good morning. breaking overnight. a small plane carrying four americans crashes into a mall in australia. the plane exploding on impact erupting into a massive fireball. everyone on board killed. this morning the likely cause of that crash revealed. take two. president trump retooling his immigration plan, including that controversial travel ban blocked by federal courts. as he introduces his new national security adviser. >> a man of tremendous talent and tremendous experience. >> can the president's pick restore order after michael flynn's sudden resignation just three weeks into the job. shocking breach. passengers at jfk airport caught on camera walking right through

screened. some setting off metal detectors, then boarding a flight. why did the tsa fail to notify police for a full two hours? an investigation now underway. and emotional announcement. former teen star david cass sid did i reveals he's battling dementia. what he's saying about his struggles and how he's coping on today, tuesday, february 21st, 2017. from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning. welcome to "today" on a tuesday morning. as my kids would say, wait, what? matt lauer alongside bryant g gumball who is filling in for

locks. >> it's like riding a bike. keep saying that. >> keep falling off. >> we're going to have a lot of fun with you this morning. busy morning. a lot to talk about including breaking news. coming out of australia, a pilot and four american tourists killed when their plane crashed into a shopping mall. it happened in melbourne. kelly has the latest. good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning. this happened in full view of commuters this morning in australia. a devastating end to a dream vacation for these four americans. the state department confirming their deaths but not their identities at this point. and investigators are looking into whether a catastrophic engine failure caused their charter plane to crash into the roof of an outlet mall. >> receiving multiple calls. appears that this may be a plane crash. >> reporter: witnesses said it sounded like a bomb went off, and that's what it looked like from the hia

cam. and on this one. the video obtained by australia's channel 10 showing the twin prop plane flying low seconds before it went down. >> i saw the last sort of second of the plane banking and then it just hit. i don't think there was any time to do anything. >> both the mall and the plane were engulfed in flames. the fire so intense rescuers couldn't get close. >> it's pretty much just a smoking wreck when we got there. there was pretty much nothing left on impact. >> the wreckage so badly mangled the aircraft was unrecognizable. debris scattered on the highway. on board an australian pilot and four american tourists reportedly on their dream golf vacation. there were no survivors. >> pretty horrible. standing there couldn't do anything. >> reporter: investigators say the plane was a private charter flight, a twin engine beach craft similar to this one in trouble moments after taking off fr

>> we understand that there potentially was a catastrophic engine failure but we're unsure at this stage. >> reporter: it took hours to put out the flames. now australia's crash investigation team is trying to figure out what went wrong. and one key clue this morning comes from the pilot himself. he was able to get a may day call off reporting catastrophic engine failure. once again, that's now the focus. by the way, there were workers inside that mall this morning getting ready to open for the day. matt and bryant, remarkably nobody on the ground was injured. >> very lucky. kelly cobiella, thank you. now to the white house where the trump administration is busy working on new rules for immigration. this as the president settles on a new national security adviser in the wake of michael flynn's dismissal. peter, welcome. >> reporter: good morning. welcome back. the president will reconvene his national security council with a new national security adviser,

it's a pick drawing wide praise from republicans and democrats including some of the president's fiercest critics like john mccain calling it an outstanding choice. the president is expected to reset his policy cracking down on illegal immigration. this morning the white house is zeroing in on the border expected to unveil new immigration guidelines. administration sources tell nbc news they could add 10,000 more immigration agents, update procedures to hold those illegally crossing into the u.s. and enforce penalties for parents who pay smugglers to bring in their children. also this morning new details about the white house's plan to replace its so-called travel ban now held up in the court. one official telling nbc news the trump administration is backing off an explicit ban of all syrian refugees, but the new executive order will still halt travel from seven predominantly muslim countries. this after president trump appeared between two

his florida resort revealing his pick to replace michael flynn as national security adviser. >> general h.r. mcmaster will become the national security adviser. >> reporter: a senior administration official telling nbc news the president chose hr mcmaster because he is a, quote, warrior and defense intellectual and mr. mcmacmaster will be ablo choose his own team. >> thank you very much. i want to say what an honor this is. >> reporter: he earned a reputation as a successful combat commander and strategic thinker. he's been highly critical of some of america's past military leaders, even writing the book "dereliction of duty" where he criticizes the chiefs for the nor confronting president johnson. the announcement coming one month after taking office as

demonstrators billed the day as not my president's day. in new york, chicago, and los angeles. in london thousands gathered outside parliament as the government there debated the president's official state visit. >> the president behaving like a petulent child. >> he is there, he is elected. we have to work with him. >> reporter: and as the new administration fights criticism, conservatives are fighting controversy. >> has been lying to -- >> the lightning rod columnist from breitbart formerly run by trump strategist steve bannon. >> free speech and free expression. >> disinvited from speaking at cpac conference. after a recently unearthed video shows him making comments about under age sex, comments he's tried to explain on his facebook page saying i have never defended and would never defend child abusers. >> reporter: and following this latest controversy

schuster are canceling his book. overseas the british government has said it will not rescind that invitation to president trump for an official state visit scheduled for later this year. it will go on as planned even after 1.8 million britts signed a petition opposing it. bryant? >> thanks very much. let us bring in mark halpern. >> good morning. i miss savannah, but this is awesome. >> like old times. >> thanks, mark. >> we spoke last week and we talked about this being a more pragmatic approach by this administration on this executive order. they're going to rewrite it as opposed to going to the supreme court. it covers the same seven predominantly muslim countries. there is an adjustment on the syrian refugee issue. no matter what, is it going back to court? >> it will go back to court. this is a better chance of surviving. a restart date. they remove some of the provisions that the court found objectiole

politically was objectionable but it will be challenged. >> let's talk about general mcmaster. as peter pointed out, the man who wrote "dereliction of duty." he speaks from power. how is he going to square that reputation with a white house that clearly doesn't buy dissent? >> it's going to be fascinating to watch. you have the same thing with the secretary of defense, mattis, secretary of state, mr. tillerson. all three of these gentlemen have a history, the homeland security secretary, all four of them are willing to speak up if challenged. the president picked someone so well thought of and will challenge power. >> which begs the question, who is his patron? who was his sponsor in this? >> tom cotton, young senator from arkansas who's a military veteran who's gotten extraordinary sway on military as a first-term senator. he recommended his former colleague, former boss and very much influential

house. watch tom cotton, somebody people think might run for president himself. >> there's been so much discussion about president trump's view on putin and russia. mcmaster has an opposing view. he sees russia as a threat, adversa adversary. might he be able to change the president's view. >> vice president pence has that view. we've seen the new u.n. ambassador nikki haley speak out against russia. like everything with donald trump, it's a work in progress. he picks these people who were willing to challenge him and it's counter to his reputation as someone who is obstinate. in fact, he's shown some flexibility. >> i don't mean to demean mcmaster in any way, but i believe he's the first active duty officer since colin powell. did he have a choice of taking the job? >> well, other people have reportedly turned it down. this is a guy with an extraordinary resume. you know, we all think we know donald trump so well. we all t

this pick, the fact that he offered it, the fact that it was accepted is a great sign of stability. just think a few days ago the main story line was this is a crisis of national security. he needs someone in the job. he's found someone. let's see again how much authority mcmaster has. >> let me take you back to the campaign and then candidate trump said some disparaging things about this nation's generals. now he's got three generals, mattis, kelly, mcmaster, in key positions in his administration. sounds like he's trusting generals now after he said i know more about -- >> now he brought them in. look, mattis -- mattis came out strongly against torture and the president said i'm going to defer to him. so on the national security front, this is another pick that is not just well received on capitol hill from republicans but democrats. these picks are people who hillary clinton if she had won might have put in there. again, though, let's see how much influence they have. this president, i think, tends to rely on people immediately around him having the national security adviser right there down the hall from the president is a big deal.

reassurance for a lot of people. >> mark, thank you very much. good to have you with us on this time capsule edition of "today." let's get to a disturbing story where vandals caused extensive damage to a jewish cemetery. it comes amid a wave of threats all across the country. now ivanka trump is speaking out. nbc's blake mccoy has the latest. blake, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning. overnight near st. louis you can see someone has placed a sign, stop the hate. dozens of headstones toppled here over the weekend. police not yet calling it a hatd crime but it comes as the fbi is investigating dozens of bomb threats made to jewish centers nationwide. headstones toppled at a jewish cemetery near st. louis. this morning family members with loved ones buried here are taking the attack personally. >> this is just awful.

occurring in a holy place like this. >> i feel nervous. i walk through there and i just felt that this was a senseless act, a faceless, cowardly, hateful act and that's unnerving. >> reporter: it comes amid a rise in antisemitic activity with the fbi investigating a string of bomb threats against jewish community centers nationwide. since the new year authorities say 54 jewish centers have been targeted in 27 states. 11 new threats called in monday. this jewish center in birmingham, alabama, forced to evacuate for the second time in a month. so far no actual attacks have taken place and no bombs have been found. >> if the intention was to scare us, these bomb threats have failed. >> reporter: president trump was asked about the bomb threats by a reporter for a jewish orthodox newspaper. there are peo c

very simple, easy question, and it's not. it's not. not a simple question. not a fair question. okay. sit down. i am the least antisemitic person you have ever seen in your life. >> reporter: trump's daughter ivanka and her husband are jewish. she tweeted monday after the cemetery vandalism, america is a nation built on the principle of religious tolerance. we must protect our houses of worship and religious centers while the white house added the president has made it abundantly clear that these actions are unacceptable. >> reporter: police here are reviewing surveillance video from the cemetery. it's unclear if it captured anything. this morning no arrests have been made and the cemetery is closed. matt and bryant? >> blake mccoy. thank you very much. this morning an investigation underway into a serious security breach at jfk airport here in new york. it resulted in 11 people getting through security without being checked. nbc s

with new information. good morning. >> reporter: bryant, good morning to you. these 11 passengers had their tickets and i.d. checked, they had their carry on baggage screened and checked, but when they got to that metal detector no one was there and three of them triggered the alarm. now when authorities at the airport found out there was a scramble to find them. new details this morning into how 11 passengers managed to walk right through a precheck lane without being screened. three of them set off metal detectors and were given no secondary screening. two of the three shown here. those three passengers were later identified. they boarded a flight to california where they were checked upon arrival. the incident took place at 6:00 a.m. monday morning at jfk's jetblue terminal, but two hours passed before the tsa notified the airport police. by then the passengers were gone already on their presumed flights. in a statement the tsa said a

