>> he took 50 bullets and he dipped them in pis blood. >> ted cruz slamming the frontrunner. >> easy to say let's make america great again. you can even print that on a baseball cap. >> marco rubio hoping to become the establishment candidate on the day he could knock his one-time mentor jeb bush out of the race. meanwhile, on the democratic side, hillary clinton's huge lead over bernie sanders in nevada, gone. that race too close to call. >> i have a feeling, folks, we're going to make history tomorrow. we're going to win in nevada. >> as bill clinton comes to his wife's defense. >> hillary's opponent talked about how bad i have been. >> we're live with both races. and direct hit. a massive cyclone hitting the

the top winds hitting over 177 miles per hour. and girls with goals! the u.s. women's national soccer team easily beating trinidad in tobago in the tournament. that means they have punched their ticket for rio. today, saturday, february 20th, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> and welcome to "today" on this saturday morning. i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm sheinelle jones alongside dylan dreyer. erica has the day off. >> i spent the week crossing the state. we did columbia and lexington and low country in charleston. few things clear. few undecided votes left there. and people are sick of the

>> and dylan and i were in las vegas. you cannot watch tv. >> i was gambling. you were watching television. >> i did tell her. you can chop it with a knife. >> you can feel it. let's get to the top story. two big votes in the race for president in the presidential primary. polls in south carolina are now open. donald trump is expected to win easily there, but for the rest, there's a heated battle to finish in the top three. for democrats, it is nevada. hillary clinton and bernie sanders are virtually in a dead heat there. that state caucuses later today. we have full coverage on both sides this morning, including an interview in the next hour with senator marco rubio. let's start this morning with nbc's hallie jackson covering the race in south carolina. hallie, good morning. good morning. we are heading into the final push for the first in the south primary where nearly every prove.

it is donald trump raising eyebrows with controversial comments. this morning as republicans blanket the state, the state of play looks like this. donald trump on top, but raising eyebrows at a south carolina rally last night. this time for telling a story about general john pershing to kill a century ago. >> i dipped 50 bullets in pig's blood and they shot 49 of those people. the 50th person, he said you go back to your people and you tell them what happened. >> reporter: according to the rumor tracking web site snopes.com, there is no evidence it ever happened. trump's comments coming the same day over the remarks on iraq. >> i was against it. >> reporter: after highlighting his position on the iraq war,

different. with howard stern before the war. >> are you for invading iraq? >> i guess so. >> reporter: fox news confirming this interview took place after the start of the iraq war. >> looks like a tremendous success from a military standpoint standpoint. >> reporter: the trump campaign responded. quote, mr. trump did not say he supported the war. he commented on the execution of the invasion from a military standpoint one day after it began. now with his comments on ted cruz. cruz hitting back. >> easy to say let's make america great again. you can even print that on a baseball cap. >> reporter: a super pac supporting cruz with robo calls about the confederate flag. cruz campaigning with phil robertson. >> imagine phil robertson as

>> reporter: marco rubio joined by south carolina governor nicki halley halleyilley haley. his campaign warning to watch for quote dirty tricks from cruz today. the two in a ferocious fight for second. jeb bush not far behind. his mother by his side. >> it's amazing. 90 years old. still going strong. >> reporter: in bush country, he is hoping south carolina won't be his last stand. john kasich isn't even in south carolina today. he is in new england looking ahead to the primaries there. ben carson hoping he can surprise folks in this state. it is still donald trump in the headlines and in the editorial pages this weekend. "the wall street journal" as trump to release the tax returns before super tuesday on march 1st. >> hallie jackson in south carolina. thank you. and to the democrats in the

clinton and bernie sanders. today is caucus day in the state. what once looked to be an easy race for clinton is now a dog fight. we have nbc's kristen welker with more. >> reporter: sheinelle, good morning. to put this in gambling terms, hillary clinton once had a straight flush here. now the vermont senator will have a winning hand. these caucuses will have an effect for the rest of the country. it comes down to turn out. hillary clinton and bernie sanders making closing arguments in nevada friday night. >> i have a feelings, folks, we're going to make history. tomorrow we're going to win here in nevada. >> we have a lot of work to do my friends. i think it is a privilege to do this work, but we have to do it together. >> reporter: with the race deadlocked, they spent the final state.

