it has been eight years. we' re looking forward. michelle: you can find updates anytime at the mobile app. jason: and breaking traffic news on the cw18 starting right now. [captionin good morning. breaking overnight, a commuter train derailed near san francisco, plunging one car into a creek. passengers attempt to rescue fellow riders. >> we were trying to dig her out while the train was hanging. >> at least nine people injured. image problem. donald trump facing mounting ing ing criticism for doing this at rallies. >> raise your hand right, everybody. do you swear that you're going to vote for donald trump tomorrow? raise that hand.

we'll talk to donald trump live as voters go to the polls in four more states today. jury awards erin andrews $55 million in the trial involving a secretly recorded video of her and her hotel room. will a higher court find that excessive and will she see a much smaller amount? just dropping in. a plane makes an unusual landing at an office park on long island, and a lucky father and daughter have a parachute to thank for saving their lives today, tuesday, march 8th, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning, everybody. welcome to "today" on a tuesday morning. i look at that landing, i guess you'd call it. >> run it again. >> did you know a plane could come with a parachute? >> if you have the option of

parachute, you take that option. >> absolutely. we'll have more on that in a bit. we want to get to the breaking news out of california overnight. a commuter train derailed. the lead car filled with passengers ending up on its side in a creek. let's go to steve patterson with the story. what can you tell us? >> good morning. passengers say the rain was coming down hard right before the trail derailed. 214 people boarded. thankfully, only nine were injured and just four seriously. everyone is expected to live, but it was a harrowing ride. >> reporter: the commuter train sits partially submerged in the muddy waters of a creek. >> do you know if this is a train. >> a passenger train. >> reporter: authorities say the ace train was traveling from san jose to stockton when the first of five cars hit a tree, plunging it into the water. >> i was in the first car that went into the river.

>> it feels unreal. shifted the gravity and we were all panicking. >> reporter: with one woman lying in the mud just under another derailed car hanging off the tracks. >> it was under the mudslide, so we were trying to dig her out while the train was hanging. >> crews had to fight the creek's fast-moving currents and smash windows to pull riders from the partially submerged rail car. >> this is an area that is difficult to get to, to get across the creeks, to get area. >> reporter: passengers who weren't hurt huddled for hours in the dark, in cold, waiting for busses to get them home. >> we knew we were in a remote area, so we knew we had some hiking to do. along the train track. i am grateful it wasn't worse. >> this morning, the train car is still partially submerged in the water and no service today, as crews work to make sure the track is safe. >> steve, thanks very much.

race. four states all up for grabs today, including the battlegrounds of michigan and mississippi, on both the republican and democratic sides. donald trump finds himself facing yet another controversy. we'll talk to him live in a moment. first, nbc national correspondent peter alexander is in detroit for us. >> michigan, mississippi, idaho and hawaii get their turn today. michigan. it's the start of an eight-day stretch that could decide the next republican party nominee. >> reporter: marching into mississippi, donald trump again calling on his supporters to pledge their allegiance to trump. >> raise your right hand, everybody. do you swear that you're going to vote for donald trump tomorrow? raise that hand. >> reporter: a request he's made twice before. >> should we do the pledge? should we do the pledge? >> reporter: one prominent jewish leader comparing the

audience to a nazi salute. the a holocaust survivor blasting it as offensive, obnoxious and disgusting. meanwhile, former new york mayor blook bloomberg is saying no to a 2016 run, saying he couldn't win. i believe i could write a number of diverse states, he writes, but not enough to win the electoral college votes necessary to win the presidency. adding, there is a good chance my candidacy could lead to the election of donald trump or ted cruz. that is not a risk i can take in good conscious. still, his deliberations were so serious, the "new york times" reports this ad was already in production. >> no non-idealogical, finally, a new choice. mike bloomberg, president. >> reporter: trump and his opponents trying to get the

>> marco rubio or john kasich is a vote for donald trump. >> vote for kasich or cruz in florida is a vote for donald trump. i'm the only one that has any chance of beating trump in florida. >> reporter: also new, this recorded phone message from mitt romney on behalf of rubio. >> if we were to choose donald trump as our nominee, i believe the prospects for a safe and prosperous future would be diminished. >> reporter: rubio is narrowing the gap with trump in his home state of florida according to a poll. here in michigan, john kasich is gaining ground over the weekend after last thursday's demolition derby debate. >> i'm going to be the republican nominee, not donald trump. >> mitt romney's aides say he'd be glad to help rubio, cruz or kasich to beat trump. donald trump is still dominating, up 19 points over

john kasich in fourth right now. up from 50% in december, now 75% of republicans and republican-leaning voters, tell us they believe that trump will be the republican nominee. >> all right. peter alexander, thank you. >> donald trump joins us on the phone right now. mr. trump, good morning to you. >> good morning. i love that number. >> i had a feeling. >> i will not disappoint them. believe me. >> i had a feeling you'd like that introduction. negativity is something people hate in a political campaign, but it works. when we look at polling in michigan and in florida that does seem to be tightening, do you think it's a direct result of that scathing takedown by mitt romney and speeches by mitch mcconnell and paul ryan and the attacks you're facing from cruz, rubio and superpacs out there? >> i'm the one that can beat hillary clinton and i'll bring jobs back to the country. mitt romney is a failed candidate. he ran one of the worst

history of our country and now he wants to be relevant again. it's disgraceful. >> because of the short time you faced the full wrath of all these entities, do you worry that it will stop your momentum at the most crucial time of this campaign? >> i don't know, matt. i mean, i saw some polls yesterday in michigan where i'm 19 and 20 points up. i saw some very, very good polls. i'm still leading in florida against a failed senator. you know, rubio is a failed senator. he doesn't vote. he's got the worst voting record, one of the worst in the history of the united states senate. he does a terrible job and has problems, to put it mildly. and he can't win anywhere. i agree with ted cruz on that. he says this guy just doesn't win anywhere. at what point do you go with somebody else? but he's doing poorly in florida and if he ran for office in florida right now, he couldn't get elected dogcatcher. he's done such a poor job. >> i'd like to ask you about something you've been doing

is having your supporters raise their right hand and say, i pledge to vote for donald trump. as you know, a still image of that at your rallies have gone around the internet and people have been disturbed by the image. in fact, a holocaust survivor says it reminds him of the nazi salute. i wonder how you feel about that comparison and whether it would make you want to perhaps not do it anymore, if people feel that way. >> i think it's ridiculous. we're having such a great time. yesterday, i had 20,000 people in mississippi. i had tremendous crowds in michigan. sometimes, we'll do it for fun. they'll scream at me, do the swear in. do the swear in. they're having such a great time. massive crowds. i get by far the biggest crowds and we're having a good time. until this phone call, i didn't know it was a problem. we were all -- you know. >> in light of that, does it make you -- >> almost everybody in the room raises their hand. we're having a good time.

