. ood morning, breaking overnight, explosive interview. mo good ing, breaking overnight. explosive interview. >> definitely very concerned about the president, his capacity and his intent. >> former acting fbi director andrew mccabe speaking out and taking on president trump claiming he once sided with russia ove his top intelligence officers. >> the president replied, i don't care. i believe putin. >> what he's saying that could impact the mueller investigation. messy morning. tens of millionsaking up to snow and ice. right behind it another dangerous winter storm set to sweep across the country.

dylan's forecast just ahead. ie pourd attorney in the wake of that bb shell -- did the "empire" star orchestrate ama ssive hoax and will he now talk to police about it. we're live with the very latest. all that, plus time to heal. >> united, that's h we feel. >> an emotional tribute honoring the victims of a tragic oorkplace shting. clock's ticking with just two weeks to go, why hasn't anyone come forward to that nearly $2 billion lottery search to find the lucky winner. nd what a wreck. >> are you kidding me? >> nascar, super bowl, the daytona 500 marred by a series of fiery crashes. >> they wrecked agai driversf the last standing taking the checkered flag, why that win meant so much to him and his team's owner, today, 1nday, february8th,

2019. >> announcer: from n news, thisit is "today" wh savannah guthrie and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a inro efeller plaza. and welcome to "today." thanks for joining us on this presidents' day monday morning. craig melvin here alongside sheinelle jone what a race. >> i just watched a clip of that video 2agai1-car crash, and you and i were talking about the fact it's remarkable no one was hurt. crash.ny hamlin did not he had not won a race i tries. off ns last night to kick the nascar season. why that win wasti so eal for him and the guy who owns that nascar team. we'll get to that in just aui b. >> a win. we start with our top story, the fallout over new claims being made in a new interview with the fbi's former acting director andrew mccabe. we've got complete covage this morning. we start with our chief white house correspondent hallie

jackson. >> goomorning to you. pedrew mccabe is defending the fbi'sng of investigations into the president. while critics question his credibility, mccabe is now revealing new detai about h concerns regarding donald r:ump. >> reporn another explosive new claim, andrew mccabe now says the president dismissed u.s. intelligence on national security recalling an i instan which he says president trump insisted north korea did not have the capability to hit the u.s. with ballistic missiles because rssian president vladiutin told him so. >> intelligence officials in the briefing responded that that was not consistent with any of the intelligence our government possesses to which the president onreplied, i d't care. i believe putin. >> on another claim that attorney general rodst rosnte suggesd wearing a wire to record president trump in the days after james comey was fired, mcce now says the justice department's denial is off base and that rosenstein w

not being sarcastic. >> he said i never get searched when i go into the white house. i could easily wear a recor device. they wouldn't know it was there. now, he was not joking. he was absolutely serious, and in fact he brought it up in the next meeting we had. >> mccabe appearing on 60 minutes to promote his new book also says rosenstein raised the possibility of invoking the 25th amendment to remove donald trump fr from office. >> the deputy attorney general was definitely very conce ed about tesident, about his capacity, and about his intent at that point in time. >> reporter: the justice mdepartment calledccabe's version of events inaccurate and factually incorrect, and the president has blast mccabe as a disgrace to the fbi and the country with e white house echoing that, quote, mccabe has no credibility. the former deputy director was fired last year accused of lying about his interactions with the media. now, the republican head of thec

judiciarymittee senator lindsey graham says he will subpoena bh mccabe and rosenstein in need be in light of that 25th amendment claim. >> the only way i know to find out is to call the people in under oath and find out through questioning who's telling the truth because the underlying accusation is beyond stunning. >> soe, hale are all hearing about some of this for the first time, but what about the special counsel? >> yeah, he's not, right? here is why we think we know that. andr mccabe took meticulous notes basically writing memoso himself about all of these conversations he was having. that's what fbi agents ared traio do. where are those notes now? mccabe says they are in the hands of robert mueller, that the special counsel has those nons as based our reporting mueller gets close to wrapping up that investigation into russian interference in the 2016 election. may be new to some of us, but certainly not new to mueller. >> hallie jackson in washington.

andrew mccabe will join us for a live interview tomorrow sitting down with savannah to talk about his new claims. protests are spreading against president trump's cision to declare a national emergency to build a border wall with mexico. nbc's kristen welker has the latest. >> rorter: good morning to you. president trump is increasingly on defense after he declared that national emergency his border wall built. the white house is bracing for a barrage of lawsuits as protests hee planned today all across country. this morning the battle over the border is intensifying. >> this emergency is fake! >>rotests broke out over the weekend outside trump hotel in california's attorney general warned legal action is imminent after president trump declared a national emergency redirecting federal fun touild his border wall when congress refused to give him all the money he requested. >> we are prepared. we knew something like this might happen, and with our sister state partners,e are

ready to go. >> california leading a legal coalition which is also e iected lude new mexico, hawaii, oregon, connecticut, minnesota and possibly other states and now many o'opponents are alsoe seizing on president's own mixed messaging after he said this friday. >> i could do the wall over a longer period of time. i didn't need to do this, but i'd rather do ituch faster. >> and in saying just the other day that he didn' really need to do this, he just wanted to do it because it would help things go faster, he's pretty muchrt daring the co strike this down. >> reporter: the opposition is building on capitol hill with democrats planning to take legislative action, but top white house adviser stephen miller saying any block would p likelyvoke the president's first ever veto. >> yes, he will veto? >> he's goi to protect his national emergency declaration guaranteed. >> reporter: a veto threat may not deter the oppositionen and some republicans say their wary. >> this would be another expansion of that power. that's why you see an awful lot

of us concerned about this. ump'sporter: but mr. republican defenders blame the democrats. >> the congress is locked down and will not give him what we've given past presidents so unfortunately he's got to it on his own. >> reporter: adding to the confusion, the actingecretary efense says he has not determined how much money he will redirect to the president's border wall. and when pressed? >> sir, at this point you have not determined specifically wall i required to meet that national emergency? >> there have been no determinations by me. >> kristen, you talke congress taking action to block the national emergency. how realistic is >> reporter: look, democrats in congress can try to block the emergency declaration by passing what's called a joint resolution of termination,ve but if that passed, the president is prepared to veto such a move as yo just heard, and it appears unlikely at this point there are enough votes to override that veto but remember, this is a k point. there are a number of lawsuits

mr. trump ither way still faces hurdles to getting his wall built. >> thank yo b anoth story we're following this morning, the weather. a quick hitting s is creating dangerous conditions from the midwest t athe northeas an even larger one is set to sweep across the country after it. dylan's been keeping an eye on all of it for us. >> good morning, guys. we did see the effectssyf this storem move through areas like michigan. there were more than 44 cars involved in this pileup east of rapid city, michiganwe ther only about two to four inches of snow in that area.ea recent rh reports about 80% of accidents happen with two inches or lessf snowfall. that is what we saw. three people were injured, but other than that they are continuing to investigate that pileup. we do have winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings in effect, though the storm itself isinding down. we are seeing an end to the rain in new york city. it's raining across partsng of island. most of the slippery spots this

morning across southeastern massachusetts and central rhode island. this whole sto system wil linger across new england as we go through the day today. winds will get gusty and temperatures will drop later on tonight as that storm system pulls away. additional snowfall not that much, we're looking at about one to two inches of snow. we could see some isolated spgher amounts,ially through the higher elevations across central and northern new england. again, theext storm system will bring mostly rain, but beforet gets here we do have to deal with some snow. nowth te troubling new twists in that fast moving story involving jussie smollett. he claims he was attacked on a chicago street, but now there are growing questions about his .lai nbc national correspondent miguel almaguer has the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. smollett remainstead fest tha he is the victim, this after police arrested two men friday who are now cooperating with investigators to perhaps build a case against the it's another major bomb shell in thisstory. the two brothers identified in

