had a good run. we were seeing a lot of rain and mountain snow which is still up in the sierra. believe it or not, we have the exceptional drought through most of central and southern california. we will see a chance of rain as we go into next weekend, but in the meantime, it will be really continued to remain dry. 61% of california under extreme drought. 38% is the exceptional drought. we have scattered showers in the pacific northwest from seattle to portland. that is where we will see showers today and tomorrow. we will stay nice and dry. especially in l.a. for the oscars. it is a good time to stay dry. the next storm system is more of a pacific northwest thing. 1 to 3 inches of rain.

elevations. next weekend is when california will see some of the rain. elsewhere across the country, things are quiet. we could break record highs from the plains to the midwest. and lows 30s. we can expect to see mostly sunny skies today, light winds and pleasantly cool temperatures. afternoon readings should be in the mid-50s today with even warmer temperatures sunday and highs in the mid-60s. the next chance for rain will be tuesday night and wednesday. and that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thanks. up ahead, introducing the miserable men of instagram.

>> i want to know if jeff has posted anything. >> that's me. >> but first necessary message i'm billy, and i quit smoking with chantix. i had a lot of doubts going in. i was a smoker. hands down, it was, that's who i was. after one week of chantix, i knew i could quit. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. chantix definitely helped reduce my urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some had seizures while taking chantix.

stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse or of seizures. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you have these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have heart or blood vessel problems, or develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. decrease alcohol use while taking chantix. use caution when driving or operating machinery. most common side-affect is nausea. life as a non-smoker is a whole lot of fun. ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. we offered women a mystery beauty treatment. what made their skin more radiant? what?! wait! only dove has 1/4 moisturizing cream. smooth dewy skin. dove, your daily beauty

when heartburn hits fight back fast tums smoothies starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue and neutralizes stomach acid at the source tum, tum, tum, tum smoothies! only from tums incredible bladder protection now comes with an incredible double your money back guarantee. always discreet is for bladder leaks and it's drier than poise. try it, love it or get double your money back.

back now on a saturday morning. time for a little "trending." first up, the most bizarre food combinations. huffington post claims these are weirdly delicious. we have some to try. dipping pickles and orange juice. i'm trying it. not so much. >> why would you do that? >> pickles first thing in the morning? >> cheese and mayo. >> that is gross. hold on. >> the last one, i can get behind. my dear friend years ago told me

balsalmic vinegar it makes it sweet and it is delicious. >> it brings out the sweetness? >> the goat cheese and peanut butter is really good. >> my dad used to take me to work with him. we would stop at the store and get chocolate milk, usually yoohoo and slim jims. >> you don't like this? >> that is more for you. >> i'll eat the peanut butter. >> i'll have it. fine then. you remember the dress last year? the white and gold one? on the one-year anniversary, there is a new debate dividing people on social media. look at the jacket. some say this is blue and white. others say black and brown. i see black and brown. >> i see black and gold. >> i didn't see it.

asked the same question. you have peanut butter right there. i have to tell you because i love you. 76 of those responded say it is blue and white. it was in the studio this week. >> what did they say? >> she said it is black and white. >> she can't see. >> i thought the addidas symbol was black and then white. >> i see black and gold. >> okay. so here, it is 76% in the poll. but on set, 75%. for the other side. finally today, one i'm sure a lot of the men can relate to. the boredom of shopping with your spouse. check out the account miserable men. shopping with ladies and husbands getting dragged along. these are hysterical. >> they are not just bored, but

>> you could take a nap. >> i'd go somewhere else. >> we have kanye west and daughter north passed out during a recent shopping event. >> where do you shop that it is that fancy? >> they don't shop where we shop. >> that is not a store i'm walking into. >> there is a guest list. >> kesha has a message for fans. let's move on to sheinelle in popstart. i'll eat my peanut butter. >> we told you the legal battle kesha is involved in with dr. luke. she filed suit for allegedly drugging and assaulting her. charges he denies. she was denied an injunction to break the recording contract. she has received an outpouring of support from fans and celebrities.

through the medium she knows best. music. >> one, two, three, four. oh, i don't know what i would do without you oh, no i don't know >> the 28-year-old's lawyer posted this on twitter. next, we have been telling you about the "full house" spinoff for months. have mercy. "fuller house" is finally here. in case you wonder how they address mary kate and ashley not being there. >> what is this? >> michelle sends her love, but she's busy in new york running her fashion empire.

the series premiered to mixed reviews. fans tweeted things like jesse singing forever and all of a awed aunt becky sings too. i'm a mess. one question remains. how on earth do danny and jesse and the rest look so good? finally, all eyes on chris rock as he hosts the 88th annual academy awards. if you are rusty on the best picture, no worries. folks at fandango has you covered. >> what's it all about? >> it's about a big tall person and short person. i think they are different. >> tell me about the martian. >> a guy trapped on mars. no food. no water. no nothing.