>> i think it's in combination, mr. trump, with the rhetoric you've used on the campaign trail over the last several months, targeting groups like muslims and mexicans, that that evokes images of nazi germany and the scapegoating of jews there back in the 1930s and '40s. >> well, i think that's a big, big stretch. i mean, honestly, matt, we've been having such an amazing -- we've been having rallies that are massive. yesterday in mississippi, two days ago in orlando, we had 25,000 people fill up the stadium. it was incredible. we're having these incredible rallies. considering the subject matter is not so good, because our country is in trouble, big trouble, we are having a great time. part of this is that. you know, this would be brought up this morning, i'm surprised to hear it. >> does it bother you? >> if it's offensive, i wouldn't do anything wrong with it. but they're screaming at me to do it, we want to do it.

i never thought it was offensive. >> so because you now know that it is offensive to some people, will you say, okay, let's not do this in the future? >> certainly, i'll look into it. i'd like to find out if that's true. i don't want to offend anybody, but i can tell you that it's been amazingly received. well received. i will look into that, matt. >> i think that's a fair answer. mr. trump, thank you for your time this morning. >> okay. thank you very much. >> thank you. let's bring in chuck todd, nbc's political director, moderator of "meet the press." tell us what we're expecting today. first, let's set the scene with the delegates. >> here's the count now, and it's gotten narrow. the weekend victories by ted cruz, he narrowed the gap. puerto rico on sunday gave rubio a good chunk of delegates. michigan today and also mississippi. what's interesting about both of them, donald trump should win both by double digits. michigan presidential primary in the past, his anti-trade

the reagan democrats working. mississippi, alabama and tennessee he won, bordering states. if these are single digit contests, cruz up, maybe kasich, maybe it's a sign what we saw over the weekend that it wasn't a speed bump and anti-trump forces are coalescing. >> these states set the table for a week from today. >> they do. this is what happens if trump wins florida and ohio a week from today. he builds a huge delegate lead, 300 delegates, not enough time for cruz to catch him and he can probably get this thing. if, of course, trump doesn't win, only wins florida or, in this case, as you can see, it's a 200 delegate gap if he wins florida and loses ohio. but if he loses them both. this is why, by the way, all this talk about rubio dropping out, it's insane because of the early vote. if rubio dropped out today, it hands it to donald trump because there's all this vote that's

no way ted cruz could win it. >> bottom line, if trump wants to get the magic 1,237 delegates before the convention, he has to win florida and ohio? >> both. if he wins both, he needs 50% of all remaining delegates. that's easy because rubio and kasich get out. if he loses, 67%. not going to happen. >> thank you very much. >> thank you, chuck. let's turn to other news. funeral plans have been announced for former first lady nancy reagan. she'll be laid to rest on friday at her husband's presidential library, where preparations are underway. natalie is there once again this morning. good morning. >> good morning to you, matt. while friday's funeral will be invite only, members of the public who want to pay their respects to nancy reagan will have that opportunity tomorrow and thursday, as she will lie here in repose. >> reporter: first lady michelle obama will be one of around 1,000 vip guests in attendance. staff members at the reagan

personally approved all the details. >> the events that are going to unfold in the course of the next three or four days were all approved by mrs. reagan, including who was invited to where she would be laid to rest. >> reporter: long-time employees and friends say while they mourn mrs. reagan's passing, they're comforted by the thought of her being reunited with her ronnie. >> they had such great respect for one another and were fun with each other, laughed and giggled and held hands. they each had a look that they gave one another. >> break a leg. >> no, good luck. >> reporter: flags at many government buildings around the nation remain at half-staff this morning. president obama praised nancy reagan's personal charm and significance to the nation. >> i had the opportunity to meet ms. reagan once. obviously, she was already advanced in age, but could not have been more gracious and more

when we first came into office. >> the white house has not yet said whether president obama will be here in attendance joining the first lady at friday's funeral. in terms of security, this is a government facility so it is already staffed 24/7 with guards. but the reagan library is also working with local law enforcement, along with, of course, the secret service. >> natalie, thank you very much. new report is prompting concern about pedestrian safety after a big strike in deaths last year. pedestrian deaths surged by an estimated 10% in 2015. this is according to a report by the governors highway safety association. researchers say several factors may be to blame, including more drivers on the roadways and the use of cell phones while driving. warmer weather and short erwinter erwin ter -- winters may encourage people to walk more. a plane with an unusual landing. surveillance cameras captured

fell from the sky over the weekend on long island here in new york. a father and daughter were on board the plane was the engine lost power. they deployed the plane's parachute and managed to land it safety next to an industrial building. the pair walked away with only scratches. >> wow. emotional good-bye for peyton manning on lyly announced his retirement from the nfl. he fought back tears in a room full of family, friends and teammates. he said after 18 years, it's the right time to call it a career. >> when i look back at my nfl career, i'll know without a doubt i gave everything i had to help my teams walk away with a win. there were other players who were more talented, but there was no one who could outprepare me. because of that, i have no regrets. >> manning won the league mvp five times. all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns.

quarterback in nfl history. matt, i'll hand you a history. >> buckets. i watched yesterday. i was crying. all those moments get me. they do. >> i know. >> ripken running around the stadium at the end of his -- wow, it's just unbelievable. and congratulations to him. >> so well deserved. we've got a lot of severe weather to talk about. some amazing video. this fort collins, the hail coming down. there is a near miss between a couple of tractor trailers coming up. watch this. loses control and boom, that could have been a real mess. the good news is, the hail is done there. then we move to texas. here's where we'll be seeing the activity today. heavy lightning. tornadic activity developing. a lot of hail, wind and rain and more going on this morning. hitch wichita falls, st. anglo, we have thunderstorm watches this afternoon. we have an enhanced risk of

houston, corpus christi, san antonio. even if we don't get the tornadoes, we may see a straight line of thunderstorms developing. look at this. by 11:00 tonight, little rock to corpus christi could be very, very dangerous. heavy rain, damaging winds and hail, which continues on into tomorrow. look at the rainfall amounts. we're talking upwards of 7 to 10 inches of rain. rain could be falling at the rates of 3 inches or more per hour. three-day totals of 15 inches possible. of course, that will cause massive flooding. we're going to be watching this very, very closely. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next

amy: good morning and happy tuesday, i' m amy sweezey. it will be even warmer across central florida compared to yesterday. we are headed to 80 and a lot of our inland spots. >> that's your latest weather. matt? >> al, thank you so much. coming up, erin andrews awarded $55 million in that lawsuit over a secretly recorded hotel video. how much of the money will she

fallout over maria sharapova's drug use and who is cutting ties with the tennis star overnight.

coming up, does pushing the close button in the elevator actually work? (burke) at farmers, we've seen almost everything, so we know how to cover almost anything. even a stag pool party. (party music) (splashing/destruction) (splashing/destruction) (burke) and we covered it, october twenty-seventh, 2014. talk to farmers. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum we wonerere. and here. and here. here. and here. uh, here. also in here. back there. behind here. even next to these guys, here. in the nation's largest,

rootmetrics just named verizon number one network for the fifth time in a row, here. so when the other guys claim they're the best, remember: there's only one, number one. and now we'll pay up to $650 to switch to the best network. this one right here. i'm like a boxer in a ring. a small boxer. you don't expect much... and then, wham! i hit 'em with huge creamy goodness! alright round two! bring it, girlfriend! rich, creamy, 100% natural cheese. mini babybel. snack a little bigger. erin: dear freshpet, when i first got max, my main goal was to feed him a quality diet. i decided to give freshpet a try. dexter: there's real chunks of vegetables and chicken in it. raul: and, if the food is in the fridge, you know it has to be fresh. patrick: he's a happy guy

eat up, buddy. you'll get it this time. yeah ok not too quick don't let go until i say so. i got you... start strong with the lasting energy of 100% you're doing it! whole grain quaker oats. and off you go. my dad gave me those shares, you know. he ran that company. i get it. but you know i think you own too much. gotta manage your risk. an honest opinion is how edward jones makes

get 30% off every guest every ship in the caribbean but hurry, this offer won't last long come seek the royal caribbean book today at 1-800-royalcaribbean. ( ) the roles you play in life are part of what make you, you. and you' re not going to let anything keep you sidelined. that' s why you drink ensure with nutritious calories, 9 grams of protein and 26 vitamins and minerals. come on, grandma! giving you the strength and energy to get back to doing what you love. from the #1 doctor recommended brand. ensure. always stay you. plants may have their limits. imagination... doesn't. with the right nourishment,

one day... have you seen your garden? it'll blossom. find low prices on the things that make easter fun and delicious.

