. good morning. monster storm. more than 200 million people across 39 states in the path of a powerful mix of snow, ice and heavy rain. major cities coast to coast set to face dangerous conditions, traffic nightmares and power outages. this morning we'll have the very laeest on wt you can expect. outrage. newst pros erupt over esident trump declaring a national emergency to pay for a wall as 16 states join forces filing a federal lawsuit to stop him. fighting back, the president shes out in the wake of explosive allegations in thei' former former acting chief. but andrew mccabe standing behif his claims

conversations at the highest levels of potentially renoving prestrump from office. the man at the center of the storm is right here in studio 1a foriris live interview as he opens up about the president, russia and the mueller investigation. overnight, trappe. guests at seaworld san diego stranded for hours high above the water after a gondola a ride malfunctions. inside the dramatic rescue. the pregnant duchess arrives in new york inside her secret trip for a big apple baby shower today tuesday, f19ruary 19, 20 >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza.

welcome to "today." thank you for joining us on this tuesday morning. >> good morning, everybody. in our studio right now we have andrew mccabe, the former acting director of the fbi wook over after the president fired james comey. for the first time in a live interview he will sit down this morning and talk about what he saw in those crical days. we'll get started with that nasty winter storm taking aim a roughly 60% of the country. dylan is in for al. >> this is a massive storm. youan see the winter werth add vies are expansive. 91 mill one people in the middle ofom stype of advisory. we have a flood watch in effect because of several days of heavy rain expected. let's first see the heavy rain as it moves in from the south. low pressure moving in from the gulf of mexico. the snow will overspread the plain states, move into the upper midwest. heweier snow as .

it arrives in chicago by tomorrow morning. right at the same time heavier snow moves in to wrd. that means tomorrow morning's commute is bad from d.c. over into chago. it arrives in new york by tomorrow evening and then exits as we go into thursday morning. it does look like we will all see that transition from snow to ice and then eventually to rain. but before it changes over to , raine can see about six to nine inches of snow across thed upper t. through the great lakes region looking at two to four inches. d.c. could see four to six before thechangeover later in the morning and early in the afternoon. as for the rain, we could see three to four inches falling on a saturated ground. so that can lead to some flooding. >> dylan, we'll check back. thank you. we turn to new developments in the border battle. 16 states have filed federal lawsuit challenging the president's emergency declaration in order to fund his wall. theoushowdown c go all the way to the supreme court. we have two reports from washington this morning.

we'll start with nbc's peter alexander at the white house. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. fresh off presidents day, that coalition of states is accusing president tr misusing his presidential power. their suit argues the president has, quote, veered the country toward a constitutional cri os of his making to fund the wall that the suit calls a vanity project. ernight hundreds of protesters take to the streets in new york city and across the country, from denver to d.c., directly in front of the white house. >> is this an emerncy? >> no. >> reporter: where president trump returned to a wall of opposition. 16 states including california, new mexico and new york suing to block the president's effort to spend billions on his border wall, calling it a flagrant disregard of principles. the suit alleges the president is using a manufactured crisis s, divert federal doll blasting it as an

unconstitutional and unlawful scheme. >> we're going to go out there and make sure that donald trump cannot steal money from the states and the people who need them. >> repter: the lawsuit even highlights the president's own words to nbc n in that rose garden announcement friday. a i could do the wall over longer period of time. i didn't need to do this, but i'd rather do iuch faster. >> the president admitted that there's not a basis for the declaration. he admit otld's crisis at that time border. >> reporter: congressional democrat are planning to t to block the president, too, by fighti r filing a joiolution to repeal the declaration. whois aides indicate presideld trump wou veto any attempt to stop him. some republicans remain critical of the president's strategy of byng pas congress. >> congress had a vote on this and expressed itself. i think it's a bad idea. whether the law as currently written permits it. >> reporter: the president want to defensive veert $3.5 billion

from military construction projects that could impact plans to build a middle school. >> i would say it's better for the middle school kids in o ntuckyve a secure border. we'll get them the need.they right now we have a national emergency on our hands. >> repter: back to the new details overnight regarding the lawsuit, 16 states joined several advocacy groups that have already gone to court, but some of the suits may be tossed out unless they can show how they would be harmed by the president's actions. savannah and hoda. >> we'll talk 20 politics. the president facing another challenger. who is? >> vermont senator bernie sanders, a self-procimed democratic socialist and the runner up for the 2016 democratic nomination has nounced he is running for president again in 2020. this morning sandersan unced, quote, we began the political campaign. in the 2016 and now it's time to move that

