jason: the today show is next with the latest from the campaign trail. jason: our local moves continue on cw18. >> and expansion at a central florida theme park. good morning. all but one. donald trump wins four of five states, including florida, forcing marco rubio out of the race. >> after tonight, it is clear that while we are on the right side, this year, we will not be on the winning side. >> john kasich hangs on with a win in his home state of ohio. >> we are going to go all the way to cleveland and secure the republican nomination. >> for the democrats, a clean sweep for hillary clinton. sanders hanging in, but it's

>> our commander in chief has to be able to defend our country, not embarrass it. >> are the races all but over? our political team weighs in. breaking overnight. word that president obama will nominate a supreme court justice ore scalia this morning. will the nominee have a chance of being confirmed? a college student gets 15 years of hard labor in north korea overnight. his crime, allegedly trying to steal a banner. the trial lasting just an hour. does he have any hope of getting out and getting home? a day after free styling with the president. potus, i'm free styling >> lin-manuel miranda is taking

matt lauer, yeah, i'm jack bauer >> this you have to hear today, tuesday, march 16th, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. breaking news all over the place. president obama ready to nominate a replacement for supreme court justice antonin scalia one month after his death. >> we will bring this announcement to you live when it happens, as if we needed any more reminder of the stakes of this presidential election. that's where we begin. big night for donald trump and hillary clinton in the presidential race. they're inching closer to their party's nominations. >> trump notched victories in florida, north carolina, illinois and missouri. while ohio governor john kasich took his home state, only win of the race so far. here's how the delegates break

trump extending his lead, now up to 656. followed by ted cruz, marco rubio, who dropped out of the race, and governor kasich. >> in the democratic race, hillary clinton bounced back from last week's loss in michigan. she swept all five states last night. her delegate lead over sanders, more than 700. >> we're going to talk to governor kasich live in a couple minutes and break down the night's results with our decision 2016 team. first, let's begin our coverage with nbc national correspondent peter alexander. peter, long night. good morning. >> yeah, it was a long night. matt, good morning to you. the next time donald trump is here in cleveland may be as the republican nominee at the convention this summer. another huge night for him. going four of five, racking up a ton of delegates. more than halfway to the magical number he needs to clinch the nomination. the only other candidate celebrating last night, john kasich. the last remaining mainstream

>> reporter: then there were three. >> i have to thank the people of the great state of ohio. i love you. >> reporter: john kasich boasting a big win at home, denying donald trump a clean sweep and drawing a stark contrast. >> i will not take the low road to the highest office in the land. >> reporter: earlier, vowing to take his campaign to the convention back here in cleveland. >> i'm going to keep doing what i'm doing, because i think people really do appreciate the positive message. >> reporter: trump basking in victory. >> this was an amazing evening, great evening. >> reporter: widening his delegate lead by winning the grand prize of florida, knocking out marco rubio, who was touted as the establishment's best chance to beat the billionaire. trump trawling rubio on twitter hours after he exited the race. >> i believe with all my heart

primary next tuesday will be the nominee of the republican party. >> thanks, marco, trump vote. we agree. >> it will not leave us a fractured party, they're going to leave us a fractured nation. >> reporter: ted cruz telling hallie jackson it's a two-man race. >> head to head is a nightmare for donald trump because 2/3 of republicans recognize he's not the best candidate to go against clinton because he loses against hillary clinton. s s s still. >> i have to explain to the people, they don't understand basic physics, basic mathematics, basic whatever you want to call it. >> reporter: surrounded by family and staff, trump gave credit to his campaign manager, who is still under investigation for allegedly grabbing a reporter last week. while tuesday's event was billed

>> thank you very much, everybody. thank you. >> reporter: trump left the stage without taking a single question. >> one of the statistics out of last night is the fact that donald trump was able to barrel through anti-trump ads. more than $20 million spent against him across the five super tuesday states. >> peter alexander, thank you very much. governor john kasich is with us on the phone. good morning. >> good morning. >> congratulations on your win. this was a big one. i know you were hoping to win. it was a must-win for you. is any part of your feeling this morning a big sigh of relief? >> well, no, not really. i mean, really, it's a good accomplishment accomplishment. i beat trump by 11 points. it's remarkable, isn't it? lived in ohio, came in here and trashed me, and he lost. let me tell you, neither cruz nor trump can win the general election. you know, they can't come into ohio with the philosophies they

you can't win ohio, you can't be president. what we'll be doing is we're going to now start to get the attention, we're starting to rise around the country. when people look at my record of job creation in washington, job creation in ohio, bringing people together, reminding people we're americans before and having common sense solutions, we've been able to do well. we have a ways to go, to make sure we're going to be traveling everywhere. we'll have a national campaign, and i'll be the nominee. >> i'll ask you about that. i swore there would be no math, but if you win every delegate from here on out, you still don't meet the magic number of 1,237, which means it would have to be the result of a contested convention. can you explain to people who support you, how are you going to pull that off? >> nobody is going to get enough delegates to win at the convention. everyone is going to fall short. that was what was so big about

basically, for those people that wanted to have some sort of common sense in this election, when they wanted somebody that could raise the bar, you know, i refused to take the low road to the highest office. if you see these guys fighting on the stage, it was absolutely unbelievable, what was going on there. nobody is going to have enough delegates. when we get there, the delegates will have to figure out, number one, who can run the country, who has the record and, three, who can win. >> nobody is going to have the required number of delegates, that's your prediction. one person who, mathematically, can get the required number of delegates, and that's donald trump. let me ask you this way: would you be willing to actively cooperate with ted cruz and his campaign to make sure that donald trump does not get to 1,237 and then take your chances at the convention? >> well, look, i don't have any intention of doing anything

country and telling people about my message. in terms of whether campaigns will speak or not, i don't know. i don't get in the middle of that. i'm not a political operative. i'm a candidate. >> but as the guy on the masthead, you wouldn't be involved in that discussion? >> look, i can tell you, all i can tell you about this, matt, is i'm out there running to the president. i'm not out to stop donald trump or stop anybody else. by winning yesterday in ohio, i've dealt him a very, very big blow to being able to have the number of delegates. if you want to talk about mathematics and you want to talk about probability, and really look at it hard -- and let me tell you the biggest probability, they can't win a general election for either of these guys. we have. >> let's end on saying congratulations on your win in ohio. >> i appreciate you guys. came out when i was in new

going. i appreciate the people of ohio for allowing me to do this. after the country hears about my record, i think we'll continue to rise. god bless our country. >> governor, thank you very much for being with us. on the democratic side, it was a huge night for hillary clinton, as we said. she swept all five contests. a major step toward clinching the nomination. clinton used her victory speech to take direct aim at the republican front runner, donald trump. nbc's kristen welker is in miami with more on that. good morning. >> good morning to you. secretary clinton wakes up this morning as the strong democratic front runner, after losing michigan last week. she proved last night she can compete in every corner of the country. it was a major blow to senator bernie sanders, whose path to the nomination got a whole lot tougher. >> hillary! >> reporter: this morning, hillary clinton celebrating a clean sweep.

for our campaign. >> reporter: clinton defiing ingdefying expectation expectations. the buck yn eye state giving her a significant victory in what was expected to be a tight race. >> we're closer to securing the democratic party nomination and winning this election in november! >> reporter: overnight, clinton managed to seal the deal in two more states. the apparent winner in missouri and illinois. despite a sanders advertising glitch, clinton carried three states by double digits. in phoenix, arizona, sanders showed no signs of letting up. >> don't let people tell you that you can't think big. >> reporter: or giving up. >> next week, arizona has a very important election. we will win if the voter turnout is high. let's make it high.