checkpoint at the time of the incident and the tsa works with a network of security layers, both seen and unseen. we are confident this incident presents minimal risk to the aviation transportation system. travelers learned of the breach monday. >> i don't know how that happened. seems like there's pretty tight security here. >> i find it shocking given how tight security is these days. >> reporter: nationwide the tsa screens 2 million people at 440 airports each day. the role of the tsa chief is still vacant until president trump appoints one. veteran deputies are running the agency which has been under public scrutiny. nearly two years ago a devastating under cover test found agents failed to detect 90% of state weapons and explosives. tsa's biggest challenge, guarding against complacency as airports remain a top target. the passengers aren't suspected of any wrongdoing. the tsa says

inquiry that could lead to disciplinary action and some retraining. matt and bryant, back to you guys. >> stephanie, thanks so much. we are learning more now about the deadly attack on the half brother of north korean leader kim jong-un. kim jong-nam died after apparently being poisoned in kuala lumpur. malaysian health officials said today they will not release the cause of death until the lab tests are all completed, but they say the autopsy showed no evidence of a heart attack or puncture wounds. so far police have arrested four suspects including two women who were allegedly seen approaching kim as he stood at an airport ticketing kiosk. now to some frightening moments just a few blocks away from here in new york city. seven kids it seems were rescued by a couple of good samaritans last night after they fell through the ice at a pond in central park. seems by the time the firefighters arrived the kids had been pulled out of the

it has been unseasonably warm making the pond more dangerous. there are warning signs posted in case you were wondering. officials say all the teens are expected to be okay. time for the weather. first, katie, come on out. come on back here. let's make this official. >> where's willie? >> where's jean? >> come on. unusual, isn't it? >> it is. it is different. it is fun. it's good to see you, bryant. the folks out west don't want to see anymore moisture, but there is that atmospheric river we've been talking about. give you an idea how much moisture is in this thing. consider this, 26 billion gallons of water flow through the mountains of mississippi every hour. there's 15 times that average flow flowing into the pacific right now into the west coast. in fact, it's represented by the rainfall. the rainfall here goes from october 1st into september of the next year. so far since october 1st, san francisco, sacramento andos

average rainfall for the year. they've gotten it just since october 1st. we can see the heavy rain continuing from southwestern oregon into the sierra foothills. another one to three inches of rain coming today and then finally it tapers off. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. good morning, everybody. i'm storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell. we have temperatures in the upper 30s and low 40

area. a bit of a chilly start but we'll get just enough sunshine with the mostly cloudy sky. just enough sun to warm it up from the mid to upper 50s. 59 in washington, 60 down towards charlottesville. tomorrow there might be an isolated shower. mostly in the first half of the day and mostly south of washington. folks want to know when we're going to lunch. >> al, thank you very much. coming up, a day after falling off stage during a concert, former teen idol david cassidy reveals he's battling dementia. we'll hear from him. special delivery. bao bao is set for a one way trip to china. we'll check that out coming up live. this is "today" on nbc. nda, b bow b bah bah, on his way to china. first, coming up o

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lors. panera. food as it should be. this is a "news 4 today" news break. 7:26 is your time now on this tuesday, february 21st, 2017. good morning to you i'm eun yang. >> i'm earn gill crest. breaking news on a work car that derailed. the metro spokesperson tells us they were carrying crushed rock and the load shifted. a wheel came off the track and the load shifted. if you need to get around that problem you can use the green line or yellow line. >> in the petworth neighborhood in northwest washington police are blocking off several streets where a building caught fire. it appears firefighters are still putting out hot spots

ninth street northwest near new hampshire avenue. they believe the fire started on the back deck. let's check in with melissa mollet. >> northbound 28 right now clear. everything is open now. we were diverted there at the dulles toll road. southbound looking quite good. that's a big relief. pretty big delays there. southbound 270 at west montgomery avenue, main lane is what is happening there. inner loop before pennsylvania avenue, crash there in the right lane. in bound 395 is closed. so is southbound 95 getting on the beltway. >> thanks, melissa. we'll take a quick break now. your forecast is next. stay with us.

good morning, everybody. you'll need a light to medium weight jacket on your way out the door as temperatures are upper 30s to 40 degrees. won't be cold but it wouldn't be quite as warm as yesterday. partly to at times mostly cloudy skies. afternoon temperatures topping out in the mid

it will be back to the warm stuff again tomorrow. tomorrow's high 68 with a slight chance of a shower or two and 70s for thursday and friday. >> chuck, thank you. see you in 25 minutes. >> for now, back to the "today" show.

7:30 now on a tuesday morning, the 21st day of february, 2017. back to work morning after a long holiday weekend for a lot of these folks and a back to work morning for my dear friend, bryant gumbal, filling in while savannah continues on maternity leave. >> you have more paperwork. >> i picked up the phone and he said, you have me at hello. let's start with a check of the headlines. investigation is underway into a tragic plane crash in australia overnight. four americans and a pilot were killed when their plane slammed into a mall in melbourne. officials say there may

been a catastrophic engine failure. president trump has named h.r. mcmaster as his national security adviser. mcmaster replaces michael flynn who resigned last week amid allegations he misled the administration about his pre-inauguration contacts with russia's ambassador. a levy breach in central california along the san joaquin valley forced people from their homes. it was repaired but they left the evacuation order in place. rivers across california have been reaching flood levels with a series of storms that have been pounding the region. now to an emotional announcement from david cassidy, the singer and "partridge family" star reveals he's in the early stages of dementia. natalie morales out in los angeles with more on that. natalie, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you. yes, it is sad news. david cassidy is no

dementia. his grandfather and mother suffered from the disease. the 66-year-old entertainer confirming his own diagnosis to "people" magazine after a report suggested he had started drinking again. ♪ i think i love you >> reporter: david cassidy became a teenage hearthrob in the 1970s on "the partridge family." difficult news from the 66 actor and musician. telling "people" he's suffering from dementia, the same disease he saw erase the memories of his grandfather and mother. cassidy said i was in denial but a part of me always knew this was coming. >> it is hard for me to sing. >> reporter: the revelation coming one day after tmz posted this video of cassidy. appearing to slur his speech and forget lyrics at a show near los

then the frightening moment when he tumbled from the stage. cassidy has publicly battled alcoholism over the years, he said he wanted news of his diagnosis to set the record straight after news suggested he suffered a relapse. >> that wasn't the case at all. he was actually dealing with the symptoms of a progressive degenerative disease. it's very important to him to get out the truth about what he's going through. >> reporter: before revealing what he describes as his battle with dementia, the star discussed his long struggle with addiction during an upcoming interview on ""access hollywood."" >> i'll always be an adduct. there will always be that in me, but i'm just not drinking. >> reporter: cassidy addressing his recent decision to retire at the end of the year after touring for nearly 50 years. >> i just don't have it

body any longer, but i still have it here and in my heart and i think am' better than i ever have been. >> reporter: this morning cassidy receiving well wishes from his long-time friend danny bonaducci. in a statement bonaducci saying, quote, over the years david cassidy has been extraordinarily kind to me, especially when times have been rough. as the poster boy of the 1970s now becomes the face of a i disease affecting millions of americans. ed and cassidy tells "access hollywood" doctors diagnosed him six months ago. he is reportedly receiving treatment at the cleveland clinic. the entire interview will air on tonight's "access hollywood." >> our thoughts are with him, natalie. thanks very much. now to a potential scandal facing the possible ride sharing service uber. they're ordering an

claims from a former employee. joe lynn kent has that story. >> reporter: bryant, good morning. a former engineer is going public with what she said is a frequent problem inside uber. sexual harassment and sexism. it's an organization in chaos. this morning the ceo says he hears her and he's taking action. engineer susan fowler joined uber for what she called the opportunity to work with some of the best engineers around, but within weeks of arriving in 2015 fowler says her direct supervisor made unwanted advances. in a blog post on sunday fowler wrote, my new manager sent me a string of messages over company chat. it was clear he was trying to get me to have sex with him. fowler says she immediately took screen shots of these chat messages and reported them to uber human resources but she claims upper management tried to sweep her complaint under the rug calling her supervisor a high performer and saying they wouldn't feel comfortable punishing him because it was, quote, this man's

and probably just an innocent mistake on his part yet fowler says other women engineers later told her they had the same problem with the same individual. this morning uber hiring former u.s. attorney general eric holder to lead an urgent investigation into fowler's claims as well as diversity and inclusion more broadly. ceo travis kalinick abhorrent and against everything uber stands for and believes in. adding that anyone who behaves this way or thinks this is okay will be fired. today uber board member arianna huffington is participating at a meeting to meet with employees. they say fowler's experience is not unusual. >> it's a shame that it takes someone taking the bold personal risk that susan did to attract national media attention to something that happens on a daily basis in the workplace. >> reporter: a recent survey found 60% of women in tech-related jobs reported

60% also said when they reported those sexual advances, they were dissatisfied with the course of action to resolve them. fowler's supervisor is no longer working at uber but the company has not confirmed that. she left, too, starting a new job in january. >> reporter: this is the latest major issue plaguing uber. it's two weeks after the company's ceo stepped down from president trump's economic advisory council after uber users protested that. now kalinick says it's his number one priority to come through this a better organization. guys. >> jo ling kent, thanks very much. mr. roker here now. we have a gorgeous weekend here in the northeast. warm temperatures. it's going to continue for some people. >> forget about cds, downloads, we're going back to records. spring pattern is here. look at this. we're going to set a record most likely minneapolis, des moines, as far west as

east as detroit we're going to come awfully close. tomorrow records will fall in chicago. fifth day in a row chicago has been at 70 degrees or better. that sets a record. 75 at kansas city. 71 comes close to a record. by the time we get to thursday it makes its way east. providence and charlotte, cleveland breaking a record as well. so all in all these nice, warm temperatures right on into the weekend. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. and not as warm here as it was yesterday, but still unseasonably warm today. temperatures are cooler this morning. we have many 30s on the map. 37 in gaithersburg and dulles. 31 degrees in the district. we will see these numbers all rising later today but the clouds will stick around. cloudy skies for most of the area now. expect mostly cloudy skies today. 59 for a high though. normal high is 49. so we stay warmer even tomorrow. thursday and friday we're looking at the mid 70s right

need it at the weather channel on cable. and here's your record. >> guys at home are saying first bryant gumbal and then records? >> you do have a turntable at home? >> i use it all the time. i'm a vinyl guy. coming up, the very public split between the stars of hg tv's show "flip or flop." this morning they fwlark silence after filing for divorce. next up, bye-bye bao bao. why one of washington d.c.'s most high profile residents is getting a new home today. first, it's 7:39. let's check these messages. introducing otezla, apremilast. otezla is not an injection, or a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. some people who took otezla saw 75% clearer skin after 4 months. and otezla's prescribing information has no requirement