african-americans. all critical to winning here. >> guess what? there's a caucus in nevada. >> so much at stake in the election. one of the more consequential decisions. >> reporter: and the campaign is heating up. hillary clinton accusing sanders of not being a democrat. >> she loved the president. he loves her and all that stuff. we know what that is all about. that is trying to win support with the african-american community. >> reporter: former president bill clinton getting into the game after sanders criticized his aspects of his presidency. >> that campaign has been remarkably fact free. >> reporter: nevada was supposed to be an after thought for clinton. the double digit lead evaporated

and jeff rahlston telling andrea mitchell. >> it could go either way. that is why you see all this activity on the last day. >> reporter: clinton picked up endorsement from congress member james clyburne. it could help here in nevada. if clinton loses here, it would be a devastating loss coming on the heels of new hampshire. if sanders loses, it raises question about his ability to raise the electorate. back to you. thank you. >> and elise jordan and harold ford are here now nbc contributor contributors. thanks for being with us. let's start with donald trump in south carolina. hallie mentioned he described the american general more than a century ago shooting a group of muslims.

>> he took 50 bullets and he dipped them in pig's blood and he had his men load his rifles and he lined up the 50 people and they shot 49 of those people and the 50th person he said you go back to your people and you tell them what happened. and for 25 years there wasn't a problem. >> again, donald trump talking about this american general. over in the philippines. donald trump hurling insults on the trail. now repeating online fables. >> this is consistent with his campaign. celebrating on 9/11 were muslims. no one can point to facts to back this up. the question is how does he fare today?

you want kasich to do well. on. >> what does it look like? >> it has to be a close third. not a blowout third. if cruz and trump split 70% of 20%. that is a problem for the establishment lane. rubio is surging with haley. >> and what happens to trump's campaign if he comes in second or third? considering he is all about winning? >> i think it is a really terrible outcome for trump if that happens. who knows? south carolina polls unreliable. they are done with landlines and phones and half of the people in south carolina are wireless households. going forward, we have to see if cruz is who i actually am concerned with. if he doesn't do well in south

one, but strong second, he will have trouble in the s.e.c. states. >> the southern states. let's talk about jeb bush for a second. we saw jeb bush trot out his brother in the low country. he had his mother comeampaigning yesterday. he pulled out all the stops in south carolina where his father and brother won. if he does not finish well, what happens? >> he will have to think about getting out. and he needs to persuade his donors he should have a shot in the next set of states. otherwise, it is hard to imagine governor bush can convince his donors. south carolina is a great state for the bush family. he brought in his mom and brother. he was hoping he would get the haley endorsement. that increases the pressure. >> he said he was disappointed by it.

>> he still has a lot of money left in that pac. he could sustain it longer. the question is will the establishment not wanting him to get out and open up a lane for someone else. >> and let's talk about the democrats. nevada was considered the western firewall for hillary clinton, if you will. this morning, she is in a dead heat. we were talking behind the scenes this morning. you talk about sports analogies and momentum. how powerful that can be. let's bring in bernie sanders here. he gets this and if this happens, does he have the momentum to take this through? >> it is horrible for hillary if bernie wins nevada. that is panic for the clinton campaign. the campaign has been there longer. i think hillary ultimately will prevail there, but it will be close. not a total win for hillary. >> elise and harold, thank you. >> i need that barber's name in south carolina. >> i will send it to you, my

thank you, both. family and friends say good-bye to the late supreme court justice antonin scalia. his funeral will be held in a few hours after his service to this country was honored on friday. nbc's pete williams is in washington with more. pete, good morning. >> good morning. justice scalia's fineuneral at the basilica of the national shrine of the immaculate conception. the casket was carried past the former law clerks and into the great hall of the supreme court. more than 4,000 people filed past to say their final good-byes after waiting in long lines that wrapped around the building. so long, the court had to say open extra time. president obama and mrs. obama passed by honoring the casket. and a prayer was said at the court friday morning for members of the family and remaining

he will celebrate the mass at the funeral and burial which is a private ceremony. the white house says president obama has been reaching out directly to republican leaders telling them he intends to move ahead with the nomination. the senate democratic leader says it could take a month to name that nominee. at the funeral today, all eight of the supreme court justices will attend along with two retired justices. john paul stevens and david sutter. >> thank you, pete. the island nation of fiji has been slammed by a major cyclone. wind speeds are near 180 miles an hour with gusts of nearly 220. that is equal to a category five hurricane. the capital city is reporting the power is out. the government declared a state of emergency for the next 30