this grainy surveillance photo who actor jussie smollett attacked him have now been released from custody without being charged and are now working with investigators. police sources tell nbc news the men claim smollett paid them to help orchestrate and stage what he would later call a hate crime. >> who the [ bleep ] would make something tikehis up or add something to it or whatever it may be. t> reporter: after smoll insisted he was the victim to abc news, police now say after questioning the brothers the trajectory of the investigatish has ted. one of the men arrested was smollett's personal trainer and was an extra on smollett's hit sh empire. ♪ >> reporter: sourc say police are investigating whether the actor paid the brothers to sta an assault, including tieing a rope around his neck and pouring bleach on him before smollett

claimed the attack was a racial and homophobic hate crime. after the brothers' artment was searched, police collected a black ski mask and bottles of bleach. the men were arrested wednesday but releasedriday and face no charges. >> innocence prevailed, my guys are walking home. they're not charged. they are not suspects in this case. >> reporter: with detectives making it clear they want to speak to smollett again, the actor has now hired a high l powered crimiistrict attorney, his reps releasing this statement.t jussie smolls angered and devastated by recent reports that the perpetrators are individuals he is familiar with. he has now been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that jussi played a role in his own attack. >>'m an advocate. you do such a disservice when you lie about things like this. >> reporter: with smollett under increased scrutiny, the actor

stands by his story while police ar closer to closing their case. smollett claimedshen he attacked the perpetrator screamed this is maga country suggesting the attackers targeted him because of his race and perhaps because of his sexuality. he's openly gay. investigators say they are still building a cas and they will not comment beyond that. back to you. >> thank y >> let's bring in nbc news analyst, c nt van zandt a former profiling with the fbi. investigators are saying that they want to talk to smollett again after this new infortion was revealed. does he have to talkem to can they compel smollett to talk? >> no, no they can't but it's starting to look bad for him. th investigators are building up a lot of informatsun that woulest this may have been staged as opposed to a real case. you look at some of the facts. he got a cut and paste letter a week before threatening his life. this is where like in the movies

you cut a little letter out and you paste it into a larger letter that you send to someone. that's things movies are made out of, not real life. the attack took place at 2:00 a.m. in a very cold chicago morning. the victim was bundled up. the alleged assailants were bundled up, and yet they were able to find each other in the entire city of chica and commit this assault. they put a noose around him,is neck, that was allegedly still there when he got to the hospital. why wouldn't you take that off. there's a lot o common sens questions that you and i would ask as police investigato a we believe him, but at the same time we try to verify his story. >> as a former investigator, then, i think a lot of people are wrestliith the fact of why would he -- or what would the move be foraking up something like this? >> yeah, and you know there's noally four different motives for making a false allegation. many times it's personal gain, personal attention.

it's somody who wantso see their story in the newspaper. they may have a career that they want to enhance by a story concerning them. it could be mental illness. i've seen revenge ori' anger an also seen the need for an alibi. we've seen cases in new york city of the alleged toronto brawl case, the de lacrosse case, we've seen the uva fraternity case. depending who you talk to, false legations can be anywhere as low as 2% and as high as 50% depending on the type of case i. concer that's why investigators do a two track investigation, track number one says i believe you 100%, we're going to put these guys away, and trawo says i have to verify everything you said because it doesn't sound quite right. it's too neat of a story. >> clints f, if it turns out hed make up the whole story, what kind of charges could he face,

and what's the likelihood he would be charged? >> that's a very good question, in chicago for making a false allegation, it's a class four felony. you can do oneo three years. you can get a financial fine, so there are aumber of thing authorities can charge him with should they choose to do it. realize, that he's chewed up if it's a false allegation, a lot of police officers have spent hundreds of hours working this case. should he not have to pay that back like others have if it's not a true story. >> clint van zandt, thank you. there's much more to get to uding emotional vigils for the victims of that deadly workplace shooting. police identifying the shooter as a disgruntled worker who was in the proce of being fired. nbc's ron mott has the latest on this one. good morning. >> reporter: hi sheinelle, fwoorng good morning to you. all five of police officers were

wounded in that attack, four of de five have been returo their families. the gun that this shter used should have been returned in 2014, but it never was. overnight, aurora's brokenhearted community coming together. >> united, that's howone feel. >> horing the victims and heroes many a mile's long procession from a warehouse vigil to the police department carrying five crosses in a display of solidarity andit gratude for the brave first responders, markers o for lives lost, prayers for comfort and healing, a srrch understanding. >> we will never know their gifts and talents. their lives were snuffed out way too short in senseless killings. >> among those killed 21-year-old college student trevor ner, the first day of his internship in the humanpa resources ment. his younger brother thomas seeking to forgive. >> there's l a of mixed emotions. there's some anger in there. i still got to love him.

>> i'm never going to see my dad. he's never going to come home frwork, never. >> also lost, vincente juarez grand dad to eight. wife abby calling him an incredible father russe russell beyer, josh pinkert father of three. his wife writing i received a text at 1:24 from my precious husband that said i love you. i was sho at work. this unbelievable person robbed from us. >> i wanted everybody to kno that that was josh, and in that moment when, you know, he was going through what he went through, he thought of me, and he wanted me to know tha he loved me. >> reporter: planned for later this afternoon at 1:24, a moment of silence. th's the time the first shots rang out. >> heartbreaking. ron, thank you. let us tur back

stn me northeast. lake-effect snow will kick in as winds get strong out of the northwest. some heavy snown the southwest, the next storm system that will track across. that's your weather, we'll get to your local forecast in the next 30 seconds. good mornin everybody. t i'm stom4 meteorologist chuck bell. look at that light volume of traffic over the 14th street bridge. by the jefferson memorial, cloudy skies. a lot of rain overnight.

that's come to an end. still 40 in town. the radar, last of the raindrops oving through northern neck parts ofmaryland. temperatures 30 to around 40. it will turn breezy and blustery but the sunshin is on theay back. still watching a winter storm chance wednesday. >> that's your latesreforecast. fost. >> dylan, thank you. coming up, a huge lottery mystery. with time almost, why hasn't anyone claimed that jackpot that's worth more than $1.5 billion, and what happens if no one comes forward. plus,ired of those constant rings?ew the n technology that could help you put an end to this presidents day, havertys is honoring president mom.