>> reporter: but clinton is also looking to arizona. today, releasing this new spanish language ad. and leaving no doubt she's also setting her sights on donald trump, the man who may be her next competitor. >> our commander in chief had to be able to defend our country, not embarrass it. >> campaign officials acknowledge the steep odds. in order for sanders to come back, he has to win big states like new york and pennsylvania, and winning them by huge mar zwrin -- margins. still, he can stay in the race as long as he wants to. >> kristen, thank you very much. let's dive further into this with chuck todd. nbc's political director and moderator of "meet the press." nicolle wallace, political analyst, and mark, the managing editor of "bloomberg politics."

night. >> i think you'll hear a deafening roar in the republican party about the prospects of a brokered convention. it'll take place at the same time that trump has done nothing but strengthen himself. there is a disconnect between the conversation the republicans are having and the reality. >> the republican establishment died last night. the republican establishment is shockingly willing now to let donald trump be the nominee. they're resigned to it, and they'll focus on trying to hold the house and the senate. >> let me pick up on that. nicolle, we talk about the stages of grief at the table. the bargaining, the anger. >> she does it all on a daily basis. >> exactly. >> as our establishment republican, is it acceptance phase? if establishment republicans are saying, we accept it, does that mean we're accepting we're probably going to lose the white house in 2016? >> i think it is a healthy acceptance of the will of the voters. our voters are speaking at the top of their lungs, and they're doing so at the polls, which is

ted cruz had a terrible night last night. he had the possibility of having the republican party start to coalesce around him, until he lost everything last night. >> john kasich, he'd been hanging around on the sidelines, mark, for a long time. he steps up and wins his home state of ohio. does he get some kind of slingshot effect from that, that carries him further? >> i think he has 72 hours to show the establishment and the voters that he's a viable person here. his argument about the general election is powerful, but the delegates is more powerful. he can't win a majority now, and it'll be up to cruz and kasich to say, they're the stop trump movement. not meetings in washington. it's not campaign ads. it's not web campaigns. can either of them stop trump? i'm spectacle but they have a window to try. >> on the "times" this morning, yes, trump and clinton had big

resounding triumphs matched an unusual reality, most americans still don't like him or her. >> the most striking numbers in the exit polls were -- and i look at the battleground states voting -- ohio, florida and north carolina. a full third of republican primary voters, when asked if trump and clinton are the nominees, will you be satisfied or consider a third party, over 40% of republicans in ohio said third party. 39% of north carolina republicans said third party. 30% of florida republicans. look, there is an anti-trump appetite out there. there's just no messenger to tap into it. ted cruz was horrendous last night in his attempt to put the party together. >> thanks for setting me up. i'll say two words. give me your first reaction. super fast. the two words are paul ryan. >> last gasp. if the convention blows up, he'll be the republican nominee.

>> part of what's happening now, acceptance that trump will be the nominee, barring some huge, unforeseen circumstance. >> thank you very much. meanwhile, i want to bring up something that happened on this show on tuesday. donald trump apparently contradicting himself when he joined both us and our friends over at abc by phone. >> this is what happened. their show. they asked him about that advertisement that showed women trump. here's what he said when asked about that ad. >> have you seen that and what did you make of it? >> i have seen it, and it was romney deal. >> a couple minutes later, he appeared live on this show. here's what he had to say. >> obviously, i have not seen the ad, so i have would have to see it. i've heard about the ad, but i have not seen the ad. >> does this matter? when a guy contradicts himself within a couple of minutes, do people care?

the thing that tripped up a campaign. took two days to explain it to people like chuck and mark. in the post-trump era, he contradicts himself within a news cycle. which was within the hour of the morning shows. >> hour? five munn inutes. >> yeah. >> this is politics in the age of trump. the fact checkers are irrelevant irrelevant. in trump's power, in his trust he has with the supporters, the supporters trust trump more than the media. >> you asked before about whether republicans were resigning themselves to losing the general election if trump is the nominee. they believe hillary clinton is so weak that trump could beat her. part of what they're drawing on is the fact that trump flies above stuff like this and maybe he would against hillary clinton in the general election. >> we live in a post-truth political world. donald trump is the poster child. >> we have gone past our allotted time here. >> you're all in therapy with me now.

>> we're eating into the nightly news's time. >> we'll have more in the next half hour. north korea's highest court sentenced an american college student to 15 years of hard labor in prison. he was convicted of subversion and sentenced after a one-hour trial. he appeared disoriented and led through the courthouse. the university of virginia student was arrested during a tour group visit in january. north korea says he confessed to trying to steal a political banner from his hotel. former u.n. ambassador is reportedly working for his release. another story this morning, severe weather. outbreak of tornadoes across the midwest. while the south deals with some devastating flooding. many neighborhoods underwater, including one texas town coping with the worst flooding in more than half a century. nbc national correspondent miguel almaguer is there. good morning. >> good morning. we're at the edge of the flood zone in texas, down the foggy road behind me is a community

destroyed. this isn't the only state that's seeing wild weather. the midwest has also been in the bull's eye. >> reporter: overnight, nine reports of tornadoes in parts of the midwest. storm chasers capturing twisters near good hope, illinois. high winds and thunderstorms causing golf ball sized hail to pound parts of the state. residents there hunker down for more storms forecasted today. this morning in dewy ville, texas, many are waking up to catastrophic damage, after flood waters crested overnight. hundreds of homes in one town are waterlogged. 1,200 people ordered to evacuate. jace's family tried to save their home and was lucky to walk away with their cat. >> water went right over. >> destroyed everything? >> yeah. >> reporter: homes along highway 12 have been swamped with up to 8 feet of water.

need prayers for their own salvation. the only grocery store in town is seeing historic flooding. the cemetery is nearly all underwater. the top of headstones, barely visible. >> the town appears to have the most damage, but water is everywhere. it's reaching homes even miles away. >> reporter: authorities know not everyone has evacuated. this water, they say, is dangerous in more ways than one. >> definitely. it's got contaminants in it. from the ground and from all the oils and sewage ers and all that. >> reporter: with many waking up in shelters and others fishing in the street, in the coming days, the water here will slowly recede. as it does, it promises to reveal a town that's lost so much and may never be the same. >> residents who live in this area tell us they do not have flood insurance. the local river, which triggered

above flood stage. folks here have never seen anything like this ever before. >> our thoughts are with those people. as we come to al, i feel like we've been looking at this region on your map for a few weeks. they've been hit hard. >> and get hit again. fortunately, not quite as bad as the past but it won't help. major to moderate flooding, all these diamonds showing that. the sabine river at deweyville crested last evening. in orange, still going to continue to rise beyond the current level of almost 7.5 feet. while we're not along looking at a ton of rain, the gulf can pick up 2 inches b increase speed, full throttle! (over intercom) ann, are you coming in? negative! stay on target. what are you guys doing? artoo, thrusters! they're closing in! i'll guard the base. for every family that

star wars lives. where a galaxy far, far away... ...is closer than ever before. come join us...as star wars awakens. now at walt disney world resort. (from x-wing) hyperspace! amy: good morning central florida, i' m amy sweezey. we are starting off with low clouds, a little haze and fog. we will get sunshine this afternoon and we are headed again to the upper 80' s near 90. >> that's your latest weather. matt? >> al, thanks very much. coming up, will it be chaos for cleveland?

convention for the gop that appears more likely this morning, what it could look like. the battle hitting the largest mobile messaging service against the federal government. we have that story. first, this is "today" on

this one goes out to all the allergy muddlers. you know who you are. you've lost your game. literally. your family outing is magical for all the wrong reasons. and your sneezes are a force to be reckoned with. well allergy muddlers, muddle no more . 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 . and now introducing rhinocort allergy spray. powerful relief from the makers of zyrtec

coming up, a seat belt for your head on trending. one man's creative solution if you find it hard to sleep on a plane. >> i love that.