>> local, live, late-breaking, this is a wesh 2 news update. jazmin: good tuesday morning everyone, i am jazmin walker. brett: i am brett connolly. it is 7:26 a.m. drive, just south of aloma avenue in winter park. it is not clear how it started. jazmin: a local home with a local home with heavy damage after hit by an out-of-control driver last night around 1:00. two people inside the house at the time. the car was stolen. ted: a miss getting off the turnpike onto obt and the 528. and getting onto the turnpike from the 528. an accident involving two semis, one of them a lumbar transport. it is all over the rep.

your backup plan, get off at i-4, and use that instead. amy: we have clouds streaming in all morning, some bigger than others. inland spots, they are more thin, further from the east breeze, keeping things cooler. only 40 degrees in ocala. 57 in the villages and leesburg. the clouds are in there. 64 in orlando. 70 right now in cocoa beach and melbourne. all over the place this morning. will climb into the mid-to-upper 70' s, 80 in a few inland spots. breezy winds taking up later today. a mix of sun and clouds. temperatures will keep climbing this week area and we are headed into the mid 80' s by thursday

we are in apparently, people think i'm too perky. so now i'm not being perky, telling you that drivers that switch to progressive save an average of $548! whoo!

7:30 now on a tuesday morning. it's the 8th day of march, 2016. t-minus six days and counting to a huge concert out on our plaza. you saw coldplay at the super bowl. next-month-old monday, they'll do their thing on our concert stage. can't wait. a commuter train struck a tree that fell on the track. two cars derailed and one ended up in a creek. >> feels unreal, honestly, because i -- everything was normal.

anything on the train so i was aware of everything. it just shifted the gravity all of a sudden, and we were all panicking. >> at least nine passengers were injured, four seriously. another pivotal day in the republican race. michigan, hillary clinton and donald trump are leading in the polls. >> donald trump is facing criticism for asking supporters to raise their hands in rallies and pledge their allegiance to him. we talked to mr. trump about that earlier this morning. >> if it's offensive or if anything is wrong with it, i wouldn't do it. when i say raise their hands, everything is raising their hands. they scream to me, we want to don't. we're having a lot of fun. >> he promised he'd look into it and if people are to offended he'll consider not doing it in the future. sports reporter erin andrews is speaking out after being awarded $55 million in her

stalker and the hotel where he secretly recorded video of her. morgan radford has been covering this case from the start. good morning. >> good morning, matt. the defense says they're still unclear whether or not they're going to appeal. meanwhile, andrews is thanking her supporters, especially those who she says are also victims. >> reporter: erin andrews cried quietly as she listened to the verdict. >> 55 million, correct? >> yes. >> reporter: one injury your said off camera she thought the $75 million was too high, but all the jurors thought she deserved something. the defense team said they were surprised and disappointed. in their opinion, andrews didn't meet the legal requirements for serious mental injury. >> her career skyrocketed. her income went up. all the bench marks that would indicate whether someone had a serious mental injury, from our perspective, did not exist.

speaking out after the ruling. >> andrews showed phenomenal courage in standing up to the security and privacy. she is a true american hero, and her for it. >> reporter: later, she tweeted she was grateful that she could hold accountable those whose job it is to protect everyone's safety, security and privacy. in a statement to the national tennesseean, the owners of the hotel said, we are committed to providing a safe and hospital environment for all our guests and employees. on the stand, andrews got emotional a number of times as she retold her story. >> i was just screaming that i was naked all over the internet and i didn't know what it was. >> reporter: a juror said andrews' emotional testimony was key in deciding the case. the jury unanimously decided that michael barrett, who took

prison, must pay over 51% and the hotel must pay 49% or $26.75 million. andrews cried and appeared to sign an autograph for one juror. >> do you think celebrity played a role in this? >> i hope not. i hope the jury listened to the proof and wouldn't treat a celebrity differently. >> it's unlikely andrews will see the full amount of money, especially since it was made clear during the trial that barrett doesn't have much to tribute. for the hotel, if they do choose to go forward with the appeals process, andrews won't see any money until the appeals process is over. matt? >> morgan, thank you very much. major sponsors are cutting ties with tennis superstar maria sharapova after she released she failed a drug test at the australian open this year. willie has this story. >> during monday's news conference, the 28-year-old took full responsibility for the failed test, saying she didn't

taking for years recently had been added to the banned substance list. >> i made a huge mistake. >> reporter: tennis star maria sharapova stunning the sports world. >> i just failed a test, and i take full responsibility for it. >> reporter: testing positive for meldonium, a drug used to treat heart trouble. sharapova admitting she's been taking it for ten years. >> i was getting sick very often. i had a deficiency in magnesium. >> reporter: this year on january 1st, the world anti-doping agency added the drug to the banned substance list, citing evidence it's used by athletes intending to enhance performance. sharapova said she didn't see the updated lists, taking the blame for not viewing an e-mail link for not looking at the changes. >> i can't blame anyone but myself. >> reporter: she's earned $23

>> it must be really lightweight and stable. >> reporter: overnight, a spokesman for nike telling cnbc, the company is saddened and surprised by the news saying, quote, we decided to suspend our relationship with maria while the investigation continues. we'll monitor the situation. the international tennis federation said she'll be suspended pending the result of the case. many are offering support. one tweeted, hope this gets cleared up, as it seems to be an honest mistake. now, after a series of injuries and stuck in the midst of trying to look ahead. >> i don't want to end my career this way, and i really hope that i will be given another chance to play this game. >> the medication sharapova was taking is not approved by the fda. the national institutes of health say the drug can demonstrate an increase in

after exercise. meanwhile, overnight, two more sponsors have announced they are suspending their relationships with maria sharapova. she's been taking this drug for ten years. she had an irregular ekg, history of diabetes in her family and needed the drug. she didn't know it had been added to the list. >> it was recently added. >> this year. >> hard to know how it'll play out, but isn't it refreshing to hear an athlete stand up there and take full responsibility? saying, it is my mistake and no one else? mistake. i hope she doesn't suffer too badly for it. weather from al. >> announcer: today's weather is brought to you by ihop ihop. come together over breakfast. >> we might have a chance to put weather away for good. high pressure dominating, the

from the gulf. 65 in new york city. jackson, 68. the next several days, thursday, the big day, 76 in new york city. 79 in d.c. 73, since natalie cincinnati. further south, 87 in orlando on thursday. auburn, 79. look for 75 in memphis. there's cool air behind it. even with cool air, look at that, fargo, 65 on friday. 63, ohm ma maha omaha. chicago, 52 on friday. looking good. that's what's going on amy: good morning and happy tuesday, i' m amy sweezey. it will be even warmer across central florida compared to yesterday. we are headed to 80 and a lot of

>> that's your latest weather. savannah? >> al, thank you. coming up, police under fire for this wild chase. were officers wrong to pursue a suspect driving with the hood of the car blocking his view? the woman behind the candidate. a look inside melania's life before donald trump. right after ...you guys finish the reports and i'll get the promo materials. questions? i got a question, where's my omelet!! coming right up, mr. tinsley! um. who's he? until our startup gets on its feet, money is a little bit tight. so i opened an online bed and breakfast. there's supposed to be muffins! these are scones! ok, mr. tinsley. or we can just use fedex ground shipping. they're fast and can save us money. yeah. let's do that. also i'm gonna need more towels. also the toilet is busted. also those two things are related. fast, affordable

this is a body of proof. proof of less joint pain. and clearer skin. this is my body of proof that i can fight psoriatic arthritis ...with humira. humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to both joint and skin symptoms. it's proven to help relieve pain, stop further joint damage and clear skin in many adults. humira is the #1 prescribed biologic humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver and serious allergic reactions, and before treatment, 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

don't start humira if you have an infection. want more proof? ask your rheumatologist about humira. humira. this is my body of proof! mastering irresistibly smooth. the lindor truffle. by the lindt master chocolatiers. a hard outer shell with a smooth center. luscious.... flowing... welcome... to the best time of your day.