are facing quote an ordeal of the most grave kind. and affluenza teen ethan couch will face a adult court after the probation violation. he fled to mexico which is a violation of probation after he killed four people in a drunk driving crash four years ago. and joseph dylan french is described as armed and dangerous. this security video captures the 16-year-old hitting the female officer over the head. he then grabbed her gun and tried to shoot her. she says that gun failed to fire. french has been in juvenile custody before. now. dylan is here with the check of the forecast. can we talk about what happened

it's the windy city, but this took it to -- >> another level. >> 72-mile-an-hour winds. look at this woman. the poor thing can't stand in winds like that. southwest douglas park with 72-mile-an-hour winds. a category one hurricane has winds up to 74 miles per hour. you see glass breaking on the buildings. trees toppled. power was out in several areas. it was a windy day with the wind warnings in effect. now we will start to see things ease a bit. look at the jet stream. this is more like what you see in april or may. way up to the north. allowing temperatures to warm up significantly. almost the entire country will see temperatures above average today. in the areas in the plains and midwest, 20 to 30 degrees above average. dallas should hit 80 today. springfield, 78. nashville, 67. that is 13 degrees above average.

washington, d.c., 63 degrees today. we are close to 60 in new york city later this afternoon. we stay in the 50s through the midwest as we go through the next several days. new york drops back to the 40s and that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thank you. >> now to the feud with apple and the federal government.

refusing the request because the company is worried about its bottom line. nbc's steve paterson has more. >> reporter: the balance with security and privacy is at the core of the dispute with apple and the federal government. friday before giving the opportunity to respond, federal prosecutors argued a judge should force the tech giant to create a program to crack syed rizwan farook's iphone. senior executives are calling the order a dangerous precedent. likening any software to a nuclear bomb that in the wrong hands could threaten the privacy of millions. >> it is just one phone now, but if you build that pathway, others will come looking for it and you cannot control those people and when they use it for good purposes. >> reporter: but prosecutors call that an overstatement. apple could maintain custody of

require a back door or hack its users. saying the refusal is concerned for its business model and marketing strategy. experts say the brand hinges on privacy and the company needs to fight the order to protect profits. all while billionaire candidate donald trump calls for a boycott. >> let apple open up the phones so we find out where these threats are coming from. i said boycott apple until they do it. boycott them. who cares? >> reporter: the case already under way in the court of public opinion. for "today," steve patterson, nbc news, los angeles. virgin has rolled out its new spacecraft with sir richard branson leading the way. spacecraft unity was unveiled.

tourists to the edge of the space. the first spacecraft broke apart during a test flight in 2014. branson hopes the new test flights can begin in a few months. the u.s. women's soccer team is going to the rio olympics. the team clinched a spot last night at qualifying tournament. they won 5-0. they play for the tournament championship tomorrow. both teams know they are headed to the summer games. >> i don't think anyone ever seriously doubted team usa. a look back at the week's biggest stories and the 18-year-old arrested and accused of pretending to be a doctor. plus, why some in miami are urging police officers to boycott beyonce's upcoming concert.

nbc. talking about being in south carolina during the primaries. the weather is fantastic. >> it will stay fantastic. 60s and partly cloudy skies. >> no excuses. >> when the weather is a mess, it matters. >> yes. keeps folks at home. still to come here on saturday morning on "today," catching you up on the medical headlines from the latest news about zika virus to america's growing problem with it. dr. natalie's in the house.

what you need to cure a or you get eliminated now let's get in formation okay >> a little controversy over beyonce's song "formation."

calling for a boycott. we are back on this saturday morning, february 20th, 2016. look at these folks. a great crowd on rockefeller plaza. we will head outside and say hi to them in a little bit. >> at least 20 degrees warmer than last weekend. >> i would say 60. >> a heat wave. >> it was 1 last weekend. >> it may as well be 90. here is what is making headlines on this saturday morning. a busy day for republicans and democrats. making their final pushes on the primary and caucus day. republicans heading to the polls in south carolina for the primary there. coming up in the next half hour, we will talk live to senator marco rubio about how important today's primary is for him. jared fogle is asking a federal appeals court for a shorter sentence. he was sentenced to 15 years for possessing child porn and paying for sex with underage girls.