>> john f. kennedy. >> cute. that is something of them. >> it is cute and adorable. >> sheinelle, thanks. >> i'm annoyed by jesse spano looking so good. "on saved by the bell." >> the wrong show. >> jesse kasapotolus. up next, there is something if you have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis like me, and you're talking to a rheumatologist about a biologic... this is humira. this is humira helping to relieve my pain and protect my joints from further damage. this is humira helping me reach for more. doctors have been prescribing humira for more than ten years. humira works for many adults. it targets and helps to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. humira can lower your ability to fight infections,

serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you haha an infection. talk to your doctor and visit humira.com.

i'm there for bessie. i'm there for ray. ted loved baseball. dr. phil likes to watch football. renne, who wants sloppy joe on the menu every day. rosie's my best friend. evelyn likes to dance. harriett wants her fried shrimp as well. alice anne likes vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup and rainbow sprinkles. they give me so much back. i can't even imagine how i could possibly give them what they give me. earning unlimited cash back on purchases. that's a win. but imagine earning it twice. you can with the citi double cash card. it lets you earn cash back twice. once when you buy and again as you pay. it's cash back then cash back again. and that's a cash back win-win. the citi double cash card. the only card that lets you earncash back twice on everypurchase with 1% when you buy and 1% as you pay. with two ways to earn,

welcome back. if you ever wondered if ghosts were real or not, ask this one here. >> dylan had an adventure leading to ghost adventures. i'm intrigued. >> we did this back in october. it airs tonight. we went to a town in california some say is haunted. we went in the casino. back in 1920s, a man was shot and killed after accused of cheating there. i found out they still may be talking about that murder. >> would you show yourself to dylan? definitely did. >> three strong signals in less an hour is real for the ghost hunters. they wanted to analyze their evidence. >> no way. >> did you see that stick

the device i was holding for hours can pick up energies you cannot see or feel. it picks up stick figures if it sees an energy. you see how it looks like it is hanging from the ceiling. that is where it was rumored where someone was hung in that building. no joke, jay, the ghost hunter, he felt a noose around his neck. it airs on the travel channel. >> you buy all this? >> 100%. >> you have to watch it tonight. >> i can't. i encourage everyone else to watch. i won't sleep. with that, will leo finally win his first oscar and who will take home the coveted best picture award and best ghost? we have the oscar cheat sheet, but first this is "today" on

(donkey sound) (elephant sound) there's a big difference between making noise, (tapping sound) and making sense. (elephant sound) (donkey sound) when it comes to social security, we need more than lip service. our next president needs a real plan to keep social security strong. (elephant noise) hey candidates. enough talk.

honey, would some captain d's make you feel better? yeeeaah! (woo) when you love seafood this much... back again? i hope it's just a clumsy phase. ...it's gotta be d's. anything's worth it for our new home-style flounder meal or double dozen shrimp. also, try our grilled menu featuring new tuscan tilapia. for full meals starting at just $4.99,

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. abdominal pain. urgent diarrhea. it could be ibs-d new prescription xifaxan is an ibs-d treatment that helps relieve your diarrhea and abdominal pain symptoms. do not use xifaxan if you have a history of sensitivity to rifaximin, rifamycin antibiotic agents, or any components of xifaxan. tell your doctor right away if your diarrhea worsens while taking xifaxan, as this may be a sign of a serious or even fatal condition. tell your doctor if you have liver disease or are taking other medications, because these may increase

tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan on becoming pregnant, or are nursing. the most common side effects are nausea and an increase in liver enzymes. if you think you have ibs with diarrhea, ask to your doctor about new xifaxan. karl, don't you have friends coming over? yeah, so? it stinks in here. you've got to wash this whole room are you kidding? wash it? let's wash it with febreze. for all the things you can't wash, use... ...febreze fabric refresher whoa hey mrs. webber inhales hey, it smells nice in here and try pluggable febreze... ...to continuously eliminate odors for... ...up to 45 days of freshness pluggable febreze and fabric refresher... ...[inhale + exhale mnemonic]... ... , two more ways to breathe happy i've been claritin clear for 14 days. when your allergy symptoms start... ...doctors recommend taking one claritin every day of your allergy season... ...for continuous relief. with powerful, 24 hour... ...non-drowsy claritin, live claritin clear.