unwind... experience the melt. only the lindor truffle. from the lindt master chocolatiers. if you misplace your discover card, you can use freeze it to prevent new purchases on your account in seconds. and once you find it, you can switch it right on again. you're back! freeze it, only from discover.

back at 7:43 with the story of the woman behind the candidate. >> talking about melania trump, who is hoping to be the next first lady of the united states. it's an unlushl usual journey that began with big dreams in a small european town. here's keir simmons. >> reporter: former model, perhaps america's next first lady. donald trump's glamorous eastern

>> he would be the best president. >> reporter: grew up here in then communist yugoslavia, studying in this classroom with dean. she was a shy little girl, she says, calm and kind. she was friendly to everyone. melania had big plans. >> she dreamt about being a model all the time. >> reporter: her father was a salesman. her mom worked in fashion. this is melania, age 7, on the catwalk. photographer. i saw her beautiful eyes and the cheekbones. melania's first photoshoot in this studio. his favorite photo of her. she said what happened next. live there. career. >> reporter: she moved to new party. she liked his sparkle, marrying trump more than 20 years her

later appearing on "celebrity apprentice." >> like to add another $20,000 to the winning team. >> reporter: now a candidate's wife. >> she said from the beginning. you know if you run, you know you're going to win. she said that from day one. melania, thank you, honey. thank you. >> now on the world stage, melania has had an incredible journey. friends from back home, admiring her progress from a world away. >> in public, she's very calm, it's good. it looks like she's happy. >> keir simmons, nbc news, >> fascinating. we've seen a lot of her but her. >> fun to go back to the town where she grew up. >> first un-born american first lady -- >> probably not. >> i will be doing my homework on that in the next 30 seconds.

we'll be back. coming up on pop start, kim kardashian against midler. and the fan who made the save of a year at the baseball game, early in the season. first, these messages. one inventor is benjamin franklin. leonardo da vinci. thomas edison. alexander bell graham. hmmm... no. that's kinda a tough one. hmm... umm... in school it was always a male inventor. i just realized that. to know that there were woman before me.

that i can invent something and make maybe like a change in the world and that would be really cool. you can help prevent blindness in undernourished children all over the world. when you get your vitamins at walgreens, you help give life-changing vitamins to kids across the globe. get vitamins here. change lives everywhere. walgreens. at the corner of happy and healthy. how do they make starburst taste so juicy? they use wicked small fighter jets to shoot the juiciness into every starburst. [ pilot ] it's about to get juicy. whoo! i feel so aliii... it takes guts. [ female announcer ]

there's something to be said for exploring the world around you. for seeking out the new; for trying the untried; for doing the undone. why should snacking be any different? discover all nine flavors of our creamy cheese and tap into your curiosity. the laughing cow. reinvent snacking.

to the acidity in any foods. never thought about the coffee i was drinking having acids. it never dawned on me that it could hurt your teeth. he told me to use pronamel. it's going to help protect the enamel in your teeth. it allows me to continue to drink my coffee, r and it was a real easy tswitch to make. we asked a group of young people when they thought they should start saving for retirement. then we asked some older people when they actually did start saving. this gap between when we should start saving and when we actually do is one of the reasons why too many of us aren't

just start as early as you can. it's going to pay off in the future. if we all start saving a little more today, we'll all be better prepared tomorrow. prudential. bring your challenges. we're back at 7:50. we have a quick-thinking baseball fan in the headlines. >> the pirates took on the braves in a spring training game over the weekend. the best be play of the game was off the field. pirates outfielder danny ortiz was at the plate, lost control of the bat and flew into the fans. one heroic dad sprung into

sean cunningham was shielding his son from the bat. cunningham deflected the bat. sent it just over landon's head. only made contact with his shoulder. he's okay. few minor bruises. no problem. father and son are fine. dad wrote this, i was just protecting my son. there wasn't a lot of time to think about it. i just reacted. they were celebrating landon's upcoming birthday. it was his first professional baseball game and one he won't forget. we'll speak to them live, see how they're doing since their newfound fame. last year, at a yankee game, i used my son jackson from a shield to protect me from the foul ball. >> those bats are no joke. >> by the way, i want to point out, you see him on his device. a lot of people said, the kid might have been playing a videogame. he took a picture of danny ortiz, the batter, and was sending it to his mom. >> why does it matter what he

>> good ending. >> poor kid. >> carson, thank you. just ahead, top chef padma lakshmi opens up about the battles does the smell of a freshly bound presentation 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. office depot officemax. gear up for great. introducing the fusion of exceptional taste with the benefits of our probiotic yogurt. new activia fruit fusion, with the exclusive probiotic bifidus regularis. delicious and good for you.

to the couple wondering what a good deal looks like... no. seriously? we'll give it a 6 for composition. scary. wow, what about just putting a fair, no haggle price on the window? not zany enough? sometimes the best deals are pretty plain to see. announcement: this storm promises to be the with total accumulation roads will be shut down indefinitely. campbell's soups go great with a cold and a nice red.

plants may have their limits. imagination... doesn't. with the right nourishment, patience, care... one day... have you seen your garden? it'll blossom. find low prices on the things that make easter fun and delicious. walmart eat up, buddy. you'll get it this time. ok not too quick don't let go until i say so. start strong with the lasting energy of 100% you're doing it! whole grain quaker oats. and off you go. [burke] at farmers, we've seen so we know how to cover almost anything. even "turkey jerks."

[butcher] i'm sorry! (burke) covered march fourth,2014. talk to farmers. we've seen almost everything, so we know how to cover almost anything. we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum nothing will keep you from magnum double caramel. silky vanilla bean ice cream & rich caramel sauce all covered in thick chocolate. discover magnum, double dipped for double

>> local, live, late-breaking, this is a wesh 2 news update.

jazmin: senator marco rubio is making a last-ditch effort to save his presidential campaign in central florida. after a big rally in sanford, he told us he has no intention of leaving the race before next tuesday. you' ll be campaigning in kissimmee this morning. ted: breaking news. you cannot get onto the 528 or obt southbound -- from the turnpike southbound. there was an crash with two semis. yet use alternate routes to get onto the turnpike from obt, or obt from the turnpike. another crash on osceola on the parkway. amy: a lot of clouds rolling in, not everywhere, but the clouds of at an impact on our temperatures. they' re going up instead of dropping. ocala is at 55, after being

orlando is at 65. melbourne is at 69. cloud cover helps with the temperatures. later, more sunshine. not. , but some. wind off the ocean will keep us in the mid to upper 70' s. 80 as a high in some spots, including orlando. we keep climbing all week, mid 80'

no avo: when account lead craig wilson books at laquinta.com. avo: he gets a ready for you alert the second his room is ready. avo: so he knows exactly when he can settle in and practice avo: and when craig gets his pitch down pat, do you know what he becomes? client: great proposal! let's talk more over golf! craig: great. client: better yet, how about over tennis craig: even better. avo: a game changer! secretary: your 2 o'clock is here. client: oops, hold your horses. avo: la quinta inns & suites is ready for you, so you'll be ready for business. avo: the ready for you alert, only at laquinta.com.

it's 8:00 on "today". through. the first woman in the nation to receive a uterus transplant. >> i prayed that god would allow pregnancy. >> could the revolutionary procedure give hope to thousands of women who were told they could never have children? oh, yeah, yeah then dishing with padma. top chef padma lakshmi opens up about fame, family and food.