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back at 7:44. back with a new high profile departure from washington. >> that's right. the popular giant panda bao bao born with great fanfare at the smithsonian's national zoo three years ago is now heading back to her real home. nbc's kerry sanders is at the zoo to explain. kerry, good morning to you. >> reporter: well, good morning. a fed ex truck expected to pull up here any time now to begin what will be ultimately a very special delivery. bao bao, as you noted, who was born here will be making this incredible trip to her ancestral homeland. this is part of a long standing agreement between the governments of united states and china. >> 3, 2, 1! yeah!

the national zoo because its star attraction, bao bao, is about to ship off to the moment she's never known. >> she is moving back to an area where there's the best bamboo in the world. >> reporter: that trip, not a slow boat to china. instead, this plane dubbed the panda express takes off today with just one package on board, a 200 pound piece of precious cargo. bao bao is chinese for the word precious. she will not be sedated for the 16 hour flight and with plenty of space for carry on. >> try some sweet potato. >> reporter: she's bringing sweet potato, apples, honey, 50 pounds of bamboo plus a vet from the zoo and her favorite keeper. >> i'm a very emotional person so i'm sure the last day i will be with her there will be tears but i couldn't be be more prouder. >> reporter: from the moment bao bao was born, that's her, the size of a stick of butter, cuddling, crawling. >> let's

>> reporter: on birthdays, in the snow. >> pandas tend to be pretty funny in the snow. they really like rolling around in it. >> reporter: with a nose for curiosity, through her first steps and stumbles we've known we'd eventually have to say bye-bye to bao bao. >> that's a good girl. >> reporter: the point, to make more pandas. >> she's going to, you know, meet a boy panda and have cubs on her own. >> reporter: while the giant panda population rose 17% from 2004 to 2014, now vulnerable, no longer endangered. but that won't make it bearable for anybody here at the national zoo. so just to make sure you got it, bao bao is going bye-bye but there is still a panda here named bae bae. plus bae bae is a boy, not a girl. their father is tien

matt matt, are you ready for who's on first? >> bry, bry. >> i hope bao bao didn't get a boo boo. >> kerry sanders, thank you very much. a day after opening up about her divorce for the first time, angelina jolie digs into her sense of adventure. we're going to have that on popstart. and alex trebek as an emcee. wait until carson tells you what the "jeopardy" host was up to last night. ♪ heigh ho! ♪ heigh ho! ♪ heigh ho! ♪ heigh ho! ♪ heigh ho! heigh ho! it's off to work we go ♪ ♪ heigh ho! heigh ho! ♪ ♪ heigh ho! heigh ho! ♪ ♪ heigh ho! heigh ho! it's off to work we go ♪

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all right. hi. we're back now. 7:51. carson is over in the orange room looking over here saying, that's like when i was 4 years old. i didn't say it. i didn't say it. >> but you thought it. >> i still have a picture with carson's dad. >> yeah, we go way back. bryant, great to have you here. >> we're cutting into my orange room time. i'm going to make it quick. "jeopardy" fans one of the comments was let's rap kids. have a listen. >> started from the bottom, now we're here. started from the bottom, now the whole team here. and the panda. panda, p

6 foot 7 foot 8 foot bunch. young money militia. i was just getting into this wrap thing. i'm not too good at it but i was getting into it. >> to be fair trebek was fighting an uphill battle. it's not easy to fight lyrics without a beat. here's how that went. >> they mad, they ain't 235i78 mouse, they mad they still nameless, but we still hood fameless. 6 foot, 7 foot, 8 foot bunch, young money militia, and i am the commissioner you don't want to start wheezy cause the f is the finisher. >> this is a good one. panda, panda, panda, panda, panda might be the single greatest. og, alex trebek right there. waiting for his album to drop. >> thank you. we're going to be back right after this.

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this is a "news 4 today" news break. 7:56 is your time now on this tuesday, february 21st, 2017. good morning to you, i'm eun yang. we want to get right to melissa mollet. good morning, melissa. >> good morning, eun. single tracking on the red line between home in ma gall law det and judicial line. southbound 270 before 370, new problem with debris in the center lane. after that right near falls road have a crash in the main lanes. southbound 14th street between constitution avenue and madison all lanes blocked because of road work. we're going to take a quick break now. we'll check your forecast next. stay with us.

good morning. off to a cool start, but temperatures this afternoon still unseasonably warm. 42 now in the district. expect mostly cloudy skies through the day today. so your planner for the day, by lunchtime right around the low 50s. 4:00 p.m., upper 50s. right around 60 for a high. as we go into tomorrow, upper 60s. chance of an isolated shower. look at the 70s thursday and friday. 25 degrees above normal. rain chance really increases as we go into saturday. eun? thank you, sheena. another local news update in 25 minutes. we'll see you then.

♪ it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, you're hired. >> a man of tremendous talent and tremendous experience. >> president trump names army lieutenant general h.r. mcmaster his national security adviser as the trump administration is set to roll out tough new immigration rules as early as today. we're live at the white house. then breaking his silence. the star of hg tv's "flip or flop" speaks out about his very public split from his wife christina. >> as time went on we got distant from each other. there's a lot going on in our lives. the number one goal is to co-parent our children. >> we'll talk to

family, his recent health scare and the future of their hit show. plus, sky high selfie. the heart-stopping moment a model hangs off the edge of a skyscraper in a daring photo shoot. the backlash it's causing and how she's responding. today, tuesday, february 21st, 2017. ♪ ♪ >> we love "today." >> welcome to our friends and family in boston. >> saying hi to everyone in st. louis. ♪ ♪ >> sending love to florida. >> the real housewives lake willie drive. >> celebrating my birthday on the plaza. >> hi, there.

8:00 on this tuesday morning. it's the 21st day of february 2017. big crowd on the plaza to welcome back bryant gumbal to the co-anchor chair on "today" first time in about four years. >> in about four years, yeah. we were here on your birthday last time. >> that's right. >> you can remember. >> why am i standing out here in the cold without a coat? >> it's fine. >> it's not fine. it's cold. >> meanwhile, it's beard day on the "today" -- >> beard day. >> beer or beard? >> never mind. >> no need. guys with beards here on the "today" show. >> beard. >> thank you very much. coming up, by the way, lined up some other great co-hosts. willie will be here tomorrow. >> no beard. >> lester holt. >> no beard. >> mr. carson daley will get out of the orange room and join us at the desk on friday morning. looking forward to that. by the way, we're also doing a little racing on the

morning. >> yes. >> we have some soapbox derby cars and a nascar icon, dale earnhardt jr. here to help us carry out this race. >> coming up we're going to do some cooking with mike lomanaco. he's the chef from porterhouse. we're going to be doing a little cooking. a lot to get to this half hour. let's start with the headlines. time for your news at 8:00. i'm kristen welker at the white house. this morning the department of homeland security is expected to unveil new guidelines on immigration. it comes as the president has finally announced a new national security adviser after firing his first choice. hoping to turn the page on a tumultuous chapper here at the white house. this morning the administration is expected to roll out tough new rules on immigration which could call for 10,000 more immigration agents and the release of those captured at the border and penalties for terrorists who pay smugglers to transport childn.

meanwhile, the white house is reworking a new executive order of the so-called travel ban. one official tells nbc news a rough draft halts travel from the same seven countries as the initial action but the new version would not ban all syrian refugees. this all comes as president trump is filling a critical role in his national security team. >> a man of tremendous talent and tremendous experience. >> reporter: unveiling his new national security adviser, lieutenant general h.r. mcmaster, the first active duty officer to serve in the role since colin powell. >> i look forward to joining the national security team and doing everything i can to advance and protect the interests of the american people. thank you very much, sir. >> reporter: at 54 years old mcmaster is highly decorated, having served in both iraq wars and in afghanistan. the president's pick winning bipartisan praise. president obama's national security adviser susan rice tweeting congrats to lieutenant general m

i wish you every success as national security adviser and john mccain calling mcmaster an outstanding choice, adding, i could not imagine a better, more capable national security team than the one we have right now. at nato headquarters in brussels vice president mike pence addressed the controversy over mcmaster's predecessor, mike flynn, fired for misleading pence about his contacts with russia. >> i was disappointed to learn that the -- the facts that had been conveyed to me by general flynn were inaccurate. >> reporter: the vice president also trying to reassure european allies facing questions about president trump's views about nato after he called nato obsolete. >> and the president directed me to go to munich and come to brussels with a very specific message the united states is expressing strong support for nato. >> reporter: and a reminder, the president still has challenges in terms of unifying the

here at home. thousands marked the president's day holiday with a new round of marches against him called not my president's day. today the president will visit the national museum of african-american history. meanwhile, the white house is expected to unveil that new extreme vetting executive order by the end of the week. matt? >> kristen welker at the white house. sad story to tell you about now. what was supposed to be a dream vacation ended in disaster today for four american tourists in australia. they were killed when their charter twin engine aircraft crashed into an outlet mall exploding into flames shortly after takeoff. witnesses say it sounded like a bomb went off. the pilot, who also died, issued a may day call describing a catastrophic engine failure. a dash cam captured the plane flying low seconds before that crash. despite the destruction, no one on the ground was killed. we are going to take a break. when we come back. "flip or flop" star

el musa speaks out about the public split he's going through with his wife and the future of their wildly popular show. and then do you really need to send your kids to preschool? surprising findings that could have you questioning the decision. ronald regan's assistant opens up about her life behind the scenes in history. first these messages. at progresso, we are now using 100% antibiotic and hormone-free white breast meat chicken in all our chicken soups!