weekend again in south carolina. polls opened about an hour ago for south carolina's democratic primary. voters will choose between hillary clinton and bernie sanders. bill clinton was in south carolina yesterday... campaigning for his wife. voter turnout is not expected to be nearly as high as last weekend's primary on the gop side. we've learned sanders will not even be in the state to watch the results. the polls close

its going to be a nice day to be outstide... meteorologist john wendel has the first warn forecast. we are starting the day off with cool temperatures with readings in the upper 20s and lows 30s. we can expect to see mostly sunny skies today, light winds and pleasantly cool temperatures. afternoon readings should be in the mid-50s today with even warmer temperaturesunday and highs e mid-60s. the next chance for iwill eay night dednesday. re confirmed ses of rovirus havepped up in mecklenburg county.. the county's health director says there are several cases at an assisted living facility called the crossings at steele creek. officials aren't quarantining the residents, but they are limiting visitors. it's a similar move to the strategy at metro school in charlotte where 70 cases of norovirus

school was closed friday two local high school principals have been suspended, for reasons not being made public. rowan-salisbury schools tells us salisbury high school principal luke brown was suspended with pay on february 24, 25, and 26th. and the assistant principal, doctor michelle taylor, was suspended without pay on february 16th and 17th. we asked why this happened, but the school told us it was a personnel matter, and confidential. the today show is next... then john will have another update of the forecast in half an hour. have a good day. now at 8:30. :39-:45 "south carolina has the opportunity to make american history." the fight is on. :10-:14 "some may have doubted us, but we've

good morning. joined at the hip. shooting from the lip. donald trump on the campaign trail today. his newest supporter, chris christie by his side. democrats focused on south day. hillary clinton hoping to keep her lead over bernie sanders. we are live on the campaign trail. breaking her silence. jennifer garner opens up since her public split with ben affleck. the access telling what led to the couple's break up. and interns to the stars. dylan and sheinelle going to work with country superstars rascal flatts. from organizing tickets to helping out back stage and picking up dinner. >> really? >> we will see how the experience really played out

2016. life is a highway i'm want to ride it all night long >> it's our birthdays. she's 8. i'm 60. >> best friends in manhattan. nyc. >> and it's my birthday. life is a highway >> wait a minute. wait a minute. we have "life is a highway." we have those dancing and singing along. we didn't see dylan dreyer. >> i'm on the cutting room floor. i had a plate. >> it was a routine. >> nowhere to be found. >> you should bring it back. >> there was wind in my hair. i was drying it with a -- >> maybe we will get it trending. >> lots to get to this morning. including that. let's head inside to sheinelle with the latest on the campaign

>> candidates hot on the trail for super tuesday. donald trump is campaigning with a major endorsement. we have hallie jackson joining us this morning from nashville, tennessee. >> reporter: good morning, sheinelle. the #nevertrump is trending online, but donald trump is making headlines for those who are making headlines. chris christie. out of the spotlight, but taking the role as attack dog. we saw christie go after marco rubio hard. rubio in turn ripping in to donald trump calling him a con artist. rubio taking this tone ahead of super tuesday hoping it is not too late to slow down trump. christie says he will do whatever he can to try to help donald trump win the nomination, sheinelle. that is sparking speculation that perhaps christie is angling for a high level spot in a trump administration.

general. christie insists when his term as new jersey governor is over, he plans to head into private law practice and as he says, make money like trump. sheinelle. >> it was a talker. hallie, thank you. for the democrats, it is primary day in south carolina. it could be a good day for hillary clinton. nbc's kristen welker is in south carolina with the latest. kristen, good morning. >> reporter:. good morning, sheinelle. polls have been open for an hour now. i'm at a polling location in columbia. this is a critical state in the democratic nominating contest. secretary clinton has a double digit lead here. 60 to 32%. her campaign officials are not taking any votes for granted. she has been vigorously campaigning for the past week. particularly courting african-american voters. they are key to winning this state. last night, she and senator sanders attended the same oyster roast. >> i'll be with you.