revolution forward. sanders is 77. he's hoping t citalize on his past success touting progressive policies like medicare forthall. is a very different political environment. in 2016 he positiones himself the alternative to hillary clinton. this time it is a much more crowded democratic field. sanders is the sixth senator to join the. ra savannah and hoda. >> peter alexander, thank you. meantime fallout isrong over the claims from the explosive new memoir from the fbi's former acting director. andrew mccabe will join us j ahead. first hallieust jackson has the very lettest. good morning. >> goodmorning. andrew mccabe is defending his side of the story with new reaction this morning from capitol hillo the campaign trail. in the face of new bklash this morning, andrew mccabe is

refusing to back down. >> i don't know that we have ever seen in all of history an example of the volume and thegn icance of the contacts between people in and around the presidndt his campaign with our most serious, our existential internaonal enem the government of russia. >> reporter: as mccabe defended the fbi investigations ieno presidtrump started on his watch, some lawmakersow want an investigation of their own into mccabe. >> everyone who was in that room should be put under oath, should be questioner, asked what they thinking, what right do they have, what arrogance do they have. >> that's somef the fallout from mccabe's explosive knew memoir in which claims the deputy attorney general offered to wear a wire to record the president. >>kie was not . >> reporter: that rod rosenstein discussed potentially removing president trump from office. >> the deputy attorney general

was very concerned. >> reporter: and that the president, according to a meeting mcca was briefed on, sided with voout over his own intelligence officials. >> the presirent ied, i don't care. i believe putin. >> the idea that the p usident of tted states would take the word of the head of russia over the hhed of intelligence community is the height of irresponsibility and tiameful. >> reporter: the j department has pushed back on mccabe's version of events with the president describg it as deranged.ip their relationrocky to say the least after mccabe ily took over the fbi when james comey was fired. president trumpas tweeted roughly three dozen times about mccabe even calling for hi. writing this overnight, remember this, andrew mccabe didn't go t the bathroom without the approval of leaking james comey. he was ultimately dissed accused interactionsis with the media. as for rod rosenstein, the

deputy attorney general will probably leave that position sometimes in the next three ofeks or mid march according to doj cials. this is not unexpected. rosenstein previously said he would probably be leaving that role once bill barr comes in. but he wants to stay on long enough to ensure an orderly transition. hallie jackson, thank you. > . /* an alabama woman who fled her homo join isis in syria is asking the government to let her come home.s sh speaking out now about what she calls a big mistake. today's senior enter national correspondent keir simmons has the latest o this. keir, good morning. >> the tweets this alabama mother allegedly sent from syria and which you're about to see, will make you sick. this message speaks of deep regrets. the questio this morning, should she be allowed to return to america?

she i a mother and american. she was a committed member of isis. now hoda mathana is begging to come home. w she speakh "the guardian" newspaper. things ught i was doing correctly for the sake of god. and when i came here and i saw evything with my own eyes, i realized i made a big mistake and i know i ruined my and my son's future. >> reporter: while isis' rain of terror, she traveled to join the so-calledat cali even allegedly calling for terroriste attacks in u.s. americans, wake up, go on dri drive-bys and spill their glad or rent a big truck and drive all over them. kill them. now her family's lawyer questioning whether she wrote that tweet, and in a handwritten

note he passed to nbc news, she says i left to syria, i was a naivrr angry andant young woman. i stopped listening to my family. she said seeing bloodshed up close changed me, motherhood changed me, the men i married dying changed me. she realizes the error ofer ways. >> over four years in syria, s married three men. sach one killed. now she wri of the be loved america and says -- >> literally planning to get out for months. i got caught twice by isis and i was so scared. >>? my client moments between bombings, starvation, cold and fear, i would look at my e beautiful litoy and know i didn't belong here she says of living with isis. >> she disavows them, condemns powerfulwants to be a voice against them. >> there are an estimated 15nd

womenhildren in that camp of 39,000 that includes former isis fighters. ent trump's decision to pull out u.s. forces from syria within months leaves their fate clear. there are fears, savannah, isis fighters may attack to kescape t the west in the future. another story getting a lot of attention. >> good morning. we learned more overnight about the jussie smollett case. the actor alleged he was the victimef a h crime in chicago. now investigators are trying to whole ne if he made the thing up. nbc national correspondent miguel almaguer hasow been fog this story and joins us with more details. >> chicago police say jussie smollett is neither a suspect nor a victim. the actor faces new scrutiny om the public and detectives. >> today after multiple requests investigators are still waiting to speak tomoussieett again. the "empire" actor who claims