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♪ 8:11. 8:11. great time to track. mr. gumball is here. en na bush haggar is here, kathie lee gifford. >> you didn't think i could participate? >> we knew you could handle it. >> you want to start with trending? >> incredible photo. this lady has a huge instagram following, 3.3 million. look what she's doing here. she's being dangled 1,000 feet above the streets of dubai. no tether or safety devices. >> oh, my gosh. >> some guy is hanging her over the edge. her followers loved her, dubai police didn't. >> oh. >> they brought her in. they made her sign a statement. >> i know. >> just the grip of this friend. >> yeah. >> hope he didn't use

>> the friend. >> i don't know. he's got to mean something to her. >> to hold her up like that. >> even tom cruise is like, i didn't do that stunt. >> that's the same building. >> i know. >> police were really not happy but she said they should thank her for exposing some security issues with that building. >> that was her main thought. >> yeah. i'm going to go off script here for a second if you don't mind. >> okay. >> a lot of people have noticed that hoda has been gone for a while. >> oh, really? >> she was off last week and she's taking a few more days off this week. during her time away hoda has kept up her tradition of posting inspirational quotes on social media. she posted one day, and suddenly you just know it's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings. here's another one. may the next few months of your life be a period of magnificent transformation. >> there's a trend here. >> how about this one? for all the things my hands have held the best by far is you.

hoda trying to tell us something? >> maybe. >> she's joining us by phone right now. hoda, we miss you. how are you? >> hi, hoda. >> hi, guys. i miss you, too. i do have something to tell you, but you know what, how about this? instead of telling you, i'm going to show you something, all right? do you have a picture you can put up for me? oh. >> wow! >> oh, my gosh! >> a baby. >> you have a new hairdo! >> you've got a dog? >> is it yours? >> talk to us. >> that little girl, haley joy -- i'm crying. >> she's crying. >> is my daughter. >> no! yeah! >> wow. >> congratulations. >> wow. >> oh, my gosh. >> i

hear her. that's her crying. >> how old is haley? >> she's a valentine's baby so she's a little nugget. >> she's tiny winy. >> she is the love of my life. >> oh, my gosh. >> do you know how hard it has been to keep this secret? i've got the biggest mouth in the world. i said zilch. >> you're already sleep deprived. >> my mom was here with me. she just got here a couple of days ago. my mom was here. my mom goes, hello, miss haley. we've waited so long for you. >> hoda, i don't know if you can see, but we've got jenna crying like a baby over here. kathi's crying. this is such fantastic news. this little girl haley is the luckiest girl on the planet. >> she is.

>> one of the most fantastic moms i can ever imagine. >> so happy. >> hoda, we are thrilled for you, sweetheart. you were made to be a mom. >> for sure. >> you're going to be an incredible mother. >> you thought you drank a lot of wine before. just wait. >> i love you guys. >> love you! >> hoda woman. >> congratulations. >> wow. that's awesome. >> this has turned out to be the best day ever. >> oh, my gosh. >> you didn't know, right? >> no idea. >> how did you keep that from me? >> matt was told recently. >> i did know. i did know. and, i mean -- >> it's amazing. >> you know the tears you just heard from hoda, for the last several weeks every time you talk to her, that is it. >> you've got a big mouth. how did you keep a secret? >> no, i'm good at keeping secrets. >> beautiful. >> haley. >> can you show us pictures? >> no, i cannot. >> can't wait to meet her. >> that's for hoda to do. >> i know, hoda, you're going to call back in in our 10:00 hou

with kathie lee. >> the real question is when are you actually coming back? not because i -- jenna wants to know. >> yes, when are you coming back? >> she'll tell us soon. >> we absolutely adore you, hoda. >> we love you, darling friend. >> yeah! >> bye, mama. >> bye. >> another trend. >> yeah. >> oh, my gosh. >> there's nothing that can top that. >> quite the nice baby boom here. >> something in the water. >> jenna, is there something you want to tell us? >> i'm pregnant. >> yeah. >> no, no. >> well, i know i'm not. >> all right. we want to do a little check of the weather. >> i guess we will. not after that. my gosh. oh, how wonderful. well, we've got some more wet weather. the system that caused all the storms back through texas 24 hours ago is now making its way to the east. luckily not quite as strong, but as it pushes east it's going to bring in moisture from the gulf so thunderstorms, some heavy rain, gusty winds making their way al

so we're looking anywhere about half an inch to an inch in florida as you get into the panhandle of florida into central alabama. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. good morning, once again. i'm storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell. quiet and mostly cloudy start to the day today. don't need the umbrella. we'll be dry today. tomorrow will be our next chance to have a shower or two but not a big rain chance on your wednesday. today though just a mix of clouds and sunshine. temperatures well above average. just not quite as warm as yesterday. we'll be in the mid to upper 50s and 60 degrees. then for tomorrow, a chance for a shower primarily in the first part of the day but it will be warmer. tomorrow's highs, 68. that's the latest weather. don't forget, take us wherever you go check out our "today" sirius xm channel 108. talk about an important question now. parents face this all the time. when do you start sending your kids to school?

study suggests that while preschool does have its benefits, they fade quickly. here's nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> use your numbers. >> reporter: these kindergarten students have something in common. >> five is an odd number. >> reporter: they've all been to preschool and their teacher at glenwood elementary outside atlanta sees a different. >> if you're coming to kindergarten and you don't have any experience with letter sounds and being able to stress and sound out words then, yes, you'll be at a disadvantage. >> reporter: each year states spend $15 billion on preschool education, but now researchers from the university of california at irvine and duke university are questioning whether those investments are worth the money. >> i think what surprises people is that pre-kindergarten programs can be very successful in the short run but have impacts that fade out over the next few years. >> reporter: they reviewed data from 67

that much of what students learn are skills the kids typically pick up in kindergarten or first grade anyway. still, many parents are skeptical. >> reporter: raise your hand if you think preschool is worth it? >> rachel lockman's older children didn't go to a full-time preschool but her daughter did. >> reporter: what is the biggest difference that you've noticed between your kids that went to preschool and your kids that didn't go to preschool? >> i think it's that emotional intelligence. the anxiety is decreased because -- for my daughter because she was more familiar. >> reporter: do you think that the events could fadeaway quickly? >> i think it depends what benefits you're talking about. really at the end of the day what you want kids to have is a love for education. >> reporter: the long-term impact of preschool education has been debated for decades. early childhood programs like head start have found evidence of long-term

>> i think we should give the kids everything that they need and all of the support that they need to succeed. why make it any more difficult for them than it already is. >> reporter: the researchers don't argue we should give up on early education programs but instead focus on other factors, too. >> a lot of it depends on what takes place in the family environment. >> reporter: sometimes the most important lessons, they say, are taught outside the classroom. for "today," gabe gutierrez, nbc news, decatur, georgia. going to make a little turn right now and tell you about a popular reality star who's breaking his silence on the end of his marriage and what that means for his show. nbc's joe fryer is here with that. good morning to you. >> good morning. even though tarek el musa is filing for divorce, they're still taping the show. for the first time he's revealing that thyroid cancer is not the only cancer he has been

for seven seasons they have been flipping distressed homes on hg tv. >> the bigger the disaster, the better the makeover. >> reporter: but in recent months it's their lives that have been flipped. >> as time went on we got distant from each other. there's a lot going on. we tried the counsel and it wasn't working. doesn't mean we're not going to remain friendly because the number one goal is to co-parent our children and we have to make sure we remain friendly because we know how important it is for them to have good parents. >> reporter: news of their marital trouble surfaced last may. it was for a possibly suicidal male with a gun. authorities were told tarik grabbed the gun from his house and ran to a hiking trail but he says the weapon, which he had a permit to carry, was simply for protection while climbing. >> there's mountain lions, bobcats, i went up for a hike. it wasn't a big deal. i didn't understand, you know -- it got really blown out of proportion. >> reporter: you weren't

>> no. no. never. never. absolutely never. >> what is that? >> flipping fun. >> reporter: despite their separation, tarik and christina are still shooting episodes of the show. >> reporter: she posted a picture saying i never met a more group of positive, funny, fun loving guys. this has been a breeze because of them. >> unlike a lot of couples who separate you are still hosting a show together. what has that been like? >> i mean, i'm not going to lie. i'm not going to say it was easy. it's like anything, there's challenges of life. we love filming. that's our job. we've been doing it a long time and we love releasing a good product for our fans and just had to plow through it and do the best we could. i think it turned out great. >> reporter: it's the show that may have saved his life. in 2013 he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer after a viewer spotted a suspicious lump on his neck. around that time he also learned he had testicular cancer. >> getting the thyroid

out i had testicular cancer, i thought i was going to die. >> reporter: you were open about the thyroid cancer. why was the testicular cancer different? >> i didn't want to come out with it. for me, the main reason i'm coming out is to create awareness. a lot of people had thyroid cancer. i feel like it's something i had to do. >> tarik says both cancers are now in remission. his stepfather is battling testicular cancer. as for "flip or flop" he says he and christina would like to continue filming the show. we reached out to them and they declined. they said they respected any decision made by the couple and that the show would air as scheduled. >> joe, thank you very much. by the way, we should mention tarik will be here in our next hour. first live interview since that split. and just ahead, we've got some great star power in studio 1a. we're going to catch up with those two. allison williams.

show and nascar great dale earnhardt jr. going to put us to the test out on a race course on the plaza. first, your local news.

this is is a "news 4 today" news break. good morning, 8:26 on tuesday, february 21st. i'm aaron gill crest. right now we want to get a check on the morning commute. >> good morning, good news on the red line. no longer single tracking there. had earlier delays because of a problem with a derailed work cart this morning. southbound kennel worth avenue. crash blocked two right lanes there this morning. westbound 50 at west ox road crash reported there in the right lane. right now northbound rock creek parkway after virginia avenue still have that lane blocked. a check on your forecast right after a quick break.

y25eiy y16fy good morning, everybody. off to a cool start. temperatures in the upper 30s to low 40s. it will be mild enough today but not quite as warm as yesterday. up to 59 degrees this afternoon. back to the upper 60s

that would break a record at dulles airport. thank you, chuck. you can get the latest news and weather any time and open the nbc washington app. back to "today."

