nightmare as a stalker secretly taped her and posted the video for the world to see. craving sleep. a wake-up call tonight for millions struggling to lose weight and trying to get more rest. and hollywood rocked as controversy takes center stage at the oscars. "nightly news" begins right now. >> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is ennightly news with lester holt. good evening. from our election headquarters on the eve of super tuesday, one of the biggest days yet in the presidential contest, in an election season filled with lead-shaking moments, spray tans. the kkk and ear piece malfunctions are abeing mott topics driving the conversation about the republican race. outside of texas, donald trump seems poised to score some very big wins in tomorrow's primary contest despite some conflicting and curious answers to a

him exposed over very sensitive racial ground. nbc's katy tur starts our coverage tonight. >> reporter: tensions high in radford, virginia. secret service body slamming a "time" photographer who tried to leave the campaign mandated press pen. trump on edge, too. this morning blaming his refusal to condition dem the kkk and david duke in a cnn interview on a bad ear piece. >> i'm sitting in a house in florida with a very bad earpiece that they gave me, and you could hardly here what he was saying. >> reporter: a complaint he did not make during that interview. >> i don't know anything about david duke, okay. i don't know anything about what you're even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists, so i don't know. >> reporter: trump disavowed the cline's infamous former leader last week. david duke and robo calls, white supremicist movement supporting you. any words for that? >> i disavow it and didn't know it. >> reporter: trump cited the one-time grand wizard as the reason he wouldn't run

ticket in 2000. >> david duke just joined, a bigot, a racist, a problem, not exactly the people you want in your party. >> reporter: since he kicked off his campaign trump has been repeatedly accused of stoking racial fears, first with mexicans and then africans and muslims. >> donald trump is doing his best to appeal to the constituency of david duke and people like david duke while pretending he heegs not doing that very thing. >> he should be more of a statesman. it wouldn't cost him anything with his supporters, and it hats chance of actually bringing more republicans into his fold. >> reporter: this weekend trump championed the endorsement of alabama senator jeff sessions, the first u.s. senator to join trump, this as marco rubio got in the mud. >> how can a person with the worst spray tan in america? you know what they say with men with small hands. you can't trust them. >> reporter: hours from super tuesday and time is running out for trump's competitors to make their case. >> i will go to all 50 states and every

i will continue to speak out until i literally have no voice left. i will go anywhere to speak to anyone before i let a con artist get ahold. republican party. >> donald trump represents everything you're mad about washington, the deal-making that doesn't stand with the working men and women. >> reporter: despite it all, trump is poised to win big. >> mexico, everybody talks -- >> reporter: as you can hear, donald trump is on stage here in georgia behind me. this is another controversy is brewing. both rubio and cruz calling on trump to press the "new york times" to release a transcript of an off-the-record meeting after buzzfeed reported that trump may have expressed flexibility on his hardline immigration plan. lester? >> katy tur tonight, thanks. as the trump train rolls into super tuesday full of steam, some republican leaders are now openly expressing deep concerns about the prospect of donald trump as the party's nominee. one gop senator even saying he won't support him, and as nbc's andrea mitchell

has reached a fever pitch. >> we have a movement going on. this isn't normal. >> reporter: donald trump packing in thousands on the trail again today, but behind the scenes nbc news has learned trump has many top republican officials scrambling, looking for a way to block him from getting the nomination. >> a lot of people who are worried donald trump can't win in november. new poll out today that shows that he's behind hillary clinton where in almost every other poll, virtually any other republican beats hillary clinton so there's concern there. >> reporter: adding to the alarm, trump's response on the ku klux klan, prompting this tweet from 2012 nominee mitt romney. a disqualifying and disgusting response by real donald trump to the kkk. his coddling of repugnant bigotry is not in the character of america. >> are we choosinging a president like "american idol"? is that the system and what kind of democracy will it produce? there's a lot of people i think legitimately worried. >> reporter: one big concern for

trump at the top of the ticket, if he loses, take down with him 24 gop senate candidates, and tonight the first republican senator to say he won't vote for trump if he's the nominee. nebraska's ben sass. in a facebook post he wrote conservatives will need to find a third option other than trump. >> this is a guy who says things again and again that sound a lot more like vladimir putin than abraham lincoln. >> reporter: there are two key worries among many republican officials if trump gets the nomination. first, if he wins in november, would he govern as a conservative? and, second, would he even get that far? if democrats are able to successfully attack his past statements and his business record. lester? >> andrea mitchell, thanks so much to talk about. let's bring in our political director, the moderator of "meet the press," chuck todd. chuck, if trump does well tomorrow, what are the points in which they can -- other republicans can stop him? >> the only way they can stop him within the party is to deny him the delegates he needs to get the nomination.

