have a great weekend. good morning. getting closer. presidential front-runners donald trump and hillary clinton hoping to tighten their grip on their party's nominations today, as voters in five states head to the polls. trump's opponents vowing they will stop him, while on the democratic side, hillary clinton holds her lead over bernie sanders, despite the e-mail scandal tha continues to plague her campaign. >> i'm happy that everybody now has been cooperating and giving ysion. >> we're live on the campaign trail. news that a knife was found on the grounds of o.j. simpson's former estate explodes into the headlines. >> what has been submitted to our lab. they are going to study it. >> could it be the murder weapon in the deaths of nicole brown simpson and ronald goldman or just another sideshow more than 20 years later? zika warning.

may be even more dangerous than originally thought. researchers now saying the virus is linked to a host of birth defects alt all stages of pregnancy. and unmasked? the artist known as banksy has spent his career anonymously spray-painting his work around the world. now a popular crime-fighting tool may have figured out who he is. so, has the artist been revealed? today, saturday, march 5th, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and welcome to "today" on this saturday morning. i'm erica hill. >> glad to have you with us. i'm craig melvin alongside chanel jones, dylan dreyer is here as well. >> it's nice to have you back in the studio. you've been on the road a lot. >> good to be back. >> and really talking to voters. >> nashville, tennessee to start the week, finished in hamilton county, southern ohio, cincinnati. let me tell you, wherever you

lots of interest in this race. lots of interest in this race on both sides. >> that's good for us, because it's our top story this morning. voters in five states will have their say today. here's a look at who's voting on this saturday. kansas residents will caucus on both sides. republicans will caucus in maine and kentucky, while democrats will caucus in nebraska. and there is also one primary being held today. >> that one in louisiana, where both republicans and democrats will head to the polls. so much at stake, as both donald trump and hillary clinton try to maintain those leads. >> we have you covered on both sides. we begin this morning with nbc's jacob rascon, who's following the republicans, where the field has now dropped down to four with dr. ben carson suspending his campaign. jacob, good morning. >> reporter: erica, good morning. despite desperate and extraordinary efforts by so many to stop trump's momentum, he is the favorite to win in every state out with a poll as some look at his shifting positions and ask and wonder, who is the real donald trump?

own rules again. skipping the conservative cpac conference for a last-minerally in kansas, where the latest poll shows ted cruz catching up. this after a stunning week in american politics of virtual civil war within the republican party. its former nominee, mitt romney, joining a chorus of establishment leaders condemning the front-runner and refusing to vote for him. >> i'm going to do everything within the normal political bounds to make sure that we don't nominate donald trump. >> reporter: the latest complaint, trump's repeated flip-flops on immigration, suddenly arguing that highly skilled, foreign workers should be able to stay. >> i'm changing. i'm changing. we need highly skilled people in this country. >> reporter: then releasing a statement, switching back. and on torture -- >> if i say do it, they're going to do it. >> reporter: trump now telling the "wall street journal" he will not order a military

now ten days and 13 states before the billionaire business mogul could be unbeatable or a contested convention could be all but inevitable. once again, it's up to voters still flocking to trump rallies in record numbers, followed closely by scores of protesters. and all republicans are campaign campaigning in the decision-day states today. trump is leading in those states by double digits, except for kansas, and he is moving on past today to florida, a must-win state for marco rubio, where he and ted cruz are now spending big. erica? >> jacob rascon for us this morning. jacob, thanks. >> to the democrats now, where hillary clinton is looking to hold her considerable lead over bernie sanders in today's races. nbc's kristen welker is in detroit, michigan. kristen, good morning to you. >> reporter: craig, good morning to you. senator sanders is hoping to gain some momentum today. his aides tell me the states that vote today and in the

favorable to him. meanwhile, the clinton campaign downplaying expectations. team sanders says they think they have a good shot at winning kansas. they think that nebraska could be a close race. both states have more of the white, working-class voters that tend to favor sanders. clinton is looking strong in louisiana and that could be part of her southern firewall with a large african-american population. meanwhile, clinton pressed again on her e-mails after her former staffer, bryan pagliano, struck an immunity deal with the fbi and told investigators her server was never hacked. here's clinton in an exclusive interview with cnbc's john harwood. >> this is the same security review that has been going on since last spring. i'm happy that everybody now has been cooperating and giving information, because i think that will finally end this and show that only appropriate steps were taken. >> reporter: clinton and sanders will face off in a debate in flint, michigan, tomorrow night.

going to go on the attack over trade issues. that resonates here in the nation's heartland. secretary clinton previewing her possible line of attack. on friday she called on sanders and gop front-runner donald trump to release credible economic plans. craig, erica, back to you. >> kristen welker for us this morning in detroit. thank you. >> harold ford jr. is a former tennessee congressman and nbc news political analyst. josh barro is a senior editor at "business insider" as well as an nbc news contributor. always good to have you both with us this morning. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> as we look at what's happening today, we ran through at the top of the show the five states where voters will be making their voices heard today. trump won 7 of the 11 contests on super tuesday but traditionally has not done as well when it comes to a caucus versus a primary. there's only one primary today. is there a window here today for a marco rubio, a ted cruz, a john kasich somewhere? >> i think so. kansas is a state that should be demographically favorable for either marco rubio or for ted cruz. and as you note, auctions are

donald trump is more reliant on weekly attached voters, it's easier to get them out in primary. that said, polling shows trump ahead in kansas. what i'll be watching is, is trump able to win in kansas in a way he couldn't win in iowa, minnesota or oklahoma? and looking at louisiana, the one primary state, the polls have trump ahead anywhere from 12 to 20 points. if he puts up a really solid margin like that, it will continue the margins he had on super tuesday and if he continues them across the map, he will win the nomination with the majority of delegates. if it's narrow, it will be a sign of trouble for trump. >> i'm wondering if the other republicans take advantage of a tough week for trump, the optics around him. i thought that romney gave a speech that a democratic opponent would give. it was scathing and compelling. >> we'll see that in ads in november, make no mistake about it. >> and counter from trump was not nearly as tough as it's been in the past when people come after him. i think josh is right, the caucuses favor him, he should do

first time in this race, this last week i got the feeling that there was a wound with trump. whether it manifests itself today is unclear, but clearly, as we get to florida and ohio, if rubio and kasich can win those respective states, their home states, i think this idea that trump could find some trouble may be gaining some steam. but the data's got to be shown to date to josh's point. >> i spent a lot of time talking to trump voters in your home state, tennessee, this week, and ohio as well. and i pick up the "times" this morning, and there's a person in louisiana that seemed to echo the sentiment that i heard. i'll read a snippet of it. this is from a woman down in louisiana. she said there's "nothing short of trump shooting my daughter in the street and my grandchildren -- there is nothing and nobody that's going to dissuade me from voting for trump." this is a woman named louise butler here. have you ever seen a candidate with this kind of hold over his supporters? >> no. this is the weirdest campaign, i think not just of my lifetime but going back a ways before i was born.

i've given up on saying donald trump damaged himself in this debate, donald trump went too far this time. i think we've learned that lesson. obviously, there is theoretically something donald trump can do that would shake his voters away from him, but i'm not convinced that any of the things that happened this week -- i mean, sort of people that were inclined to listen to mitt romney when he says you have to be grown up and not vote for this guy, they were already not going to vote for trump. >> and this woman who voted for romney last time around said she found his speech -- she was disgusted and found it disgraceful, the way he was coming out. >> the key will be whether or not -- if you look at the vote outside of what trump has gotten, the 60, 70%, wherever it might have been, whatever the state -- will that vote coalesce? i'm not sure it will, but it didn't feel right for him this week. and you're right, i've felt he performed poorly debate after debate, but he's come back and the numbers have gone up, but today we'll get more data and we'll see. but i have to say, mrs. clinton has to be feeling that some of

that speech by mitt romney can be used with some independents and independent republicans, if you know the difference between the two and what i'm saying. >> nice to have you with us. harold ford jr. and josh barro, appreciate your insight this morning. meantime, police in los angeles are scouring a new piece of potential evidence today possibly connected to o.j. simpson. on friday, l.a. police revealed that a knife had been found buried on simpson's former property and was not turned over until recently. could it possibly be the murder weapon? nbc's steve patterson is outside o.j.'s former home with more on what police are saying about that knife. steve, good morning. >> reporter: hey, craig, good morning to you. so, the officer who originally received that knife decided to keep it for several years before turning it over to the lapd, leading a lot of people to ask, why? well, i spoke to his attorney, who said his client tried to do the right thing. >> o.j. simpson is inside the car. >> reporter: it's back, all the drama from the o.j. simpson saga.