talk >> this is a wesh 2 news update. jazmin: good wednesday morning. jason: let' s get straight to the traffic situation. here is ted noah. ted: lots to talk about. start off with i-4 trouble right outside of downtown orlando. a multicar crash really disrupting the drive you are getting out of orlando on i-4. westbound past maitland boulevard, and emerge lane has a right lane block. things are going to be slow making your way into orange . a big 16 minute backup from lake mary to lee and also westbound about a 10 minute delay from colonial turnpike. u.s. 190 talk -- 192 at four wins boulevard, and state road 50 at

look at all this gloominess -- amy: look at all this gloominess. low cloudiness down close to the ground. fog going on this morning. the dew point is at 66. a lot of moisture in the air. three quarters of a mile visibility now in melbourne and leesburg. palm coast is at a quarter of a mile. we have that spotting is all across the corridor. our temperatures are in the mid-upper 60' s. 68 orlando and 60 a daytona beach. today, it is going to be warm. but we will end up with sunshine this afternoon and make it to the upper 80' s, a few of us will hit 90. elite a lot of spots.

we 7:30 now on this wednesday morning, march 16th, 2016. that music means one thing, it's the morning after election day. a clean sweep for hillary clinton while donald trump took four out of five states. moment. let's look at headlines from this morning. president obama will announce his choice to replace supreme court justice antonin scalia at 11:00 eastern time. in a just released written

release his pick but said the choice is am qualified. he called it his constitutional duty to fill the seat vacated by scalia's death last month. also in washington, commuters will have their patience tested there. the entire d.c. metro rail station is shut down for a inspection. this is an unprecedented move. it was ordered after an electrical fire on monday. similar to one last year that killed one person and injured dozens of others. crews are checking hundreds of cables that supply power to the tracks. >> that ought to be a fun morning. north korea's supreme court sentenced a university of virginia student to 15 years of hard labor. he was accused of trying to steal a banner from a hotel while on a trip in january. the former u.n. ambassador richardson is reportedly working for his release. back to the results from tuesday's primaries. peter alexander is digging into the numbers. good morning. >> good morning to you.

last night, besides the big night for hillary clinton and donald trump, were how many people didn't vote for trump on the republican side. they'd consider a third party candidate. 1/3 of the voters said they'd be satisfied if the race came down to trump versus clinton in the general election. nearly half of those who voted for someone other than donald trump said that they would seriously consider a third party candidate going forward. in ohio, where we are right now, obviously going to be crucial coming up in the general election. not even 2/3 -- nearly 2/3 would consider a third party candidate. only 3 in 10 said they would be satisfied with a trump versus clinton race come november. among the democrats, hillary clinton with a big night. into her numbers in illinois, look where her strengths are. the key groups supporting clinton clinton. a large number of african-americans, 70%.

sanders still does very well with the democrats under the age of 45. he also does very well with white voters. clinton showing strength with married women. also very strong with those voters who said that experience is one of the key issues they're looking for with a candidate. >> peter, thank you very much. ohio governor john kasich's win in his home state raises the chances of a rare contested convention. what is that and what would it look like? here to break it down is msnbc host and political correspondent steve kornacki. good morning to you. >> morning. >> you hear contested convention, brokered convention used interchangeably. are they the same? >> brokered convention is the old term. back in the days when you didn't have the primaries. delegations from states would arrive at the convention and they'd be controlled by a boss or a king maker. the king makers would get together behind closed door, hash out a deal, tell the

at an open convention, the delegates would make the decision themselves in the light of day. >> get to cleveland, nobody has 1,237, the number of delegates needed to win the nomination. they hold the first ballot anyway, just to prove it? >> mostly. however, the wild card in this, is if donald trump is really close to the number and not quite over, you also can have about 150 probably unbound delegates. they're going to show up as free agents. if trump is really close coming into the first vote, if he picks off enough of the unbound, he gets over. otherwise, everybody has to vote primary. >> there are a lot of conversations going on now. >> right. throughout the spring, even the states that had the primaries already, they'll have their state convention where they pick the delegates who will vote. >> after the first ballot, nobody has the required number of delegates, can anybody now say, i'm in for a second ballot? >> technically, yeah, though it's more complicated.

states tell their delegates, even on the second ballot, you have to vote the way your primary or caucus voted. not every delegate is a free agent but a lot are. beyond the second ballot, you're in a scenario where basically every delegate is going to be a free agent. historically, that's when the white knight candidates emerge. >> paul ryan could walk in and say, i'm ready if you want me? >> right, after the second. >> how many rounds? how long does this go on? >> it could go -- there's no limit. it goes until there is a winner. in the old days, you'd have dozens of ballots. woodrow wilson, i think it took 40 ballots and democrats settled on him. wasn't in contention at the beginning. you get that far in, crazy things happen. >> if you get the candidate who gets the come nomination because of a contested convention, how does that impact that candidate's

>> there are zero examples in the television age of american politics. zero examples in the age when primaries and caucuses determined the delegates. if the republicans went with somebody besides trump, and trump comes into the convention with the most delegates but not the majority, you'd have an angry donald trump and thousand or so delegates and several million trump voters who would be threatening not to vote for that party. >> a lot of tension in cleveland, ohio. steve kornacki, thank you very much. let's get a check of the weather from al. >> we have great restaurants in cleveland i can take you to. fantastic. although, unfortunately, we're going to be flying through the midwest from cleveland to chicago all the way up to minnesota minnesota, minneapolis, high wind advisories. 38 million people under advisories. airport delays in minneapolis, des moines, chicago, indianapolis and detroit. the winds are going to be gusting upwards of 40 to 50 miles per hour.

snow developing in the up of michigan, from minnesota to wisconsin. storms will come to an end, but it is going to be a blustery day. that's what's going on around ro amy: good morning central florida, i' m amy sweezey. we are starting off with low clouds, a little haze and fog. we will get sunshine this afternoon and we are headed again to the upper 80' s near 90. >> that's your latest weather. matt? >> al, thank you very much. coming up next, the government's latest battle with a tech giant. what a standoff with the app could mean for its billion users. jennifer garner, live in our studio.

we need this vacation so bad. absolutely. honey, can you grab my hat? got it! the weather's supposed to be beautiful this weekend, too. do you think we should get a boat? we need the big bag. i put my sunscreen on already. me too. let's go swimming! yeah. cannonball! now that's the good stuff. the sonoma collection. only at kohl's. ( ) 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.

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 prepared for retirement. 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. 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. new activia fruit fusion. (toilet flush) if you need an opioid to

feels like everyone can go ...except you. opioid-induced constipation, oic, is a different type of constipation, which may need a different approach. longing for a change? have the conversation with your doctor about oic, and ask about prescription treatment options. give extra. get extra. there's a story behind

using fresh local milk, real cream, and absolutely no preservatives. when it comes to fresh taste, nothing else tastes like philadelphia. when i lay in my tempur-pedic contour- the next thing i know it's morning. with tempur-flex you've got the spring and bounce of a traditional mattress and it also adjusts to my body. my cloud feels... it's like somebody's hugging you. how can a bed do that? (vo) there's a tempur-pedic for everyone. i'm going to share a photo of my eggo waffle when it pops up. that's so interesting honey because i'm going to share a photo of my eggo waffle when it pops up. (whispers) l'eggo my eggo anncr: golden crispy, warm and fluffy eggo waffles.