well tomorrow night, then it becomes imperative that they defeat trump in march 15 in ohio meaning every other candidate other than john kasich decides to campaign there. maybe rubio says i'll let kasich go there and rubio has to win his home state of florida and maybe they find somebody else to rally around and beat him in illinois and north carolina. that's the only way they can do it within the party, but if they don't succeed by march 15th, there's nothing they can do, can't deny the nomination so then it's the third-party route. i've heard rumors of finding a candidate, mitt romney's name. there's a constitution party out there that has ballot access. if they want to start a third party, you'd have to do it within the next couple of weeks to actually get ballot access, but this stuff is real, and it gets very real on march 16th if donald trump continues to roll. >> haven't ever seen anything like it. >> not since 1860 and the wigs. the republican party was born out of another conservative party the whigs breaking apart.

>> chuck todd, thank you. on the democratic side fresh off her bernie sanders in south carolina hillary clinton is look ahead to super tuesday as an opportunity to pull away in this race. nbc's kristen welker is with the clinton campaign in virginia. kristen kristen, what can you tell us. >> reporter: lester, good evening. clinton campaign officials say they feel confident heeding after that big win in south carolina, fueled largely by support. clinton hoping to build on that tomorrow. senator sanders vowing not to give up, but he does have a steep climb, particularly if you look at the numbers, lester. the official nbc news delegate count shows clinton with 519 delegates and sanders with 86. if you only take into account super delegates, typically party leaders who get to choose who they will support, clinton gets 428 to sanders 21, a 20-field advantage. clinton is up with ads in all of the super

sanders with ads in five of them, smaller, less diverse states like colorado and massachusetts. still, sanders has a lot of cash on hand which means no matter what happens tomorrow that could allow him to stay in this race indefinitely. lester? >> kristen welker tonight, thank you. for many of you the stations will be carrying the live hour-long editions of "nightly news" with all the results as they come in and special primetime coverage across the country starting at 10:00, p.m. eastern time. there were terrifying moments today inside an ohio school when police say a teenaged student opened fire hitting few students and injuring two others. tonight the suspect is in custody as students and their parents cope with the aftermath. nbc's blake mccoy now with details. >> reporter: it was in the cafeteria of madison junior senior high school where authorities say a student opened fire on his classmate. one student managing to call 911 from a high school. >> i'm at madison high school.

>> he's got a gun. he started shooting people. >> how many people did he shoot? >> i'm not sure. he just pulled out his gun and started shooting. >> reporter: two students shot at lunchtime, two others injured in the chaos. the school put on lockdown as frantic parents raced from work. >> we had to get here. had to get to him. >> serious mindset and just trying to be quiet and keep everybody else around me safe. >> reporter: cool is in middletown, ohio, about an hour north of cincinnati. the two students shot, 14 and 15-year-old boys, were flown by helicopter to the hospital. >> they are both basically stable at this time. >> reporter: attention now turns to the accused shooter, a 14-year-old male who police say tossed the handgun as he ran from the building. he's been charged with two counts of attempted murder, a motive unknown at this time. >> gag to be hard for everybody to get over this. >> reporter: class has been cancelled across the district tomorrow as parents hold their

blake mccoy, nbc news. >> late word that sports reporter erin andrews is on the stand tonight in her $75 million civil trial. earlier in the day the man convicted of stalking andrews testified. he told the court how he altered the peep hole on andrews' hotel door and secretly filmed her. now as nbc's morgan radford reports, it's andrews' turn. >> reporter: erin andrews still haunted by the video that she says has damaged her career. >> i feel so embarrassed and i'm so ashamed. >> reporter: her chance to look jurors, seven women and five men in the eye and tell her side of the story. >> my naked body was on the front page of "the new york post" and they put bars over my body parts. my girlfriend is calling me and telling me she was running around new york city throwing coffee on all the pains because she felt so bad. >> reporter: just hours earlier andrews left the courtroom as her stalker explained the sordid details of the day he secretly recorded her.