>> hello, lovebirds. >> we're getting ready to throw a big, fat "today" wedding. the only question, who is getting married? help us select the lucky couple today, tuesday, march 8th, 2016. good to be alive right about now good to be alive right about now >> good morning, ann arbor. we're playing at carnegie hall tonight. >> hello, north carolina! >> good morning from south carolina. >> al roker, we came to see you. >> all the way from minnesota to see matt and savannah. uh-huh, good to be alive good morning, everybody. welcome back to "today". it's tuesday, march 8th, 2016.

across the country. crowd? feels like it to me. >> can we spin around, being very afraid, there are lots of signs calling for al for president. [ applause ] >> run. >> that's what's called a sure sign of the apocalypse. >> guys, we are enjoying our last few days with our buddy wrangler before he heads off for formal guide dog training. we're planning a big party this thursday to celebrate. there is a way you can help. we'll tell you how in a little bit. first, let's go inside to tamron for the top stories this morning. >> good morning. terrified train passengers found themselves in the water after a commuter train derailed overnight in northern california. at least nine people were hurt, four of them seriously, when a train hit a downed tree 45 miles east of san francisco. the lead car plunged into a

at the water's edge. officials believe heavy rain caused a landslide, pushing the tree on to the tracks. in the race for the white house, both parties have important primaries today in michigan and mississippi. republicans also have contests in hawaii and idaho. our new nbc news/surveymonkey poll shows donald trump maintaining his lead nationally, with ted cruz moving into second place ahead of marco rubio. former new york city mayor michael bloomberg decided not to launch an independent campaign, saying he couldn't get enough electoral college votes to win. donald trump is defending his practice of having supporters at rallies raise their right hand and pledge to vote for him. critics including a former head of the antidefamation league say the loyalty gesture resembles a nazi salute. earlier today, trump said he didn't realize it was offending anyone. >> we'll do it for fun. they'll scream at me, do the

i mean, they're having such a great time. massive crowds. i get the biggest crowds and we're having a good time. until this phone call, i didn't know it was a problem. >> trump told matt he'll into possibly ending the practice now that he knows some people are offended. police in south carolina are defending their decision to pursue a shoplifting suspect who led them on a wild chase on monday. the hood of the stolen suv was up and blocking his view. officials say the man swiped merchandise from a videogame store, then assaulted a customer who confronted him. the man had to be stopped because he was driving with no regard for safety. add insult to injury for a soccer player in israel. after he was hurt, look at this, trainers loaded the midfielder on to the stretcher.

oh -- of the rear handle, spilling him to the ground. a teammate carried his buddy off in his arms. >> oh, man. >> that's awesome. at least his friends were there. >> what? >> i got it. i got it. >> like the three stooges. >> thanks, tamron. now to a revolutionary procedure that's offering a lot of hope to thousands of women who can't have children. >> this morning, we're meeting the nation's first uterus transplant recipient. e shamlian is at the procedure took place. >> this was performed for the first time in united states. womb. for women who had trouble getting pregnant because of a uterine-related issue, doctors say this is a game changer. >> reporter: the nation's first uterus transplant to a 26-year-old texas woman who was

>> from that moment on, i prayed that god would allow me the opportunity to experience pregnancy. >> reporter: now, for the women diefd identified only as lindsey, a real chance following ground-breaking surgery at the cleveland clinic. a womb of a deceased donor implanted into lindsey, who was born without one. doctors will implant her embryos into the donor organ. unlike other organs, the uterine transplant is temporary. >> the patient can have one to two babies by c-section and then the uterus will be removed. >> as many as 50,000 u.s. women of childbearing age could benefit from the procedure. the clinical trial offering new hope and an alternative to adopting or using a surrogate. >> what motivates women with uterine infertility to pursue other options is the experience of carrying the pregnancy.

develop and of getting to be there for the baby's birth. >> reporter: the procedure was pie oneered in sweden. this baby among five born there from uterine transplant. lindsey is the first of ten in the u.s. who will get the transplant. there's a long road ahead. >> what would make it a picture perfect ending? >> the baby. >> reporter: the mother is dreaming of being pregnant, expanding her family. now, thanks to this procedure, a possibility. >> it provided me with a gift that i will never be able to repay. >> lindsey is part of a clinical trial and cleveland clinic is looking for more women to be part of it. savannah, what's interesting about this, is unlike most organ transplants, it's just temporary. after the woman has one or two babies, then the uterus is removed because the woman has to take very strong drugs while she has it in her body. back to you. >> janet, thank you. this is amazing.

ity issues, let's bring in dr. natalie azar. good morning. >> good morning. >> you have to marvel at the science that allows doctors to do this. but it clearly is not for everybody. this is just for those who -- i mean, if you had had, for example, a hysterectomy because of a cancer diagnosis or something like that? >> right. >> potentially for them? >> only women who have uterine factor infertility. they're either born without a uterus, they have a damaged uterus, secondary to abnormalities from previous infections or add heengs hesionadhesions, or they've had their uterus removed. it can affect 3% to 5% of women worldwide. >> this is a long road. >> yes. >> as we saw in janet's piece. >> honestly, from start to finish, could be upwards of five years. initial procedure starts with doing ibf.

donor, have the trant splant. it has to heal for one year before the embryos are implanted. hopefully, the baby nine months later. it's important to point out that the researchers are stopping short of calling this a grand success. they say the success is not measured by necessarily having performed the transplant. it will be a success once the woman goes through the process, healthy without complications and, of course, a healthy baby is born at the end of it all. then we can say that it was a success. >> by the way, to janet's point, they then remove the transplanted uterus. >> absolutely. for most women, they'll probably have one to two pregnancies and then remove the uterus because of the fact that the woman has to take the anti-rejection medicines which, of course, long term can be associated with complicated like infection or ma lig -- malignanacy. while your friend who always

and kim kardashian and bette midler and what sparks it all. plus, a big, fat "today" ) the roles you play in life make you, you. and you' re not going to let anything keep you sidelined. that' s why you drink ensure with nutritious calories, 9 grams of protein and 26 vitamins and minerals. come on, grandma! giving you the strength and energy to get back to doing what you love. from the #1 doctor recommended brand. ensure. always stay you. welcome to disney springs. your place to shop, dine and be entertained, like never before. i'm phil mickelson, pro golfer. my psoriatic arthritis caused joint pain. just like my moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis.

about joint damage. my doctor saidr joint pain from ra can be a sign of existingt joint damage that could only get worse. he prescribed enbrel to help relieve pain enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. events including lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders and allergic reactions tell your doctor if you've been someplace where fungal or if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. joint pain and damage... can go side by side. ask how enbrel can help relieve joint pain and help stop joint damage. enbrel, the number one

come on duck! (puppy barks) you can do it duck. hurry up duck! you can do it duck. iams. helps keep your dog healthy at every stage. so you can always look

it's 8. :12, good time to start trending. how many people as this happened to? you get in a elevator, you're in a hurry and the door doesn't close so you hit the button. >> you do hit the button. >> i can't find which button. you push the button, like that one there, and a lot of people say, it doesn't do anything. they think it's a placebo, that the button isn't actually connected to anything. >> i've always suspected that. >> really? >> like a fake button, yeah. >> i think you have a window for it to work. >> it's not a placebo, it's a short. the thing just doesn't work. >> they didn't want it to close on anybody. tech insider checked with elevator companies. yeah, they say, the buttons are functional and do work. by the way, not pushing the button, what is the fastest way to get the door to close? >> close? >> if you forget the button, how