not commented. and talk about the tired feet. hundreds of people taking part in ten states annual dance-athon. they started moving and groving yesterday. the day won't stop for 46 hours. the 700 dancers cannot sleep, time. all for a good cause. the money raised benefits pediatric cancer at the hershy's let's start with the recap of the headlines. >> from the big talk on the campaign trail and the latest on other stories. here's what caught our attention. >> the sound you're hearing is the sound of screams coming from washington, d.c. >> nbc's latest national poll showing there's a new frontrunner for the presidential nomination. this as trump spins off his

>> a person who builds walls and not bridges is not christian. >> sanders and clinton are in a dead heat in nevada. and clinton gets booed for attacking sanders at a town hall. >> he doesn't even know what the last two democratic presidents did. and you know what? well, it's true. several down. >> two months after the terror attack that left 14 dead in san bernardino, the iphone used by one of the killers has pitted tech giant apple against the fbi. >> with investigators unable to unlock the popular 5 c like this one, the federal judge ordered apple to create new software to unlock the iphone. >> and tim cook says if it creates the software and it fell in the wrong hands, it could

and a tornado touching down near the rural town of century, florida. to blankets of snow in the east. >> the storm dumped snow and lots of it. fueled by el nio as part of the massive system spanning 1,600 miles up the east coast. >> and in florida, an 18-year-old out on bail after he was arrested and accused of pretending to be a doctor. >> m.d. board exam. i'm not trying to be one. no. >> he does insist he has listed valid credentials. >> i went into steps to take to become where i am now. >> an investigation launched in january after a patient said he stole checks from her and forging them for cash. the teenager would not comment on the accusations in detail. the 58th annual grammy awards celebrated the music's biggest stars. kendrick lamar taking home best

o that paid tribute to the black lives matter movement. but a highly anticipated appearance by adele was marred by audio glitches. i believe my heart had >> i was embarrassed to wake up the next morning and people saying we still love you. i said i didn't ask you if you still love me. the german short hair. >> the new top dog. >> a german short haired pointer from california best in show. the 3-year-old beat out 2,700 other dogs. >> pretty dog. >> you were at the grammys. >> i was on the red carpet before watching every a-list star walk by me. >> gaga did not? >> she did. she was dressed in her homage to david bowie. to be ten feet from her was incredible. >> you see why sees a star.

that "it" factor. >> she oozed. >> that adele performance. >> i watched it. she said the microphone fell on the piano strings. that made it sound like a guitar and out of tune. >> her voice. i'm sensitive to that. she's adele. and she still did an amazing job. >> absolutely. >> we still love her. although she doesn't care. let's get another check of the forecast. >> okay. couple of scattered showers and storms possible through the ohio river valley. that's it. you see the specs of green? the scattered showers. we will see isolated and stronger storms later today. brief heavy downpour and lightning. not a lot of severe weather. a marginal risk as this cold front moves to the east. this will cool temperatures down. ahead of it, the very gusty winds like what we saw in

elsewhere, we are looking at temperatures to be about 15 to 30 degrees above average. 50s and 60s up the east coast. 70s and 80s through the plains. temperatures will be above average pretty much and that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thank you. just ahead, have you ever noticed you and your spouse always seem to get sick when

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but you know i think you own too much. gotta manage your risk. an honest opinion is how edward jones makes sense of investing. announcement: this storm promises to be the biggest of the decade. with total accumulation of up to three feet. roads will be shut down indefinitely. and schools are closed. campbell's soups go great with a cold and a nice red. made for real, real life. we are back on a saturday morning. guys, it's time to trend. >> time to trend. >> here's the question for all the parents. when your kid comes home with a

do both parents get sick? >> all the time. >> new research shows having a child changes your immune system. a study in the journal found that having a kid radically rewires the immune system of both parents by 50% because they are exposed to a wide range of germs and bugs. i believe that. i just had a thought. for the first time last night, i didn't eat off my little guy. he is eating rice krispy treats. i said let me have a bite. i thought -- >> you are dirty. >> i'm going to pass. >> that's gross. is it your rewiring or is it catching a cold? i'm with you. with the 12 kids that you have in your house. >> always a runny nose.