[ cheers and applause ] all right. back, now, 8:30 on a tuesday morning, february 21st, 2017. a little chillier than we thought. >> come on. >> it is chilly. >> you look like the michelin man. >> i'm trying to stay warm, getting ready for my big race against mr. daly here in the soapbox derby cars. courtesy of mr. dale earnhardt jr. you said you were going to do a little strategy here. >> i had some of charlie's kibble. i was lying it down on the lane here. in case your wheel hit it. >> looking at the car, it slants off at each side. >> i was going to say, it's not >> don't you have an advantage if you're a

>> wow. matt talk. >> i'm hoping my youth will take me to the finish line. >> all righty. coming up, she's got a new movie and a new look. we're going to catch up with our pal allison williams with the movie "get out girls" and much more. ever wish you could recreate your new restaurant dish at home? bryant will head into the kitchen. >> peanut butter and jelly. mr. gumbal, you have a new edition of "real sports tonight" working on its 750th emmy. >> we have a new one coming up with spring training. i got a chance to sit down with chicago cubs joe madden. three-time manager of the year opens up about breaking the 108-year-old world series drought. this is not your usual line

>> do not permit the pressure. >> to perceive the pleasure. you're playing a game. i'm going to go out there and not have fun with it? you've got to be kidding me. >> what's in the middle? >> be present not perfect. if you're in the presence tense, man, you're not worried about what's happening. you're staying right here all the time. >> yeah, man. different kind of dude, man. >> i like it. >> got some success under his belt. again, you can catch "real sports" with bryant gumbel on hbo. mr. roker, check of the weather. >> all righty. as you know, it's the arctic here. record highs from the western great lakes into the central plains. as we move into tomorrow that wet weather moves down to southern florida. record highs into the mid plains. mountain snows into the rockies and cascades. plenty of sunshine to the

that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. kind of a cool start this morning. some areas are still in the 30s like frederick, 34 degrees. 42 in the district surrounding the area. as we go through the day, 59 for a high. not as warm as yesterday but still about 10 degrees above normal staying mostly cloudy but also staying dry. tomorrow we're in the upper 60s. thursday and friday we're in the 70s. rain returns as we go into saturday, dry and for sunday looks like the coolest day. a heck of a race getting ready to get set up. make sure you get your weather any time you need. go to the weather channel on cable. al, our 40th president ronald regan was a conservative icon. >> we're getting new insights with his closest confidantes. natalie is back. >> reporter: hey, guys. in her n

former assistant to ronald regan takes you behind the scenes with a very personal look into the president's life, his relationship with first lady nancy reagan, and his struggle with alzheimer's disease. >> when you go out there and win one for the gipper. >> reporter: he was known as the great communicator, inspiring millions with his warmth, and every day demeanor. >> you can't help be changed by ronald regan. >> reporter: few knew her. in her new memoir "the president will see you now" she recounts her time with him through his passing. >> reporter: you say in the book you got to see his true self. >> it was wonderful to see there weren't two ronald rag gans, whether it was with world leaders or interacting with my own children or ordinary americans. he loved them all and really just had a gracious.

presidential libraries, right? >> it is. >> reporter: we spoke at the ma guess particular reagan library in seemy valley, california. home to his air force one and member beal yeah from his life. >> you talked about how close you were. show up in bel air. i drove up to the house and here he is in his monogrammed bathrobe and his pajamas. i was horrified. he didn't seem to be bothered. he had that warmth and sense of humor. his critics, some of them called him an amiable dunce. >> a lot of times he used that to his advantage. he was able to go around them and out smart them. >> reporter: now inevitable comparisons between presidents reagan and trump. both voted in to shake up the status quo. >> donald trump the way he talks to the american people, now he uses twitter. we didn't have

to believe that ronald regan would have been a tweeter. >> reporter: really? >> i do. i do, because it was important for him to talk to people, not about people, not above them, not beneath them but right to them. >> reporter: what advice do you think he would give president trump now? >> i think he would remind president trump that it's all about the people. ronald regan just never thought it was about him and so as long as we're listening to we the people, as long as we are empowering we the people, we can't go wrong. >> grande says the greatest person in his life was his first lady, nancy. their love deepening further after he was diagnosed with alzheimer's disease in 1994. >> reporter: how did she handle that? >> with strength, like she did everything. with a grace and a poise and an elegance that we all looked to to keep us strong. >> being so close to the president you saw some of the first signs. what were they? >> he was such a great story teller so it was little things like getting caught up in the middle of a story i knew he

how the story should go. it was things like that that i thought, h'm, i with under if something's changed. i wonder if something's going on. >> reporter: grande said despite his memory fading his warmth and charm fading. she was by his side as he wrote his letter. >> they thought it was important to use their platform as somebody very visible and public to use it for good. >> reporter: you asked him at one point, can i give you a hug? and that was the first time you had ever hugged him. >> yeah. i said, mr. president, would you mind if i give you a hug? i felt like it was a way to say, i'm here for you and we're in this together. i will stick with you. >> reporter: when was the last time you saw him? >> it was probably a couple months before he passed away. i was just at his bedside and talking to him and enjoying being in his presence and it just gave me an opportunity to tell him how grateful i was for everything he had meant to me and say good-bye. >> reporter: and, again, the book is "the president will see you now" by

it's a fascinating read with so many great stories. >> thanks very much. thank you, natalie. up next allison williams will stop by to talk about the last season of gerls and her feature film debut but, first, this is "today" on nbc. "gerls and her fe film debut but, first, this is "today" on nbc. igerls and her feature film debut but, first, this is "today" on nbc. rgerls a feature film debut but, first, this is "today" on nbc. lgerls a feature film debut but, first, this is "today" on nbc. sgerls a feature film debut but, first, this is "today" on nbc. "gerls a feature film debut but, first, this is "today" on nbc. and her feature film debut but, first, this is "today" on nbc.

♪ ♪

back now. 8:40 with allison williams, one of the stars of hbo's acclaimed series "girls" which ends its sixth season run. she plays marty michaels a type a gallery rep turned singer/songwriter with a life that seems to be a bit in shambles. take a look. >> good morning to you. >> yeah, sorry. i just have a million things going on. >> that's okay. i've got a bunch of things to do. >> baby, you've got to go. >> i'm not going to be in your way. >> no, i can't have you sleeping

i've been talking about this with my online therapist. she's obsessed with me getting back into all of my old routines. i am in the middle of a divorce, this is not about you, this is all about me. >> as it should be. allison, nice to see you. >> it will be -- >> it's all about me. >> i love your hair, by the way. >> thank you. >> what's the reaction been about that? >> people don't recognize me and it's hysterical. i get to see what i know what people do when they hug someone warmly. >> does your husband like it? >> yeah, he does. >> so when do you think -- i love it. when do you think you're going to go back? >> that's a sure sign. >> yeah. >> so we got a glimpse as to where marty is with season six. >> not great. >> she's a mess. >> she's a mess. she is sleeping with her ex-boyfriend. >> ex-husband. >> and ex-boyfriend. >> both of them. she has this online analyst? >> yes. >> what is happening? is this where

would be at this time? >> no, but she's just grasping at anything. she is as lucky as i am. she has no ability to ground herself. she's reaching for boys to do that for her. her mom is played beautifully. her dad is absent. we imagined it was tom hanks because that was fun. it's not. he would never be like that as a dad. like my parents have been saying for years they wish they could have raised marnie and i feel that, too. >> you say that. i've known you for years. >> yes. >> you were never this person. >> no. >> you were never really part of that generation. i hope you take this as a compliment. you were always a little older than your years. >> yes. my mom was reminding me recently. she was like, i was wearing makeup first thing in the morning or something and i said, well, if i run into someone on the street or whatever. she goes, oh, no, you used to put on a full face at 3:00 to leave the house, like a full

>> not 20 something. most 20 somethings don't care that much. >> definitely not. >> at the time you did. >> i had a funny experience with you last year. we sat next to each other at a big gala of some kind. >> yes. >> somewhere in the middle of dinner the waitress said -- >> i can't have dessert because i have a full day of sex scenes tomorrow. the way it came out of your mouth so naturally i was like, i'll take her dessert. >> exactly. did you also want to do my sex scenes for me? >> no. interesting. you'll have the dessert and not the -- you know, it's very weird like now looking at the rest of whatever happens in my career thinking i now have these very odd peculiar set of skills that will help me. it doesn't mean i'm not going to sift through scripts and ask to take out the sex scenes. it will mean i'm very awkward when i'm supposed to look like i'm enjoying myself. >> don't people tend to confuse you and the character? >> very well. >> t

sex scene and you've always heard people call it the allison williams sex scene. >> it's annoying. when they want to they'll separate us. if i were to do something like that, which i don't think i would but, hey, you never know, i would probably not televise it. it's just my guess. >> yeah. >> based on prior behavior. >> knowing your parents, that would be true as well. >> "get out" is your first feature film. congratulations. >> thank you. >> was it a big choice? >> it was. also because i hadn't done a movie. the longer it went, the more pressure i put on myself for it to be something exciting, new, good. i got the script from jordan peel, it wasn't a comedy. immediately i was in. i thought it was going to make people talk, think, it will probably rub some people the wrong way. i'm really proud of it. i'm really excited for it to come out. >> suffice it

changed your life. you'll be seeing a lot of scripts. >> i hope so. >> i don't know what it would be like without it but i'm just so grateful. it's been the most amazing experience. >> for me it's been fun to watch you come along. >> she's back with kathie lee and jenna. "girls" hairs on sunday nights and "get out" opens on friday. up next, bryant gets cooking tips from his favorite chef.

this morning on this morning on "today" food. mike is the chef and partner of the porterhouse bar and grill. great to see you. >> good to see you. >> what do you have going? >> these are porterhouse pork chops. heritage pork. >> what's that? >> berkshire pork, really flavorful,

chops with vinegar peppers which is a favorite. sort of the southern italian cooking style, this is really great. >> peppers with anything, it's fabulous. >> vinegar peppers, broccoli raab, greens. >> paint this? >> put a little oil on there, sure. we're going to grill them. you can do it on a saute pan, outdoor grill. put a little salt and pepper. we want to make sure they get cooked sufficiently, about 150 degrees on the internal temperature. >> this is where we part, you and i part company, because my problem is i always want my pork rare. >> yes, you do. >> and you can do it that way, right? >> yes, you do. exactly. they have lowered the -- changed the cooking temperatures that they feel pork should be cooked at and 145 degrees -- >> we no longer have the fears that we had as a kid. >> no. >> you can have this as you do a steak? >> yes. many people do. it's very, very common. cooking it medium. grilling it here. if we ha

oven for a few minutes, we'll do that. we'll let it grill. resist the temptation to keep flipping it. >> leave it alone. >> the meat will release on its own. >> exactly. the whole flipping cools things off. vinegar peppers, cherry peppers cured in vinegar. we make our own peppers which we pickle our own peppers. so we have italian peppers, hala jalapeno. that's an anchovy. >> nothing wrong with anchovies. >> it will melt into this olive oil. it will disappear. it adds a great flavor level. this is where all the vegetables are going in. >> little bit of garlic. don't let it brown. >> no, don't let it brown. we're going to put our peppers in. the anchovy adds -- >> block ri raab chopped up. bitter greens, the spicy peppers

and -- >> the canoli on the back end. >> yes. >> we roast them and let them cook a little bit. >> let's show what it looks like over here. >> chicken stock. >> chicken broth or not. you know. you can use beef broth or even water if you wanted to. >> but you want to maintain the color of the peppers. you don't want to leave that on too long. >> exactly. here we have some butter. >> the guys are downstairs enjoying this. what's it taste like down there? >> it's terrific. >> good. >> delicious. >> good to hear. >> none of them want to speak. come up for air, someone. >> it's great! >> it's delicious. >> we like the hot peppers. i like the hot peppers. they're pickled. not too spicy. >> nothing is ever too spicy. >> we add a little butter to make it creamy. here we have a chop. it's fully cooked. you can slice it and we can plate it up. you know, porterhouse chop is the loin and the fillet of the

see the fillet, that's the fillet portion right there. we can just slice this and we can add it to a plate with some of our peppers. >> it's phenomenal. >> this is like my -- this is my sunday night go to dish. >> you and i are going to eat while we take a break. michael, thanks very much. you can find the recipes at today.com/food. up next, we're going to help dale earnhardt jr. get ready for his big nascar comeback. matt against carson. this i want to see. first this is "today" on nbc. to. at dominion, we're putting our energy to work creating a cleaner environment by using cleaner energy sources like solar, wind and natural gas. we've reduced carbon emissions by nearly 25%, which is the equivalent of taking close to two million cars off the road. cleaner air and cleaner water. it's good for all of us.