close? >> i don't know. >> wave your hand in front of it and it'll close. if you go into an empty elevator, get inside and then do this, it tends to close faster. >> do it when it's not about to close. >> do it when carson is not walking? >> okay. we've heard of the bromance. jimmy and justin. ben and matt. cute. carson and wrangler will turn up in this. >> there we are. >> they're good and they also are good for your health. male friendships -- proven by science -- specifically, researchers at uc berkeley found close male bonding makes men more resilient to stress, increases levels of oxytocin in the brain. that hormone helps people bond during stressful times. >> completely agree. >> remember when we went

the guys went fishing, what a bromance. >> stress free. >> that was actually dangerous. >> we only caught beer. raise your hand if you like to post photos of food online. really? you all do it. some people find it annoying, but according to a new study, it provides at least one benefit. it seems to make your food taste better. study in the journal of consumer marketing. some participants were given red velvet cake. those who photographed the treat perceived it to taste better than those who did not. the thinking is, by photographing your food, you're interacting with it. >> building a relationship. >> yeah. that's right. building up anticipation for what you're about to eat. >> smart. >> do you think it's true? >> i don't know. >> i'll do it when i'm proud. >> i posted a steak yesterday. i wasn't sure how to tell the doneness and my meat thermometer

i post constantly. >> steak to get feedback? >> yeah because i was -- >> you were looking for information on how to tell if it was done? >> eat it. >> it's a cooking community, you know? >> now you're losing me, okay? >> community. it's like the bromance. >> like a food bromance. now to the new celebrity feud waged on twitter and the late star whose personal items are about to hit the auction block. carson? >> we'll start, yup, twitter war between kim kardashian and bette midler. this nude selfie kim posted, joking she had nothing to wear. bette midler said, if kim wants us to see a part of her we've never seen, she'll have to swallow the camera. no response until this tweet overnight. sorry i'm late to the party.

million video game check and transferring $53 million into our account. bette midler, i really didn't want to bring up how you sent me a gift a while back trying to be a fake friend then come at me. people are joking kim is letting kanye write her tweets. >> seems to be going well, that relationship. next to joan rivers and the news about her estate, personal items belonging to the star will be auctioned off in june. melissa announcing they'll sell more than 200 items, including jules, bob mackie costumes, artworks and more. it'll go to two of joan's favorite charities, one is guide dogs for the blind. we'll have exclusive access to the auction. >> can you imagine what she'd have to say about this presidential campaign? she would have had a field day.

playing marsha clark. on today's episode of "ellen," marsha. >> it was like seeing someone i'd idolized or had a crush on my whole life. she walked into the restaurant and i started going, ah! she looked around like this was a terrifying experience for her. her. >> must have been fun. >> it was like the mole kept moving all over her face in my mind. is that you? oh, now it's on your forehead. >> sarah admitted she had a lot of tequila. that's your pop start, guys. >> move the mole, that's a lot of tequila. >> thank you. >> al? >> i'm a good surgeon. >> i didn't get that one. >> frankenstein. anyway -- sorry, for those of us of a certain age, and guys. we're looking at a risk of

christi up to san antonio, austin and houston. hail likely. a squall line may develop and heavy rain. next three days, some areas could pick up to 15 inches of rain. we are going to be looking at flooding possible from little rock all the way down to the gulf. pacific northwest. break. we still see heavy rain up to northern california, upwards of 7 inches plus over the next several days. we're going to continue toon amy: good morning and happy tuesday, i' m amy sweezey. it will be even warmer across central florida compared to yesterday. we are headed to 80 and a lot of

>> that's your latest weather. savannah? >> al, thank you. now, a time for a little love. we're going to throw a big, fat "today" wedding with our sister company universal. >> we narrowed the list down to three couples and we'll let you choose the winning pair. how are you going to decide? hoda is here to help. >> i'll help you out. it all starts with a first date, of course. in my case, it was three first dates. all the viewers get to know our couples. it was awkward being the third wheel. but you be the judge. >> i like everything about her. >> he's one in a billion, and he's the only one for me. >> she has an infectious energy and laugh. took my breath away. >> reporter: i invite our wedding finalists to the big apple for alone time with each other and, um, me.

>> reporter: first, a rendezvous with john and kaitlin. >> family is a big part of our lives. my mom is 1 of 8 children. my dad is 1 of 8. >> my dad is 1 of 9. >> first time to new york city? >> yeah. >> the plan? >> reporter: put each couple through a romantic new york challenge. >> we're going to try to reenact an iconic photo. here's the picture. >> oh, cute! >> remember that? >> my arm should be here. >> your hips a little up. one more thing. if it blows off, don't sweat it. one, two, three. go! okay, are you kidding? >> perfect.

>> what do you love the most about kaitlin? >> her heart. she changes everybody's day for the better. >> you're a magical couple. it was so fun. good luck, all right? >> i love you more than anything in the universe. will you marry me? >> oh, my gosh. >> she's a pre-k teacher and i work with special needs individuals. i really like how our ability to care for other people brought us together. >> hey. >> david and lara. >> hi. >> reporter: they're foodies and i bring them to one of new bakery. she's the queen of decorating. >> nice to meet you. >> ever touch a pastry bag before? >> actually, no. >> reporter: after a lesson, we challenge the duo to design a cake, to see how they >> go! >> doing a letter. >> yeah. >> how do you do it again?

>> two minutes left! >> suspense. >> might have overdone it with the sprinkles. >> i like it. >> somebody is driving the bus and her name is lara. >> she always does. >> reporter: lara and david design a masterpiece. >> am i feeding you? >> one thing i love to do is share my love to her with everybody. if i can show everybody how much i love her, what better way than to do it on the "today" show? >> reporter: before it gets too steamy, hoda out. >> a man wants to be with a woman who reminds him of his mother and i never met anyone who came close. megan weaver, will you cary me -- marry me? >> yes. >> my mom passed away but always made me a better person. megan reminded me of all of that. >> hello, lovebirds. >> reporter: nothing more romantic than a new york horse and buggy ride for three.

>> this is one of the nicest uber rides. >> reporter: before we get too cozy, it's time for the final lovers' challenge. >> john, give me a song. i respond to every single love got me open on your love wanna give you so much there you go. >> oh, my gosh. that was awesome. this is not a one-way street. two-way street. >> sing it with me. fantasy, baby give my something >> what should we sing together? love and marriage love and marriage >> when did you fall in love? >> the first day i saw her, but -- and that sounds creepy. i just knew she was the one. >> when did you fall in love? >> when i got the butterfully

feelings and realized it was always him causing it. that was it. >> that was it. >> i fell for all three couples. the question is, who will you get to meet live on thursday? they're all sweet, right? >> yeah. >> all the couples. >> if we throw a wedding for the last couple, are you going to stand between them as they take their vows? >> my job is to be the body blocker. >> maybe you can marry them. you're ordained, aren't you? >> i officiated a wedding in minnesota. >> there you go. >> can you do it in other states? >> we can make it happen. >> we can go online and get you anything. >> we can't wait to throw these people a beautiful wedding at the rainbow room and we need your help planning the big day. first task, picking your favorite couple. >> this is going to be hard. let's run through it again. kaitlin and john from chicago, illinois. couple two, megan and john from los angeles. that's who you went on the horse ride with. couple three, lara and david from new york city.

go to today.com/weddings. you have until friday at 8:30 a.m. eastern time. our couples will be here live to find out who will be getting married here on "today". >> cool. >> so sweet. >> vote more than once? >> let's go over to carson.