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straight ahead, a former princess, a fashion icon, and a pridential inlaw. we'll look back at the interesting life of jack die

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yes, it is. this is just uh, taped on for show. i know. they'll still buy it. >> announcer: this is a "news4 today" newsbreak. 7:26 is your time now on this presidents' day mondayth february 18, 2019. good morning, everyone. i'm eun iyang. >> aaron gilchrist. top leaders m areting in rome for sex abuse summit. this comes after theodore mccarrguk was found ty of sex abuse and stripped of his title. we are waiting to learn mte ab fire inside a capitol heights home. prince george's fireer rescue we called to this hour on buyer street last night. more on your commute with melissa mollet. >> fairfax county parkway, the crash on the right shoulder, everything nice and clear southboundnd northbound.

beltway, light volumeve if you o hit the roads, noissue. minnesota crash with two right lanes getting by. ron. >> melissa, thank you. all this week we're showing you the high stakes of weed. what's next for marijuana that's infiltanting so parts of our lives. >> weed week starts at 5:00. we'll take a break and be back with your forecast. stay with us. do you think this is fun for me? you think i'm having fun? [man on other line] it certainly wasn't much fun to..... do you have eyes othe target? is it her? [man on other line] i can't tell from this photos... ...i need betterhots. thank you for flying turkish airlines. taxi! you waiting for someone? no. just... looking.

good morning, everybody. the last of the sunday night monday morning raindrops are coming acss southern maryland. they are moving out. we'll be back to plenty of sunshine later today but it will be blustery. temperatures mid to upper 30s. highs mid to upper 40 again, plenty of sunshine later but turning windy. tomorrow sunny and on the cold side. an increasing chance for a winter storm which could leave several inches of snow wednesday morning before turning into an

snow ess of rain and wednesday afternoon. >> all right, chuck. thank you. nother local news update in 25 minutes. >> for now back to the "today show" after the show break. have a great day.

la 7:30 now on this monday morning, february 18th, 20. look at this. it's a winter wonderland up in bo on thismorning, and some more snow showers are expected there this afternoon. wel get to dylan's forecast coming up in just a moment. >> remember when you were little and you enjoyed the snow? you remember? >> it used to be so much fun, the snow angels and all that. now i'm like uh. former fbi deputyto dir andrew mccabe says attorney general rod rosenstein was erious when he suggested wearing a wire to record president trump. mccabe appearing on 60 minutes to promote his new book, and days after fbi director james imey was fired. >> he said never get searched

when i go into the white house. i could easily wear a rec device. they wouldn't know it was there. now, he was not joking. he was absolutely serious, and in fact he brought it up in the next meeting we had. >> for his part, rosenstein pursuing or authorizing any such recording. andrew mccabe will join savannah for a live interview torrow on "today." disgraced former congressman anthony weiner was freleasedm federal prison in massachusetts. he is now under the watch of a reentry program in brooklyn, new york he served 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to sexting a 15-year-old girl. now to nascar's biggest race. it was a storybook ending and plenty of crashes at this year's daytona 500. at several points during the race, daytona international speedway actually looked more like a demition derby. take a look at what happt ed with jnine laps to go.

in all cars were involved in that wreck, amazingly all of the drivers wereokay. and with just two laps to go, yet another crash. in the end, wough, itld be denny hamlin winning his second daytona 500 in four years by lead ago 1, 2, 3 sweep for joe gibbs race in the race, and the season have been dedicated to j.b. gibbs who died last month after battling a neurological disease. hamlin was hired to drive the number 11 car. that wasj.d. gibbs number when he played football. a fitting ending and a touching tribute. time is quickly running out for the winner of one of the biggest jackpots ever to claim his or her prize. nbc's kathy par is here with the latest. good morninin >> good mo guys. lots of money we're talking about here. somewhere out there is a future billionaire holding onto a megamillions ticket worth

$1.5 billion. it was sold back in octob in a small south carolina town. no one has come forward to f they this prize, and don't soon, they won't be the only ones missing out on a huge financial boost. >> tonight's jackpot is a record breaking $1.6 billion. >> it's a billion dollar mystery ouat has a tiny town of simpsonville, sth carolina, days. >> nobody would expect somebody to win that much money here. >> confused. >> nobody really knows what's going on. >> and still feeling lucky. >> i've been looking in all the ditches to make sure it didn't blow out of somebody's vehicle. >> reporr: the second largest jackpot in u.s. history was sold here, the first megamillions win for the state, but that mind boggli prize is still unclaid nearly four months later. > they don't know they won the ticket. >> either they're not out of iil yet or who knows. >> reporter: times running out, and there could be more than one lottery loser. the store that luck struck could

miss out on the 50 grand bonus for selling a winning ticket. >> i haven't received anything from lottery.on if they cash it, i don't get anything. >> reporter: and the state of south carolina would lose $60 million in tax revenue, a big boost in the state's economy that they'd already factored into the new budget. if no one came forward, theck jat would be spread around the 46 states and territories tat play the lottery based on the number ofickets they sold. south carolina would still get around 11 million, but other states like california, new tyork, andexas would win more. >> there should be something you claimme imately. why would you wait? >> my theory, honestly, i believe the ticket is lost. a puzzling payday deadline with a giant jackpot still up for grabs. all right,o if anyone in the south carolina area is sitting at home with an old megamillions ticket, here's a reminder, the winning numbers were 5, 28, 62,

65, and 70 with a megaball number of 5. you have until april 19th to claim that mass me,sive jackpot. >> there are so many theories as to why this is happeningitnd why taking so long. if it happens to be that somebody is there and perhaps they're just holding out for the last second or maybe they're nervous about coming forward. any advice? >> the good news in south carolina, you can actually stay anonymous, and you can claim your prize without going public, and for added security, just take o page o this recent lottery winner's book and cte collour check like thiso you can conceal your identity. i don't know if that is smart or just scary. >> you know the people that are around this person, so if you arow the other people. >> i was in southina over the weekend digging through couch cushions of famimembers.

>> maybe you're waiting craig. >> if i had won thery ticket you and i wouldn't be having this conversation. >> share the wealth if you win. >> thank you, kath >> dylan dreyer also didn't win the lottery. >> >> i showed youhe snow last half hour in grand rapids, michigan. now this is southwest. look at this, icy conditilys especin the mountains outside of san diego of all places and also in las they saw some flurries that covered the strip out there. ng to torm system is g continue to move east as we go through the day today. we do have winter storm watches, winter storm warnings in effect for the southwest even across partsf nevada aswell. there is still snow falling, and this will develop into a bger storm system as it moves eastward. there will be two sides to the system, a warmer side and colder side. looking at the warmer side going into tuesday a wednesday, the threat for flash flooding will be a good possibility especially through arkansas, moving into ennessee, moving up into kentucky. this will last through tuesday night and through wednesday and this will covtinue to east

ourough the middle of the week. the northern side be snowier. we'll get to that in a little bit. that's a look across the country, a peek out your window. >> the rain is coming to an end, our skies will brighten up. not much of a breeze but it be blustery in the afternoon. northwest winds between 20 and 30 miles an hour. you can see on radar, the last ea the drops moving out. an improvinger picture for today. temperatures mid to upper 30s now will end up mid to upper 40s today. another bright, sny day tomorrow. a pretty high likelihood of storm team4 weather alert. >> that's your for forecast. >> dylan, thank yo cominger up, inside amica's new and growing banking crisis, where do families turn in an emergency when every bank in town shuts down? also ahead, the tributes pouring in for lee radziwill, jackie kennedy's younger sister. then harry smith goes