he's the victi of a hateis crim anted for more questioning after police sources say his story ruz weuicked by theen he identified in this grainy photo as his attackers. >> today is the day. he has to show up. they have to reinterviewing him. if hoesn't submit to reinterviewing by police, there's going to be legitimate questions asked about the veracity. >> after the two men were identified and arrested, police sources sayhe brothers told detectives they were hired by the actor to stage the attack sm rlett said wased with racist and homophobic slurs. notit charged a crime, the brothers are cooperating with police. smoltstt still ins he's the victim as he did last week. >> if i tell the truth, then that's it because it's the truth. >> reporter: today authorities say police are carefully examining all communications between smollett and the brothers. one was his personal trainer and

even appeared as an extra i his hit show "empire." >> i'm tired of being called boy. >> reporter: police sources say afraiding the brothers' home, investigats seized several pieces of evidence. bleach, a ski mask, a magazin and stamps. last month smollett says he received this lette containing a death threat. >> on the letter it had a stick figure hanging from a tree wh the words that said smollett jussie you will die black [ bleep ]. the was no address, but return address said in big red caps ma . did i make that up, too? >> reporter: after smollett first came foeiard, he rd a wave of support on social media. but now mountingas bac with many demanding answers and with every passing day new scrutiny as police wait to question the actor at the center oft all. >> so miguel, do police face any ard time deadlines with thi

case? >> in a general sense they do. they face public pressure to clos this case. it's already been three weeks. they've got several detectives dedicated just to this case. they need to decide will anyone face criminal charges. there's the cost aspect. you have multiple detectives working around the clock on this. >> miguel, keep us posted. breaking overnight. drama at seaworld san diego. more than a dozen guests trapped on a gondola ride. it took showers to rescue them. nbc's steve patterson has that >> good morning. officials say this started when stng winds caused the bay side sky ride to lose power. passengers were halfway across the water when it suddenly stoppe and rescue crews had to take their time and precaution to make sure everyone made it safely to the ground. terrifying moments for passengers on board seaworld's gondola ride in san diego on monday after a gust of wind breakera circuit

causing the ride to stop working, trapping 16 people inside five gondolas including six children and one baby. >> so we have an updated counth with all the people. nine adults, seven kids. >> reporter: seaworld's website touting theky bay side ride as an oortunity to soar above the park in scenic mission bay on ag gentlyuided gondola. for passengers jonathan and 15-year-ol son jordan, high winds turned those scenic views nsto a white-knuckle waiting game. the ride coming to an abrupt stop leaving them dangling in the air for more thanour hours in chilly temperatures. >> it was veryarrowing experience. we were clutching for our lives and didn't know if we were about to drop or what was going on. >> reporter: authorities calling this type of rescue slow and ic meth. crews lowering passengers one by one on a rope system onto boats and transferring them to a nearby dock. >> one at a time. done very carefully and very

slowly. because of a aight. all from that distance can be catastrophic. >> reporter: the temperature was about 49 degrees in san diego at the time the ride broke down, putting crews under even more pressure to save passengers. >> it was freezing and unfortunately in southern california you're used to walking around in t-shirt and shorts. >> reporter: seaworld releasing a statement overnight saying it will conduct a thorough inspection of the ride prior to reopening. this morning all 16 passengers safely back on the ground fm a sky ride gone terribly wrong. thankfully despite some credibly anxious moments, no one was seriously hurt and passengers now obviously now happy to be solid ground. >> that would have been pretty terrifying. steve, thank you. we check back in with dylan. can't believe we have another snowstorm to talk about. >> i know. it will be kind of a mess. it starts as snow, changes over

to rain. snow will move in this afthenoon through plains. heavy rain will move in from the south through the gulf coast. wenoave rain and sw in the pacific northwest. that's look at the weather across the country. we'll get to your local forecast in the next 30 seconds. good morning. i'm storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell. winter storm warnings and htvisories are in place starting late tonignd through the day tomorrow. today it's all about. the sunshi afternoon high this afternoon near 42 degrees.

winter storm likely to impact the entire day tomorrow. becoming a rain-snow mix. totalio accumul around four inches und town. a >> that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thank you very much. former acting d fbiector andrew mccabe. we'll get his take on the firestm sparkedy his new memoir and his claims about the president, russia and the mueller investigation. he's here live. it's been two weeks since andy cohen became a first-time father. he'll be here to talk about that life changing moment. like all gdad , going to share pictures of adorable little sonnj bein. first this is "today" on nbc.