>> local, live, latebreaking, this is a news update. jazmin: good morning. brett: right now, firefighters are still on the scene of a house fire in winter park. flames broke out just off of lake mott avenue. it is still not clear how this started. crews are still cleaning up a bad wreck on the turnpike southbound. one of those was a lover transport semi that looked over and there is lumber still all over the ramp. cannot get onto obt or 28 -- 528. a multicar crash affecting northbound and southbound. amy: quite a bit of cloud cover in downtown orlando. we have some sunshine breaking through.

the wind will be kicking up around 15 miles per hour this afternoon. more clearing up to the north and some of this cloud cover will start to break apart, so that will bring us a bit more sunshine in the low temperatures to climb. a pretty big temperature difference, depending on where you are stepping out. mid to upper 70' s this afternoon along the coast and some of our

the bigger the burrito, the bigger the fun. dunkin's new grandde burrito -- a breakfast burrito packed with big southwest flavor. go grande with veggie or sausage today.

8:30 now on a tuesday morning. it's the 8th day of march 2016. you know what? new york city, beautiful temperatures, nice people in the crowd. tamron running for office. she's catching babies. >> this baby is adorable.

>> really cute. >> we'll talk to padma lakshmi about her memoir. look at her. >> there are laws. >> i know. her parents are like, don't take her. i don't know how to hand her back. i know receiving is easy. >> you can take the baby. >> i'll help you out, tamron. also coming up, we have acting royalty in the house. helen mirren is here. her latest role is a military thriller. we'll get to her in a minute. also completing our trifecta of big stars -- and babies today -- will arnett. he's no baby. that's a man, telling us about his netflix show. first, al, you've done it all this morning. check of the weather. >> like a "seinfeld," now know how to take the reservation, you can't keep the reservation. right now for today, we've got an enhanced risk of strong

development of long storms. watching this. we'll keep an eye on that. heavy rain in the pacific northwest. east coast, lots of sunshine. warmer than usual temperatures. tomorrow, the temperatures, bam, record highs along the eastern seaboard. look for a risk of strong storms through the lower gulf coast. showers and snow into the pacific northwest. east coast is going to be the place to be for tomorrow. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your r amy: good morning and happy tuesday, i' m amy sweezey. it will be even warmer across central florida compared to yesterday. we are headed to 80 and a lot of our inland spots.

mr. daly? >> announcer: good luck wrangler is sponsored by iams. good for life. >> all right, guys, it's hard to believe but it's been over a year since we've rolled out the red carpet for our puppy with a purpose, wrangler. this thursday, he'll be going to the next step of his formal guide dog training. you can see the pictures there. we've had great moments. look at some of wrangler's style. in honor of his few days, we're asking you to use the #we love wrangler. send us a picture of your pet. for every one shared, we'll collect food and iams will donate to guiding eyes for the blind. including up to 30,000 of your posts. already in addition to $25,000 that iams is already donating to guide eyes. i'm going to tweet out my we love wrangler picture. thursday, we'll have our big party for our buddy wrangler. matt?

lakshmi. people know her on bravo's "top chef," but it's only one chapter of her life. she opens up in her memoir called "love, loss and what we ate." good to have you here. >> good morning. >> it's revealing, honest -- i read the whole book -- romantic, mouth watering all at once. this took a long time. write. i didn't start out writing a memoir. it was a book about healthy eating, with the idea of being very frank and using the details of my own life to illustrate philosophies i had about food. it turned into this. >> let's take the words of the love. rushdie and your relationship with him. he swept you off your feet with his words and his intellect. quickly. quickly.

at the time, that's half my adult life, you know. it was a wonderful relationship. like any marriage, it had its ups and downs. i think also, we were dealing with another issue, which i had no idea about at the time, which was endometriosis. i wasn't. he was a lot of what i wanted to be. but you sum it up at the end by saying, i don't regret one day i spent with him, nor did i leave a moment too soon. >> i do say that. i mean, at the time, i really needed to take care of my health. i couldn't take care of my health and get well and also take care of my marriage. i did the best i could. by the way, i think salman did the best he could. there was a lot of love there. it just didn't work out. >> you mentioned health problems. for a long period in your life, you knew something was wrong with you, and you finally found out, as you mention,

it impacted your life enormous enormously. >> from the time i was 13 till the time i was diagnosed, i missed 25% of my life. i'm sitting here, and i've lost six years of my life, basically, to this illness. i think many, many women go through this. endometriosis is something that affects at least 10% to 15% of all women. a lot of women have it. lena dunham was just rushed to the hospital with it. >> in constant pain for a long time. >> it's very debilitating. it starts in adolescence, which is a tender time, and no one wants to talk about it. >> you didn't think you could get pregnant, but you did in 2009, which was wonderful, but you wrote, the press wouldn't stop harping on the fact i ed the name of the

you said you didn't know the paternity yourself. you were involved with two men. >> yes, i was. probably wasn't the best choice, but it was the choice i made at the time. i didn't want to be in a serious relationship. i was still really hurting from my divorce. i probably shouldn't have been with anybody and taken the time i needed for myself, but i was presented with two very different, very interesting men. you know, men do it all the time. i chose to do it. i was open with the men involved. i'm going to own my history. that's what i did. >> one of the things i learned, i've known you for a long time from this show, i look at you and think, how could she be anything but incredibly confident? you write a lot in this book about insecurity. >> yeah. >> not feeling as if you fit in as a child, in either india or here in the united states, and even when you married salman rushdie, you weren't really sure you fit in with his intellectual group.

i always was shuttling back and forth between two cultures. i think that's true of many immigrants in this country. the book for me is really about an immigrant's story. it's talking about my story in that land. also, when you're brown in a white culture, that adds a layer to it. especially when you're in front of a camera, when you're a woman -- >> right. >> -- and when you're in the fashion business. >> you write so descriptively about life where you were growing up. you use words that make you feel the heat, and you can almost smell what's going on around. you also write incredibly descriptively about food. there are sometimes when you're telling a personal story and you switch into a recipe and i think -- think think, man, that sounds good. you're making me hungry. >> i've done my job. it's also a food memoir. i grew up love g ing fischer and

i wanted to write a book about my life and food is about my life. it's about climbing my mother's kitchen to get the pickle jar. or trying to steal the candy when i wasn't supposed to have it. i think we all have these memories. >> the book, again, is "love, loss and what we ate." i really enjoyed it. >> thank you. >> padma, great to have you here. >> i'm so excited to be here. >> it's a pleasure. she'll be back in our next hour. also, catch her thursday night on the two-part season finale of "top chef" on bravo. up next, the legendary helen mirren lights up studio 1a.

(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. give us a plan. we're back at 8:41. oscar, emmy and tony winner helen mirren has graced the screen more than five decades. in "eye in the sky," she plays a military colonel in charge of a

terrorists. with lives at stake, she faces agonizing decisions. >> two suicide bombers and three house. >> you want them off your list, but the rules you're operating scenario. refer out. >> are you telling me that or just debating with me? >> to refer up. >> mm-hmm. >> i am telling you. >> helen mirren, good morning. >> good morning. >> you don't like watching yourself? >> oh, no, no, no. also, camouflage is not the most attractive outfit, but they're comfortable to wear so that's fan fantastic. >> you play a colonel. i find it interesting because this is about drone warfare. >> absolutely. >> it's about a critical decision that you have to make as a colonel and whether to order a strike that would have

there's gray area all over this movie. >> as there is in war. >> ambiguity. >> there always is in war. no matter what weapons are used, there is always gray areas. right from when they were charging into villages with sabers and horses. you know, the truth is, war is never the nice, clean-cut, clear, these are the good guys, these are the bad guys and, you know, we just do what the job is, sort of thing. it's always full of moral ambiguity, and that's very much what this film is about. you know, it's interesting that suddenly, in the last week even, the whole issue of really what drone warfare is has suddenly come to the -- is coming into the realization. >> it still brings in all the varying points of view. as i said, you play a colonel. this role was originally written for a man. >> it was. it was.