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(vo) the only network to win in all four major awards is the one more people rely on. choose america's most reliable network on the best device, iphone. get iphone xr on us when you buy the latest iphone. we're back with an nbc news investigation. w data on those annoying robocalls. are made s of them every month. you probably get them on your cell phone all the time. the good news ts morning is some relief may be on the way. nbc's joe fryer isoing to show us how we can all fight back. >> reporter: that's right. there's a new report about robocalls and the numbers are staggeri staggering. i know if i get a call from a onmber i don't recognize i answer it, and i'm not the only one. only half of all calls are even answered anymore, but phone caniers are working a solution to the madness, and

we're going to show you how you can cutown on all those robocalls. annoying robocalls ringing you day and night as relentless as a swarm of bees. in 2018, americans received 26.3 billion robocls according call blocking app hiya. that's a 46% increase ove their numbers from 2017. so how can you stop the ring for a fee, apps like youmail, hiya and robo killer flag suspected robocalls. here's how they do it. when the scammers call the apps get to work, scanning that number against a robocall . databa if the number is flagged, it's then intercepted. your phone never ngs, but it's not just those apps. turn out your phone carrier can protect you, too. the phone carriers are w on a long-term solution known as stir and shakenla which will potential robocalls for you so you know if that call is in the meantime you can get

similar protection from all these caiers with enhance spam detection apps. to show you how this works, we've gathed phones from a bunch of different carriers. at&t, verizon, and t-mobile, and we'veotyber security expert jim stickley who's actually going to spam all of these phones all at once, right? >> absolutely. it's not hard to do. i've set up a system like the robocalls out there in the real world, and all i have to do is hit thist' button and i going to start dialing and sending ou my robo messagto all ofph these es. you can see all of these phones are all ringing all at the same time just with the stroke of a buon. >> it's really simple to set up. this is what criminals and ammers do as well. they can send this to 100 or a thousand phones at a time. >> let's take a look at my personal phone, which has the ca protect app, which is at&t's antirobocall software. you can click on the number jim called me from. i can report it and have options

like spam, temarketer, scam or fraud. >> the other carrier apps work in a similar way letting you report what kind ofal rob you received. >> you're working in a community. you're hoping when these robocallers are calling out to the world, somebody els gets the call first, they report it as a scam or spam. if enough people repit, by the time that call gets to you it's already been flaggeth >> most o carriers provide a basic version of their spam ndocking for free offer a few more lay ers of protection for a few dollars a month. the carriers say they will block many but not every robocall. >> good idea. i would love for them to be intercepted. iet them all afternoon long. >> they always look so similar to my perform phone. you think it's sng from home. >> i'm so skeptical. even if thesework. >> they'll find another way. >> i've just heard not to answer. then they know you exist. >> that explains why you don't

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access to money.ma of us take for granted, but across the country an alarmingly large number of americans are living in areas known as bank w desertshere banking services are rarce nonexistent. today one in four americans either has no fshmal relationip with a bank or lacks access toanking services. as big financial institutions consolidate and branches in smaller communities shutter. >> i told them, i said, we have to pray. >> in the mississippi delta, thera applebury and her four daughters were left bankrupt after fires destroyed two of their homes within only four years.nt >> i didn't o lose another home and one of my girlssaid, mom, it's going to be all right. god got us that this too shall pass. >> reporter: the only bank in applebury's hometown of moorhead

shut down in 2015, and because of her prior bankruptcy, applebury was left with nowhere o turn for affordable loans or financialcounseling. doing business was virtually impossible. moorhead didt even have a bank atm. applebury and many others like her found help at hope, a credit union that came to moorhead four years ago lookingo lift the community back on its feet >> the rate of poverty here is three times what you see in the nationwhole. >> some live in banking deserts. some people don't trust banks and some people think they're to poor to open an account. >> while credit unions step in, critics say more federal attention is needed. even chaian of the federal reserve, jerome powell who was in mississippi last week, says more needs to be done. >> access to safe and affordable financial services is vital, especially among families with limited wealth whether they're looking to invest in education, start a business or manage the ups and downs of life.

>> apple bury knows those ups well.wns too but now with financial counseling she should be out of bankruptcy by november. >> i'm looking to have enough money and hope that if i have a dry day, me and my girls will still make it. >> and applebury finally has the tools to getack oner feet. for "today," steve liesman, cnbc moorhead, mississippi. >> definitely something to think about. >> not something a lot of folks realize exist, banking desert just ahead, pop start, dylan dreyer doing double idduty, i country star miranda lambert's secret wedding. plus thee remarka adventurer who won't let blindnwns slow him ♪ congrats, kim! you got your own car, with your own insurance. no more driving that old hand-me-down. did you trade it in? my parents handed it down to my little brother. you ready? yeah... surprise! no. not beige betty! you guys can't do this to me, seriously?! my car is like a rite of passage.

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on 7:56 is your time now this presidents' day monday february 18th, 2019. good morning, everyone. i'm eun yang. right now we wanthe to on the commute with melissa mollet he and first4traffic. pretty light out there? >> pretty light. chevy chase to connecticut, debris reported, stay alert on the left side but still looks clear. odbridge 95, 123. 270 nice northboundnd southbound. eun. >> we'll take a break and check your forecast usxt. stay wit

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rainy overnight period has come to an end now. the lastf the raindrops moving across southern saint mary'sun . rain is officially over for the next couple of days. currently upper 30s to around 40. it will end up mid to upper 40 but will turn breezy to windy as well. winds outwe of the nor 30 miles an hour today. sunny and chilly for tomorrow.ch winter storm w increasing. could get a couple of inches of snow wednesday morning. be on the lookout, eun.

it's 8:00 on "today," coming up, new twist, chicago policeno investigating whether actor jussie smollett paid two brothers to stage his own attack. this morning the r"empire" sta sticking by his story. so where does the investigation go from here? we're live with the latest. plus, remembering a fashion icon.ke we'll ta look back at the life and legacy of lee radziw l radziwill, the former princess and sister o jackie kennedy. >> they were kind of the rock star stylists of our time. >> how she became an to generations of designers. and a moment like this. ♪ we're far from the shallow now ♪ >> kelly clarkson wows the crowd

with her own take on the hit song "shallow". ♪ i'll never meet the ground >> thefo incredible pance that has a lot of folks talking today, monday,ebruary 18th, 2019. ♪ fr apex, north carolina, hi mee ma and mgigi. >>e and my mom are watching om harriman, tennstsee. >> fir time in new york city, first time on tv! ♪ >> sending love to our kids in west monroe, louisiana, we love you all! >> good morning to our family in dayton, ohio!nn >> from tesee. >> and hello, marching panther band, hello to you as thanks for being with us on this presidents' day monday morning, hvannah anda off today, but

they will be back tomorrow. >> ask don't forget to keep s d sending us your my today plaza messages. all you have to do is record one and share it on twitter and instagram. just use the #mytodayplaza, and we'll be able to pull it up. it.people are doing it's all the rage. keep them coming. it is a busy morning. we want to get right to your news at 8:00. we start with explosive comments from former actinec fbi dr andrew mccabe. appearingn "60 minutes" mccabe defended the decision to open an struction of justice investigation into president trump. >> good morning to, yd this morning president trump is not happy with his former deputy fbi director after a new explosive claim by andrew mccabe. mccabe recalls ann instance which he says president trump insisted north korea did not have the cability to hit the u.s. with ballistic missiles because russi president vladimir putin told him so.

>> intelligence offials in the briefing responded that that was not consistent wit any of the intelligence our government possesses tohich the president replied, i don't care. i believeputin. >> reporter: mccabe also says deputy attorney general rod rosenstein serioly and not sarcastically raised the idea of using the 25th amendment to remove donald trump from office. the president tweeted just this morning, so many lies by now disgraced acting fbi director andrew mccabe. he was fired for lying and now his storyet erin more deranged. mccabe was dismissed last year accused of lying about his interactions with the media. we should note the justice c department hled mccabe's version of events inaccurate and factually incorrect. >> we should also note mr. mccabe will be here tomorrow morning for ainterview n. the battle over the president's border wall is escalating. protests broke out in new york after mr. tmp declare a national emergency to redirect

federal funds towards the wall. more anti-wall rallies are llanned today across the country, and offic challenges to the presidlst's move are a in the works. california is leading a coalition ofaktates to legal recourse as democrats in congress prepare legislation to blk the action. > there's been a dramatic shift in the investigation into theeg a attack on jussie smolle smollett. there are growing questions this morning about his claims. national correspondent miguel almaguer is here to help us sort through this complicated case. miguel, good morning.oo >> reporter:morning. jussie smollett is standing by his story despite mountin criticism, this after police arrested two men fridayho are now cooperating with investigators to perhaps build a case against smollett. the trothers identified in a surveillance photo are the men smollett says attacked him, but they have now been released from custody without being charged and are said to be working with detectives. police sources tell nbc news the men claim smollett paid them to help orchestrate and stage what he would later call a hate