shower on in her room and i walked by. >> reporter: and michael barrett explained how he followed andrews to her nashville hotel room and altered the peep hole. >> i pulled the plug out and waited for the opportunity. >> reporter: was it your intent to hopefully get her without clothes on? >> yes. >> reporter: her mother paula also testified today describing the embarrassment her daughter continues to face. >> it's a nightmare that doesn't stop. i just kept telling her it's not your fault. you're a vicity. you've been -- you've been assaulted. >> reporter: andrews devastated. >> it's so embarrassing. it was my private time. i never thought something would happen. i never thought a hotel would let somebody next to me without telling me. >> reporter: andrews says her entire life is different now and that this ordeal is always in the back of her mind. erin says that she continues to be haunted on a daily basis, and as for barrett he lives in

internet activity is monitored by a patrol officer. lester? >> morgan radford, thank you. at the white house today a member of the elite s.e.a.l. team 6 received the medal of honor and because missions are covert and highly classified we rarely see their names or see their faces. today one stepford. nbc's jim miklaszewski has the story of his incredible bravery. >> reporter: as a navy s.e.a.l. senior chief ed buyers rarely emerges from the shadows and one of the silent warriors from s.e.a.l. team 6, the special operations force that previously took down osama bin laden, but today in a rare appearance buyers was front and center at the white house, an american hero. in december 2012 the s.e.a.l. ran a mission to rescue an american hostage joseph taken hostage by the taliban. as they approached the hideout gunfire exploded. >> it was pitch black and everything happens in a hostage rescue scenario happens

>> reporter: petty officer nickless cev was first through the door and fatally wounded. >> nick died, you know, a warrior's death, died a true american hero. >> reporter: buyers was seconds behind and took out taliban shooter. he had a weapon about, you know, level, ready to shoot, and fortunately i was just quicker on the draw on that. >> reporter: buyers spotted the hostage on the floor and threw himself on top of the american. you were willing to take a bullet for that hostage? >> that's our job, yes. >> reporter: buyers then grabbed another taliban fighter by the throat. >> just gave it enough time for my teammates to come in and get in position to take care of that threat. >> in times of war uncertainty, there's a special breed of warrior ready to answer our nation's call. >> reporter: president obama presented buyers with the medal of honor which he accepted not for himself but the entire s.e.a.l. community. >> it's for the brotherhood, it's for

have sacrificed since 9/11 in defense of our country. >> reporter: jim miklaszewski, nbc news, the pentagon. there's a lot more to tell you about as we continue on this monday night. still ahead, losing sleep and gaining weight. more word on what could be fueling the junk food cravings. and rock the stage, those expecting the oscar host toat body aches? what knee pain? what sore elbow? advil liqui-gels make pain a distant memory

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the millions of people who would like to lose a few pounds and are struggling, new research suggests part of the problem may be with how much sleep you're getting or not getting. one-third of adults get less than six hours of sleep a night rather than the repgd seven to eight hours. it turns out the less we sleep, the more we crave food and not the foods that are good for us. as nbc's tom costello reports. >> reporter: they are two of america's biggest complaints, a few extra lbs around the mid-section and not enough sleep. >> i definitely don't get as much sleep as i would like to get. some nights i do. some nights i don't. >> i don't get as much sleep as i would like. >> as soon as i wake up i feel like i'm starving and all i want is food. >> reporter: new research from the university of chicago shows it may be part of a vicious cycle. the less sleep we get the more our produce produce a chemical in the blood that increases our cravings. the same system triggered by marijuana. cravings for the sweets, salty and fatty foods we snack on in the afternoons and evenings. >> we're actually

than needed for energy costs of being awake longer. >> reporter: previous studies have found when sleep-deprived adults got an extra hour and a half of sleep a night, the recommended eight hours, the cravings for junk food dropped. people who get less than six hours are at an increased risk of obesity. this dock >> getting 300 calories a day is two cookies in two weeks can be a pound of extra fat. >> reporter: just two weeks. >> two weeks. >> reporter: best advice, go to bed and wake up at the same time every day and avoid eating anything in the two to three hours before going to sleep. if junk sleep leads to junk food which leads to obesity and more junk sleep, breaking the cycle could be key. tom costello, nbc news, washington. we're back in a momeme with a gasp-inducing moment for adults with an advanced lung cancer called "squamous non-small cell",