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♪ ♪ ♪ i'm sorry. i'm sorry. what up, dale. >> good to see you. >> how you doing, buddy? all's good? obviously had to run down from the kitchen. >> no problem. >> we have transformed the plaza in honor of our next guest. this weekend's daytona 500, dale earnhardt jr. has been side lined for six months while he recovers from a concussion. first of all, how are you feeling? >> i'm feeling great. been a long recovery but i was with some great doctors up in pittsburgh. feeling good and ready to go racing. >> choosing the daytona 500, why? >> it's the biggest race of the season for us and i'm very

had a lot of success there so if there's a track that i could choose to come back at, daytona is probably the one i would pick. >> when you were sitting out for that time did you give any thought at all to just going carl edwards way, no, i'm done, that's it. >> certainly you have to ask yourself the pretty tough questions but i still have some racing left in me, didn't want to have any regrets. i feel great. my doctors gave me a lot of confidence that i could come back and be healthy and continue to compete. >> you couldn't find two better drivers? >> i think we're going to be okay. this is going to be competitive. >> i hope somebody has a picture of you in this helmet. >> he out weighs me by 30 pounds. >> we're playing for pinks. >> if i start to lose i'm taking out your rear wheel. >> you wave the green flag and when you wave it, i'm going to turn them lose. >> okay. >> who's letting carson lose? >>

>> come on! >> looks like carson's got an early lead. he's going to get there. >> yeah! >> checkered flag. >> i love it! carson won. >> carson won. >> carson is the winner. >> how does that feel? >> oh, it feels great. >> you've got to win everything? is that what it is? >> having a heck of a month. here's your jacket. >> thank you so much. thank you. look at that. that's awesome. >> dale, thank you so much wherever you are. really appreciate it. >> dale, thanks very much. appreciate it. good luck. >> do we have a close here? can we do a close or is this it? >> i don't know. you're in charge. i'm just a guess. >> how about bryant gumbel filling in. >> thanks very much, buddy. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. we're going to have much more ahead on this tuesday morning. i want a retc

>> justin hartley from "this is us" going to be co-hosting us. >> and we're going to do a rematch with justin and chanelle racing out here. >> oh, yeah? >> dale earnhardt. >> chanelle, take the blue car, the hot car. good job. this is a "news 4 today" news break. 8:56 is your time now on this tuesday, february 21st, 2017. good morning to you, i'm eun yang. right now we want to check on your commute with melissa mollet. >> hi, eun. gw parkway, a new crash there. you can see some of the slowdowns.

no major problems southbound. >> thanks, melissa. we'll take a couple of questions.

good morning. we're off to a cool start this morning but everybody's getting back into the 40s now for the most part. fredericksville at 37 but in the district we're now at 44 degrees. 43 in manassas. 43 in quantico. later on mostly cloudy. 59 for a high temperature. not as warm as yesterday. still about 10 degrees above normal. 68 for tomorrow. thursday, 74. we jump to 74 again on friday. rain comes on saturday. eun. >> thank you, sheena. get the latest news and weather any time in the nbc washington app. we'll see you in 25 minutes for another update.

♪ this this morning on "today," nascar superstar dale earnhardt jr. ready for a big comeback. then "flip or flop" star opens up aboutns up about his split in a first live tv interview. and from "this is us," justin hartley. our celebrity co-host, coming up right now. >> from nbc news, this is "today's take." live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> all right, charlie. in just a little bit, charlie will be replaced by sheinelle. and we've got a call for justin hartley, too. will hook up with dale earnhardt jr., as he tries his comeback at the daytona 500. going to be racing those bad

welcome to a tuesday morning. a freebie tuesday morning, february 21st, 2017. listening to "call on me," by starly. and we called on >> welcome, justin. >> thank you so much for havin me. i love being here. . >> i first met you at the . thanksgiving day parade. >> yes. >> the show was the just kind o. taking off. did you guys have any idea what. kind of a juggernaut this thingf was going to turn out to be?turn >> boy, i don't think you can predict something like that to k be honest with you.somethin when i read the script i knew ii was special. i connected with it right away and i -- you just sort of hope, you know, the unknown is hoping that people will watch it.ing you never really know. >> they watched.you nev in fact, justin, we're takesing a look at the scene. i was telling you off camera this morning, everyone is alking talking about it, the most recent episode.. you look at the screen. this was a scene between you and randall. can i talk about it? this is al,is

>> i'm taking my eyes -- >> that's fine.lk. >> i watch the show. i watch the show on dvr so the next morning i go to facebook an andd i'm like, no! everybody's giving it away. givg this was a hearty, meaty episode for you. >> al bugged out. he was legit.>> a he bugged out.ged >> he doesn't want to know. o >> that scene was special to me for a couple of reasons. sterling k. brown, my co-host iy special to me. he gives so much to everyone.. all of our actors do. i love kevin, the character i . play, i really do. love i love that guy. you know, as an actor sometimesj it's your job to take care of the characters that you play.ero our writersu sort of do that fr us. >> in this scene -- is it okay to say that randall has panic ox attacks orie anxiety attacks. we don't learn that until pretta recently. >> yeah, he has a his history ow that. we tell th

two brothers -- how kevin reacted to that when they were y growing up and now you see how e he's sort of grown from when we met him as how he's becoming a man. >> he's about to have a huge moment of his grown. he's about to transition from the nani. you're on a stage play. be it was about to be your opening night inin new york city. lights go out.s wai everybody isti waiting for his g moment and you see him cut to him running to help his twin, randall. your twin, triplet, your something? >> look at al. at >> we're all good.good we're all good. >> you can comegood. back. back >> i can. come back now? >> that's great. >> come back in? >> he's not kidding. al l >> when ieave co-host the "toda show al leaves. >> no, i didn't. my last co h host. >> my daughter lela is the one who turned me on to this.leila, we have to watch this. t we started watching it together. this weekend -- but i haven't seen it since toby's heart attack. >> right. >> do you know what happens? ta. this

>> kidding.. >> anyway, one of the things that i love about the show, i hs mean, from the very get-go, i g- don't know how many people knewt it was a flashback in the beginning of that first episode, but we want to take a quick a flashback and look at some older pictures of you. >> this is your life. we're going to have a sneak peak coming up later. there you go.hisus." >> all right.t >> oh! it's kind of timberlaky. >> i was playing a character that had that hair.>> i that was a character. >> was this ha inir "green arro? >> yes. >> that's a character i was >> a playing. >> that was a new look?t youot i >> i'm not going to lie. i think i liked it at the time. >> i think it was appropriate. >> how about this?lord. >> oh, dear lord. >> it's getting wilder. i >> i think t that was basically that was back before i knew better. to tell people like get the blow dryer away from me. >> you were an artist. no? >>

i think i was lost. >> you know those hats that they wear that have the hair stickins out. >> that was my hairstyle. >> i ought to nee get one of th. we have a little game.we wan we want to find out about you a little bit more. >> e'okay. ve >> we have these questions in bl the fish bowl. heart to hartley. get it? >> yeah. >> all right. so if you just -- our producer, gavin, even put the arts and crafts, put the little hearts oi it. >> nice. valentine's.fromearts. >> you jump in and answer some . questions. >> let's dodo>> it. okay. starting passions. what's the secret to creating on screen passion? there's really no secret. you have good co-stars. pretty much that's what it's all about. goodcret. co-stars and trust. >> absolutely.t. i trust you. >> all right. trust >> there's your cast right there. >> oh, yeah.here's

most romantic gesture you've ever done for your fiance? well, let's see, we just bought a house. that was pretty g romantic. >> congratulations. >> i proposed to her. tic >> where did you - propose? >> i did it in the kitchen.>> id it was a whole thing where, you know, i kind of surprised her. we're very lucky and we get to e travel quite a bit so i didn't want to make a grand thing aboua it.nd wanted to like do something so sort of simple, but i wanted tod surprise her.ising so i ended up surprising her ano she said yes. >> even more of a>> more surpriy >> one more. ou >> she didn't see it on coming? >> no, she didn't. not at all actually. >> no.i n >> she's like, i need to walk t the dogs. for she's like, i have a question for you.dogs. she's like, but the dogs.qu i have a question. >> chemistry. if you could time hope to any past era, which one would it be? man. gosh, i'm a bit of a history nut. gosh. question. that's >> the

of --or i wasn't alive during t '60s but i kind of wish i was.s, they seem kind of -- what happen happened? i >> w because we were alive in t '60s. goo >> it was a good time, right? >> depending where you were, whs you were. >> thinking of things sh. heartwarming. did you hear thehe>> announceme this morning?this yes, some amazing heartwarming news to share about our "today" show. hod hoda kotb is a mom. haley joy. it's her valentine's day baby and we are just so, so happy for her. >> that is soor fantastic.o a lot of people were asking, shw was off last week.she most people assume you deserve e vacation. >> sure. >> then i think y today peopleo were starting to say, and sa yesterday, where's hoda.a.an she was posting --d s i love he posts on instagram.. they were -- wasinst there aag f them? kind of cryptic about new beginnings. >> mg