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marvel studios' captain marvel. in theaters march 8th. 7:26 isour time now on this tuesday, february 19th, 2019. goodorning to you. i'm eun yang. >> i'm aarongi lchrist. meday d.c. council members will vote for a second n a bill that would make sports betting legal in the district. this will be the final vfoe be it heads to the mayor's desk. developing in prince george's county, one person is dead and three others are hurt after a multivehicle crash on indian head highway. aaa has called indian head highway onef the most dangerous roads in ourarea. now let's check on your commute with melissamo y. >> couple of problems on gw parkway southbound before 123, left lane getting by.

after that, southbound the right lane blocked by a broken down taking a look at 66 inbound we e jammed from earlier problems. 270 sowwed soundds gaithersburg going about 40 miles per hour. t on news 4 at 5:00, a local beauty queen is turning herain into a platform to comote medical marijuana. ack on your forecast is next. stay with 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) enjoy the sunshine while we have it today. winter storm warningissued for tomorrow around here. likely to get accumulating snow starng this time tomorrow morning. a quick two to four, five or six inches possibleefore it changes to rain in the afternoon. that change over to rain will limit our snow totals aittle bit. a high impact winter storm for tomorrow and altuick wn thursday afternoon.

chuck, thank you. another local news update in about 25 minutes. >> for now bac to the "today" show after this short break. have a gre.

we're back, we're back at 7:30. a spectacular sight t in morning sky. they call it a super snow moon. it's the biggest, brightest full moon you'll get until 2026. take a glod . >> if you like "dancing in the moonlight," by king harvest, perfect. m that's jam. >> craig said who sin that song? ,i said ho all the time. we start with the latest on the border battle. 16 states have filed aederal lawsuit challenging the trump 's administratimergency declaration to get money to pay for a wall. overnight protesters took to the streets.

congressional democrats are planning to try t block the democrat by filing a joint resolution to repeal that emergency declaration. white house aides indic ed the president would veto any attempt to stop him. sad news this morning from the world of fashion. the associated press isin repo that iconic digner karl lagerfeld has died in paris. he's one of the most prolific fashn designers of all time, leading some of the biggest fashion brands in the woras such chanel and fendi. he was known for his evolving creativity personal style. karl lagerfeld was 8ayears old. >> frightening close call at a hockey game. watch what happens when nbc sports analyst pierre mcguire gets atle too close to the action. the puck sails by his face, nssing him for a inch or so. happened so fast, he didn't see it coming. thankfully no one was hurt.

he was barely fased by it all. he said, quote,t's all par of what goes on down here. the man who has been in the headlines a lolately. former fbi director andrew mccabe. his new book is called "the threat: how the fbi protects america in thege of terror and trump." good morning. it's good to see you. >> good morning. >> i notice the title of your book. you say the fbi isin prote america in the age of terror and trump, did you meet to equate those two or say both are threats? >> absolutely. i think the job ofte ping america and upholding theti consti has become tougher for the men and women of the fbi and more broadly men and women across the intelligencervices and our justice department. >> you think the president is a threat, is that wt that means? >> i think it's entirely possible. that's one of the reasons we opened the case against him. >> i aant to talkut that. the president on twitter yesterday accused you ofllegal

and treasonous acts? >> absolutely not true. don't think really anybody takes those tweets by the seriously.ery i certainly don't at this point. he's been attacking me and my fami and lying about us for two years now. it's really more of the . same >> some republican lawmakers are saying they'd like to see you under oath saying some of the things you say in would you be willing to do that? >>f course. we haven't received a request yet. we'll take a harha look at and talk to the committee. >> let's talk about your time as acting fbi director. it happens because james comey was fired by the president. in the days after that, it's our understanding that an investigation was opened into the president, too. one was aes criminal igation into whether he obstructed justiceng by ficomey. secondly and significantly, there was a counterintelligence investigation into trump. oud open the counterintelligence