acquit. >> reporter: the case already back in pop culture. the new ten-part fx miniseries getting big ratings. >> we need to bring in johnnie cochran and we need to do it now. >> no. >> reporter: now once again, the story in real-life headlines. the latest chapter, the tale of a knife found years ago on the land where simpson once lived. >> so, it has been submitted to our lab. they are going to study it. >> reporter: law enforcement sources tell nbc news it is described as a small utility-style knife, commonly used in construction or landscaping. the knife, they say, is not consistent with the weapon used in the 1994 murders of nicole brown and ron goldman, but police are looking into it. >> this is a double homicide that is still open and ongoing. >> reporter: los angeles police say one of their now-retired officers got the knife from a construction worker on simpson's former property while working off-duty at a movie shoot across the street.

copeland, says his client did the right thing. >> he did what i think every person would have done under the circumstances, is that you call lapd and you let them make the call, and they made the call. and the call was, look, this doesn't have any value to us, it's not useful. >> reporter: retired detective tom lang, who worked on the original murder case, doesn't by it. >> why would someone sit on a knife, especially a cop who should know better? >> reporter: carter douglas was part of simpson's defense team. >> that's pure fantasy. i'd rather be talking about the easter bunny instead. >> reporter: and in a statement, doubt from the family of ron goldman goldman, saying in part, "the validity of the knife as it relates to ron and nicole's murder is purely speculative." so, several experts have chimed in on this, and even if there is a link proven between this knife and the 1994 murders, they would still say that it would be impossible, nearly impossible, for o.j. to be retried because of the country's double jeopardy protections under the fifth

yet, it's work that is still being done, investigators looking into this. it's work that could take some time, though. craig? >> steve patterson for us in los angeles this morning. steve, thank you. >> ari melber is msnbc's chief legal correspondent and joins us this morning with more. as steve just pointed out, because of double jeopardy, o.j. simpson could not be charged again with murder. are there any other charges, though, that could stem from this discovery, potentially? >> this is a fascinating and downright weird development in the o.j. simpson case. it is unlikely that anything would happen to him, as you say. it is possible that if this knife was used in the underlying double homicide in any way, that it could lead to charges for someone else or some sort of break in the case, beyond what is already known. >> george maycot, this is the officer who says that he called the lapd that knight, talked to the watch commander. watch commander essentially says, there's nothing we can do, we can't prosecute him again, and sends him on his merry way.

>> well, this officer definitely made a mistake at minimum, because you don't want any evidence, let alone a potential murder weapon, just sitting around. so, that's why this is another example where this case had so much in it, it's captivated people, but it also has opened up all the questions about how policing works and how the mistakes are made, and if this is what happens in a case with high scrutiny, what's happening the rest of the time? yes, if there was any malice or malfeasance, a deliberate idea of obstructing justice, that could potentially come down the line, but i doubt it. i'll also say, look, in any murder investigation, the things you want to look at are motive, physical evidence at the scene of the crime and a murder weapon. it was always an issue that no murder weapon was found in this case. based on what we know, it's unlikely that this is the actual murder weapon. >> ari melber, we enjoy having you around so much, we'll bring you back next hour and talk about that high-profile case involving hulk hogan that's heading to court over a sex tape. >> thank you, craig. best-selling author pat conroy has died.

childhood into emotional novels like "the prince of tides," "the great san teenie" and "the lords of discipline." all three of those were turned into major movies. his life story, like his books, centered around surviving a brutal father who beat him, his mother and six siblings. when the 70-year-old announced he had pancreatic cancer just three weeks ago, he wrote "i've spent my whole writing life trying to find out who i am, and i don't believe i've even come close." in tennessee, it is now up to a jury to decide if popular sportscaster erin andrews should get $75 million after a stalker videotaped her naked in her hotel room and then posted it on the internet. nbc's morgan the areaford has been covering the trial for us. morgan, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, craig. we're standing outside of the courthouse here in nashville. and after yesterday's closing arguments, the case is now with the jury, who could have a verdict as early as monday. after two weeks of trial and

>> she's living a nightmare. >> reporter: -- for sportscaster erin andrews, it all comes down to this. >> we won't begin deliberations until monday morning at 9:00. >> reporter: she's suing for $75 million, and now the jury must consider seven days of testimony, 22 witnesses and 49 pieces of evidence, all to decide if the manager and former owner of the vanderbilt marriott nashville should pay andrews for her emotional distress. >> this will always be there. there will always be a reminder every single day. >> reporter: after she was secretly filmed eight years ago by convicted stalker michael barrett. >> they embrace barrett the same way they enabled barrett. >> counsel's trying to tie my clients to the criminal, but they had nothing to do with that guy. >> reporter: at the heart of the issue, whether the hotel did enough to stop him. >> this could have been stopped. >> reporter: andrews' lawyers say the reservations confirmed andrews was staying there, even

>> and she typed in "yes, request to room next to erin andrews." >> reporter: the hotel says they did not give barrett her room number and was manipulated to give him the room next door. >> criminals find ways to get around systems and exploit systems, and that's what happened here. >> reporter: now it's up to the jury of seven women and five men to decide if andrews should be paid. >> it's a difficult process for a juror to determine these kind of damages because there's no formula for it. >> reporter: for emotional damages. >> for emotional damages. it's just -- it's difficult, but that's their job. >> reporter: a job to come up with a verdict -- >> that should be quite significant. >> reporter: -- and possibly a number. now, craig, when this verdict comes down, the jury will have to say, one, if erin andrews should be paid, and two, if so, how much, and three, by whom. back to you. >> morgan radford for us this morning in tennessee. morgan, thank you. there is scary news this morning about the zika virus. a new study in the "new england

disease may actually be worse than scientists imagined. according to that study, zika may cause more birth defects than microcephaly and it is believed it causes defects more than just in the beginning as first believed. we'll go through this with the director of allergy and infectious diseases next hour. dylan dreyer's here. out west they're dealing with some wet stuff. >> yeah, they had a bit of a dry spell, but we're going to get more wet weather moving in, a series of storms. you can see them developing over the pacific. you can see the swirls, the areas of low pressure. these will be the reasons why we'll see heavy rain, especially from washington state through oregon and into northern and central california. we do have some heavier pockets of rain moving east of seattle and stretching down into san francisco where we could see a couple of inches of rain, but it's not just rain, it's heavy mountain snow with 2 to 4 feet possible in the sierra. and look at all this brown here. those are your wind advisories

we could see gusts up near 50 to 60 miles per hour. so, as we go through the day today, we'll see this round of rain move lin later on today through sunday morning and then we'll get a break before the second system sunday night and monday morning. the second one looks weaker, so the majority of the problems we'll see will be with the first round of rain, but we could end up with 5 to 7 inches of rainfall. that could lead to some mudslides, and get, in the sierra, we could end up with 2

>> and that's your latest forecast. >> all right, dylan, thank you. the mogul and the model tied the knot just moments ago in london. billionaire media magnet rupert murdoch married jeri hall, the famous ex of mick jagger. family and celebrities began arriving for that private ceremony this morning. the couple officially married friday at spencer house, home of princess diana's family. murdoch is 84. it is his fourth marriage. hall is 59. her marriage to jagger was declared invalid in 1959. if you are familiar with the artist known as banksy, you know he anonymously travels the world spray-painting his sometimes controversial art everywhere he goes. he's never publicly shown his face. now, though, banksy may have actually been unmasked, thanks to a little help from science. nbc's kelly cobiella joins us from london to explain. kelly, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. yeah, this is the science used to find criminals, instead used to catch an artist, the person

and scientists say they're 90% sure they have their man. from london to new york, l.a. to gaza, it's been stolen, auctioned, covered up for being too controversial. last summer, banksy's art even came alive. >> welcome to dismalland. enjoy. >> reporter: at dismalland, his dreary take on the so-called happiest place on earth, making fun of fun. but for years, the world has been left guessing about the real person behind the street art collected by celebrities and sold at times for millions of dollars. >> sold! >> reporter: a guy named robert banks, the bbc said in 2006. no, it's robin gunningham, said the "daily mail," two years later. another theory? banksy is a whole gang of people. using a technique straight out of a hollywood crime show --