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. we're back at 7:42 with some concerns over security and privacy. >> the government's legal battle with apple over access to an iphone used by one of the san bernardino shooters is not the only dispute of its kind. there is one with the provider of the world's largest messaging system. tom costello is on the story for us. >> good morning. millions of americans have it. instant messaging service called what'sapp.

device to exchange text messages across countries. it's designed so nobody else, including the company or law enforcement, can read the traffic. federal investigators trying to act in a criminal case are stumped. >> reporter: it's the most popular mobile messaging system in the world, boasting 1 billion users. one of the advantages? convenience. >> i used it to talk to my friends that went to study aboard. >> text on what'sapp, and your boyfriend or girlfriend doesn't know it. >> reporter: everything is encrypted and not made readable again until the person on the receiving end opens it up. facebook, the company that owned what'sapp, cannot read the messages, either while they're sent or afterward. when police come with a court order to tap into the messages, what'sapp cannot respond by de-coding them. the fbi has been calling that part of the going dark problem. now, president obama is adding his voice.

strike the balance that we have lived with for 200, 300 years. >> reporter: the co-founder of facebook says the company works hard to keep terrorist material off social media. but when it comes to making all our communications secure, even so secure the police cannot read them, mark zuckerberg says that's how technology is evolving. >> i don't think requiring back doors into encryption is going to be an effective way to increase security, or is the right thing to do. >> reporter: what does it mean for users? unless congress acts, say the experts, it probably means more privacy privacy. >> it's going to be difficult to find some middle ground, where our data is secure and, yet, law enforcement can access it. >> the justice department still trying to decide how to proceed in a criminal investigation they've been unable to get past the what'sapp encryption that leaves law enforcement in the dark. back to you. >> tom costello, thank you.

what's next for harrison ford? obviously, indiana jones. carson is in the orange room. jenna got the man behind "hamilton" to do some rapping for us. >> nice. >> get a taste of that after this. (vo) when i first took jake home we ate anything. until i decided we both needed to eat better. now jake gets purina cat chow naturals indoor a nutritious formula for indoor cats with no artificial flavors. it helps to control hairballs and maintain a healthy weight. so these days, we're both eating better. naturally!! purina cat chow. nutrition to

(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.

(clucking noises) everyone wants to be the cadbury bunny because only he brings delicious cadbury creme eggs. while others may keep trying, r nobunny knows easter better than cadbury.

we are. milk has 8 grams to help give you energy to unleash your potential. start every day with milk' s protein and milk life. i have asthma... ...one of many pieces in my life. so when my asthma symptoms kept coming back on my long-term control medicine, i talked to my doctor and found a missing piece in my asthma treatment. once-daily breo prevents asthma symptoms. breo is for adults with asthma not well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. breo won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. breo opens up airways to help improve breathing for a full 24 hours. breo contains a type of medicine that increases the risk of death from asthma problems and may increase the risk

children and adolescents. breo is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide if you different asthma control medicine, do not take breo more than prescribed. see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. could be a missing piece for you. see if you're eligible for 12 months free at mybreo.com. 7:49. believe it or not, jenna bush hager is rapping with carson over in the orange room.

the creator of "hamilton" the musical lin-manuel miranda went viral with this clip, free styling with the president. jenna, you sat down and talked with him about his upbringing, success of the show and the recent grammy. it didn't stop there. >> i couldn't let the genius leave before a free style challenge. he had a challenge for me. >> the president gave me a beat. will you beat box for me, jenna bush? >> oh, no. can you beat box for us? >> no. you've got to do it. >> all you have to do is go -- nice and slow. >> maybe you shouldn't do it. >> i told you! >> maybe not. >> i know. >> you gave it a shot. >> i gave it a shot. actually, we did do it. he taught me a secret. can you beat box? >> a little bit, but not much.

he said, go. i think i have a career coming up. >> you'll see the full sbeer interview next hour, as well as a "today" show rapped. >> he rimed matt lauer with something i never thought of. >> that's the next half hour. >> look forward to that. thank you very much. >> jenna sent me a picture of her with lin-manuel miranda. jealous, she said? yes, i am. >> all of us are. we'll have a revealing conversation with jennifer garner when she stops by studio 1 1a to talk about faith, family and a new film. hi i'm kristie and i'm jess and we are the bug chicks. we are 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. (laughs) 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. (laughs) you put a big bug in

and change their world view. (laughs) ever since jim signed up for lowe's personalized lawn care plan, i've been up on my hind legs trying to get a better view of his grass. it's so beatif - aghh! cramp! cramp! my tiny unicorn legs can't take it. now get 20% off pennington smart seed, at lowe's. hi, i'd like to make a dep-- scanner: rescan item. rescan, rescan. rescan item. vo: it happens so often you almost get used to it. phone voice: main menu representative. representative. representative. vo: which is why being put first... relax, we got this.

getting used to. join the nation. nationwide is on your side representative. jane' s always on the move. luckily her light & fit protein smoothie can keep up with her. packed with 12grams of protein and no added sugar. so she can watch her calories and where she' s going. light & fit feel free to enjoy. seresto makes it easy to help protect your dog or cat from fleas and ticks. with the performance you expect from a monthly topical in a non-greasy collar... seresto kills and repels fleas and ticks for 8 continuous months. seresto

soup and sandwich and cannonballs and clean and real and looking good and sandwich and soup and a new personal best. and a little help and soup and sandwich and study group. good, clean food pairs well with anything. try the clean pairings menu. at panera. food as it should be. i know how it is. you're all set to book a flight using your airline credit card miles. and surprise! those seats sometimes cost a ridiculous number of miles, making it really hard to book the flight you want. luckily, there's a better way... with the capital one venture card. with venture, you'll earn unlimited double miles on every purchase, every day. and when you're ready to travel, just book the flight you want,

the cost. now you're getting somewhere. what's in your wallet? 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 ]

announcer: local, live, late breaking. this is a wesh 2 news update. jazmin: good morning, i'

jazmin: i' m jazmin walker. we have updating news on the road. ted: i-4 westbound is a mess. we have solid traffic going before lake mary all the way to just after one of those multivehicle -- multivehicle crash at kaylee. i-4 westbound run the maitland area. that is still block me right lane getting from seminole and orange, 18 miles worth of congestion. the drive from lake mary to lee is about 25 minutes slower than usual if usually go from that' s restaurant in morning. westbound from seminole rest area to colonial will cost to 45 minutes slower than average. the earlier deadly crash on u.s. 192 at four wins has cleared. he went on 50 at fort chris -- for christmas still under investigation. amy: we are dealing with fog for your morning commute, a lot of low cloudiness. it is grant gloomy with reduced visibility. orlando is at 69. the dew point is at 67. when those numbers are close together it means lots of moisture in the air.

of a mile in the -- ocala the villages. a quarter of them out is how you can see in palm coast. as the fog lifts we will start to get a little sunshine and are temperatures will climb. we are in the upper 60' s and headed to the upper 80' s again this afternoon. like yesterday, most of us will be in the upper 80' s. if you spot it even hit 90 degrees with a little bit of sun today and also those wins coming out of the west. we have got some rain and forecast, a little bit tomorrow. 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

it's 8:0 0 0 on "today". dr. oz on the new move by the cdc to limit painkiller abuse and what to ask your doctor if you need a prescription. garnering attention. movie star and mom jennifer garner stops by studio 1a to talk about faith, fame and family. then all hail "hamilton." jenna bush hager goes one on one with lin-manuel miranda, the man behind the hottest show on

rapping at the white house oval office, oh my gosh, i can't believe i'm there >> to rapping about our house. "today" show, playing with my poker face, my al roker face >> today, wednesday, march 16th, 2016. >> united states navy ser ceremonial guard. boo-yah, navy! >> we came all the way from tampa, florida, to get a selfie with carson daly. >> it's his birthday. >> we're on our babymoon! >> hi. >>. >> we're back at 8:00, wednesday morning, the 16th day of march in the year 2016.