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the same cruise ship that had to turn back earlier this month after it was damaged in a violent storm had to cut a voyage short yet again today. some guests on royal caribbean's "anthem of the sea" are experiencing norovirus symptoms and that'ss not why the company says it's turning around. royal says they are avoiding another severe storm looming in the forecast. there were gasps in the audience today at the supreme court when something happened that hasn't happened in ten years. for a decade justice clarence thomas hasn't asked a single question during oral arguments and that all changed today in a big way. he broke his silence asking ten questions during a case about gun rights that came during the second week the court has heard arguments since the death of justice antonin scalia. tonight we say good-bye to one of the all time great hollywood tough guys. beloved character actor george kennedy, a force on screen for nearly six decades has died. kennedy won best

beside paul newman in 1967's "cool hand luke." decades later he would win laughs in a new generation of fans about he was cast against type in "the naked gun" series. kennedy was 91 years old. when we come back, oscar host chris rock's takedown of the academy's diversity controversy and how if you have postmenopausal osteoporosis and a high risk for fracture... i can tell you prolia is proven to help protect bones from fracture. but the real proof? my doctor said prolia helped my bones get stronger. are your bones getting stronger? do not take prolia if you have low blood calcium, are pregnant, are allergic to it, or take xgeva . serious allergic reactions, such as low blood pressure; trouble breathing; throat tightness; face, lip, or tongue swelling; rash, itching or hives have happened in people taking prolia . tell your doctor about dental problems, as severe jaw bone problems may happen, or new or unusual pain in your hip, groin or thigh, as unusual thigh bone fractures have occurred. prolia can cause serious

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finally, last night's academy awards program still has people buzzing from leonardo dicaprio's best actor win to "spotlight's" upset for best picture and overshadowings the night the lack of any nominees of color and host chris rock took on the controversy early and often. >> reporter: amid the glitz and glamour of hollywood's biggest night a serious topic dominated the oscars. >> otherwise known as the white people's choice awards. >> reporter: from the moment chris rock took the stage he tackled hollywood's diversity controversy head on. >> hollywood is sorority racist. it's like we like you, rhonda, but you're not a kappa. >> reporter: the ten-minute opening

standup, part sermon. >> i'm a danish girl. >> reporter: and the theme continued through the night. >> he came at it straight head on, and he said everyrying he wanted to say. >> there was a lot being asked of him to do and to still do comedy and he really did it. >> reporter: rock also took aim as will smith and jada pinkett smith for boycotting the show saying the all-white slate of acting nominees isn't the only thing that's unfair. >> it's also not fair that will was paid 20 million for "wild swild west" okay. >> reporter: the "l.a. times" called it the first oscars in tried to do something other than hand out a bunch of gold statues. >> everybody kind of needed somebody who felt qualified to call problems and to put them in a proper context and also allow everybody to sort of laugh. this year were down and in a few moments fell flat including a widely criticized joke as asian kids as accountants but on

message from chris rock. >> black lives matter. >> reporter: that dominated the spotlight. joe fryer, nbc news, los angeles. >> before we say good night we want to extend a big welcome to our viewers in raleigh dur hamm, north carolina. i was down there meeting our fans and wral-tv that as of tonight becomes an nbc affiliate. so happy to be all of you as part of our nbc news family and proud to be part of yours as well and hope to see you here every night. for now that's going monday. i'm lester holt.jackpot of states on the line. plus -- some students in need of a little help, are seeing a real payoff i ithe working world. also -- a disappointment is now an opportunity for one gamecock. and -- enjoy this beautiful weather while it lasts. ben tanner is monitoring showers in the forecast. wis news 10 at 7 starts now.

i'm dawndy mercer plank. and i'm charles molineaux. wis is continuing to follow breaking news at this hour. the lugoff fire department is on the scene of a large woods fire off us 1. that's near the pine mark and pepperidge subdivision. multiple fires are being reported near railroad tracks in the area. right now, six departments are working the scene. we have a crew on the way to the scene and will bring you more details as they become available. the sec champs are finished with league play and are the second team ever to finish 16 and oh. before yesterday's game against lsu, the gamecocks recognized five of its seniors : tiffany mitchell, khadijah sessions, asia dozier, sarah imovbioh and tina roy who debuted her senior day poem, "we did it." "four to five years ago we signed our lives away. hoping for all of it to be over but ultimately dreading this day. through all the blood, sweat and

being the great coach she is -- no matter what we thought we knew she taught. we're promising education so on the long run a better life. but the first step was the sacrifice. we did it. now as we stand here tonight -- eyes full of tears saying "thank you god for four great years!" wherever life leads us after it's all over you never know. in the poem -- royoyhanks gamecock nation for their support -- calling fans the 6th man off the bench. tonight -- fans got up close and gamecock nation for their support -- calling fans the 6th man off the bench. tonight -- fans got up close and personal with the players at a pep rally downtown. billie jean shaw is at the usc alumni center. billie jean. a beautiful day in the capital city but the soon comes the rain. meteorologist ben tanner joins us from our first