>> reporter: -- a group of scientists tried to crack the code with a technique called geographic profiling. >> it's used by a number of police agencies in the united states, including the los angeles police department, the new york police department has used it. >> reporter: instead of crime scenes, they mapped banksy's art in london and bristol, comparing the data to homes and hangouts of ten so-called banksy suspects. the result? these fancy dots and spikes or spatial locations, in geek speak, which led them to one prominent candidate, robin gunningham. >> the spatial evidence of the artwork supports the theory that he is the suspect, that he is banksy. >> reporter: mystery solved? don't bank on it. so, if it is robin gunningham, well, who's he? and we don't have an answer for that yet. in fact, even the study's authors are protecting this person. all of those addresses they used for his geo profile have been left out of the study. erica? >> interesting.

keeps us guessing still. >> i like the mystery. >> so, then that's good. see, we've kept the mystery alive a little bit. >> you raise a good point. >> i wonder how he gets paid, because it's selling for millions of dollars, but if we don't know who you are, how do you get the money? or maybe it's not about the money. >> it's about the art. >> the message. >> yes. still to come, we'll catch you up on the week's big stories, including this incredible caught-on-camera moment when a child falls out of a van. >> ooh. >> the good news, the kid is okay. also ahead, what do you get when you combine morgan freeman and justin bieber? pure magic, that's what you get. that's coming up in "pop start." but first, this is "today" on

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@nllhhnnnnnn (phone ringing) you can't deal with something, by ignoring it. but that's how some presidential candidates seem to be dealing with social security.

so our next president needs a real plan to keep it strong. (elephant noise) (donkey noise)

>> we need to think about what to say when i show up at this event and she's not with me. and i don't want to make it worse by mispronouncing this. how do you say this word? >> we are back this saturday morning, march 5th, 2016, with a look at season four of "house of cards." the new season dropped yesterday on netflix. coming up in "trending," we'll tell you why binge-watching it this weekend could actually be quite bad for your health. >> uh-oh. >> quite bad. outside studio 1a, we've got some folks, got a nice, little crowd out there. so happy to have them start their day with us. we're going to get outside in just a bit. it's a chilly one out there, too. >> it is a little chilly, but it's not going to last, which is just wild. >> 70s next week. >> can't beat that. >> that's crazy. let's get you caught up on what's making headlines this saturday morning.

today in kansas, maine, kentucky, nebraska and louisiana. donald trump is poised to pick up more key states today. hillary clinton is expected to maintain her lead in today's contests over bernie sanders. the sports world is mourning the loss today of one of the industry's most colorful commentators. bud collins died at his home friday. collins, who helped popularize tennis, started broadcasting the sport in 1968. he is best known for his commentary during wimbledon called "breakfast at wimbledon," also known for being quite fashion forward as well. bud collins was 86. >> loved "breakfast at wimbledon." and check out death valley like you've likely never seen it before, covered in gold. this is what's known as a rare superbloom. yellow wild flowers covering one of the hottest, driest places in the world. it only happens about once every ten years. >> a superbloom. let's start with "the

sheinelle has the week's biggest headlines. >> from the drama inside the republican party to scott kelly's long-awaited return home after a week in space, here are the stories that caught our attention. donald trump feeling super on super tuesday. >> it looks like we could win six or seven or eight or nine. >> reporter: from the northeast to the deep south, dominance from donald trump, racking up seven wins. hillary clinton riding high as well. >> what a super tuesday! >> reporter: with clinton the likely democratic nominee this fall, infighting is tearing the republican party apart. the last republican presidential nominee waging war on trump. >> in under 20 minutes, romney branded his party's front-runner as dishonest, dangerous and dumb. >> here's what i know -- donald trump is a phony, a fraud, his promises are as worthless as a degree from trump university. >> reporter: while at the republican debate, trump went below the belt. >> look at those hands.

he referred to my hands, if they're small, something else must be small. i guarantee you, there's no problem. i guarantee. >> reporter: the discovery of possible debris from malaysia airlines flight 370 stirred up new questions. >> the piece was found on a sand bank off the coast of mozambique by tourist blaine allen gibson. >> this could possibly be from malaysia 370. we don't know yet. >> reporter: another ill-fated voyage for one of the world's largest cruise ships. "anthem of the seas" cut short its week-long trip, royal caribbean says, because of a severe forecast storm. >> very disappointed. i wanted to cry. >> reporter: but is that the reason? reports indicate dozens of passengers and crew are sick with symptoms of norovirus. home sweet home for nasa astronaut scott kelly after nearly a year in orbit. >> it was just before 10:30 a.m. local time when the soyuz space capsule carrying two cosmonauts and american scott kelly touched

>> scott kelly back on mother earth after 340 days in space. >> reporter: a scary moment for a child and his family in china. >> this is unbelievable. a toddler -- look at this video -- tumbles from the back of his grandfather's van on a busy highway in china. a good smarltan rescued that little boy, reunited him with his family. and it was a fun week in the world of sports. first, gary woodland stripping down during the honda classic. >> woodland's tee shot landed on the water's edge near the edge of the fairway. he didn't want to get his outfit dirty, so he took off his socks and shoes and some white pants. and some infectious laughter from the milwaukee brewers. >> his name is brett phillips. that's him on the left laughing. he plays for the milwaukee brewers. the team released this video showing how he just couldn't hold it together when he heard some corny jokes. >> what did the duck say to the bartender? >> quack. >> put it on my bill.

i like that one. >> he's taking in too much air! >> oh, my god. >> makes me so happy just to watch. you know, sometimes laughter's infectious. >> it is. yes, it is. >> especially when you're not supposed to laugh. that's when it's better. >> yeah. >> difficult to control. >> woodland's pants must have been really expensive. >> right? you actually -- is that the first time that's ever happened? >> didn't he take his shoes off, too? >> shoes, socks and his white pants. >> let's be thankful he stopped there. >> and with that! >> expensive pants. >> why not pick another pair? >> that's a great question. >> i do ask the deep questions. >> it's great because it's the things everybody wants to know. and why are you wearing them? >> helps with his follow-through, perhaps. >> yeah, sure. all right, dylan dreyer's back. another check of the forecast here. what are we looking at? >> that warm-up that's moving in. we've just got to get through a cooler weekend in the northeast, but then we've got a big ridge in the jet stream. that's going to allow temperatures to be about 20 degrees above average through

today kansas city about 63 degrees, chicago 42, cleveland 39. then watch what happens as we go into sunday. temperatures in omaha about 69 degrees. that's 23 degrees above average. close to 60 in minneapolis. in the northeast, we'll be in the upper 40s. raleigh about 60 degrees, which is right around average. but monday, all of that warm air starts to move eastward. indianapolis 65 degrees, pittsburgh 64, raleigh 66, new york close to 60. then we keep the warm-up going. and in the northeast, by the time we get to wednesday, it should be close to 70 degrees. today, though, that area of high pressure keeping things high and dry, lots of sunshine. that first storm system makes its way into the pacific northwest. heavy rain, mountain snow, wind gusts up near 50 miles per hour, and we'll also see a few scattered lake-effect snow

nllnnnnn >> and that's your latest forecast. >> all right, dylan, thanks. just ahead, best boss ever? you won't believe what one ceo did to reward his employees. also, who you gonna call? >> ghostbusters! >> good. >> thank you. a first look at the new "ghostbusters" movi 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.