the plaza on a day that really feels like we're turning a corner a bit. although i think we're going back down. >> not quite as low as it's been, but it'll remind us we're not quite done with winter. >> spring comes what, on sunday? >> saturday, baby. >> let's enjoy this nice weather while it lasts. coming up, we have k aitlin and john, who will get a big fat today wedding next week. we'll be picking their ring today. let's go inside. natalie has a check of all the top stories of the morning. >> good morning. once again, we begin with breaking news. president obama has made his decision on a supreme court nominee. the president is announcing his choice at a rose garden ceremony this morning. senate republicans warned the president that they would not consider his pick during an election year. a vacancy opened up on the high court with the death of justice antonin scalia last month.

clinton in the tuesday primaries puts her in the lead for the democratic nomination. on the republican side, a good night for donald trump. still not enough to pull away from what is left of the field. hallie jackson is live with us in houston this morning. good morning. >> good morning, natalie. this morning, the bottom line is this, hillary clinton's great night has bernie sanders promising to fight to stay in. marco rubio is out. while donald trump is more than halfway to the number he needs to get the republican nomination, john kasich's big win in ohio makes it more likely this race will last through the summer. >> this was an amazing evening. >> reporter: trump surrounded by ballroom. he was beat in ohio by john kasich kasich. ready. >> neither cruz nor trump can win the general election. they can't come into ohio with

win. >> reporter: the ohio governor planning to stay in this race through a contested convention, to get out. >> the longer kasich stays in the race, the more it benefits donald trump. you? >> no. because unlike kasich, our campaign, number one, has beaten donald trump over and over and over again. >> reporter: for marco rubio, far from the finish he wanted. suspended. >> reporter: ending his campaign where he started it, florida. >> the politics of resentment against other people won't leave us just a fractured party but a fractured nation. >> reporter: taking a subtle dig at trump on his way out. hillary clinton doing the same in her victory speech. >> we're not going to succeed by dividing this country between us and them. >> reporter: an eye on the general election after a big night.

other states. >> we are moving closer to securing the democratic party nomination and winning this election in november! >> reporter: while she has an almost insurmountable delegate lead, sanders isn't giving up. >> next week, arizona has a very important election. we will win if the voter turnout is high. >> sanders looking ahead to a possible contested convention on the democratic side. same for the republicans. kasich talked about it, natalie. right now, everybody is looking to the next contests in arizona west. >> hallie jackson in houston, thank you. a dramatic about face in ferguson, missouri. the city council on tuesday voted unanimously to accept a federal overhaul of the police force and court system. the killing of a black teenager by a white police officer in

protests and fueled the black lives matter movement. flooding wiping out homes in the south and storms racing across the midwest. eight feet of water swamped deweyville, texas, overnight. more than 1,000 people have been ordered to evacuate. many lost everything to the flooding. in illinois, huge, swirling tornadoes, plus pounding hail, literally the size of golf balls as you see there. a cool-headed cop saved a driver from getting crushed by a train in ohio. the officer's dashcam captures the drama here. he pulls up just as a van is caught on the tracks in brook park, ohio. he can hear the train in the distance and waves the driver away. as soon as the men reach safety, the train crushes the car. thankfully, all got away safely. major health news. the cdc issuing new guidelines

opioid abuse is a disturbing epidemic. more than 40 people die a day from overdoses. since 1999, the overall number stands at more than 165,000. a whopping 4 million or 4.3 million americans say they've used opioids for non-medical uses in the last month. dr. oz is here with what you need to know about the powerful painkillers. always good to see you. what took the cdc so long? people have been screaming about this for years. >> for the last 15 years, we've been telling doctors to wake up. there are people in pain. we'd make pain the fifth vital sign. we were pushed to describe pills for the many who had pain. tens of millions grieving because they've lost loved ones due to drugs, it seems like a long time. we're working with the medical groups on this. as much as i pride on what the cdc has done, we have to rely on the viewers. they have to move medicine in

>> look for alternatives. let's look at your tips. first of all, before you go for medications, consider exercise and physical therapy. >> i'll give you a fact to prove this. when people in relationships develop back pain, they recover kovr cover slower than those who are single. you don't have to get moving if you have your loved one. it's the root cause. >> opioid en opioids are powerful prescription drugs and you want people to think about over-the-counter medications. >> surprisingly, narcotics make the pain worse by making you more sensitive. over the counter, the tylenol, ibuprofen, motrin. over the counter solutions work short term and long term. i'm a heart surgeon. i prescribe narcotics. i never want to give them more than three days, which is what the cdc is saying. no more than three the seven.

if i open your chest, it can work with you if you have elbow pain. >> the goal isn't zero pain. >> we're getting evidence that -- this is what this is about. >> pain-free, not the goal. >> perfect. you're ahead of me. most people think they want zero pain. you want enough of a life around whatever discomfort you're having. medication reduces by 25% the amount of pain you sense when you're in an experiment. it works the same in real life, as well. let people help you. >> we're out of time there. save our last panel as a mystery panel for the online viewers. doc, we appreciate it. >> one tip, start slow. go slow. push your doctors to give you the least amount of drugs possible. shortest time, as well. >> catch more from him week dayes daye s

wait until you hear what one company is offering new moms and dads. plus, where has that been all these years? a device that could finally make it easier to sleep on a plane. savannah? look who i have in the orange room. jennifer garner. i put two tick tacks in my mouth for when me chatted. >> glorious. >> she said my breath is glor one of the coolpperks of this place

it' s like i' m going to work to get some. alrighty. we just like cereal. we make it, eat it, love it, live it. (laughing) and now in delicious chocolate. i am never getting married. we're never having kids. mmm-mmm. we are never moving to the suburbs. we are never having another kid. i'm pregnant. i am never letting go. for all the nevers in life, state farm is there.

mmmm....mmmm mmm mmm mmmm mmmm, yoplait miracle-gro believes life has a few simple rules. start things off right... in a loving environment and they' ll end up just fine. peppers or kids? yes. miracle-gro. life starts here. i'm phil mickelson, pro golfer. my psoriatic arthritis caused joint pain. just like my moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. and i was worried 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 and help stop further damage. enbrel may lower your

serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders and allergic reactions have occurred. tell your doctor if you've been someplace where fungal infections are common, 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 rheumatologist-prescribed biologic. there are a lot of ways to pack your breakfast with protein. but the most delicious way is to just add milk. new nature valley cereals. at least 10 grams of protein with milk, and a touch of sweetness for three new ways to power you through your day. if you misplace your discover card, you can use freeze it to prevent new purchases on

and once you find it, you can switch it right on again. you're back! freeze it from discover. get it at discover.com. they'll always be our babies. so there will be things to keep us up at night. will they find happiness? reach their potential. stay safe. fall in love. but tonight johnson's can help with a bedtime routine clinically proven to help them fall asleep faster. and stay asleep longer. there will be things to keep us up. but tonight, we sleep. we're back at 8:14. you know what i like to do at 8:14? >> what do you like to do? >> trend. >> we've all made a lot of employees feel the parental

leave something to be desired. some are calling this the absolute perfect way to do it. comes from etsy, the online marketplace. next month, the company will offer male and female employees, get this, 26 weeks of paid parental leave. >> great. >> over two years. about a half year. etsy previously offered 12 weeks of leave. it's offered for any parent, through adoption, surrogacy. eight of the weeks have to be taken continuously in the first six months of the child's life. >> beautiful. >> all that flexibility. >> yeah. >> that's amazing. >> fantastic. >> how many people feel like, you know, it's actually later that you wish you could stay home in a way. >> exactly. >> what's up with that? >> especially if you have another child, too. you want to spend time with them. how about this? we're all shoppers x

could the secret for more affordable clothing be in a different section of the store? one fashion writer profiled shoppers. in a twitter survey, she found 37% admitted to shopping for themselves in the kids' section. the reason could be the fit and the price. as an example, eliza compares two down coats. same brand, same style. the adult size 2 is very similar to children's size 14. the adult cost is more than $1,000. the kids' version, just half of that, about $620. >> wow. >> i've done that. >> you have? >> i have. >> josh and i can wear the same size now. sometimes i'm like, take my coat or i'll take his stuff. >> you wear your kids' jeans, right?