i will stand up and fight for you. if you will give me the chance to be the democratic nominee. >> i'm here to ask you to help me change the priorities of this country so we have a government that works for all of us. not just the people on top. >> reporter: senator sanders is hoping to close the gap here in south carolina, but he has spent much of this past week campaigning in super tuesday states. states where the race is closer and the electorate is less diverse. in fact, tonight, sheinelle, he will not be here when the votes come in. he will be in minnesota. >> kristen, thank you. in kansas, police say the gunman who went on a shooting rampage this week got weapons from an ex-girlfriend. cedric ford was fatally shot after a shooting spree that left 14 wounded and three dead. now an ex-girlfriend has been

transferring a firearm to a convicted felon. she gave ford a semiautomatic and a glock. and the update on the zika virus in the united states. the cdc says there have been 147 confirmed cases, including nine pregnant women. the cdc has been given permission to use a new test to see if a person is infected. an alert is put out for the olympics in rio. suggesting that pregnant women may want to skip the games. good news for a favorite visitor to american gardens. monarch butterflies are flying high again after years of decline. this year in mexico, the bright orange and black insects cover three times the area they took up last year. they are threatened in mexico by illegal logging. the canopy that insulates them from the cold.

thank you, sheinelle. >> dylan has a check of thethe weather. >> we will have record breaking temperatures across the country before the next storm system moves in next week. because of the warm air, we will see snow and some rain and scattered showers and thunderstorms. as of right now, it is not a severe weather outbreak. it is worth watching. today, we are looking like a lot of sunshine will effect most of the country. temperatures in the 60s. up in the 70s in the southern plains. 70s in the southeast. we stay in theting 1fferent fireations, can expect to see most sunnyies d,od mornge time is 8:26... machelllar. s a beautiful rng...that about the rest of the y...metrologist hn wendel has e forecast are starting e day off thcool temperaturesth readings inepr 20s d lows 30swnxpect to e mostlyuyi day,ght winds and easantly cool mperaturesternoon adings should ithe mid-50s day teven

and who needs sweet 16 when you have sweet 60? i love it. happy birthday. erica and jeff. >> thank you. turning to a revealing interview with jennifer garner. she is opening up for the first time since splitting up with ben affleck. >> here is morgan radford with more. >> reporter: she has been called the girl next door. actress jennifer garner speaking out for first time since the break up with ben affleck after ten years of marriage. in the interview with "vanity fair" garner says my heart is on the tender side and is looking

>> these two people were in love. they love each other. they still love each other. there is a great deal of sadness you cannot make it work. >> reporter: the actress says i didn't marry the big fat movie star. i married him. i would go back and remake that decision. >> she really, truly believes in the institution of marriage. it will take some time and some perspective to figure out how she failed. >> reporter: garner makes it clear the couple decided to separate long before the alleged affair with the couple's nanny. saying she was not part of the equation. bad judgment, yes. it's not great for your kids for a nanny to disappear from their lives. affleck denied that alleged affair. for now, the actress is focused on her career and the couple's three children. >> i do think they are doing their best to make the transition as smooth as possible with the children front and center.

laughed when host rickey gervais globes. garner says no one needs to hate affleck because she doesn't. calling him the love of her life. for "today," morgan radford, nbc news, los angeles. coming up, we have the full we're the hottest young company around but if we want to keep the soda pop flowing we need fresh ideas! >>got it. we slow, we die. >>what about cashing out? no! i'm trying to build something here. >>how about using fedex ground for shipping? >>i don't need some kid telling me how to run a business! i've been doing this for 4 long months. >>fedex ground can help us save money and deliver fast to our customers. not bad, kid. you remind me of a younger me. >>aiden! the dog is eating your retainer again. let's take a short 5-minute recess. fedex ground is faster to more locations than ups ground. to the woman in the mid-90's showstopper... you're right. it's time to set this bird free.