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we are back on a saturday morning. time for a little "trending." first up, something you don't see every day. linkedin ceo jeff weiner gave his annual $14 million stock bonus to all of the company's employees. >> wow. >> nice. >> the decision comes on the heels of linkedin's falling stock prices. they're reported to have 9,200 full-time employees, so it works out to a little over $1,500 in stock shares for each employee. >> that's really cool. >> that's nice, huh? >> can i call out my father-in-law? he was talked about this linkadin for a long time, no one knew what he was talking about. >> linkadin. >> it's a great place to work, apparently. in honor of national grammar day, which was yesterday --

yesterday, by the way, a little online dating help for you on a saturday morning. according to the dating site zeus, bad grammar could be dating life. zeus says nearly 50% of the singles they posed said grammar was a deal-breaker. however -- this is important -- it varies between gender. 60% of men say they would not let grammar get in the way with pursuing a date -- >> well, now. >> 65% of women would. however, 72% of singles agreed that blatant spelling errors >> i believe that. >> i can see that. >> 60% of guys. >> it is a little annoying, though. you just have to take the time to go back and look. because even with autocorrect. autocorrect wants everything you make plural to be possessive, which annoys the crap out of me. >> i'll forgive you for autocorrect, but if we're sitting down at dinner -- >> what i take from those numbers is, if you're a guy, if you're hot enough, doesn't matter what you sound like. >> pretty much. >> no question. >> pretty much. >> and we're naturally more judging. >> you said it, not me. >> now that we've figured all that out.

include "house of cards" binge watching, a new study says maybe you should just watch an episode or two at a time instead of all of them at once. why? california institute for research and education found 18 to 30-year-olds who watch more than three hours of tv a day and did less than 2 1/2 hours of physical activity a week had the worst cognitive function even before they hit middle age. and this is much younger than >> too much. >> i can see that. >> i can, too. >> i like to spread it out, anyway, though. >> yeah, but it's not just "house of cards," it's all shows. >> no, binge-watching anything. >> i thought it was middle of the night and you're still up, like why am i watching? >> but if you binge-watch the "today" show, it's good for you. >> confirmed by reputable physicians, yeah. four ladies afraid of ghosts? and how could anybody confuse prince harry for someone else? sheinelle has that in "pop start."

first up, the ghosts, outfits, the goo. it's been 32 years since the original "ghostbusters" battled their way through the streets of new york city. and now we're getting a look at the highly anticipated all-star, all-female reboot, thanks to this newly released trailer. >> let's go. >> let's go. >> oh, did you want to -- >> sorry, i'll let you. >> next time. >> someone is creating a device that amplifies paranormal activity, and we might be the only ones who can stop it. >> holtzman, come on! >> the hat is too much, right? is it the wig or the hat? >> starring kristen wiig, kate mckinnon, leslie jones and melissa mccarthy. it comes out this july. if the trailer is any indication, we know the movie should do well at the box office. it's already racked up more than 11 million views. >> wow. >> people are ready for it. next up, what do ed sheeran and prince harry have anything in common? if you're margo robbie, apparently, a lot. the actress has been making the rounds promoting her film

and in case you missed it this week, she revealed to jimmy fallonfall fallon that she mistook prince harry for ed sheeran, even posing for a photo. the most embarrassing thing is it was the royal highness himself who corrected her, whispered to her and was kind of offended. >> not harry. >> i think he felt like, kind of a prince. kind of a big deal. >> i don't think they look alike. >> they don't. who plays the guy in the harry potter movies? he and ed sheeran get mistaken for one another. >> what kind of house-warming party where you're just kind of brushing up with prince harry? >> good point. >> never been there. finally, it's not hard to love morgan freeman's deep voice. pretty much everything sounds better when the actor narrates it, documentaries, movies, tv. but you may never have heard him like this. the folks at "vanity fair" had morgan do a dramatic reading of justin bieber's "love yourself."

have never sounded so good. >> times that you rain on my parade and all the clubs you get in using my name. you think you broke my heart? oh, girl, for goodness sake, you think i'm crying on my own. well, i ain't. [ laughter ] >> i love that. they should do a little collabo, as they say. >> so good. >> i was watching an interview of his a couple years ago and he says the most annoying thing he gets is people walk up to him on the streets and hand him their cell phone. they want him to do their voice mail. >> i had to stop myself from doing that one time. he was so nooit nice and i thought he might be up to it, but i had to be like, fan girl, pull back. >> i guess it's good that you didn't, now that we've got the intel from melvin over here. up next, quiz time. uh-oh. >> yay! >> thousands of high schoolers take the s.a.t. today. can we get any of the questions right? my question -- >> the expert over here.

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pb&j. it's just pb&j. unless you make it right. then it becomes a sandwich as mighty as it is humble. easier to make than a mistake. as simple as a sunny day, but just as perfect. when you make a pb&j with smucker's, that's the difference between ordinary everyday and exquisitely delicious in an everyday sort of way. because with a name like smucker's, it has to be good. right about now students across the country are sitting down to take the redesigned s.a.t. for the first time. the exam now features an optional essay, no penalty for guessing and four multiple-choice options instead of five. >> that's crazy. >> i could have gone to harvard. >> right? i would have done so much better. and in honor of the students taking the test today, we thought we'd do the same. really, it was our thought.

>> yes. >> so, our proctor, sheinelle -- >> you can't even control -- >> ready? >> yes. >> i don't know if one person can have a calculator. >> you told us to bring a calculator. >> okay, that's fine. >> by the way, don't they use calculators on the s.a.t.? >> are you putting on your glasses? >> i'm professor jonas. i don't know who i am. mrs. jones >> i can't read with them. a partially filled pool contains 600 gallons of water. a hose is turned on and water flows into the pool at a rate of 8 gallons per minute. how many gallons of water will be in the pool after 70 minutes? >> okay. what are our choices? >> you just have to know. >> no, it's multiple choice. >> everything except this one. >> 568. >> okay. >> 568. is that right? >> no. >> you're almost out of time. >> i forget the question. >> right here behind you. >> oh. >> you can play along at home as well. >> 70 minutes. >> get your pencil and paper.

wow! >> let me see your math. >> that was fantastic! >> i didn't use a calculator. >> all right, let's move on and then you can explain how you did it. question two is multiple choice. play along at home, if you'd like to, says professor jones. choose the answer that most effectively improves the quality of writing in this sentence, okay? given these solutions as well as the many health benefits of the food, the advantages of greek yogurt outdo the potential drawbacks of its production. the key word is "outdo." >> "c." >> outperform. >> you're supposed to put it on the board. >> last time we were supposed to yell it out. >> i say "d." >> the answer is "d"! >> yes! >> we're out of time. >> i like outperform. >> this is a fun game. we should play more of that. good luck, kids, with the easier s.a.t. still to come, the best way for you to do your taxes this year. first, this is "today" on nbc. >> actually, erica, you were pretty good. >> simple math problem. >> i was ating for the multiple

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still to come on today to, the alarming, new details providing even more evidence that zika is linked to birth defects. plus, hulk hogan preparing for his day in court in his $100 million lawsuit over a i think we should've taken a left at the river. tarzan know where tarzan go! tarzan does not know where tarzan go. hey, excuse me, do you know where the waterfall is? waterfall? no, me tarzan, king of jungle. why don't you want to just ask somebody? if you're a couple, you fight over directions. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. oh ohhhhh it's what you do.

i'm rachel rollar. the north carolina's transportation is speaking out... about the i-77 toll lane project. secretary nick tennyson was in charlotte friday... answering the bankruptcy issues in texas... however tennyson says -- that will not impact the project in our next week -- to texas -- at the governor pat mccrory -- to see caused the texas project to fail. now lets get a check of your saturday forecast with jim lytle. mix of sun and clouds today with some showers overnight. then a return to sunshine and seasonable temps for sunday. springtime, big time, next week! republican frontrunner donald trump will head back to north

week. he's making two campaign stops. the first in concord on monday. he'll be at a rally at the cabarrus arena and events center. doors open at 9 am. then, trump heads to fayetteville on thursday, just before the state's presidential primary on march 15th. a former state senator and charlotte city councilman has formed an exploratory committee to run for congress. malcolm graham says he is considering another run for office. he would represent district 12, which now sits entirely within mecklenburg county. he'll make a final decision in a few days. best-selling author and south carolina native pat conroy has died. he announced last month he was battling pancreatic cancer. he died in his home in beaufort last night, surrounded by friends and family. conroy's novels

and dysfunctional families included "the great santini" and "the prince of tides". those books and others were eventually made into movies. funeral arrangements are still being made. conroy was 70 years old. the today show is next then we're back with another update in 30 minutes. good morning its 726...