crime. investigators say after questioning the brothers, the quote, trajectory of the investigation has shifted.en one of the arrested was smollett's personal trainer and was an extra on the hit show "empire" which smollett works or. as for theactor, he's hired a high powered criminal district attorney. reps have released a statement, it reads in part, jussie smollett is anged and devastated by recent reports that perpetrators are individuals he familiar with. has now been further victimized by claims atrubttrib to these alleged perpetrators that jussie played a role in his own attack. if smollett did stage this incident, some law enforcement suggest, he could face a felony for filing a false police report. today smollettitays he is r a victim nor a suspect, that's what investigators say about him, and they still want to askim more questions. >> miguel almaguer for us, thank you. with hoda off this morning,

she's left us in cha morning boost. a new mother in topeka, kansas was overwhelmed with emotion after a surprise home coming by the person she wanted to see the most. >> oh, my god. that's army staff sgeant skyler cooper. he wasn't supposed to be home fr kuwait until the spring. his wife went into premature l y labor. his battalion commander pulled a few string it is get him home. the video has almost 4 million views. we love babies and we love these reunions. them together in a clip, and it goes viral. congratulations. >> that was a big boost, thank you. much more ahead on this monday morning, including some incredible tributes that you really need to hear toga lad and the king of rock and roll, but first we'll remember the

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we'reack at 8:11. remembering the fascinating life of lee radziwill, o the sister jackie kennedy. nbc's kristen dahlgren is here with you. good morning to you. >> lee o radziwill diedr the weekend. besides being a presidential in-law, the ea85old was a style icon and actress, even a princess, just some of thein fascin facets of her legacy being celebrated this mornorg. >> rr: an inspiration to genetions of designers, lee radziwill became a fashion icon in her own right, while living f in the shadowne of the most influential women in the world, her older center, former first lady jacqueline kennedy onassis. the socialiot sharing only a strong family resemblancetey a sophistisense of style. >> when we think about american royalty, fashion royalty, the

names that spring to mind are lee and jackie. they were kind of the rock star stylists of our time. >> in 1950, the free spirited radziwill famously dropped out of college to take a job at harper's bazaars an assistant. the move aparking lifelong interest in fashion, often used to style her big sister. radziwill selecting kennedy onassis's signature look during her 1961 trip to paris. >> she really did have that st of top to toe perfection when it came to glamour. there really wasn't a hair out of place. >> reporter: radziwill and kennedy onassis, the sisters grew up extremely close, but from an early age radziwill said she always seemed to play secont fiddthe woman who would become first lady. >> she introduced jackie to the designs of she v slee and who got credit? ckie.

despite their complicated edlationship, radziwill frequently vis the the white house. their bond would help them through tragedy. >> it appears as though something has happened. >> in the days following the 1963 assassination of president john f.kennedy, radziwill offered comforted to her grieving sister leaving her a note on her pill radziwill and kennedy onassis would remain close until the former firstri lady m aristotle onassis. radzill had introduced the pair years before. >> many people bieve they had been lovers before jackie came onto the scene. >> aside from fashion radziwill also dabbled in acting, writing, and interior design, all whileo surring herself with an elite group of frien from andy warhol to true man capote who once took her on tour with the

rolling stones. radziwill sharing her thoughts on mick jagger. >> did you findim xy? >> i can see how people found him sexy, but i found him a little repulsive. >> reporter: no satisfaction for radziwill now remembered not just as jackie o.'s little sister but for her contributions to p ular cultur >> my goodness, she did lead a rich and full life, huh? >> she did. >> some people you see they just look effortlessly fashionable, do you know what i mean? it just looks like -- >> they woke up that way. e what an incredible tn our history. >> classic. >> dylan dreyer, you've got a check of the wea >> ?yes.s it is going to snow ait across new england this morning. we are going to see that pull away, winds increase and lake-effect snow kick in. this is our next storm system that will combine with mf sture oute gulf of mexico. that's going to turn into our rainmaker and snow t ough the middle of the week. meantime heavy snow, bitterly

cold, well below average temperatures. that's a look at the weather peek the country, now out your window. >> outside of our window, still a mostly cloudy sky inplace. these clouds will thin and end tp with sunshine later in the day. much of a breeze but will turn blustery. a return of sunshine in the shenandoah valley. so we'll go from upper 30s to around 40 now. afternoon highs mid to upper 40s. agaiy sunny and breater today. sunny and cold tomorrow and an increasing chance for snow and maybe quite a bit of it wednesday mornin >> and that's yr lates forecast. >> we always know it's going to be a good morning when harry smith joins us. >> good morning, harry. >> good to see you. we're going to get to your remarkable story in just a moment. first a little pop start. >> yes, i'v switched seats. first up in a surprise announcement on instagra miranda lambert revealed she's off the market. on saturday the c shared a few images from her secret wedding to nypd officer

brendann. mclaugh she captioned the photo saying in honor of valentine's day saying ianted to share some news. i met the love of my life and my heart is full. congratulations go out to the happy corele. we' all familiar with the song "shallow" sung by lady gaga and bradley cooper. >> also sung by savannah guthrie during every commercial break. >> it just won two grammy , awart also happens to be nominated for an academy award. on friday night, kly clarkson wowed the audience at her concert in green bay, wisconsin, by singing the song herself. let's s her version ♪ i'm off the deep end ♪ watch a i dive in ♪ i'll never meet the ground ♪ cra through the surface ♪ where they can't hurt us ♪ we're far from the shallow now ♪ ♪ in the shallow, shallow, in

the shallow shallow ♪>> you've got to be able to actually sing to sing that song. >> i agree. and she can. she even had bare feet. she performed the song in bare feet. to watch the full performance you can check it out on today.com. >> i hope she sings on our show. >> i think she will. thanks for your commen craig. last night nbc paid tribute to elvis presley and his '68 comeback special. some of the biggest performers y in the industrang in honor of the icon including carrie underwood, john legend, ed sheeran, jennifer lopez and keith urban. that some of tage the artists performed on was built to look like the stage elvis sang on 50 years ago. when shawn mendez performed, his guitar strap had a special gn ificance. it was a replica of the guitar strap elvis wore. it was the final performance of

the night that really paid tribute to the king of rock and roll, a montage of performers singing "if i can dream" including elvis himself ♪ ♪ as long as a man has the strength to dream ♪ he can redeem his soul and climb ♪ >> wow. >> don't you just get chills? >> yeah. >> what a way to incorporate the legend into that night. th >> that was a good one. >> how about a dilly click. >> this is a fun one. we've got a special weather-related dilly click. during a snowstorm in king's beach, california, traffic was brought to a complete standst l standstill, but it wasn't due to the snowy road conditions. instead it was a hug flock of mallard ducks crossing the road seekinstshelter from the m. traffic was stopped for almost two minutes while an endless line of ducks made their way moving from a park they

typically inhabit on one side of the street toward a shopping center across the street. every single duck made it acrost safely, and t answers the question why did the duck cross the road. >> there you go. >> to get to the peabody hotel in memphis. >> a tip of our hat to the banner guy downstairs who came up with that one. >> that was good. >> thank you, lan. mith, always good to see you. you've got a story about a guy who's an adventurer that overcame quite the personal challenge. >> we're the luckst peoplen the world with the jobs we have and the people we get to meet. this man is really one of a kind, and it's not just what he does. it'sha the effect he has on others that's the most important thing. take a look. >> reporter: there are places in america and places in the world that just ask to be climbed, like utah's fisher towers. watch this man as he uses his hands and feet to search for the way up becau he can't see.