runny noses are part of life. there's a new twist on one stop shopping. tuna? tattoos anyone? it could happen thanks to whole foods. that company launching a smaller chain of stores called 365. the stores will be aimed at shoppers on a budget. whole foods adding a variety of vendors to set up shop in the stores. some of the rumored stores, fashion retailers and tattoo parlors. in a statement, whole foods is happy about the buzz, but we have not officially announced any friends of 365 partners. we anticipate making these announcements very soon. it sounds like a high end walmart. and scientists in london may have sound a simple cure for throbbing headaches. a pencil. grab one. it is as easy as it sounds. they found holding a pencil

relaxes muscles in the jaw and that eases tension. you are supposed to bite down on it. >> i am. >> does it help you relax? did you used to bite down on pencils as a kid? i did. >> you know what helps a headache? a little water. a little tylenol. and ronda rousey apologizeing for a photo. popstart. >> i'll channel sheinelle this morning. >> that's the dance. you got that. a legal battle that rocked the music industry. the singer keisha left the courthouse after a judge ruled against her request to be released from the contract with sony. the deal specifyies she work alongside dr. luke.

lawsuit against the producer whose name is lucas gobwald for sexually assaulting her and drugging her. the lawsuit is called defamatory. weird situation for her there. to a potential boycott on beyonce. the miami fop is getting in formation. members of the miami chapter of the national police union voted to boycott the april 26th show at the marlins stadium where she is slated to kickoff her tour. the reason is she used this year's super bowl to divide americans with her black panthers and anti-police message. the miami move comes after praise and protest of the singer for the performance where her dancers wore black berets and belted ammunition. and ronda rousey early they are week post the this picture promoting her appearance on "the

fans in the noticed the picture was retouched to make her arm slimmer. ronda is known for positive body image. apologizing to fans and showing the original and retouched photo. ronda said this goes against everything i believe. i'm proud of ever inch of my body. i will assure you it will never happen again. >> i spent time with her last year for a story. that was one of the things she talked mostly about. she was very proud of being a big girl and healthy girl. >> i believe her on that one. up next, another round of would you rather. let me get my pen. i'm nervous. a lot of anticipation. we will see what the producers have in store for us this with advil liqui-gels, you'll ask what body aches? what knee pain? what sore elbow? what joint pain? advil liqui-gels are so fast,

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evelyn likes to dance. harriett wants her fried shrimp as well. alice anne likes vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup and rainbow sprinkles. they give me so much back. i can't even imagine how i could possibly give them what they give me. we're back on a saturday morning here with another round of would you rather. >> it's so far away. >> dug deep to come up with the questions. >> 60 seconds on the clock. >> we start with sheinelle. >> would you rather go about your normal day naked,

year. no, i'd rather go about any normal day. i would have to suck it up. >> work? >> rather than miss a year of life? you would rather miss a year? a lot in a year. you just going to have to see me. >> you come to work naked. don't do that dance. >> hello! >> would you rather be trapped in an elevator with a bunch of wet dogs or trapped in a group of people with horrible breath? wet dogs. >> would you rather live without music or live without tv? >> don't forget what you do. >> oh, i'd rather live without music. >> right answer. >> otherwise i'd have no job. >> would you rather be forced to say everything on your mind or never speak again? >> i think you would say. >> please don't. >> still to come, why americans still are not getting enough sleep on a daily basis.

>> and what you can do to help fix that.

>> this is "today" on nbc. still to come on "today," the latest on south carolina and nevada on the big voting day and we will talk to marco rubio. and plus, targeting big rigs for millions of dollars in stolen goods. how you could pay the price for

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good morning. super saturday. all eyes on nevada and south carolina today with two high stakes presidential contests in those states.

democrats preparing to caucus in nevada later today. so much at stake in nevada. while in south carolina, it's an all-out push to get people to the polls. we'll talk live to republican candidate senator marco rubio. direct hit. a huge cyclone equal to a category five hurricane makes landfall on fiji. the monster storm packing winds of more than 175 miles per hour. the entire area under a state of disaster. it will be hours before the full scope of the damage can be seen. and girls with goals. a big win for team usa handily beating trinidad and tobago 5-0 at the olympic qualifying tournament. that means the ladies are headed to the olympics. today, saturday, february 20th, 2016. all you have to go and make me like you >> trip from maryland. >> it's my birthday.