good morning. getting closer. donald trump and hillary clinton hoping to maintain their leads as voters in five states head to the polls today. can trump's opponents do anything to slow him down? and will hillary clinton stay on top, despite that e-mail scandal? we're live. o.j. frenzy. a knife found on o.j. simpson's property bringing a case that's more than two decades old back into the headlines. could this be new evidence in a still unsolved murder? and fashion intern. >> do you have any experience? >> in my own way. >> do you have any design experience at all? >> no. >> you wouldn't probably -- >> probably wouldn't make it, okay. >> erica spending the day with the design team at j. crew. from beading to color swatches to getting ready for the holiday sweater season.

job today, saturday, march 5th, 2016. oh, no >> i'm celebrating my 60th birthday with "today." >> yay! >> from tennessee to the "today" show, whoo! >> wake up, maryland, we're on the "today" show! whoo! >> it's my birthday weekend and i'm celebrating in new york city! a good saturday morning to you. welcome back to "today." a nice crowd outside studio 1a this morning. we are going to get outside in just a bit to freeze with them. [ laughter ] >> only until tuesday, and then it will be 70. >> you looked like you were enjoying yourself there at j. crew. >> i was enjoying it. >> yeah. >> i took it very seriously. >> of course you did. you take everything very seriously. >> this is all j. crew now? >> pretty much everything i wear every day is j. crew, so there's that.

piece, maybe, down to the shoes. >> all right. we have a lot to get to this morning. we want to jump right into the political battles brewing today. one primary, caucuses across five states. gop candidates are of course trying to slow down donald trump. and we have full coverage of the democrat candidates as well. we begin with nbc's jacob rascon in orlando, who is covering the republicans for us this morning. jacob, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. it is decision day yet again. the so-called never trump movement picked up momentum this week, turning into a virtual civil war, but then it hit sort of a brick wall when all of the candidates pledged to support the nominee, even if it was trump. trump, for his part, is loving the everybody against him scenario, bragging about it on the trail. to his voter, this validates his position as the ultimate outsider. on the stage this week, we watched the republican field pummel each other in a contest of insults in taunts and shouting that reminded some of junior high.

the only adult in the room, refusing to bite. he is the one who may have the potential to slow trump's momentum because he is closer with him in the polls in his home state of ohio. but trump is the favorite to win in every state out with a poll, most by double digits, including here in florida. of course, ben carson has already dropped out. trump counting on the fact that he's ahead by double digits in marco rubio's home state, that he can force rubio to drop out as well. erica? >> jacob rascon for us this morning. jacob, thank you. meanwhile, bernie sanders will try to gain momentum today as democrats vote in three states. nbc's kristen welker's in detroit, michigan, this morning with more. kristen, good morning to you. >> reporter: craig, good morning to you. that's right, senator sanders looking for a comeback today. his aides tell me the states that vote today and in the coming weeks are actually more favorable to him. meanwhile, the clinton campaign downplaying expectations a bit. team sanders says he is looking

they also think nebraska could be a close race. that is an area, both states with a number of white, working-class voters who tend to favor senator sanders. clinton looks strong in louisiana, though. again, that could be part of her southern firewall with a large african-american population. meanwhile, clinton getting pressed again on her e-mails after her former staffer, bryan pagliano, struck an immunity deal with the fbi and told investigators her server was never hacked. here's what clinton told our cnbc's john harwood in an exclusive interview. take a listen. >> would you concede that you and the people who worked for you at the state department were sloppy in the way you handled -- >> no. >> -- top-secret information? >> no, because let's be clear about this, there wasn't a single one of those that was marked classified, either sent or received. >> reporter: now, this morning the clinton campaign releasing two new ads here in the state of michigan, touting clinton's

she rolled out part of it on friday, which calls for scaling back tax breaks for companies that outsource jobs overseas. senator sanders, meanwhile, has been criticizing secretary clinton on trade issues. that is an issue that resonates here in the heartland. all of this a preview of what we can expect to see tomorrow night when the two face off in a debate in flint, michigan. craig, erica, back to you. >> kristen welker for us this morning. kristen, thank you. there is a lot of talk this morning about whether a knife found on o.j. simpson's california property nearly two decades ago could be connected to the murders of nicole brown simpson and ron goldman. nbc's steve patterson is in los angeles this morning with more. steve, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning, erica. look, i think we'd be fooling ourselves if we didn't first talk about the fact that the reason why this story is so big is because he's already back in pop culture. a lot of people are waking up to this, thanks in part to that fx miniseries that is doing so well. so, you have a lot of people first learning about this case,

the knife is confirmed by the lapd. i want to tell this story because it is so bizarre. it is several years ago, but after o.j. moves out of his estate, apparently, there's some work being done on his yard there, which, again, after he's moved out. and they find the knife buried in the yard. one of the construction workers sees the knife, knows the story and wants to take it to the authorities, so he does. he takes it to a security guard across the street working on a movie. according to police that security guard is a former lapd officer. so, the officer, according to his attorney, gets the knife and he does the right thing, he calls in to the lapd. according to his attorney, they tell him, look, the case is closed, and so he holds on to the knife for some 15 years, until he decides that he wants a memento. and to do that, he wants to get the case number engraved on the knife. so, he calls his buddies at the lapd. they tell him, you know what,

knife in, because it could be evidence. and so, that's where we're at now. they're looking into the knife friendsic ly ic forensically. but just in talking to people close to this case, they say that this knife is very small. it's maybe five inches. it's maybe used for landscaping, maybe used for construction and that it is not consistent with the murder weapon used in 1994. yet, investigators continue to look into this. their work has started, but it could take a while before they get any results. back to you. >> steve patterson for us this morning. steve, thanks. some startling news this morning regarding the zika virus. an alarming, new study shows a growing link between the virus and multiple birth defects, worse than was originally thought, providing even more evidence on how zika may be linking to brain defects in unborn babies. dr. anthony fauci is the director of the national institutes of allergy and infectious diseases. dr. fauci, good morning. >> good morning. >> doctor, one of the things we've seen, there were these

zika could be causing microcephaly. but now this new study, there hadn't been a link before. this new study seems to show a link between zika and several different birth defects, and that the fetus could be affected throughout virtually every stage of pregnancy. to you, what is the real headline this morning? >> well, the headline is that the definitive way you show that there is a causetive relationship -- we know there's a temporal and geographical relationship between women who are infected with zika and these congenital abnormalityiesabnormalities, particularly but not specifically microcephaly. you do cohort studies where you look at zika-infected women who are pregnant and zika-noninfected women who are pregnant and look at the outcome. the study that came out yesterday in the "new england journal of medicine" shows that there's an alarmingly high percentage of women who are infected with zika who actually

the number in that study was 29% of those that were actually grossly identifiable, and there may be even more subtle defects. so, this is the very first strong study. there's been a lot of circumstantial evidence that strongly links this but doesn't definitively prove it. this is one of a number of studies that now give very strong evidence of this. >> dr. fauci, where are we with regards to a possible vaccination for zika? >> yeah, vaccines usually take a considerable period of time, but we're on a very fast track, and we hope to get into human trials just for safety of vaccine candidate some time at the end of the summer, beginning of fall. it's called a phase one trial. you first have to show it's safe and that it induces the kind of response that you would predict would be protective. if it shows to be safe by the end of 2016, we'll likely go

determine if it actually works. whether or not it does and how long it will take to prove is always something that you can't definitively predict, but we're on quite a fast track, at least getting it into humans in an early trial by the end of the summer. >> dr. anthony fauci with the nih. dr. fauci, thanks, as always. >> good to be with you. sheinelle is following another health story where doctors are trying to learn more about a deadly infection. >> yeah, a mysterious outbreak may be the cause of 18 deaths in wisconsin. this morning investigators are searching for answers. the elizabethkingia bacteria has infected at least 44 people in the past four months. it causes a rare blood disease. people over the age of 65 are at greatest risk. officials with the centers for disease control do not know the source of the infections. a new approach is turning conventional wisdom on its head and could be the answer to peanut allergies. children at risk for peanut allergies who are intentionally fed peanuts from the age of 4 months until age 5 often became