got a fever of 103... feelin' hungry? how 'bout a donut? i'm hot blooded..i'm hot blooded! whether it's 30-years old or 30-days old, carmax will appraise it in as little as 30 minutes. and then your only concern will be how to spend the cash. rad. cut! this is way too much. i just want to talk to women about my decision to use poise. i've had four kids. ladies, who pees a little when they laugh? uh-uh, uh-huh. you see? switching to poise helps make life easier. roll that thing! get 3 in 1 protection for dryness, comfort, and odor control. and unlike period pads, poise thin shape pads have thin flex technology. seize your poise moment at poise.com. this winter, you have the power to heal. because your purchase of vaseline intensive care lotion, supports the vaseline healing project.

heal their skin. 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 d\j 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. with two ways to earn, it makes a lot of other cards seem one sided. pet moments are beautiful, unless you have allergies. then your eyes may see it differently. only flonase is approved to relieve both your itchy, watery eyes and congestion. no other nasal allergy spray can say that. complete allergy relief or incomplete. let your eyes decide.

back now with 12 minutes past the hour with everything you need to know before the 88th annual academy awards. we have the managing editor of fandango. very hollywood. >> yes. >> we want to give you a cheat height which erica is calling this morning of what to expect at oscars. >> three movies at the top of the list. this is good information if you go to a party and want to start

"the revenant" is in the lead. people are predicting to win. the top grossing picture. if from is a spoiler, "spotlight" or "the big short." if "the revenant" does not win. >> "the revenant" is in the lead for the best director. >> yes. mr. alejandro. if he wins best direct after, he is the first to win back-to-back in 65 years. an historic moment. >> "the revenant" can clean up. leo dicaprio. if he does not win the oscar on sunday night, i think it is one history. >> who would win if leo doesn't?

>> best actress is not seen as dicaprio. >> i think it is the next biggest lock. brie larsen. she is fantastic in "room." i think she will be great. i don't know if jacob tremblay will. he has been yucking it up. >> he has been fun to watch. >> what do you make of the controversy before you and how chris rock handles this? >> he has teased it on twitter with the #black. i would expect him to come with something at the top of the show. it is interesting how he finds that balance with keeping it light and series. >> does it go at the top of the show or continue to pop up throughout? >> that's the big question. no matter what he does, this is the biggest conversation starter on monday morning. everybody will talk about it. >> and they are changing the

no more thanking people. a ticker on the bottom. will the stars follow that? >> there is a ticker. it will personalize the speeches more. >> we have ours right there. special thanks to our executive producer. >> it will be cool. will it be too much of a visual distraction? >> this is meant to cut down the speeches so they don't get cut off. >> so you don't hear producers and executive managers. i like that. >> they are about to play the music for us. we have to leave it there. this is your biggest night. enjoy. have fun. up next, rascal flatts new interns dylan and sheinelle.

nbc. with a variety of fresh-made seafood meals starting at just $4.99, no one does seafood like d's! try our new home-style flounder meal or double dozen shrimp. or our grilled menu, featuring new tuscan tilapia. each with two sides and hush puppies. for full meals starting at $4.99, it's gotta be d's. back on a saturday morning with more in our series "up for

sheinelle and dylan. >> we were interns for rascal flatts. >> we had the best time, i think. we got almost everything done we were told to do. it's a little too loud on the highway i want to pull >> we are hear at the hard rock hotel and casino. >> we are interning with rascal flatts and this is their opening night. >> i'm dylan. >> i'm sheinelle. >> i'm jan. >> first thing you need to do is printout your guest list. here are your tickets. >> are we giving tickets to these people? >> you will write these names on these envelopes. >> real work? >> yes. >> task complete. >> nice. next. >> this is amazing.

>> hey. >> i'm dylan. >> thank you for being our interns for the day. >> we're excited. >> in and out burger. a double, double. and animal style fries. >> i heard of that. >> i have to have a milk shake. >> fries, chocolate shake. >> i'm trying to lose holiday weight. thank you so much. >> i think we did good. >> i know. >> task completed for our entertainers. >> shoot. really? they don't need to know. >> did you get his burger? >> oh, wait. he didn't want onions. let's turn it around. >> yeah. >> everything you need. >> that was not. >> somebody asked you? >> it wasn't on me. >> dylan. >> we should probably go.