>> now when you repla themm --a >> now it all makes perfect sense. >> you know what, we all know your life will be forever changed. >> yes. >> in the greatest of ways. >> haley joy, isn't that a cute name? so >> so perfect. rf >> another thing weect. have a of joy for. the live action "beauty and they beast" remake coming out. comin we're getting our first look ata emma watson as belle singing th. opening number "belle." take a look. ♪ ♪ ♪ sad >> how sad is that, you know the words. >> we know the words. >> these two people are weird. >> no, you're great. >> soso exciting. >> i think this is so great. so i have to tell you, a lot of people haveen

how you become an animated so m character. >> they've been doing a greatpl job of it. >> these movies, kind of a little spoof there on that line. they basically have done such a" terrific job.. terri i can't wait for this movie. >> what will they think of next? this is genius. >> so many of us love it.hter it's interesting,s to me. my daughter, i can take her to it. >> it's new for. you. >> exactly. >> it will be your kids' generation "beauty and the beast." >> very true. speaking of something that o belongs to everybody, "star wars." waitt untililntil y you see how tries to get actress daisy ridley to review a few spoilers of their film. to she has rebuffed him before butm he goes to new lengths to get answers. you'll blow up. . yo >> maybeu' we'll get a spoiler from justin. >> yes. >> yes!aughs)

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back now with today's take. true or false, toby wares -- >> true. >> really? >> true. >> how does milo die? >> well, milo is still alive. >> okay. >> i just talked to him a couple of hours ago. >> good to know. good to know. >> how does jack -- >> we love this. josh co-stars with daisy ridley in "murder on the orient express." one of my all-time favorites. he's been grilling her about another project, "star wars." the first time he does it show blows him off h. now he's gone to a higher level to try to get some spoilers. check it out. >> dais, baby, i wanted to apologize for everything that's happened. i'm not -- i'm not -- i took you out of my trailer to my place. come on in. >> okay. >> i have no more questions, they do. >> okay. >> how many musical numbers are there, anything you can tell us would be helpful?

galaxy." >> oh, my gosh. all right. penelope cruz, "star wars" "the force awakens" j.j. abrams, leslie, chris pat, unbelievable. >> great setup. >> boom! >> oh. >> right in the nose. >> oh. >> so, wait, you have to deal with this in a sense. everybody wanting spoilers. we've been peppering you all throughout the commercials. >> i appreciate it. people are interested in the show, right? that's what that shows. >> you say we don't want to know, i want to know. >> here's the thing, you think you want to know. i know you think you do, but what happens is i made the mistake one time to a relative of mine, my mother -- >> that's a relative. >> fair enough. >> she's the closest relative i have, my mom. >> a relative. my mom. hello, jackie.

>> i made a mistake one time. she's like what happens here. i tell my mom. we talk all the time. oh, mom, you're never going to believe it. it's this. she's like oh -- i thought that way. and i ruined it for her. so, i've learned that when people ask you for spoilers and they think they want them, they don't want them. no. i don't give them. i don't give them. >> it's such a burden to carry, i feel like for you. >> you know what is a burden? when we have a week or two off. when we're week-to-week, everybody is talking about the show, it's okay. >> speaking of spalspoilers, wee one. tonight's sneak peek, "this is us." take a look. >> where is he >> my father doesn't have a lot of time left and he'd very muchy like to show me where he's from, maybe even introduce me to some extended family, which for me m, would be a really big deal, you know? now my wife is naturally and

adorably concerned. curious your thoughts on the matter.curi ♪ ♪ ♪ >> i saw this. >> wait, what's going on?on what's going on? >> yeah. >> so this -- you know what, actually, you probably could wt have watched that. >> yeah.h. >> probably.it's it's kind of a -- a >> let's roll it. rol >> no. >> i don'tt want to call it a stand alonene episode, but it's special -- very special episode. >> i love that in the promo. a very special "this is us" airs tonight at 9, 8 central right here on nbc. >> i love it so much. >> thank you. >> love i'm going to do a "thiss us" weather. >> don't do us"it. >> i want to see that. see >> i'm going to flashback to do the weather in the '70s first and then i'll do the weather for today. it will be amazing. let's show you what today's weather is like.

pacific northwest and california but it is starting to slacken off. we're also looking at heavy showers and thunderstorms making their way through the central gulf. that wet weather will continue to make its way east. look at the temperatures. record setting temperatures from texas to the central plains, cooler in northern new england and a longs the west coast where it's raining. we have plenty of sunshine along the eastern seaboard. rain, wind out west. the sunshine continues from the southwest from texas into the mid plains. record highs stretching from denver all the way to chicago today. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. good morning, everybody. it's a cool morning outside. temperatures are in the 40s right now. 44 in warring ton, arlington and also in gaithersburg. lead temperatures today will be spent in the mid to upper 50s. 57 the high in manassas. 59 in culpeper. warm spot down towards

fredericksburg. cool spot by the bay at annapolis. for tomorrow, much warmer but with a chance of a stray shower or two on your wednesday. that is your latest weatherd coming up, a freebie february give away that's going to be music to your ears and you, as a well, can win at home.ears. we have dale earnhardt jr. returning to life in the fast lane getting ready for a big, e big comeback. we'll look at it all coming up after these messages. >> have strategy now. >> you do? >> i'm good. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ mom doesn't know we have him.

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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®. freebie feb freebie february in full swing. we have great give aways. we select a fan from the plaza to answer questions. joining me, mike bruno, the editorial director of "billboard" and our fan from the plaza, freda conor brinkley from hampton, virginia, who is here with her high school. bebus high

window cheering her on. in fact, we're going to make this febus friday. for freebie febus february. we are going to ask you a trivia question and see if you can answer it correctly and you will be a proud winner of some fantastic stuff we're going to tell you about in just a little bit. let me ask you a question. what is the best selling record album of all time? adele's "21," michael jackson's "thriller" or, c, the beatles "abby rose." what's your answer? >> since i'm a michael jackson fan i'm just going to go with b. >> michael? >> you are right, it is michael jackson's "thriller." >> whew! >> how big is this album? >> that 1982 classic sold more than 100 million worldwide. >> wow. >> huge. >> congratulations, rita. you have won a c-100.

vinyl is back. vinyl is bigger than ever. >> and you get five vinyl albums to go with it. freeda is not the only one going home with this. we have sheinelle and justin out on the plaza. >> who's ready for one? >> all right. thank you for coming. >> oh, lucky winner. >> congratulations. where are you from? >> from maine. >> we're going to give you five records to go along with it. >> thank you for coming. >> i have this other one. who do we have down here? right here. for you. would you like this? there you go. >> where are you from? >> indianapolis, indiana. >> indianapolis, indiana. there you go. >> thank you so much for coming. okay. one more. one more. one more. >> pressure. pressure. one

right here. congratulations. what's your name? >> ashlyn. >> where are you from? >> winter robbins, georgia. >> welcome, welcome. congratulations. it's fun to give away stuff. we are giving away two more crosley c-100s and vinyls to go with it to viewers at home. al? >> all you have to do is visit our facebook page facebook.com/todaystake. try to like us. we have charlie here, his master's voice. so fantastic. coming up, we've got superstar dale earnhardt jr. getting ready for his big comeback in daytona this weekend. we've got a race on our plaza between sheinelle and justin. dale will set them down the track. we've got it all and so much more, but first a check of your local news and weather. what a night! tired, dry, thirsty skin? forget basic moisturizer.

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♪ this is a "news 4 today" news break. >> 9:26 is your time now on this tuesday, february 21st, 2017. good morning to you, i'm eun yang. expect huge crowds and a lot of security if you plan to go anywhere near the national harbor tomorrow. the area is preparing to host a conservative political action conference. it's happening at the guy lord resort and convention center. vice president pence and president trump and reince priebus are among the speakers. we're going to take a break and we'll check your forecast when we come back. stay with us.

good morning, everybody. certainly a mild enough day coming your way. temperatures well above average but temperatures as of now were still in the low to mid 40s. feels a little cool outside. you might need a medium weight jacket for the next hour or so. but eventually we'll get into the mid and upper 50s. even though we'll have a fair amount of clouds around forpt next several days it won't be anywhere near cold. we'll be in the mid to upper 60s with an isolated shower. thursday, dry and warm. 74. friday's rain chances and primarily friday evening and friday n

on saturday. blustery and cooler weather returns on sunday. >> chuck, thank you. get the latest news and weather any time in the nbc washington app. we'll see you in 25 minutes for another news update.

it is a big weekend for millions of nascar fans, and this man right here, dale earnhardt jr., after being out for six months recovering from a concussion, dale is returning to the track. >> he'll be looking for his third daytona 500 win. in honor of dale and the big event we'll be doing some racing of our own on the plaza. >> sheinelle and justin facing off. in the meantime, dale, it's so good to see you. we're so happy for you. >> thank you. >> congratulations also, you just got married. >> yeah, we did. we got married on new year's eve, me and amy. >> she's going to waive these guys for the checkered. >> you say she is one of the reasons you were able to make suh

really hard through my recovery making sure i was doing all the things they required to get well. i have to thank her for all the help and support. >> you scheduled a come back at the daytona 500? is there a special meaning to you? >> first race of the year, biggest race of the season. feel good and healthy. if i had to pick a track to come back to it would be daytona. i feel the most comfortable there as anywhere else. >> do you have any tips for our soon to be racers? >> hold the wheel steady. to go fast, don't turn the wheel. don't mash the brakes. >> i can't reach the brakes. >> he said mash the brakes. >> don't mash -- >> here we go. dale's going to do the release. >> here we go. >> the flag. >> on your mark, get set, go! >> whew. >> all right, here we go. >> oh. >> no. >> i don't know what's going to -- >> here we go. >> looks like -- brake, brake. >>

>> impressive. >> that's 2-0. >> wow, that crushed me. you crushed me. >> unbelievable. >> i don't know what this is going to do. >> number 88 seems to be the lucky winner, dale. >> absolutely. >> earlier it was the fantastic carson daley winning. the cup goes to you, sheinelle. almost as tall as you are. >> we'll share it. >> you're so generous. >> only because i love your roll. >> thank you so much. >> how did they do, dale? >> they did great. the 88 seems to be the better car today. it's won two races tomorrow. >> could carry over all weekend. >> have your name on it. >> we like the sound of that. >> all right. dale, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> we want to also have a special thanks to the new roichelle firefighters for helping us with the soapboxes. who are you most concerned about as the daytona 500? >> the gibbs teams has been really strong the last several trips to daytona and talladega. the penske cars are

good. obviously joey logano won the clash. they're strong. we're all hendrick front row me and chase elliott starting the daytona 500 sunday. be sure to tune in. >> worried about the weather at all? >> i don't think the weather's going to be a problem. we have all day long, we've got lights. we'll get it done. >> dale, thank you so much. you can watch dale and the others compete in the daytona 500 this sunday. nbc group's coverage of the 2017 nascar cup series season kicks off saturday, july 1st on nbc. coming up next -- >> i'm ready to do my victory lap. >> go start. >> pop star tarik comes in to explain everything that was going on with the breakup with his wife christina in his first live tv interview since their split. she's still going! ♪

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they are the stars of one of hg tv's most popular shows "flip or flop" tarik and christina elmusa. they flip homes in southern california and balance two kids. >> their personal lives made headlines. first, his story. for nearly four years hg tv's "flip or flop" has been entertaining viewers. the hosts bringing to each episode their real estate expertise. >> what are we going to list it for? >> reporter: along with a glimpse of their real lives as husband and wife and parents to two young children. >> if the tv show is the result of our life. this is what we do all day every day on a daily basis. we buy, fix, sell

>> the image of their marriage began to crumble. in may christina called 911 after tarik was seen leaving their home with a handgun heading for hiking trails nearby. deputies located tarik and escorted him back to the house where he told them he wanted to blow off some steam and took the gun because of safety because of mountain lions and rattlesnakes. in september they announced their separation after seven yearsof marriage. last month hg tv telling us it respects any decisions that tarek and christina make about their personal relationship. "flip or flop" will continue to air as scheduled. while tarek filed for divorce, they are busy filming season 7 and sharing photos from the set last week proving while their marriage may have ended, the show will go on.