>> do you ever have trouble sleeping on a flight, you have a sore neck? an inventor thinks he has the solution to the problem. this is the patent design. head restraints. it's a strap that lays across your forehead and keeps it in place during the flight. so you don't fall or tilt. no drooling on the side. the design will accommodate earphones. who thinks they know what matt lauer's first objection was to this? >> the germs, for sure. >> the sweat. >> it reminds me of being fitted for the night brace at the orthodontist. >> i'm wearing my head gear, >> yeah, no. >> i like the sketches. they amuse me. >> best part. now why you have to wait to see indiana jones back in action, and what celine dion

>> indiana jones 5 has been confirmed. harrison ford and steven spielberg. it'll be day not coming out until 2017. a lot of people suggested new names. indiana jones and the aarp. indiana jones and the reason he walked into the room. indiana jones and the forbidden bingo hall. thank you, twitter. >> love it. mariah carey giving you a backstage look. she'll star in "mariah's world," following the singer on our world tour and during her wedding preparations. do not call it a reality show. mariah is telling the "new york times" the series is about getting to know her better, not watching her get her nails done. "mariah's world" debuts later this year. ariana grande and what celebrities think about her

she took on, among others, celine dion on "saturday night live" live". right outside the window >> on elvis duran's radio show, ariana was asked what celebrities think of her impressions. >> do the people that you do impressions of contact you and either get mad or say, hey, that was dead on? >> no, no, no, no. >> do they say it was good? >> when i met cal arks celine, she said, when i saw it, i peed. >> everyone says ariana is coming from a place of love. >> spot on. >> amazing. >> jennifer lawrence was amazing. >> thank you so much. weather. >> okey-dokey. we have warm weather for a chunk of the country for now.

for today, we're looking at record-breaking temperatures from virginia to georgia. new orleans, 80. 73 in memphis. here in new york city, we'll get to 63 degrees. by the time we get to friday, the cold air filters back in. minneapolis, you'll be where you should be. chicago is 6 degrees below normal. nashville, 4 degrees. by sunday, new york city, we'll be 14 degrees, about 10 degrees below average. buffalo at amy: good morning central florida, i' m amy sweezey. we are starting off with low clouds, a little haze and fog. we will get sunshine this

>> that's your latest weather. savannah? >> al, thanks. jennifer garner stars in "miracles from heaven." it's a true story told in the 2015 book of a young girl suffering from a rare, incurable disease. her mother, played by garner, searches relentlessly for a solution. >> she's not lactose intolerant. there is something wrong. >> calm down. >> you calm down! you find me another doctor. you run more tests. i'm not leaving this hospital until i know what's wrong with my daughter. >> jennifer garner, good morning. >> good morning. >> you know how they used to give star ratings to a movie. like three, four, five-star? this tish move -- movie needs a tissue rating. >> right? it's an emotional movie.

>> this is a true story. it's based on christy beam's book "miracles from heaven," and takes you on the journey her family went through when her daughter became ill. >> it's a medical mystery, then there is a miracle. there is a happy ending. >> yes. >> what did you like about the story? >> i loved -- first of all, i loved getting to know the real family. i fell head over heels for both christy, anna and their other daughters and, of course, kevin. they're real salt to the earth people. i think you have met them, perhaps. >> yeah. >> but they are -- christy was a tireless advocate for her daughter. you really are inspired by who she is as a mom. >> there's a spiritual side to this movie. they are spiritual people. >> right. >> what i liked about it is it's about faith, but it's also about doubt. >> yeah. >> it doesn't sugar coat anything. >> it doesn't. it's not preaching at you at

very important to me. it presents a family for whom faith is an important part of their journey, but it's not saying, you know, you have to believe a certain way to have anything. >> do you find going through this movie and living through it, did you find that your own perspective on things changed at all? >> i mean, it's not something that i have ever spoken about before this film, so i still feel a little -- but i grew up going to church every sunday. i took, you know -- ben and i took our kids home to west virginia to be baptized in my family's church. the thing about this film is it encouraged me to re-engage. just participating -- not just believing but participating in raising my children so they have the same backgrounds that my parents gave my siblings and me. >> you're playing christy beam, and she was there.

have done in this situation? >> are you kid mega? ding me? >> before a scene, i'd text her, did you say this? what would you do? i said, what do you take in your coffee? what hymns do you listen to? i used her as a cheat sheet. >> what do you want people to take away from the movie? she has an interesting message about what miracles are. >> i hope that people see this film and leave feeling hopeful, leave feeling encouraged and feeling like they can put one foot in front of the other and get through something really, really tough. it's a love story between a mother and a daughter. >> i was thinking, i have like zero tolerance for any story that has anything bad happening to kids. >> agreed. >> you have daughters, too. it must have been wrenching to go through it. >> it was. it was wrenching to go through it, absolutely. but i didn't have to look far or very deeply to remind myself

i was pretending. there are moms sitting in hospital rooms right now all over the world watching their children suffer through something unimaginable. it was the least i could do, was pretend for christy. >> another part of this is that you happen to be going through a hard time in your own life as you were shooting this film. >> mm-hmm. >> i think so many people just adore you, jennifer. >> oh. >> i think they just want to know how you're doing. >> oh, thank you. >> if they could give you a hug, i think they would. >> that's kind. people have been so kind to my whole family, and we really do appreciate it. but you know what, we're doing really well. thank you. the kids are great. they'll be getting up and going to school soon. ben is there, and he'll be taking them. we will make it work. >> seems like you're working hard at that. it's not easy to go through something like that in the public eye. >> you know what, it's not easy to go through it, period. i have found going through it in

just another facet of it. for anyone, when your life shifts in any way, it's tricky enough. but i have found people to be so warm and loving, that it hasn't been nearly as bad as you might imagine. >> jennifer garner, great to see you. "miracles from heaven."he announcer: local, live, late breaking.

jazmin: good was in mourning, i' m jazmin walker. jason: on jason guy. let' s get you breaking traffic news. here' s ted noah and the traffic center. ted: i-4 is a gridlock. these delays start at lake mary little bit before that and outside until downtown orlando. a live picture right now is westbound off to the side at maitland that was talking for a while. you can kind of see in the left side that is the remains of a multivehicle crash that happened on i-4 westbound around kaylee. the drive from seminole rest area to colonial will cost you big at 67 minutes. the 408 westbound is impacted by all the delays in downtown orlando. a drive from the dean road toll plaza will cost you 22 minutes slower than usual. gray and gloomy is the story. amy: blocking out the buildings. temperatures are in the upper 60'

the dew points are close to that. there' s a lot of moisture. we are going to get an improvement, visibility has come up a little bit in several spot. two miles and palm coast, a mile and a half in daytona beach. three quarters of a mile in leesburg. a warm start, we will climb again today into the upper 80' s near 90 degrees. we are going to cease and sunshine as soon as his fog lift.

i've been waiting all day 8:30 now. it's wednesday, march 16th, 2016. one day before st. patrick's day. always reminds me of my irish grandma. beautiful day out on the plaza. nice and warm.