>> show time! >> i'm sorry. i'm sorry. >> are you ready? >> oh, you're ready. i like the sound of that >> get ready. watch out. >> we're going to cry. >> how far out there do i go? >> the whole way. >> the whole way? on the stage? i'm so nervous. [ applause ] >> i'm bringing you your guitar. >> do you believe this? >> i don't care if we did a good

>> this is the best internship ever. >> i think they gave great effort. >> i'll give them an a for effort. they are really cute. >> enthusiasm was great. they were excited. >> they are welcome back anytime they want. they can do anything they want. they can sing. >> yeah. life is a highway >> they're really cute. >> they can come back anytime. we may go back. their managers and the crew there was wonderful. accommodating and open to letting us play along. thank you. >> we should mention rascal flatts has one week left at the hard rock hotel and casino until march 95 march 5th. we are going to see if we can get the outtakes online. >> you looked like a couple of school girls. >> you were crushing on the manager. even here.

megan our producer, the first time putting together something on the road. we had a prank on her that we need to add to the web. we told her it would not happen. it was falling apart. they didn't want to be part of it. >> today.com. >> it was such a bonding experience. we'll put it online. >> and i won $400.

next saturday, my turn when i i take prilosec otc each morning for my frequent heartburn because you can't beat zero heartburn! ahhh the sweet taste of victory! prilosec otc. one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn. (vo) when i first took jake home we ate anything. until i decided we both needed to eat better. now jake gets purina cat chow naturals indoor a nutritious formula for indoor cats with no artificial flavors. it helps to control hairballs and maintain a healthy weight. so these days, we're both eating better. naturally!!

fortifying the 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.

your body was made for better things than rheumatoid arthritis. before you and your rheumatologist move to a biologic, ask if xeljanz is right for you. xeljanz is a small pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz can reduce joint pain and swelling in as little as two weeks, and help stop further joint damage. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma, and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz if you have an infection. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts, and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz, and monitor certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you were in a region where fungal infections are common, and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. xeljanz can reduce the symptoms of ra, even without methotrexate. ask your rheumatologist about xeljanz.

do you love your wireless keyboard more than certain family members? is your success due to a filing system only you understand? does printing from your tablet to your wireless printer give you a jolt of confidence? if so, you may be gearcentric. someone who knows that the right office gear helps you do great things. and there's one place that has it all.

have another update of the forecast in half an hour. have a good day. good morning the time is 8:26... i'm rachel rollar. morning... the rest of the meteorologist john wendel has the forecast. we are starting cool can expect to see mostly sunny skies today, light winds and pleasantly cool mratures. afternoon readingsu in the mid-50s day with even rrtemperatures nday anhh the m-60s. the xt cnce for rain wi esy night d wednesday. e polls are now open for uth rolina's cd primary end... this time for the democratic candidates. voters will choose between hillary clinton and bernie sanders. voter turnout is not expected to be nearly as high as last weekend's primary on the gop side. clinton is expected to win,

learned sanders will not even be in the state to watch the results. the polls close tonight at seven oclock. we're going to continue our coverage all day today of the democratic primary. starting tonight at six, we'll be analyzing the results with our political experts in house. the man accused of targeting firefighters is now facing more burglary charges. johnny bing is accused of hitting 14 different fire stations, and breaking into 40 different cars. police tell us he also broke into a building in the greensboro area. this all happened over the last several weeks. police arrested bing thursday afternoon. he'll be back in court next month for a bond hearing. uptown will be packed again today for ciaa celebrations. remember cmpd has declared this an extradinary event which means there are extra officers on the streets. some of the events going on today... the mcdonald's super saturday... that's at 8:30 at time warner cable arena... and the toyota fan fest at the convention center. that's at one o'clock. keep it right here... a full hour of our next newscast starts in just minutes at 8:30.

:39-:45 "south carolina has the opportunity to make american history." the fight is on. :10-:14 "some may have doubted us, but we've never doubted each other." two candidates battle it out for south carolina, days before super esday.1:43-1:48 "if s esll in southalina ma anticipate she llothen she's going to have emendous mentum.etate of the race

thanks for joining us this now at 8:30. >> south carolina has the opportunity to make american history not fight is on. >> some may have doubted us but we never doubted each other. >> two candidates batteling it out days before super tuesday. >> she won big in south care lina if some think she will do she will have remendous momentum. >> the state of the race is in the balance. >> i believe that there is nothing that we cannot accomplish. >> and you want to help people have a better life a better future more opportunities. >> with the south caroline democratic primary serving as a turning point. you're watching nbc charlotte. >> this is wcnc, nbc charlotte morning news. >> thanks so much for joining thus morning we will get to top stories in moment but first