>> we want to mention we reached out to christina for comment but she declined, tarek is here. >> most importantly, how are your kids? your daughter is 6 years old, your son is 18 months. how are they doing? >> they're absolutely fantastic. they're getting accustomed to the situation. christina is being a great mom and i'd like to think i'm a great dad. taylor is doing great and brayden is young. >> you're in the middle of taping season seven. >> yes. >> how difficult is that? to be partners on screen but off screen there's all this tension plus the added pressure you know everybody else knows about. >> you know, we've been flipping houses and not only flipping houses but doing it on tv for a very, very long time. so like anything, there's going to be challenges, right? but through this entire pro

me and christine are professional, we know we have a job to do and we know what we do and we want to deliver a good product to our fans. through this process we've done a good job. >> your show has such a huge fan base. willing it beyond season seven? >> right now we are filming season seven. season six is on the air. that's our hope. >> you want to keep going as long as you can take this? >> absolutely. we love what we do. we've been doing it for a long time. that's our job. we don't want to stop doing our job. we're looking on moving forward, yeah. >> you know, we mentioned in the story that sheinelle just did. there was that incident involving the gun. do you want to clear that up once and for all? >> i would absolutely love to clear that up. i live in california back to chino state park. we have mountain lions, i have a ccw, a california concealed carry. which means i'm legally able to carry a

threw the firearm in my backpack, couple bottles of water. the rest is history. >> the phrase blow off some steam, people are saying you were running with the gun. is all of that gossip? was that not true? >> it's absolute gossip. i was hiking in the mountains by myself. the sun was going to be going down soon. why wouldn't i go out with protection if i have legally gone through the courses to be able to do so? >> let's turn to something else that's probably more important, you're a cancer survivor. you had thyroid cancer but at the same time you were battling another kind of cancer? >> yeah. this is the first time the world is going to find out. i did battle thyroid cancer in 2013. literally a month after i found out i had thyroid cancer. i was at the hospital and they say, hey, i hate to tell you, you have testicular cancer. so the second i heard i had testicular cancer knowing i already had thyroid cancer, i thought i was going to die. i thought i was rotting inside. i was so scared to lose my

family. >> why did you decide to talk about it now? >> i wanted to make people aware of it. right now my stepfather was just diagnosed. he went through surgery and he's going through chemotherapy right now. he was a super healthy guy. he lost all of his hair. he lost 20 to 30 pounds. it hit close to home. i do know with my thyroid cancer people reached out and said, hey, if it wasn't for you exposing your cancer i would never have known. >> we have a little bit of time left. i was thinking this morning. you can't go to the grocery store these days without seeing your face or your ex-wife's face on the cover of all the magazines in the checkout. there are rumors all over the place. everybody is obsessed with you two. in this moment what do you want people to know? >> well, first of all when i walk to the magazine stands i cover my face so nobody can see me. >> has that ever happened when you're at the checkout where -- >> you kind of look like that guy. yeah. i get that all the time. i'm sorry.

weird gossip and fake news out there, i try to ignore as much as i can. and i'm really just focusing on my kids, number one, myself and my future. i'm moving forward on my own. >> anything you want people to know? >> i want people to know 23no matter what happens, the most important thing for myself and christina is to co-parent. at the end of the day that's all that matters. >> thank you very much. >> very nice to meet you. >> give those kids a kiss. >> all right. i've got to go over here and do a little weather. >> i'll scoot over. >> you'll scoot over and i'll scoot over here which works out pretty nicely. we are looking at more wet weather making its way through the gulf. heavy rain there. record highs stretching from the western great lakes, chicago 50 degrees. above 70 degrees. rain, wind, mountain snow out west will continue. as we look ahead for tomorrow we expect to see more rain in the southeast. heavier rain down in southern

mid-atlantic states. mountain snows continue into the northern plains as well. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. a cool start to the day but temperatures still 10 degrees above normal. 44 in the district. mostly mid to low 40s. gaithersburg and manassas and leaguesbu leesberg. a mostly cloudy day but we will be staying dry. 59 for a high temperature. mostly cloudy skies. tomorrow we're 10 degrees warmer, upper 60s. look at the 70s thursday and friday and rain comes on saturday. this is your latest weather. coming up, we're going to take a little bit of a detour. that's going to leave a mark. we'll stop and talk to jason jones. all of that and more coming up. .

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me laughter. and while it's okay to nibble in public, a lady only dines in private. try the name your price tool from progressive. it gives you options based on your budget. uh-oh. discussing finances is a big no-no. what, i'm helping her save money! shh! men are talking. that's it, i'm out. taking the meatballs. let's just say jason jones, i like his last name, is no stranger to the absurd. for ten years he entertain you had on the emmy winning program, the daily show. now he's on the show "the detour." the family vacation didn't go as planned. >> even though they're moving to a new city, this one, things are not getting any easier. >> is it bad? >> it's fine.

>> okay. relax. where's the fire? >> looks like that way. >> jason, good morning. >> good morning. >> true story. >> true story. >> i watched some of the episodes already. very fortunate. this is -- i mean, it just takes uncomfortable and all sorts of problems to a new level rchltsz that . >> that's what we do. that's what the purpose of the show is to take you out of your comfort zone watching a family and to spin that on its head. >> that's great. i ran into your co-star last night at the airport, natalie. >> she's in town? >> what? >> hanging out at the airport. >> leaving. no. >> kind of like -- it mirrors the box. >> she's traveling. >> tell us a little bit about where the parker family is. at the end of last season it was quite a cliffhanger. robin is wanted by the government. can i say

>> i'm not going to tell you which part of the government. the government is a big beast. many different intelligence agencies after her. it's not the one you think of. >> oh. >> it comes in episode eight. last season we found out that she was wanted and this season is really me unpacking that story and realizing who the hell did i marry? i thought i knew you and you are now this complete stranger who nags at me. >> are you drawing this from your own experiences? >> i am. yes, yes. one day -- i'm not joking. one day when we were in bed together, hey, tell me about something bad you did and i went, oh, i don't know. i used to torment mall security guards by pretending to steal but not actually stealing. >> that's funny. >> yeah, it was funny. >> she leans over to me and she said, i stole a car. i went, what? that's a little different. >> you committed grand theft auto? >> what? >> that's a little different. >> amazing. >> that's 15 years in jail

difference. >> right? >> no, it's criminal. >> i married a criminal. she was like, i was just joyriding, you know? it's a victimless crime. >> except for the victim's car you stole. what is your deal, wife? we're still married. >> you're both so good. you both have your shows. you work on each other's shows, too? >> we have two shows and three kids. >> that's a lot. >> it is. let's just say the shows get more attention. >> speaking of kids, you have kids in real life as well and you have kids on the show? >> yes. >> very honest with his children on the show. >> zblekt are you like that in real life with your children? are you very up front, honest, here's where it is, you're blunt? >> to a fault. >> yeah. yeah. >> what's your theory behind that? >> because there's no point in lying or sugar coating things. they're going to find out. >> how old is your youngest? >> she's six. >> that's fantastic, jason.

to google. she gets it from me or she gets it from urban dictionary. >> daddy said mom stole cars. >> do they think you guys are funny? >> they think i'm funny, yes. >> gotcha. >> the wife's a little too political for that. >> jason jones. >> jason, thank you so much. "the detour" returns tonight on tbs. >> commercial free. >> we're back in a moment but first this is "today" on nbc. first, this is "today" on nbc. at ikea, we believe everyone should be able to afford a well organized closet. mama, my throat hurts. and a few extra minutes in the morning. you've got ten more minutes. make room for what matters.

at ikea, we believe everyone should be able to afford a well organized closet. mama, my throat hurts. and a few extra minutes in the morning. you've got ten more minutes. make room for what matters. we just want to thank justin hartley for being here. >> so great. >> you're a natural, cookie. >> we have a little news. we're going to be talking with miss hoda woman. mama hoda. >> mama hoda. >> but it's all about hoda.

this is a "news 4 today" news break. >> 9:57 is your time on tuesday february 21st, 2017. good morning, i'm eun yang. in a few minutes bao bao will leave the national zoo for good. they'll use a special forklift to move her crate out of the national zoo and drive her to dulles airport. bao bao is expected to arrive at the airport shortly before noon and 1:30 wheels up to china. the nonstop private flight will take about 16 hours. plen o

play. you can watch that journey on facebook live at 10:00 a.m. now let's check the forecast with sheena. i did everything i could, but she's got to go. >> i think there's still room for you on the plane though. the weather today though is going to be good for flying. 59 degrees. mostly cloudy skies when bao bao gets up into the air. so at least good weather for that. good travel weather. tomorrow warmer upper 60s. look at the 70s thursday and friday. rain returns mostly as we go into saturday. sunday night dry but cooler and not too bad next week. eun? >> sheena, thank you. coming up on news 4 midday at 11:00, we'll have the latest on bao bao's trip to china. see you then.

from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hello, everybody. this might be one of the best days ever. it's booze day tuesday, spanky tuesday and it might as well be mother's day. it's february 21st. jenna bush haggar is in for our hoda woman who has some very, very, very, very exciting news for us this morning. right now we've got her on the phone. hoda woman. >> girl, hi. >> how are you? >> no,