>> coming up, it's been a very big week for lin-manuel -- >> miranda. >> the creator and, of course, the star of "hamilton." first he was at the white house with the president. now, he is taking on jenna bush hager. we'll find out how that went in a little while. plus, it's time to pick the rings for our wedding couple. we'll have a classic option. these days, there are exciting new trends when it comes to rings, as well. also, we are proud parents. our puppy with a purpose, wrangler, passed his ift test on tuesday. he's acquired the skills he needs to start his formal guide dog training. he'll be starting with a new training for five months before paired with someone he will be assisting. wrangler, way to go, buddy. >> we miss you, buddy. >> he'll hear that hat the next five months. we just interviewed jennifer garner and i said the movie

she said it opens today. "miracles in heaven" opens today. >> i think she might know. it's her movie. >> that's right. check of the weather? >> we're looking at wet weather in the pacific northwest. also a few showers moving to the northeast later today. lots of sunshine along the eastern seaboard with warm temperatures. 85 in l.a. and high surf advisories. for tomorrow, wet weather through the gulf coast. some areas dealing with flooding. we'll be watching that closely. light snow showers in the inner mountain region. west coast, sunshine. beautiful day tomorrow in seattle. 58 degrees. 61 in portland, oregon. that's what's going on around ro amy: good morning central florida, i' m amy sweezey. we are starting off with low clouds, a little haze and fog. we will get sunshine this

>> that's your latest weather. what's your name? >> taylor. >> 21 today? >> yes. >> what are you doing to celebrate your birthday? >> going to see "hamilton." >> you'll see lin-manuel miranda tonight? >> yeah, i'm excited. >> we have a preview coming up now. >> all right. >> happy birthday. >> thank you. >> that is the hottest ticket in town. >> "hamilton" has taken broadway and the country by storm. the fever reached the white house. jenna bush hager is one lucky lady. she caught up with and met the man behind it all. good morning. >> it was the best. my husband thinks i may leave him for lin-manuel. let's say i would, and he'd understand.

if you've heard the soundtrack, you know "hamilton" is remarkable. lin-manuel miranda is changing the face of broadway. he's also making changes on a bigger stage. >> reporter: the grammy-winning, hardest ticket in town, broadway hit musical that's blown the country away. >> "hamilton." >> reporter: "hamilton" tells the story of alexander hamilton, founder father, depicted by a diverse cast who performs mainly in hip hop and rap. if the i'm a big shot >> reporter: lin-manuel miranda wrote the play and music and stars as the lead. growing up in the washington heights neighborhood of new york city, miranda related to hamilton, an immigrant from a caribbean island.

making "hamilton" into a musical is i realized he left his island in the caribbean because he had a chance at education. my dad did the same thing, got a full ride to nyu. >> reporter: miranda's family comes from puerto rico and some of his happiest memories was time spent there. >> my grandfather was the manager of the bank there. my grandmother ran a travel agency. i ran the slushy machine. it was this vibrant town, even as a kid. >> reporter: his parents came to new york in search of a better life. >> when you watch your son win a grammy, perform at the white house, lobby on congress, can you believe you raised him? >> no. i sort of pinch myself all the time. it's the american dream. >> you're doing something that the protagonist of your play, your musical, would have done, alexander hamilton.

it's interesting, my dad is in politics, and so i think when, you know -- you may be familiar with this -- when your dad does something, maybe it's not the most interesting thing in the world for you. >> i've never heard anything like that. >> so i have a lifetime of cynicism about politics but when there is a crisis like this, it's all hands on deck. these are american citizens in puerto rico, and they're suffering. >> today, we're going to talk about puerto rico. >> reporter: he spent tuesday lobbying congress to raise awareness about the island's desperate financial crisis. >> we're in danger of losing the people who make puerto rico great. >> reporter: he also took his shot all the way to the president. free style rapping in the rose garden. constitution, the potus, i'm free styling, you know this >> reporter: we couldn't let the king of free style leave without a "today" rap of our own. holding up the sign for puerto rico here to get relief for my

savannah guthrie, always up, no doubt playing with my poker face, my al roker face i got the weather and what's going on outside "today" show, waving outside with pride i'm coming from all parts of the world matt lauer, and oh, yeah, running around like jack bauer trying to get relief and save the country for my people viva, puerto rico >> all right. >> matt lauer and jack bauer. not sure i see the collection. >> he didn't know you were going to ask that? >> in fact, on the way to the poster board? i have a game to play. if you don't think he had enough on his plate, he was in the white house testing the educational curriculum for "hamilton." they're spending 20,000 kids to go see the show and do work afterwards. >> they should be going. great that they're going. >> complete education. >> they're doing so much outside

>> he made it back for the show last night. >> wow. >> by the way, it's a three-hour show. >> you never look at your watch. >> never. >> i have to give this parenting advice. i said to his father, how did you raise a genius? he said, i let him be. i thought, gosh, i need some work. >> i know i'll hear it when i get home. pop, let me be. up next, we'll get ready for our big fat today wedding. we're choosing our couple's ring.

make we wanna say i do we're back at 8:40. more of our countdown to our big fat today wedding. you voted for our couple's dress and tux on tuesday. this morning it's all about the rings. in 2016, there are pretty exciting new trends. >> reporter: wedding bands

commitment, happy en ily ever after. out, simple gold bands or matching your engagement ring. in 2016, it's all about individuality individuality. mixed metals are trending for him and her. so is rose gold. >> looks terrific on everyone's skin tone. >> reporter: for the groom, for many choices from ser ceramic to classic with a twist. black diamonds are? >> a little edgier, more masculine. >> reporter: for the bride, colored stones are hot, so are floral, pave and vintage. >> using motifs, like a floral motif, or vintage styling. all of these are big trends right now. >> reporter: if you're looking for a wedding band this year, pick the one that makes your heart bloom. >> here to add sparkle to our big fat today wedding is editor in chief of "brides" magazine. and, of course, our lovebirds are here. they want to see the choices more than anybody. good morning. >> good morning. >> you got your marriage license

>> what was that like? take pictures? >> so fun. >> it was pictures of us writing everything. >> from every angle. it was fun. >> what has it been like? your friends and family from all over the country must be flipping out that you're about to do this on national tv. >> they're so excited. >> really excited. they can't wait to come. everyone is looking at flights. it's exciting. >> trying to stay at the hotel. big family reunion. >> the wedding is next week. let's pick the rings. we have kia here. we talked about some of the trends. we have three to show. i'll let you do the honors, kaitlin. >> the first trend is all about rose gold. it is the "it" gold of the moment, really of the last three years. we saw it start in the ready to wear world in jewelry and accessories and exploded as a trend. it's everywhere. guys are rocking it now, too. it is official. it is here to stay. here, we have an eternity band

i love that it's a pretty, traditional setting. when you add the roads se gold, it's romantic and adds personality. >> i see that. >> for you, all men, not just you, but the rose gold band is really gaining in popularity. what i love about it, again, is it's a classic band. when you add the rose gold, it's a little unexpected. >> your engagement ring is platinum or gold, can you mix and match the metal? >> totally fine. >> let's go to the next trend. >> it's nice. >> who wants to do the box? >> john, you can do it. >> look at them getting along like a lovely married couple. those are pretty. tell me about these. it's a mix and match thing. >> it is. america is so over matchy. i think we're all happy about that. people want a ring that represents their personality. a lot of times, opposites attract in couples. so what we have here is a vintage-inspired ring.