for years parents have been told to keep high-risk kids away from peanuts. allergic reactions could be severe, even deadly. researchers also find this technique may work on other foods like eggs, yogurt, sesame and white fish. country singer joey feek has died. her husband and musical partner, rory, blogged friday afternoon, saying "her pain has ceased and all her tears are dry." fans followed his emotional posts throughout her battle with cervical cancer. joey feek was 40 years old and leaves a daughter and two stepdaughters. turning now to an amazing, quadruple overtime high school basketball game. take a look. this is in minnesota. marshall senior high trailing in a state tournament game, knocks down a three-pointer to go to overtime. still tied after two overtimes, waseca hurls the buzzer-beater, but that only tied it again. finally, in the fourth o.t., waseca needed another last-second shot to put the game

overtimes. that is a game they will never forget. finally, when is a wardrobe malfunction a full-blown 911 emergency? here's what happened. a dispatcher in greenville, south carolina, got a desperate call from this 2-year-old. apparently, the little girl couldn't finish getting dressed and needed assistance. a police officer raced to the rescue, helping the toddler with her pants and shoes. i can tell you the two are fast friends now and the officer isn't even that mad about the not-so-urgent 911 call. i'm sure they had to tell her, from now on, 911 is for something that is a bigger deal, but it was cute. all is well. >> sheinelle, thank you. dylan is out on the plaza. she's got a check of your weather. hey, dylan. >> hey, good morning, guys. we've got a lot of birthdays on the plaza. how old are you turning today? >> 10. >> 10 years old. you're sure? well, we have someone on the plaza who's not sure how old he's turning. originally 43, but changed it. it's now your 44th birthday. >> i am, yes, today. >> all right, so next year 45? >> i hope. >> you got that? >> yes.

let's take a look at the weather on the west coast, where we are watching a parade of storms making their way on shore. we are going to see heavy rain today from seattle to san francisco. very gusty winds as well. we have wind advisories and high wind warnings that could gust up to about 50 to 60 miles per hour. we also have winter storm warnings in the sierra mountain range because of this storm system that's going to move in through the day today. heavy rain and also about 2 to 4 feet of snow possible in the sierra. now, we are going to get a break sunday morning, then another storm system makes its way in sunday night.

mudslidesn@lll@nnnn >> and that's your latest forecast. guys? >> all right, dylan, thank you. still to come, when it comes to taxes, should you hire an accountant or should you do them (vo) my name's nick and i make dog chow in denver, colorado. one of my fondest memories of khloe is the day we got her. i knew right there she was gonna be a great dog. khloe's a big influence on the family. she loved lincoln from the start. she's his little protector. i trust dog chow to keep khloe healthy because i see the high quality ingredients that go into it. the standards that we follow are top notch. i trust dog chow enough to feed it to my dog every single day. thanks for doing this, dad. so i thought it might be time to talk about a financial strategy. you mean pay him back? so let's start talking about your long term goals.

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tax deadline, you might be wondering, what's the best way to get those taxes done? should you spend the no hire an accountant? should you use an online service? or should you just do them yourself? nbc business correspondent olivia sterns is going to walk us through it here. so, again, just over a month away. this is not one size fits all. >> no. >> but you've got some good advice here. how do we decide whether we should hire a tax professional? >> first of all, craig and erica, there is no shame in not doing it yourself. >> good. >> the tax code is hideously complex. it takes the average american 13 hours. >> wow. >> to do their taxes. so, no shame, no judgments, if you want to use an accountant. that said, a couple circumstances in which you should definitely consider hiring a pro. if you've had a big life change. what's that? well, have you had a baby? did you adopt? did you get married? did you get divorced? did you inherit? did you lose a spouse? did you finally let your mother-in-law move in? all of these things are big life changes and mean you could qualify for a different deduction. >> if you do hire an accountant,

how much should that run you? >> it's going to cost a couple hundred bucks. $273 is the official average. if you don't want to spring for that, there are plenty of cheaper software options -- so tax turbo, h&r block, tax deluxe. those will run you anywhere from $15 to $100. >> what if you don't want to shell out the cash for an accountant, but you also don't want to run the risk of going to prison, so you want to do it yourself? >> you're a really brave soul. another reason to consider hiring a pro -- if you're self- self-employed, own your own business. if you freelance and get 1099 income, have you bought or sold a house? do you have any investment properties? all of these things are pretty good reasons to consult a tax professional because they can help you figure out some strategies to actually save you some money. >> when should i consider using some software? >> you should consider using some software if you don't want to splurge for the accountant or if you think you can sort of handle it for yourself. do you or your spouse only have one job together or both have

do you have no dependents? do you not plan on itemizing your deductions? all of those things make your taxes a whole lot easier and you're a candidate. >> how can you protect yourself from fraud, whether it's, you know, one of the software packages, whether it's doing yourself? what are some things you can do to make sure you're not getting fleeced? >> first and foremost, the earlier you file your taxes, the safer you're going to be. that is the number one thing you can do. next up, please use strong passwords. you would be shocked how many people still use "pizza" -- >> or 1234. >> or abc123. and this is the point i really want to stress, scams are really spiking. the irs, craig, is never going to call you on the phone and ask you for your credit card. that just doesn't happen. if you get a phone call from the irs, you should be extremely wary. if the irs wants to contact you, if there is a problem, they're going to do it by snail mail first. so, please, don't send them any money. and never, ever give out your social security number over the phone. >> tax time almost upon us.

thank you very much, olivia sterns. still ahead here, the $100 million lawsuit over a sex tape that's putting hulk hogan against the website gawker.

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i'm rachel rollar... here a live look at beech mountain... where you can see snow... its a beautiful morning in the piedmont... no snow here in charlotte... but still clear and cool meteorologist jim lytle has your first warn forecast. mix of sun and clouds today with some showers overnight. then a return to sunshine and seasonable temps for sunday. springtime, big time, next week! we now know the name of a teenager killed

it happened around 12-30 on keeil street. police say 18 year old jarrius harding died, after being shot while he was in a car. two other people were in the same car. the driver was hurt, but not seriously. the third person was not hurt at all. a second person has died after a shooting in a mcdonald's parking lot in hickory. 28 year old cody watts was in the hospital since the shooting on wednesday. he died friday. the other victim, 22 year old richelle lail died at the scene. police tell us the shooting stemmed from what they're calling a domestic dispute. 22 year old erin yount of granite falls is charged in the case. right now, those charges are first degree murder and attempted murder. protestors marched through uptown friday, calling on cmpd to change their policies when it comes to use of force. this all happened because of an arrest that was caught on camera earlier this week. in the video, you can see an officer repeatedly punching a man in the back while trying to put handcuffs on him. cmpd is investigating whether the

suspect used excessive force, or violated any of the department's policies. the today show is next then we're back with more news and weather in 30 minutes. republican frontrunner donald trump will head back to north carolina next week. he's making two campaign stops. 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,