respect for those women who went into the military in the '60s, and their incredible courage. it was difficult in those days. but they did do that, and because of that, i get to play this role now. >> did you do anything differently? i mean, did that change the part? the fact that you are a woman. or did you just say, i'm going to play it as written, and the fact i'm a woman is neither here nor there. >> absolutely, i played it as written. but i think the fact that i'm a woman brings into relief, in a more concentrated way for the audience, this particular kind of moral, you know, decision, which is around a child, basically. i think having a woman there -- and i think it really concentrates the mind in the sense of these decisions have to be made in war. they have to be made. maybe we're going to be facing a female president in this country who will have to make those

>> interesting film. you always have a lot to say. i recently read an article in which you said that -- talking about style -- in a perfect world, i would wear an 18th century costume all the time, big skirts and huge wigs and everything. i think it's marvelous. but really? what about sweat pants? >> well, we have the sweatpants at home, of course. talking about public, you know. >> you talked a lot about the loss of privacy in our modern era, with the internet and all those kinds of issues. do you ever think, gosh, what would it have been like if social media was here when i was coming up? >> i'm relieved there wasn't, really. but maybe that's part of my age. the reality is, the young people now, that is their world. that is their world, in the same way it was my world to, you know, switch a light on and the electricity, and the light came on. my grandparents' world, it was not their world.

so i took that completely for granted. the fact that the drinking water would come out of the tap, which it doesn't in flint and that's one of the greatest disgraces of our modern age, but we take things for granted in the way that young people do. that is their world. they'll swim in it like fish and find their way of translating it into the world around them. >> always interesting questions to ponder. this movie pondering deep questions, as well. dame helen mirren, thank you for being here. "eye in the sky yts " opens on friday. will arnett is here, with a dramatic tale to tell us about.

if your family outing is magical for all the wrong reasons. you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec is different than claritin . because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. try zyrtec . muddle no more

arnett. he's known for great roles in some of television's most

rock" and "arrested development." he takes a dramatic turn in his new netflix series, "flaked." take a look. >> what can i do for help? >> she's looking for places in mar vista. >> dude, that's no good. >> other side of lincoln. you'll never see her. >> i already feel like i'm losing her. >> plenty of time to lose her. first, you have to get her. >> will, good to see you. >> nice to see you. >> it's tempting to try to put a show into a genre. is it a comedy, is it a dark comedy, a dramedy, which i know you don't like. >> i don't like the term. >> how do you describe the show? >> a 30-minute netflix show. >> that's it? >> that's it. you know, we don't make a decision in life, or we're not given the choice, to -- like today is going to be a comedy or today is going to be a drama. every day is everything at once. >> i like how you described it. you and your writing partner almost view this as an independent film played out over

>> that's right. mark chappell and i approached it from moment one. we knew how people would consume it, on netflix, potentially watching more than one episode at a time and wouldn't wait seven days with cliff hangars. >> you do basically everything on the show. is that liberating or can it also be a little frightening, that it's all on you? >> it's both. it starts out as liberating, and then it ends up being very frightening. so you kind of -- it runs the gamut. it feels great to be able to take control and see out a vision, but then, of course, if it doesn't work, you know, if it fails, then it's mark's fault, my partner. >> you can always blame somebody at the end. >> sure. >> chip is kind of a self-help guru, the whole venice, california thing.

>> he's a big fish in a small pond. he created this persona of himself. the show is about creating yourauthenticity. what's the face we put out to the world, and what's the face we look at in the mirror, and how great is the divide between those two? >> we also learn something about him in the first episode. he has a drinking issue. >> yeah. >> as a matter of fact, more dramatically than that, he's actually killed someone in an accident. >> mm-hmm. >> that gets me back to, are we pure drama here, or can there be some way to mind lapse in the story line? >> i think we wanted to -- the show to move and have a comedic element, in that the characters interact with each other in a comedic way, but there is a real story there. you know, much the same way we do in our real lives, we try to use the comedy to obscure the drama. that's how we approach it. >> you seem to be having a lot of fun these days. >> yeah. >> you're getting to do an awful lot of different things.

school but if they were home watching now, one would probably be going, that voice sounds very familiar. >> yeah. >> he's a lego fan. >> yeah. >> you played batman. >> batman the lego. we're making the lego batman movie, which is coming out next year which is really fun. then the sequel, as well, to the "lego" movie. >> people say you strike while the iron is hot. anything you're not getting a chance to do? is there a bucket list item? >> i'm considering a late run for the white house. >> really? >> yeah. >> you might want to hurry. >> like ted cruz, i was born in canada. >> you need to jump in. no more sitting on the bench. will arnett, good to see you. >> you, too. >> the full season of "flaked" will be available on netflix starting march 11th. back in a moment.

take a mountain of beads, an ocean of screaming fans, boatloads of shrimp, an ice cold coca-cola, and you've got florida's biggest party. universal orlando is mardi gras. select nights: february 6th thru april 16th. grab a coke and get up to three months free you'll enjoy amazing mardi gras plus fun in both universal so grab an annual pass and catch all the fun of

8:54. we're back. it's a great time to find out who is celebrating a birthday. >> always a good time. want to celebrate the remarkable folks from all across the country. as we start it out, ms. ruth weiseman from indiana. 100 years old. says she's a peep ople person and face. happen by 100th to edward marcos of new york. reaching the ranks of master sergeant during world war ii.

thank you so much. mr. brickens of baton rouge, louisiana. 100 years old today. after he retired as full-time teaching, he worked as a substitute until 94 years old. god bless. jes jessie green from columbus, ohio, enjoying playing bingo with friends. rose cata arks cafazza says the secret to longevity, spaghetti. angue does his own home repairs. can you come over? i have a squeaky door. if you know somebody who is celebrating a milestone birthday or anniversary of 75 years or more, tell us about them. go to today.com/celebrate. don't forget to send a photo in, as well. >> substitute teacher. want to go to war? we'll go to war. did you see that?

hilarious. >> i have a lot of things to google after today. >> i know. >> what's coming up next? >> tyne daly joins us and padma >> local, live, latebreaking, this is a news up eight -- update. jazmin: senator marco rubio is in central florida making a last-ditch effort to' s aid his

after a big rally in sanford last month -- last night, he told us he has no intention of leaving the race before next tuesday. ted: the turnpike southbound you cannot get on to obt or the 528 and can' t get onto the turnpike southbound from obt or the 528 because lumber on the ramps from a crash involving two semi' s. one was transporting lumber and they are still cleaning that mess up. southbound i-95 close at wickham road. two northbound lanes blocked as well. use u.s. one. amy: we have had a lot of clouds, but look at how we are breaking over the -- break the clouds up a bit. temperatures are climbing, we are back up to 70 in orlando with a southeast breeze. fairly light wind and we will see the wind kicking up today

the clouds continued to break apart, so we will have a mix of sun and clouds are out today. 72 in melbourne, 69 in daytona beach and four in the villages. we will keep climbing until we make it to 80 degrees this afternoon. not everywhere, but tomorrow, we will be much warmer. the east wind will keep the best is a bit cooler. we are cliwe giving people options based on their budget is pretty edgy... kind of like this look. i'm calling it the "name your price tool" phase.

the bigger the burrito, the bigger the fun. dunkin's new grandde burrito -- a breakfast burrito packed with big southwest flavor. go grande with veggie or sausage today.

>> it's "live! with kelly & michael." today, star of the new series, "flaked," will arnett. and maria menounos takes over the "live" kitchen. plus, your questions and comments on another edition of the "inbox." all next on "live." [captioning made possible by disney-abc domestic television] >> and now here are your emmy-award winning co-hosts, kelly ripa and michael strahan.