>> what i kind of love about climbing is there's a puzzle ckembedded in the and you're trying to kind of unlock that code. it's really cool. >> reporter: eric winemeyer is an adventurer an adrenaline junky and a visionary. >> you lean into the thing that sort of scares you, that overwhelms you so you can get up cl ee to it anderience it fully, and then it kind of loses its power over you. >> the first blind climber to conquer everest. >> maybe you remember hearing about eric when he reached the summit of mount everest, a place where death was just misstep away. >> there's a thousand foot drop on one side. it didn't meet americans with disability act that's what i would start by saying [ laughter ] i'm sorry. i didn't see that one coming. >> yeah. a littlelind humor coming at you. >> reporter: after years of

losing his sight to a genetic disease, eric went bnd just before high school. since then he's snt his life conquering the unconquerable, like kayaking the colorado riveg thro the grand canyon. spotten told him to turn through theds ra >> yeah, as a blind person, i had to let go kind of of thattr itional ego, and i had to learn to let people help me and to find the right people that i could trust, and the hopefully they turn around and trust me with their life as well. >> reporter: and where lies the truth of the most important thing eric winemeyer tdoes, comes from the words of a team member who helped him climb everest. >> he says good job, and he goes now do me a favor, don'tth let be the greatest thi you everdo. >> reporter: so 15 years ago eric started nbarriers, a program that uses physical challenges to unleash personal

potential. keeping up with eric is no easy task. >> blind people and blades rnts always a good mix. >> >> reporter: we ice climbed in colorado, the goal setting and teamork connects especially well with veterans like kari ann grayson. >> having everybody push me from the bottom, kind of makes you not thi if you're going to fail. >> yeah. >> there's a very nice smile on your face right now. >> yeah, like i've never done it before. >> reporter: army veteran matt burgess served tours of duty in macenia and bosnia. he was medically discharged after being injured in iraq. he saysasis life in shambles. >> would it be safe to say after you came back you were lost? >> yes, sir. everything i had previously known and relied on i feltdike been stripped from me. >> reporter: burgess reluctantly joined eric on a no barriers climb inam south ica. in the sheer agony of summoning a lmountain, mattrned that

the ordeal really was a means of breaking away the emotional scar tissuemehat had f around his heart. >> i think most of us when our hearts are broken, that the last thing we wa to do is open them back up again. >> failure was easier for me and that one way that eric winemeyer has been so impactful as he has helped me in his words to keephi reng. >> reporter: keep reaching, words that matt now lives by. he set up a charity called freedom figdos, he rescues and trains dogs to be service animals for other veterans. and as for eric, we, he kee reaching, too. >> getting out in the desert on this just this spectacular place and then climbinghis tower and standing on top of this incredible little boulder 500 feet above the desert floor

and listening out all around me e, the sound vibrations moving out through sp mean, that's just the opposite of what i ever thought blindness would be. >> that last shot took my breath away. took me breath away. >> we watched him climb that spire. as he's going up there's no one holding his pehand. le are 30, 40 feet away, and they say eric you got to jump here, and there's a spot where there's this massive gap where he has to jump out like this and grab a piece of rock and hold on. >> he just trusts that he jumped hard >> no room for error. >> this guy does public speaking. a friend ofmine came back f a conference in san francisco, said blows the door off the place. >> and here's the thing, he could have stopped after that climb of mount rushmore -- >> of mount everest. >> everest. would have been one heck of a -- and he didn't stop. >> and he's funny,too. >> hilarious. >> fabulous. >> said rush more on this presidents' day. >> that's good.

that worked. >> straight ahead, the holiday's best sales, where to shop and what to shop for. we'll hav your local news.er goomorning,everybody. 8:26 now on this presidents' day monday, februar 18th. i'm aaron gilchrist. let's get to melissa mollet. she has a look at traffic. >> eastbound 66 ramp to inner sh loop, a c on the right so very slow. mclane to inner loop there, a crash there. a couple of different problems when you take a look at the beltway as a whole no major issues, looking good. >> thank you, melissa. we'll have a look atre our st when we come back. stay with us.

good morning, everybody. look at all that sunshine starting to come back here in e washington area. eventually those winds will turn from light south breeze to stiff northwesterly wind later in the day. temperatures in the 3 to around 40. reach the mid to upper 40s today. bright and sofny through mos tomorrow. a high chance of accumulating

snow first thing wednesd morning, changing to rain wednesday afternoon. expect widespread delays and cancellations on monday. ha >> chuck, t you. get the latest news and weather in the nbc washington app. why shop marshalls? (engine revving) because shopping should thrill you. (horn honking) with big brands at small prices. mwah! (laughing) for the whole family! whoo-hoo! woman: and unexpected finds you never knew you were looking for. so every trip feels like an instant victory. that's the fun of marshalls. (gasp) with brands that wow

and prices that thrill, marshalls is never boring and always surprising. (horn honking) we are back at 8:30 on this presidents' day monday morning with a big owd. >>ay crowd. i t >> yes. >> andel it's a ly bunch, too. i have a crowd moment. you ready for it? >> let's do it. >> i'm going to introduce you guys to a woman i met this morning. there she is. ar get out of my this morning, and there's a woman standing ndthere, at's gram. you're here to celebrate a birthday. >> 75 years. >> it wouldlieve it.

>> oh, thank you. >> i wouldn't believe it. happy birthday to you, thank you so much for coming. where are you from? >> byfield,ac masetts. it's 32 miles north of boston up on the seacoast. >> i would never have guessed you were from bost with that accent. you know dylan dreyer? >> i know. i used to watch her every day at home in boston. >> how about that. >> and now i watch her every day here. >> well, happy birthday. >> we>>ove your sash. hank you. my daughter made it for me. >> she's lively. >> you get out of a car at 5:00 and grammy's right there, she wakes you up. >> 75 years. i love it. comingup, the ground breaking black female pilot using her remarkable story to inspire others to reach new heights a great story. if you're in the market for a new mattress, fridge or even a car, there are some great president's days sales. laes, you ready to eat? >> always. >> one of my buddies is here, a chef from some of connecticut's

urttest restaurants. he's in kitchen this morning, he's putting ais create on a comfort food classic. there's brian louis. >> we could smell it this morning upstairs. a remarkable organization called warrior's heartaking a new approach to help our nation's soldiers, veterans, and first first, dylan, the weather not so bad here? >> not so bad. it improving in new yo >>rk we will still see snow acrs new england area. then waiting for the next storm system tuesd night into wednesday, 13 million under winter storm watches right now. those will most likely be upgraded over the next 24 hours. we will see on the norern edge of this storm system snow moving into parts of washington, d.c., and into virginia, also into new jersey before it changes over to rain. before that happens, we are going to see 4 to 6" of snow, east through columbus about 4 to 6". d.c. could end up with 4 to 6" before it changes to rain. f thther north you go, the

less chance of significa rainfall except northern new england especially across the mountains there, we could see 4 a 6" there well. that's a look at the weather across the country, now here iso a peek your window. >> yes, indeed. a reale cha of snow range for wednesday morning commute. that obviously will snarl things up seriously for wednesday and potentially thursday as well. 'll keep you posted. today sunshine coming back, upr 30s to aroun 40. a windy afternoon today but at least it will be dry for today and tomorrow. snow likely to start somewhere after midnight on wednesday morning and continues through thursd. >> we have such a huge crowd here on the plaza. >> and we havd here on theplaza. amazing are doing an job. who is this here? nd this is mary marshal wood. >> how anxious are you to get out of here? >> very anxious. she is so sweet. >> thank eeyou. >> shen bouncing for a while. craig. >> all right, dylan, thank you.