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we are back on a saturday morning. it is march 5th, 2016. out here with a lovely crowd. it is chillier than i thought. >> it is brisk. >> it is cold! >> the wind picked up. >> it is brisk. >> i am thinking about 70 on tuesday. >> do you know what i'm doing in chicago, speaking of brisk? the polar plunge. >> that's crazy! >> 28-degree windchills. imagine this being in -- no, water. >> it's for a good cause, though. >> dis. special olympics. and al roker's doing it, so how can i say no to that? >> it is for a good cause, and there is hot chocolate in your future. >> i hope so. still to come on "today," is erica up for the job? we'll see what happened when she interned for the day at j. crew. clearly, it did not go well because you came back. >> well, that's one way to look at it, craig. >> she came back dressed to the

then, whether it's a weekend trip or a week away with the family, we have great spring break options that won't drain your bank account. and later, be the star at your next party with this beautiful cake that is surprisingly easy to make. >> and we're all ready for it because it's also, in our world, it's also called breakfast. we begin this half hour, though, with a major trial now under way that tests just how far the press can go into a celebrity's bedroom. msnbc chief legal correspondent ari melber is back this hour with more on that this morning. good morning. >> good morning. hulk hogan is suing gawker, pitting privacy against freedom of the press. it's a battle worthy of pro wrestling. in this corner, wrestler and reality tv star hulk hogan. in that corner, the blog gawker, the king of the snarky headline. hogan says "i am going to slam another giant! hogan versus gawker." the wrestler is suing the website for publishing a video

klemm, who was married to his former best friend, radio shock jock bubba the love sponge. gawker says they had the right to run the story. >> this story is obviously not pen to papers. most stories on msnbc, most stories on gawker don't meet that standard. but this was a good story about a major public figure. >> reporter: hogan wants $100 million for emotional distress, privacy violations and publishing private facts. he talked about how the video impacted him in 2012. >> this is the worst thing that's ever happened to me. it's really turned my world upside down. >> hulk hogan's privacy rights were invaded. it's wrong for a media company to take footage that was secretly filmed in a private bedroom, showing a person without their clothes on and engaged in adult activity and to let the world watch that. >> this is a controversial -- >> reporter: gawker founder nick denton argues the case is really about whether celebrities can

reporters. >> this is where celebrities' desire to control their image to manage their business, the business of their image, comes into conflict with our business, which is to put out the real story. >> reporter: denton argues hogan made his sex life part of his public persona. gawker says that's fair game for the press to cover. >> the first amendment is very clear on this matter. we have rights not just as members of the press and members of the free press, but we're also people expressing ourselves on a story that's in the news. disagrees. >> gawker would like the world to think that the first amendment destroys all other rights, but that's not how it works. >> reporter: and for critics who say gawker's blog isn't news, denton says it all depends on your definition. >> i believe that gossip is the first draft of news, is the first draft of journalism. monday. a jury will decide if gawker crossed that line from free

whether the first amendment does protect these kind of reports about public figures. and also, hogan's troubles have continued since he filed this suit. the "national enquirer" reported a secret transcript from the case showing him making racially incendiary remarks and that wwe fired him after that. hogan apologized, saying there was no excuse for using that offensive language. guys? >> ari melber. ari, thank you. >> all right, dylan has a final check of the forecast. >> it just got coallder in the last 30 seconds. >> it did. >> substantially cold. >> the wind has picked up here, and let's take a look at the warm-up we're going to see, though, especially into the next several days. this area of high pressure will pump in some southwest winds. look at wednesday in new york city, 71 degrees. raleigh should hit 76 by wednesday. back through nashville, 67 on monday, then mid-70s tuesday and wednesday, even up into ohio we're looking at temperatures in the mid-60s. today, though, in ohio, we are seeing some lake-effect snow showers. big storm makes its way into the west coast. then tomorrow we'll get a break

coast bn@lll@nnnn >> and that's your latest forecast. >> all right, dylan, thank you. let's head over to sheinelle now in the orange room with today's "plaza fans of the day." >> we have kit and cindy from maryland. good morning to you guys! >> good morning. >> and happy birthday to you. >> thank you so much. >> i love the fact that you took out the time to put 60 candles, actually put 60 on there. you don't have to count them. so, you just decided to come by for your birthday?

it's on my bucket list. >> it's on your bucket list, and now you're inside. >> i'm so excited! >> in the warmth. happy birthday. >> thank you! still to come on "today," we'll see if erica's up juror the job when she interns at j. crew, but first -- 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. (avo) my name is pamela and i've been making dog chow for 36 years now. my dog girlfriend is 17 years old. she's been eating dog chow from her very first day and she can still chase squirrels. she can't catch them, but she can still chase them.

dog chow because i see the high quality ingredients that go into it. i'm very proud to make dog chow right here in edmond, oklahoma. 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. if you have any of these, 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.

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. this morning it's the final day in our series "up for the job today." and this time, it's erica's turn to intern. >> yep. that's right. i was very excited about it. so, i interned at j. crew, and it was pretty much everything i had hoped for. i showed up eager and ready to learn with absolutely no experience whatsoever, and they put me right to work. j. crew is known for its bright

layers of bling. a modern look made famous by the company's president and creative director, jenna lyons, who on this day is also my boss. >> do you sketch? >> in my own way. >> do you have any design experience at all? >> no. >> yeah, you probably wouldn't -- >> wouldn't make it, okay. well, now that we got that out of the way. >> this is your lucky day. >> it's my lucky day, and i feel like i've got some potential. helping me find that potential, the head of women's design, somsack. even interns have a spot. it's official. now i'm really an intern at j. crew. >> this is amy. i want to introduce you to amy. >> hi, erica. >> nice to meet you. >> she's in charge. >> i have lots of tiny sequins to fold. so, what i'll usually do is put my tweezers right in the middle to hold the line and then i'll push the sequin up around it.

>> yes. we need a couple more supplies, so i'm going to send you to the garment district. >> and flowers. last one. back at the office, there were two more seasons to tackle. >> for spring '17, these are some of the images that we pulled together that we were inspired by. this vintage bag and just like the hot oranges with the olives. then we sort of make a smaller color palette. >> colors, but no names. that's my job. for inspiration, i explored j. crew's color library, home to more than 6,300 swatches, organized by season. >> okay, so, how did you do? >> so, neon creamsicle for this one. >> i love that one. >> neon creamsicle, okay. >> what about rich clay? >> ooh. >> i like that one. >> that's nice. >> gorgeous gouveia. >> i love gorgeous gouveia. >> vibrant kelly. >> that's a good one, too. you're actually -- >> not terrible?

>> back at somsack's office it was time for holiday 2016. >> so, we always do these sweaters. we need you to help us do a layout. >> okay. with some quick cutting and pasting, the mock-up was ready. >> so, now that you know we have a sweater, usually we'll do a matching hat or a matching scarf to go with it. i like that you're thinking out of the box. >> but would jenna agree? >> how did it go? oh! wait, did you draw that? >> i did. >> okay, you would have gotten the internship on your own. >> i did? >> yes. if you want to come back, let us know. we're taking interns for the summer. >> be careful what you offer, because we've got this all on tape. and with that, jenna snapped this selfie, proof my dream really did come true. >> it was awesome. >> it looked like it was! >> in all honesty, everybody was so warm and welcoming and so gracious with their time. i had a million questions. it's just the most creative

really encouraged to contribute. jenna's office is really open and people stop by, and you know, they have different ideas for things. >> i feel like for design it has to be open so that people's ideas are welcome. >> yeah, and they have these giant boards all over and i found myself, like stop touching things! and i kept apologizing, like somsack, i'm sorry! and he's like, no, that's what we do. we touch to see texture and how things work together. then i found myself being very bold, like that bracelet works -- >> and that's when they sent you back to "today." >> that's when they said you have a job as a journalist. but it was very fun. and if there is gouveia or poppy in the spring style guide, well, well -- >> it's erica hill. >> you could have a job at crayola coming up with me. >> i would. and you have an in there. didn't you do a crayola story a couple years ago? maybe we talked about it. >> i don't remember. >> i think you did. i think you did. >> up next -- >> thank you.

and somsack and katie and amy and everybody at j. crew. spring break trips that won't break the bank. first, this is "today" on nbc.

celebrate vacation all i ever wanted this morning in "today's travel," spring break is almost here, but it's not too late at all to book a great deal all over the country. sara spagnuolo is editor at large at foursquare, the app for discovering new places. you're here this morning with great tips and vacation deals to kick off your spring break. already that time, huh? >> it's that time. spring is shoulder season at so many destinations. it's a great time to travel because you can find amazing deals, particularly in places better known as summer and wintertime destinations. >> let's start with some tips. >> that's the first one. to visit offseason locations, shoulder season, again, spring is a great time to travel. the second is to search for

neighborhoods that are on the rise. you'll often be able to find truly local, authentic stops. use a tool like trip tips, which is a foursquare tool where you can get recommendations from friends. it will save on a map and then change based on your location. and last, consider shorter trips. 36 hours is sometimes short enough that if you pick a city close by, pick a great lunch, dinner or breakfast and you'll have a quick spring break. >> you found some awesome trips for under 200 bucks, too, correct? >> yes, i did. >> where are we first? >> so, the first is miami, of course. >> i love miami. >> springtime is perfect in miami. it always heats up. the roommate waldorf towers has a great deal, $189 a night. you'll be very close to ocean drive. if you're looking for a great attraction nearby, the perez art museum is a great choice. a great quoursquare tip is kids are always free, adults free on the second saturdays of the month. if you're looking for the most distinctive taste in miami,