>> running the central park marathon tomorrow and it's her birthday. >> is it a he or a she? >> it's a girl! >> it's my first time in new york and we're from rhode island. >> i'm turning 9 in new york. >> welcome back to "today" on saturday morning. a growing crowd on the plaza. >> it feels like april. >> we will get out there in a bit. south carolina. that state, of course, near perfect in picking the eventual gop nominee. >> no doubt about it. a big day for both south carolina with the republican primary and nevada for the democratic caucuses. we have you covered on both sides. in a moment, we will speak with candidate senator marco rubio. first with hallie jackson with the republican race. good morning. >> good morning.

in the last hour as candidates get ready for the push in the first in the south primary. donald trump looking to dominate. he is raising eyebrows with controversial comments. a story he told at a rally last night about general john pershing shooting muslims with bullets coated in pig's blood. >> he said he took 50 bullets and he dipped them in pig's blood and they shot 49 of those people and the 50th person he said you go back to your people and you tell them what happened. and for 25 years, there wasn't a problem. >> trump trying toake a point about military toughness. rumor tracking web site snopes.com found no evidence to

trump amping up attacks after the position on israel. cruz trying to fight off marco rubio for the second place position. rubio's campaign warning its supporters of potential dirty tricks from cruz today. and then guys, you have jeb bush hoping south carolina will not be his last stand as we look ahead to a very busy day voting sheinelle. >> hallie, thank you. >> senator marco rubio is in south carolina this morning. he joins us live for an exclusive "today" show interview. >> good morning. >> as we just heard, donald trump yesterday, last night down in south carolina making the controversial comments about the general rounding up muslims and shooting them in pig's blood. what do we make the of sentiment? >> it is bizarre.

i hope people were offended by that. that's not what the united states is about. it is doubtful that ever happened. i never heard that story before. so, look, we're in a very weird year here. people are saying whatever they want in politics today and there seems to be no accountability. we will focus on our message. we will have a debate over this issue in the next few days. the presidency is a serious job. especially now more than ever. i hope we can focus on the serious aspect of it and not the circus aspect. >> with that said, evangelicals are a large voting block in south carolina. yet, donald trump is leading in the polls. what is your thought on why trump is leading the evangelicals and what is your message to them? >> first of all, let's see what happens today. that's the poll that counts. who cares what somebody said years ago.

voters. evangelical voters care about the freedom and live out the teachings of our faith. they want our culture to reflect the jeo culture values. they care about the national security. they also work. they have young children and young adults in their family. they care about the cost of going to college and health care and everything else that matters. our message is the same for everyone. we will return to the principles of limited government and free enterprise and strong national defense. if we do that, america has a chance to be better than it has ever been. if we don't, we are the first americans to leave our kids worse off than ourselves. >> senator, jeb bush, you know his brother campaigned for him in the low country. he had his mother campaigning for him as well.

he lost endorsement of governor haley. how is it that you beat jeb bush and knock him out of the race for good? >> we don't deal with that. that's not the way we deal with it. i have tremendous admiration for the bush family and him. i'm not in this race to prevent him from winning. i'm in this race because i want to be president of the united states. you can go on my web site marcorubio.com. you can see why i'm running. i wish him the best. i still have tremendous personal respect and affection for him and his family. he is a great governor of florida and great man. we will see how it turns out today. >> senator, a lot of folks talking about the endorsement you picked up from governor haley and tim scott as well. you have a lot of republicans backing you. if you don't finish in the top

that considered a loss for your campaign? >> no, i think we need to remember this is a crowded field. there are six people running full scale campaigns here. that is usually not the case. by the time you get to south carolina, four years ago, everyone knew it was down to mitt romney and newt gingrich. you have five full-time campaigns and john kasich has been in and out of the state and he was second in new hampshire. this is a very different election from any other year. we saw that after new hampshire. we will see a bit after south carolina. i think once you get the race down to two or three people, you will have a much clearer more traditional campaign. until then, states like this will be important. for a lot of people, it is about whether you can go on. we are leaving here tonight and be in nashville, tennessee and nevada tomorrow. we feel good about the weeks to come. >> senator marco rubio in columbia, south carolina. senator, thank you for your

>> thank you. thank you. let's turn to the democrats now. hillary clinton and bernie sanders are running neck and neck. the stakes are so high. we have kristen welker with more. >> reporter: good morning, sheinelle. secretary clinton and senator sanders spending millions courting african-american voters and latinos. hillary clinton lead has evaporated. clinton topping sanders by 48% to 47%. friday night, both candidates made their closing arguments. >> 10, 20, 30 years from now, people will look back on what happened in nevada and say this was the beginning of the political revolution.