february, of course, is black history month, and this morning we are honored to bring you the story of a remarkable pioneer. es, she's an airline pilot clearing the runway for other girls to follow in her foot steps. >> what do we love as pilots? it's taxiing down that runway. you the sta those throttles up, you feel that sheer power fromhe engine as you start roll down the runway. we pull back on those controls. you feel that airplane ascend, and you feel that you become one with that airplane. you're taking a airplane greater than 170,000 pounds in the air and you have ctrol of >> 41-year-old beth powell is a pilot for american airlines. >> i remember going tosc high ol and i loved everything with numbers and all subjects pertaining tomath. >> powell was born in jamaica and was inspired by a teacher to

become api t. >> i was like mommy, daddy, my teacher told me i could become a pilot mechanic or an engineer. my dad posed an innocent question asking if there are any female pilots becauseve he has r seen any. of course i was very supported from both, we decided to research thatelvenue. >> pmoved to viro beach, florida, to attend flight school. she received her commercia license a. >> i worked three jobs to finish paying for my flight instructor license s i could become an instructor, teach to get the hours to become a pilot with american eagle. >> powell was inspired by another female pilot, in 1993 brenda robin sson was the first female african-american pilot for american >> there was this one picture that stood in the flight academy, that s brend robinson. every time i walked through that hallway and saw that she looked just like me, and that gave me you will become a pilot with american airlines, too. >> reporter: powell startng flyi with american eagle at 21

years old, and in 2014 she became theer first off of the boeing 737 for american airlines. but she is still one of the few african-american women in the cockpit. >> you walk through the airport. you see those head turns looking at you. is that really the pilot? it's so rare to see and the ut numbers that'shere is so very small, so i welcome when i see those stairs and i take the time to talk and have a conversation so they recognize, yes, i am the pilot. reporter: today in commercial aviation, only 4% of airline pie will t -- pilots are women, less women of color. powell talks to students bringing awareness toan aviatio paving the way for the next generation of girls. >> set your goals. that passion will propel you h, thrond you will truly feel that you never worked a day ine your lifese you absolutely love what you do. >> reporter: she also set up a scholarship for more diverse pilots. >> i know finance can be very

challenging, and i want to be that person to help give back, to help them know it's possible, not just giving them t funds and that's it butng mentorihem along the way, because we will have challenge and it's nice to have that support to say you can do this. >> reporter: and powell hopes th will bring more diversity in the skies. >> i'm looking forward to seeing a more diverse community, not just because of the color of our skin or because of ouagenda or ou religion or sexual rientation but for what that brings. that brings great thoughts. it brings great ideas that adds te innovation and help to make us a b work force and better company. >> that's a nice picture. she's atrailblazer. >> we've talked about this before, the value in being able to see something, you know? when you're young and you aspire to be something o do something, being able to actually see that perswerful. >> and people support her to help her do it. powell belongs to the organization sisters of the skies and they're hosting a girlsockings event in houston this april where teenagers who have dreams of

becoming a pilot getp to go with instructors who look just like them. >> that's cool. up next, bargains galore, where you will find today's best presidents' looking to spruce up you home, your kitchen, mayb even you ride. but first this is "today" on nbc. >> your ride? >> your ride?

my name is brittney. ou a little thing i love the egg white grill is the toasty english muffin. it's toasted perfectly-it's just a little crispy, but not, like, hard crispy, but just crispy enough that when you bite into it everything is perfect. my name is kurtis and i love the egg white grill because the egg itself. it's soft and fluffy like a pillow. and i wouldn't eat my pillow, but i'd eat the chick-fil-a breakfast egg white sandwich for sure!

. we are back at 8:40 with the best presidents' day sales you'll find today. we're talking about big discounts on everything from new styles foro your home new wheels. good mning to yo >> good morning sheinelle. i guess these days when we talk about deals, are we talking about brick and mortar stores and online? >> yes. the good news is presidents' day is a huge day for deals. we are seeing sales at amazon, target,nd bed, bath and be but i have some other deals i really wanted to point out as well. >> let's start, we'll do three categories. we'll start with the home. >> for home, we are seeing huge

savings in furniture and decor.h some of the ghts, coddle, they have 30% off site wide from now util midni tomorrow, chairs, ottomans. select decor for your yobedroom living room, even your family room. and of course ttresses. you always see those presidents' my sales for mattresses. attress firm we're seeing a savings of up to $600 on select brands like beay rest, sleep ease and serta. mattresses should be replaced every seven years. >> is it seven years? >> i'm due. it's a big purchase, so it's a great time to save money on mattresses right now. >> now let's talk about appliances and electronics. that's another big yotegory. >> iare looking to upgrade your washer, dryer, your stove

or even a refrigerator. >> today's the day? >> it is toty. is today specifically or this time of year? >> it's been all weekend long and today. some of these sales do extend throughout the week. today is a huge day to do it. ostco savings of up to $900 o lg refrigerators. $480 off select maytag washer dryers. at home depot, a savings of up to 30% off major appliances. for anybody who loves electronics, new laptop, new computer, maybe new headphones, you can save huge. big savings we're seeing at best buy, we are seeg savinp to $400 off select mac and macbooks, and $150 off select ipads. really great as far as personal tech, and a lot of the companies like dell and hp, and lenovo they have really great deals on computers. so shop around. >> i was going to ask you that, do you go to the store or directly to the actual, you

know, dell or the individual marketer? >> i think it depends on whatre yoooking for. if you need more assistance on what kind of computer to get, you might want to go directly to the apple store, but the bgest point iou want to shop around. come up with like a list of what you need, and then hit up a couple of different retailers to see what has the best deal. >> presidents' day you see a lot of car commercials. >> yes, i feel like it's -- >> they're everywhere. everywhere and there's a good reason for it. whether you're looking for a new seda minivan or convertible, and if you want to buy or lease, presidents' day sales are a great time to do it. a couple of big ones we saw, the toyota camry. you can get $1,500 cash back and 1.9% financing, plus just $219 a month if you're going to lease n it. her one, a big one, is ford f-150. you're actually going to see $1,250 cash ba, 0.9% financing and a $2,800 bonus. and finall subaru is offering

0% financing and $285 a month if you're going to ase. >> that's not bad. >> it's not bad i do want to point out these deals kind of where you live, so definitely check out your local carealer to make sure that those deals pertain to your particular region. >> a lot of news we c use this morning. thank you. >> happy shopping to all of you guys. for morent presi day deals head to our website today.com/shop. up next, the recipe for a comforting dish that's the perfect project for your day off today. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪ ♪ ♪ rhythm is a dancer ♪ it's a soul companion ♪ you can feel it everywhere ♪ lift your hands and voices ♪ free your mind and join us ♪ you can feel it in the air ♪ oh sorry, we were running late.