>> got engaged in miami. all right, mexico. >> this is not the mexico. your college spring break. guadalajara, mexico, in western mexico mexico, is a destination on the rise. casa fayatte is a beautiful hotel, $195 a night. the incredible rooftop terrace, 37 impeccable rooms. you'll be right in the la fayatte neighborhood. this is a state of mexico known for mariachi, for tequila, so amazing cultural attractionsns there as well as a rising food scene and a film festival that takes place in early march. >> what about a weekend for the whole family, a weekend a family can enjoy? >> especially if you're interested in the outdoors, chattanooga, tennessee, in eastern tennessee. you can stay at the chattanoogan. rates are $119 a night. you can do rock climbing. there is a bergeoning tech scene, so lots of stylish, young people. delicious foods like grits, banana pudding and fried green tomatoes. you can do hiking and rock

look at the incredible scenery. and this springtime they have fun activities for the kids, like cooking classes and easy rock climbing. >> what if you want more cold weather? what if you're not over the cold just yet? >> people love to ski, and telluride, colorado, is an undiscovered ski town, easily accessible from 11 destinations in the united states. you can stay at the mountainside inn, where rates are $98 per person per night if you stay for three nights, and that includes your lift ticket on a mountain where a quarter of the slopes are kid-friendly. this is a great choice, particularly for the entire family. and after you ski, there are more than 50 restaurants to choose from, including the thai restaurant that has a four-star rating on foursquare. >> thank you very much. coming up, an easy and delicious cake that will wow all

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he says it's personal this time... if you're a mom, you call at the worst time. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. where are you? it's very loud there. are you taking a zumba class? announcement: this storm promises to be the biggest of the decade. with total accumulation of up to three feet. roads will be shut down indefinitely. and schools are closed. campbell's soups go great with a cold and a nice red. made for real, real life. hi i'm kristie. and i'm jess. and we are the bug chicks. we're a nano-business. windows 10 really helps us get the word out about how awesome bugs are. kids learn to be brave and curious and all kids speak the language of bug. "hey cortana, find my katydid video." oh! this is so good. if you're trying to teach a kid about a proboscis. just sketch it on the screen. i don't have a touch screen on my mac, i'm jealous of that. you put a big bug in a kids hands and change their world view.

this morning in "today food," we are wrapping up our week of baking basics with an unbelievable cake that i can't wait to try, and it's a lot easier to think than you may think. shauna sever is the author of "real sweet," and we're going to bake while everybody enjoys the cake. they're already digging in down there at the end, happily. >> during commercial. >> just make sure you save some.

we're making here. shauna, good morning. >> good morning. >> first, let's go through the ingredients, because you're actually combining two recipes here. >> yes. this is a black-and-white pancake cake, okay? this is really a workhorse recipe. it's a one-bowl chocolate cake that's really versatile, and today we're doing something special with it. what we're doing that's interesting is using pure maple surp for syrup for the sweetener. >> great. >> the rest is stuff we have around the house, cocoa, sweetener. dump in these ingredients. baking soda, baking powder, a little salt. >> there we go. >> this is a dump-and-stir operation. now the wets. this is maple syrup. >> so, instead of refined white sugar, okay. >> we're using syrup in everything today. >> love this. >> into greek yogurt, two large eggs. vanilla extract makes everything better. >> oil. >> a little light, colorless oil, like canola is really nice. >> okay. >> then half a cup of water in there as well. okay, so, all we're going to do

wet into the dry, whisk until smooth and nice and thick, and then you get this stuff here. you don't even need a mixer for this. all by hand. >> fantastic. now, you're using an ice cream scoop. >> yes, that's a great trick for consistency. if you're doing cupcakes, muffins. in this case, we're taking our batter and baking it like pancakes. >> so, you've got it on a griddle. what are you putting in terms of oil on there? >> nonstick spray. >> so, just the spray. >> yes. be generous with your nonstick spray and smooth this into about a seven-inch circle. four minutes on one side, two on the other. you want to be the flipper? >> i want to be the flipper. >> go for it. >> and you say always use the fish spatula. >> the fish spatula is -- >> easy to say. >> yes. just loosen the edges and go for the flip there. it's a great tool for baking for really delicate things like this, okay? >> i don't think it's ready. i'm waiting for the bubbles, right? >> you've got to let it happen. all right, so, then you're going to do your pancakes -- >> is that on? >> yes, it is. give it a flip, girl. yeah! >> i have earned my cake.

okay, so, now we're going to assemble. we have our first filling here, which is mascarpone cheese. a little maple syrup, a little vanilla extract. >> i don't taste the maple syrup at all, for all that's in there. >> now, this is interesting, the darker you use, the more you're going to taste it. but that's the thing, you can use these sweeteners just like you would use white sugar, and sometimes they're more flavorful than others. >> why is it? is it better for your body, as opposed to using the refined white sugar to use a maple syrup or maybe agave nectar to sweeten things? >> yes. i think we're all moving towards a less processed way of eating. and i have two little kids at home, as i know you do, too, and it's nice to have an alternative sometimes, you know what i mean? >> yes. >> it's not about health food or health food desserts as much as it is about using great alternative sweeteners. they're everywhere. use your fillings and stack it up and then you have this lovely thing. i love the way it looks. doesn't it? >> it looks beautiful, but i would imagine that it tastes even better.

you can't beat this. >> yeah, see? >> it's great -- >> because technically, it's a pancake, right? so -- >> it's breakfast. >> it tastes delicious! >> you can use the batter -- >> it is so good. >> use the same batter for sheet cakes, cupcakes. in this case, it's a little different but still easy. >> here's to breakfast. shauna sever, great to have you with us this morning. >> thank you. >> for this -- mm, i'm tongue-tied, it's so good! for this recipe and more, logon to today.com/food. that's it for us on a saturday morning.

remarkable story of acharlotte police are investigating a charlotte. it happened off of archdale drive... police say it involves a tow truck driver... and a vehicle that was being repossed. we have a crew will bring you updates on our now lets get a forecast with meteorologist jim lytle. mix of sun and clouds today showers overnight. then

seasonable temps for sunday. springtime, big time, next week! salisbury police are investigating a shooting that sent two people to the hospital. it happened around 1:45 this morning during a party on old wilkesboro road. police say there was some sort of fight at the event... and officers found two people with gunshot wounds behind the building. they were taken to the hospital and are in critical condition. police have not yet made any arrests. we'll keep you updated as more information comes into our newsroom. good morning the time is 856. republican frontrunner donald trump will head back to north carolina next week. he's making two campaign stops. the first in concord on monday.

and events center. am. then, trump heads to fayetteville on thursday, just before the state's presidential primary on march 15th. keep it right here our next newscast starts in just minutes. at 9am. now at 9 -- a community mourns, after a string of shootings, one that ended in a teenager's boy: this is the story of a boy who didn't talk for a long time. the boy liked things to always be the same. any changes would scare and upset him. the unknown was an unfriendly place. the boy was very sensitive to lights and sounds. so he built secret hiding places where they couldn't get in. the boy didn't like looking people in the eye.

it just made him feel uncomfortable. sometimes he would flap his arms again and again. second boy: one day, i found out i had something called autism. my family got me help. slowly i found my voice and learned all the ways i could live with it better. announcer: early intervention can make a lifetime of difference.

of shootings, one that ended in a teenager's death. now at 9:00 a community mourns after a string of shootings one that ended in a teenagers death. the next round of voters head to the booths. where the state of the presidential race stands. breaking news out of south charlotte. we want to send it out right now, police are investigating a shooting off archdale drive. diana can you tell us what police are saying? >>reporter: with the information we are getting is there was a shooting here at park south station which is a new community right off of archdale drive and they said it centered around a tow truck driver who showed up to move our repossess a car.