let's get on the path. let's win this election. let's make sure our country stays on the path of progress and into the future. >> reporter: a win here in the state would be critical for clinton to regain momentum from the loss in new hampshire. for a win for sanders, could prove he is competitive in larger diverse states. sheinelle and craig. >> kristen, thank you. a state of emergency declared on the island nation of fiji as cyclone winston makes landfall. the storm is packing 200-mile-an-hour gusts and high waves with the power of the cat five hurricane. cell phone videos shows houses be battered. a judge refused to delay the deposition of bill cosby's wife. the deposition is part of the defamation case against bill

he defamed them. a fraternity at buffalo state college suspended over a possible hazing death there. the police investigating thing death of the 21-year-old student to determine if something he drank during a hazing ritual was to blame. because of the death, the alpha fi fraternity has been suspend by the school. let's get a check of the weather with dylan. >> maybe southern florida with below average temperature. you see the jet stream off to the north. the next storm system developing through the midwest as temperatures in the 70s. we are looking in the northeast for highs in the 50s and 60s. we will see the next storm system drag in the warmer air. it will be rain up and down the east coast. here it is getting together back through the rockies into monday. we will start to see it produce rain and severe storms along the

and that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thank you. now to a story of highway robbery. some new video shows thieves targeting the big trucks. it turns out there are safety concerns with what they are stealing inside because it would wind up in your medicine cabinet or table. scott freedman from kxas in dallas has more. scott, good morning. >> reporter: craig, good morning.

trailer full of cargo to net thieves $1 million for more. we have exclusive video showing the scope of the crimes and how it is costing us money and why police are struggling to keep up. along the america's highways. 18 wheelers have become million dollar targets for a new breed of bandits fueling a massive black market industry. >> they are running a business. the business is to steal the stuff. >> reporter: a business so big the bad guys now have warehouses that look like walmart. >> all the stuff you want for christmas is what they want. >> reporter: police in grand prairie, texas discovered the shipping center run by a suspected cargo theft ring. palates of soft drinks and other popular products taking by an organized group accused of stealing by truck. others break into trailers. in the video from travelers insurance, thieves use a bolt

and go shopping in search of items they can sell. >> these folks are smart. >> reporter: investigator phillip harris has seen it all. a truckload of stolen cowboy boots. stolen diet supplements. the most popular are beverages and food. investigators intercepted stolen beef bound for a black market. >> those who steal it, do they care about the date it expires? no. >> reporter: experts say stolen food and drugs are often sold online and at mom & pop stores putting unsuspecting customers at risk. companies that lose cargo pass on the cost charging consumers higher prices. the worst hot spots are los angeles, dallas, chicago, miami. despite the big losses across the country.

statewide cargo theft task force. many local police departments don't have investigators with special training to work cargo gas cases. >> there is low risk that you jurisdiction. >> reporter: so companies are turning to low jack. they track it from a command >> 24/7/365. >> reporter: using technology to track the truck if it veers from its route. and bait trailers wired with cameras to catch crooks in action. >> the best thing you can do is keep the cargo moving. >> and on the road, truckers are avoiding extra stops. >> i'm looking for suspicious vehicles that may have been following me for quite a while. >> reporter: a problem along most major highways costing billions.

we have to fix the problem. >> investigators tell us some cargo thieves stake out warehouses and follow drivers leaving for miles waiting for them to make a stop. others break into cargo yards like this on weekends or at other times when business is slow. in one example in texas, thieves targeted a single trailer of amazon packages worth $2.5 million. craig. >> scott, fascinating story. scott, thank you. it is like somebody out of a mob movie. >> it is scary for the driver. yeah. who knew? up next here on "today" on saturday morning, the latest on the zika virus and how you can

at it's a taste so bold, yet so smooth, it could only be called, black silk, from folgers. a taste you could enjoy, fresh brewed, or one cup at a time. black silk, from folgers. to folks out there whose diabetic nerve pain... shoots and burns its way into your day, i hear you. to everyone with this pain that makes ordinary tasks extraordinarily painful, i hear you.