it is by two by london. the rose cut diamonds, which is a special cut, really makes the ring pop. it gives a special vintage feel. very sparkly. love it. >> yeah. >> his ring? >> we have a super masculine ring. it's black jade, which most people think of jade as green, but the fact it's black is special. paired with sterling silver makes it manly. >> we have a few seconds for the next box. do the honors on the last one. this is the colorful rings. >> oh, my gosh. >> all about diamonds and about colored stones for ladies. the yellow diamonds are super rare and beautiful. three rows of diamonds. for men, there are little black diamonds around the ring. >> you can feast your eyes on that. it's up to mek to america to decide.

help with our wedding planning at today.com/wedding. you have until 5:00 eastern to vote for the ring and the bridesmaid dresses. we're revealing all of the winners on the big day, march 24th. >> yeah. >> so exciting. you don't know what it is yet, do you? >> no. it'll be a surprise. up next, we'll show you the tricks to getting the cheapest gym membership possible. first, this is "today" on

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

8:47. we're back this morning with our consumer confidential series. how do you pick the right gym and can you get a bargain on the sometimes costly memberships? what do you need to know while working out? exercise physiology tom holland is here with answers. good to see you. first, you have to figure out what you want in a gym and then

how easy is that? >> there's never been more gyms. gyms, boutique gyms. there's never been a better time. for competition, more ability to negotiate price. >> i see commercials all the time and they offer deals. can i walk in the gym and ask for a better deal? >> absolutely. initiation. first and foremost, never pay it. it's a negotiatable thing e negotiable thing. >> yeah. 6% 60% of people, after they join, don't come back. that's what they care about. >> january, everybody rushes to a gym. when is the best time to get a great deal? >> the vast majority of people join in january. it'll be harder. when i joined a gym, if you walked in in august, i'll give you a deal because nobody is coming. we need cash and that's a great time. >> when you come up with the amount it'll cost me a year, if i pay you in advance, does that help you and me?

you want cash. if you can pay in advance, do so. you can often get about 10% to 20% discount. if you can pay in cash or a check, great idea, too. at the end, you don't have to fight about getting out with a credit card. >> i like that. they make money of you not showing up. let's say you sign up for a gym, pay your hard-earned money. how hard is it to get out? >> harder than breaking up with a girlfriend or getting divorced. it can be. these contracts are really tough to break. you can -- if you complain hard enough, especially given social media and twitter and facebook, no gym wants bad press. complain hard enough, you can get out. >> you're on a treadmill in a crowded gym, there's a time limit and sometimes the treadmill shuts down at the end of 30 minutes. without making a lot of enemies, how do you get around that? >> i'm an iron man guy, do 20 mile runs. i want full credit at the end.

google the make and model of that piece of cardio. >> one of the things i hear, and it's shocking to me, but people who go to gyms often say, they get their personal belongings stolen. >> yeah. >> even if they're in a locker. how do you avoid that? >> there are professional thieves that will pay $50 gym day passes to rob the lockers, break into the lockers. don't bring anything valuable. if it's in a locker and a lock, doesn't mean it's safe. >> cleanliness. a daily segment with me, cleanliness. what do you have to be careful about in a gym? >> petri dish potentially. that's why i'm not sick, and i've been working at gyms my whole life. wipe down the machine before, send 60 seconds doing that. lifting weights, wear gloves. >> benches and matts and things like that? >> wipe it down if you can. i put a towel down before. taking a class like yoga, bring your own mat. >> better safe than sorry. thank you.

frequent flyer miles. how to make the most of them and earn them without flying. ahead, teach your kids good habits. first on a wednesday morning,

the spring home event is happening now. from classic to contemporary, havertys. >> announcer: today's parenting team is sponsored by johnson. >> 8: 52.

team joined forces with our start today team to create a super team and teach your kids healthy habits. couch team. anyway, jean, jill, joy and jenna, had great ideas. we're checking with the parents to see how it's going. >> we're going to put 30 seconds on the clock. whomever gets the most toys in the bin wins. three, two, one, start the clock! >> one, two, three, four. >> let's play the zip and zoom game. >> zip, zip, zoom. >> i don't like a messy room. i like when it's clean. >> my kids are getting bigger but their toys are getting a lot smaller. if you have a disney xfinity fan, try a christmas ornament organizer. the cleanup around here is a lot easier. >> you want to teach your kids you have to make choices from the time they're little until

you have to live with them. a great way to do it is using board games. >> we have family game night a lot at our house. monopoly is a favorite. it's helped with our math skills. >> helped me do math faster in my head. >> guess what? i'm winning. >> hey! >> we're at $4.85 so far. >> grocery shopping is fun. you add up all the money you spend. >> i want to focus on breakfast. it tends to be a meal, as parents, we have a lot of control over. you want to do a cool spin on something healthy. ice cream breakfast! da, da, da, da, da, da. this is plain yogurt. frozen cherries, frozen peaches and a banana tossed in the blender with cheer roh ios on top.

>> why did you put the peaches in? i don't like the peaches. >> she doesn't like the peaches but she's eating it. >> i prepared muffins, breakfast cookies and the yogurt pops for kids to have. >> are these healthy? because they're surprisingly good. >> as paraphernalia s ents, you're the first example. oh, she sees me moving, she will, too. >> why do you love bouldering? >> it's a good burst of freedom. it's a fun way to do stuff with your family. >> exercising as a family is the best. we love it. >> instead of trying to do my exercise without them involved, i try to incorporate them into it. they loved it. >> the mommy express. >> i love it. big thanks to everybody who took

now we have a new one. are you struggling to get your baby or toddler to sleep? are you at odds with your partner over the best way to do it? cry it out, rock it out, have baby in the bed. you all remember that, right? head to today.com/parenting team. we want to hear your stories and advice. >> sleeping well now, right? >> it was a long road. much more ahead on this wednesday morning. what do you have real quick? >> lots of great stuff. >> announcer: local, live, late breaking. this is a wesh 2 news update. jason: good wednesday morning, i' m jason guy. i' m jazmin walker. investigators are trying to

flames overnight. the 10,000 square foot home was built by the founder of usa today and florida today. the firefighters do not believe it is suspicious. ted: we have slow spots on i-4. we are live westbound from altamonte springs of 436. still hitting the brakes. also getting up my for eastbound at 535 rid a multicar crash there. it is blocking the right lane. so if you' re going to be heading out of the 408, 12 minutes slower than usual 12 -- dean road toll plaza to i-4. westbound' s seminal and george, 35 minutes from lake mary to leave. amy: quite a bit of cloud cover. it is starting to lift so it is more cloudy as opposed to foggy. we are going to see more and more as clouds go away and more sun breaking out. 71 orlando, the wind is calm, but the wind will kick up and the visibility is going to keep improving.

less than a quarter of a mile in ocala. there are some spots dealing with the clouds. temperatures are climbing, upper 60' s and lower 70' s and we will keep going today just like yesterday. we are headed to the upper 80' s, even a couple 90' s. not a lot of 90' s, but a few spots will likely headed. more clouds tomorrow , slightly cooler we invited women to a spa to test a new body wash. hi. welcome. dish soap? you may not feel it but some body washes can contain

oh. on my skin? that's really scary. dove body wash is different. oh yeah. it has only the gentlest cleansers. plus the unique care of nutrium moisture. it's so soft. just made me feel good. this is different. this is caring.

>> it's "live! with kelly & michael." today, from the drama, "empire," jussie smollett. and from the doc series "peat's sakes," holly robinson peete. and zara larsson. all next on "live." [captioning made possible by disney-abc domestic television] >> and now, here are emmy-award winning co-hosts, kelly ripa and michael strahan.