no problem, come on in. ♪

we're back with "today" food. if you've got the day off, one perk is some extra time to spend with your family. why not take advantage of it, cook something special with them that everyone will enjoy, brian lewis the owner and chef of the cottage and toca, of the hottest rtaurants in west

port, connecticut. we asked him to come up with the perfect comfort food recipe. boy did brian deliver. good to see you frie. >> nice t see you. >> you've got two twin boys, is this sometng you make for them? >> it's our sunday go-to in the winter. a dish we put on when we fedst ophe cottage, cottage pie kind of says it all. we wanted to create something a little mor elegant than the traditional with some wagu beef short rib. >> let's take a look at the grid, let's show folks at home everything that's going to be required to makdi the . >> you got it. i like to take red wine, beef stock, or chickeno stock, vegetables just a really aromatic sashay. >> a sashay. >> you can say it however you like. it's fancy, it's fun, orange peel, cinnamon and thyme, black peppercorn and reduce that by half. >> reduce it by half. >> super flavorful. hasth that autumn smell i air. >> why not just put those in the actual broth? why keep them in that little

baggie? >> because later on when you put it in with the beef, it just keeps everything separate s doesn't get all tangled up, peppercorns in your teeth later. no one lik that. >> keeps it clean. >> so good. >> i'm almost done. >> of course. of course. all right. >> all right, we're going to sere off our beef shortb. it's about a two-hour braise. you cut it nice andal typically this dish has mincemeat or coarsel chopp kind of ground beef, if you will. in this case, like i said, it's just a nice little elegant touch to have that soft short rib. >> could i swap out that meat for something else? >> i think. we use oxtail you might not want to do that. the easier way to do it i b groundf with the same recipe.ro just fm your butcher, some delicious ground beef. and then a nice sere, caramelize to get a nice deep color in the stew i later. s such a deep color. >> what's the secret to the perfect

>> high heat, flour helps a lot because it gets that nice ramelization. it also helps thicken the sauce later. it's a real tditional french technique. >> you have your caramelized meat right here, which you're just going to take and add to your stew, okay? or to your >> so that's the bottom? >> yen and the this is going to be cooked for about two hours at 325 degrees. >> so good. >> that is od. >> you liking it? awesome. and then we're going to basically take that liquid tha we -- the cooking liquid and cover the short ribs. okay. we're going to pop them in the oven. >> a little foil on >> a little foil on top. let that go for about two hours. you can cook d this severals ahead of time. it only gets deeper, that beautiful color and tt richness is really coming through. >> so this is like three days old? >> yeah. >> it's beautiful. i promise. >> it's delicious. so eagood. >> ity matures in the liquid, and then. >> it's tender.

>> and then you have your glazed vegetables which we're going to use as a second topping, heirloom carrots, celery rootw >> i don't khat's going on with these vegetables but they are amazing, they're tender. >> thank you. >>flavorful. >> it's all about glazing slowly, butter, water, to keep it nice and tight so it's not swimming in the water. brown sugar, sherry vinegar at the end. >> why do you like these onions more? >> so nice. they're flat, sweet onions from italy originally, and they just have a really great sweesnetnes about them and they don't have that too strong ofon an o later. and they look killer. >> it was not our plan to have plates >> wow, you've got a happy plate as we say at the melvin house. >> i'm right behind her. >> this is what you you want that glistening glazed vegetable look, super sweet and tender, a little bit of that sweet and sour kindng of g on with the sugar, the natural sugars from the vegetables and the vineg and thyme.

it's really classic flavorat wi my favorite potatoes. i like gruyere, just a little bit. helps get that really nice o caramelizati top. about two parts potato to one part butter. >> i wondered a little bit. >> did you get that pro tip at home? two parts potato, one part buer. >> or more. >> in case you were worried about the butter, add a little cream just to kd o bind it together. okay? >> there you go. >> see how beautiful that is aftet's been in the -- you know, sat for two or three days. really deep red wine glaze. then i like to put you to work, craig. going to take some of these vegetables. >> some of these. right over the top, nice even layer. >> even distribution. >> that's what keeps them nice and tender in good way because they're not mushed down with all the -- >> that's the key. the key is you want to cook them -- i like to cook the carrots first and then the celery and the cipollini onion.

>> there you go, just layer it over we're going to make a nice -- >> i cook for you all the time here, all the time. >> try it. >> amazing. >> perfect, this is where my kids come in and justre -- t no -- they can do no wrong. >> here's the thing, this is t goinbe on the menu at the cottage. your other restaurant in west port i one of my favorites. full disclosure, it's where me and my wife spent our valentine's day last week. this will not be on the menu there at oco. >> no, no, maybe we can get real creative, but i don't think thpe is going to to the japanese style. >> i've actually never had this at the restaurant. >> my plate's empty. >> it's the winter go-to. people love it. they ask for it every winter. >> what'd you garnish with on >> top? added a little bit of fresh pe>>er and chives. h, wow, that is fantastic. >> dude, you've been holding back. >> i know. and a lot of times peopl want vegetables, traditionally to

glaze in the shose rib. in thi i leave them out. you're going to get so many vegetables in here. it's easier for the guests. >> brian lewis, thank you. for this recipe and more today.com/food. back in a moment on nbc. >> t doeshi your customers connecting to the wifi ever slow down your business? yes, it does slow things down. aggravating. it's a nightmare. so our gig-speed network is fast. and we go beyond fast by making it easy to create separate networks for your business and your customers and even control how much bandwidth each of those gets. so your business won't miss a beat. this is a big game changer. this is the new wave, and whoever doesn't get on, i think they would be left behind. wifi pro runs on the gig-speed network. pay just $49.95 a month for fast internet and get a $300 prepaid card. comcast business. beyond fast.

it's not even 9:00 a.m. and i'm full. that will do it for this hour of "today." >> you guys scarfed that down. >> you eat like a 12-year-oldbo >> you can always find great stories on today.com/allday. including a kids guide to the o you ents' day holiday can teach them why they have the day off. our one small thing partner sharing a simple stretch that we can all do to reduce stress. that and more at today.com/allday. just ahead on the thiur, the oscar nominated directors of rbg, showing a side of supreme

court justi ruth bader ginsbu few get to see. >> announcer: this a "news4 today" newsbreak. 8:56 is your time now this presidents' day monday february 18th, 2019. good morning, everyone. i'm eun yang. right now let check on your commute with melissa mollet and first4traffic. how is it >>going? good morning. greenbelt inner loop parkway right side is parked. medical emergency an issue there. eastbound 66 ramp to inner loop still have that crash. t can you see left side is

blocked and on the right shoulder vehicles involved. 270 northbound, southbound no problems. >> all right, melissa, thank you. we'll take a break and check your forecast whenaye come back. ith us.

why shop marshalls? (engine revving) because shopping should thrill you. (horn honking) with big brands at small prices. mwah! (laughing) for the whole family! whoo-hoo! woman: and unexpected finds you never knew you were looking for. so every trip feels like an instant victory. that's the fun of marshalls. (gasp) with brands that wow and prices that thrill, marshalls is never boring and always surprising. (horn honking) good morning, everybody.

30s to around 40 now. later in the i afternoon will stay chilly, turn breezy as well. we'll get more sunshine back later in the day. plan on highs in the mid to upper 4s. tomorrow also no weather worries for tomorrow. plenty of sunshine, highsear 40 degrees. winter storm watch goes into place tuesday night and continues on through wednesday. pretty high chance of several inches ofnow before everything changes over to rain. so plan on a very messy wther y on wednesday. >> all right. thank you, chuck. check nbc washington's app for the latest.

from nbc news this is "today" live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning, everyone.om we i'm sheinelle here with craig and dylan. al is off this morning. it is presidents' day, and we hope a lot of you at least are ,joying a day off at ho too. we all hadretty busy weekends. >> onroker's all week. >> he's off all week. >> you were traveling. >> down in god's country. some call it south carolina. those from there refer to it as god's country. my nephew h had first birthday. jack's celebrating number 1. >> was it a big elaborate affair? >> it was small, a family thing.