investigation into the president? >> a things to point out. both purposes are part of the same investation. this i something i talk about extensively in the book. i want americans to understand how the fbi makes theseon deci on when to open cases and who to investigate. it's not because we do it because w like it ore think it's fun or we don't like a person or are supporting one political direction or the other. it's because w have facts and information in our possession that gives rise to an articulatable basis to believe a threat to national security or a federal crimeay have been committed. >> let's talk about it. did you order a counterintelliatnce investn into the president? >> i did. >> is that tantamount tog say you felt there was reason to suspect that he was a natiocul ty threat? is that what that means? >> it is saying that we hadrm inion that led us to believe that there might be a threatat tonal security, in this case that the president himself might, in fact, be a threat to the united states

security >> in particular, was it your suspicion and the reason you opened this investigation tha you thought the president might actually be working on behalf of russia? >> we had a number of very concerning things we were a considerin the time. one of them was the fact that the president in our view had gone to extreme measures to potentially impact, negatively impact, possibly turn off our investigation of russian meddling into the election and russian coordination with his campaign. >> that goes to his potential when you're opening this particular kind of investigation, counterintelligence,ou suspect the president might actually be working for russia? >> we thought that might be possible, yes. we thought it might be possible. remember, savannah, we're at the beginning of an investigation. we don't draw conclusion. we simply look at the facts and information we havend begin investigations -- >> as you point out in your book, the fbi doe not start any investigation willy-nilly. what were the predicatefacts? lay them out here. what were the facts that

suggested the president may be a national security threat and may, in fact, be working on behalf of foreign adversary, russia? >> savannah, we have to go bacn to thetigation of potential collusion between the campaign and russia. through the fall, these are topic wes had been looking at. during that time the president has been publicly underminies the igative efforts. talking about it as a witch hunt,. as a ho it's clear to us he's not happy with what we're doing. also during t thate the president approaches if director of the fbi and asks him to stop investigating michael flynn. a part of our investigation into russian interference, asks him to turn off that investigation. >> why isn't that just the normal obstruction of justice icriminaluiry which is substantial enough on its own? what takes it to the next level where there's a srkpicion he's g for a foreign government? this is extraordinary. >> you hav to askourself f you believe the president might have obstructed justice for the purpose of ending ourat investn into russia, you

have to ask yourself why. why would any president of the united states not want the fbi to get to the bottom of russian interference in our election? >> i know you and otherbe m of your team briefed the these are the leaders of congress in the days after comey was fired about the russia investigation. it would have been the majority leaderf the senate, mitch mcconnell, speaker of the house paul ryan and democratic fount parts. did you tell them you opened a counterintelligence investigation into president urump? >> these of the believing was to led congressional leadership know whatatxactly e were doing. opening a case of this nature, not something an fbi director - thisrecommendation that came to me from our team. with lawyers. >> did you tell congress? >> i told congress what we had done. >> did anyone object? >> no one objected. not on legal grounds, constitutional grounds or based on the >> let's talk about some of the

more explosive reveloions having do with rod rosenstein, the deputy attorney general. you write in the book that rosenstein suggested wearing a wire, that he would wear a wire intohe oval office to record the president. >> savannah, actually i don't include that in my book. i made the decision not to put ose specific words in the book. i don't discuss the 25th t amendmen allegations of the 25th amendment in the book qr an important reason. it's becomete a distraction, a distraction from the pointsg i'm try to make. >> i believe i read you said you even wento the counsel jim baker, the general counsel and said, hey, rosenstein wants to do this and he said i don't think we're there yet. >> ie been asked about this in interviews. these are things that happen and of course i'm ansring those estions truthfully. >> you're saying rosenstein did this, suggested wearing a wire. >> yes. >> there have been suggestions

that he was joking, hey, what do you want me to dorks wear a wire? >> wasn't a joke. he was deadly serious. you have to remember, savannah, this came at an incredibly stressful time. the important part about that comment that rod made and the comment about the 25 th amendment, there was no effort under way, nobody wore a wire intohihe house, nobody was plotting to stage a coup. the point is the stress andco lexity of the issues we were discussing at the time. the fact that the president of the uned states may have committed obstruction of justice for the purpose of impeding our investigation into russia, that was the big picture issue we were trying to find our way through. >> id sho mention the department of justice and rosenstein sd these accounts are factually inaccurate. that brings to an finish you yo. ha you were fired from the nib fbi and fired after the inspector general found you displayed a ck ofandor which i think is fbi speak for not telling the