i hear you because i was there when my dad suffered with diabetic nerve pain. if you have diabetes and burning, shooting pain in your feet or hands, don't suffer in silence! step on up and ask your doctor about diabetic nerve pain. tell 'em cedric sent you. this morning in "today's" roundup, we have not heard a lot about zika virus, but should we be concerned? we have dr. natalie azar with the medical headlines. >> good morning, sheinelle. >> let's talk about the zika virus. no zika mosquitoes found in the u.s. yet. where in the u.s. would the virus travel to? >> the people most in danger for becoming exposed to it are the people who will live in the gulf coasts.

it on the map southeastern united states. this map is interesting. it extends further up in the northeast. there are two mosquitoes that can transmit. the one most concerned about is the one in the gulf coast. another one that actually does go up a bit higher. it can also transmit zika, but not nearly as efficiently as the egyptii. >> what about couples trying to conceive? >> the counsel we have been giving people based on cdc guidelines, for women trying to become pregnant, they should think about restricting travel to the areas where the zika virus transmission is ongoing. the bigger question with no definite answer is how long the zika virus can live and possibly transmit zika and stay in a man's sperm. that is the concern of the couples trying to conceive if

should they wear a condom for the duration of the pregnancy. >> i under estimated this. millions of men are taking testosterone replacement therapy. $5 billion a year in the market. do these therapies work? >> sheinelle, here is what is interesting. we got the nih studies. we got results from 3 of 7 ongoing studies. the one we are talking about today looked at three outcomes. that is physical function, vitality and sexual function. they found that replacing testosterone using a gel for one year did improve sexual function in men. not dramatically, but little effect on physical function and vitality. it did improve mood a bit. study was too short to draw long term conclusions about the general ability of it. this is the first really well designed trials to look at this

charged us in 2003. >> let's more on to something that applies to all of us. lack of sleep. the cdc says one-third of us don't get enough sleep. >> guess where the state had the highest percentage of the best sleep? >> where? >> south dakota. we should move to south dakota. >> it's not here. >> i have to say if you are getting less than the recommended roughly seven hours for adults, the long term health could include obesity, hypertension and diabetes. what can you do about that? two of the things i like most are keeping a worry journal. keep that. do that in the beginning of the day. don't do it right at night. if you are not asleep in 30 minutes, get up and read a book. thank you, dr. natalie azar. it may be warmer today, but winter is not over yet. we have ideas to get you through

nbc. coming up, how this chicken dish could help you live longer. >> after these messages. vo: across america, people are taking charge of their type 2 diabetes with non-insulin victoza . for a while, i took a pill to lower my blood sugar. but it didn't get me to my goal. so i asked my doctor about victoza . he said victoza works differently than pills. and comes in a pen. victoza is proven to lower blood sugar and a1c. it's taken once a day, any time. victoza is not for weight loss, but it may help you lose some weight. victoza works with your body to lower blood sugar in 3 ways: in the stomach, the liver, and the pancreas. vo: victoza is an injectable prescription medicine that may improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. it is not recommended as the first medication to treat diabetes and should not be used in people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis.

with mealtime insulin. victoza is not insulin. do not take victoza if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to victoza or any of its ingredients. symptoms of a serious allergic reaction may include itching, rash, or difficulty breathing. tell your doctor if you get a lump or swelling in your neck. serious side effects may happen in people who take victoza , including inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). stop taking victoza and call your doctor right away if you have signs of pancreatitis such as severe pain that will not go away in your abdomen or from your abdomen to your back, with or without vomiting. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you have any medical conditions. taking victoza with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. the most common side effects are headache, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. side effects can lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems.

ask your doctor about non-insulin victoza .

we are back on this saturday morning, february 20th, 2016. a lovely crowd out here today. a little warmer. >> a lot warmer. a lot warmer. >> we are last weekend in front of the fire pit. >> my face was numb.

>> this is good. >> this is a good crowd. birthdays. a triplet birthday. i went over and said where is the third triplet. happy birthday nonetheless. married for 45 years. >> nice. >> still speaking to each other? i love it. >> craig, we have a sweet 16. right here. >> happy sweet 16. >> everybody goes awe. >> we all remember the good old days. so much to get to this this half hour. still to come, how pope francis's comments is not the first time he or other folks have taken on politicians. we will lighten up and help you get over winter's last hump. mario armstrong will help you. and cooking up a chicken dish with key ingredientn greedgredients to help you live longer. dylan has the forecast. it will be warmer across the country.