truth about a story that appeared in the "wall street turnal" and whether or you authorized a leak of material in article. why should anyone believe you when you were fired from fbi for lying? >> two reasons. before the president started publicly attacking me i enjoyed a 21-year career in the fbi at every level an agent can serve without a single blemish on that career. second reason, i believe very strongly i was fired because of the sps we've just discussed. i was fired because i opened a case against t president of the united states. >> i read the inspector neral's report. at suggests the inspector general is in on it and firing you -- basically making up a pretext to fireha you. iswhat you're suggesting? >> i've been writing and reading investigative reports for over 20 years. that report was not like anything i have ever read before. an itestigative rep includes all of the evidence. it includes all the information,

not just those fac that support the conclusion that you'd like to draw. i havig problems with that report. i disagree with the conclions they drew. that's something i'll be raising in a civil lawsuit i'll bebr ging against the department of justice. >> it was quite detailed and states you displayedanhis lack ofr on four different occasions. that's not just, well, we didn't understand, i not sure, i was distracted. that's four separate occasions in whi the inning spector geral said you were not forthcoming. >> i would love to walk through every one of the points i have those things i said in this report. but i can't do that with you this morning bause of the lawsuit we're about to file. >> let's talk about the president. in some way it's almost personal. he's tweeted about you i think more than 30 times. one of the occasions you o -- of the conversations that you had that you relay in the book, you he referred to your wife and her losing campaign and called her a loser. at would you s to him right now if you had the opportunity?

>> well, i don't expect i that opportunity. i can't tell you, savannah how horrific it's beeno have to endure the threats, the taunts, the bullying of the president of the united states in such a public way. i try noto taket personally but it's very hard. it's been incredibly tough on my family. my wife who is a wonderful ediatric emergency room physician, tried to help her community by running for ndoffice. to sn front of thousands of people and perpetuate lies and snder about my wife and our family, it's been absolutely horrific. >> do you have a political bias against thepresident? he suggested by your wife running as democrat, receiving pac organization from a close ally of the clinton, do you ve a political bias? >> absolutely not. i did my job. i worked on the facts and the f law in fronts at the time. there's absolutely no connection whatsoever with my wife'spo tical activity and the decisions that i made at work. i think that'seen borne out by

an in depth investigation. >> you oversaw the clinton e-mail investigation. >> i did. ome to as subsequently life that lisa page who was your lawyer essentially and someone else who worked on the the department of justice were having a romantic affair, an extramarital affair. it also came out in text the president, bashed dispar e him. it demonstrated a clear bias by the president. you oversaw that investigation. did you ever see that kind of ing among lisa page and peter struck. >> not once f nom anybody on that team. >> one of their text messages mentions a meeting in dy's office. >> i don't recall the conversationth or the meetin they relate in their private text. we had many, many meetings between mysf and those two and many others on the investigative team. ll the conversation they're referring to. i can tell you this, late is a

page and pete struck are good people. they made poor decisions inns communicathey exchanged. it's brought incredible griefan scrutiny to the fbi. good people make bad decisions every day. >> do you feel you'lle vindicated by the mueller report? >> i a anxiously await the results of the mueller report. i think all americans have a right to see the results of that report. >> the book is called"the threat." over to you. thank you very much. the dramatic rescu of a hiker trapped in quicksand. they'll share their incredible story for the very first time. troubling new numbers on the flu. cases now widespread in all but two states. coming up, the questions we need to be asking our doctors. plus andy cohen, doting dad. he's going to be here live in studio 1a. he'll fill us in on life with

his precious new baby boy. a wintery storm across much of the country. dylan's forecast to plan the rest of your week and your weekend right after this. i was inspired by nature's finest ingredients to create a new take on tea. introducing, naturally caffeine free, pure leaf herbal iced tea. ♪ a refreshing combination of juicy, peach, flavor and hibiscus. ♪ crafted just for you. new pure leaf herbals. iced tea blooming with flavor, and naturally caffeine free. man: one, two, here we go! ♪ i'm alive, i'm alive ♪ ♪ i'm alive, i'm alive, i'm alive... ♪ alive! gives you more vitamins and minerals than leading brands. because when you start with more, you own the morning. alive! you own the morning. when you make a pb&j with smucker's and jif, that's the difference between ordinary everyday and exquisitely delicious in an everyday sort of way.

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welcome welcome back. we'll get the latest on the nasty winter storms rolling across the country.dy n, you're in for mr. roker. >> it's starting.n heavier rain dsouth. we'll see the snow move through the plains over the next several hours and it arrives in the d.c. area. a look at the weather

across the country. now a peek out your window. >> right at home,hat snow should arrive about 4:00, 5:00 tomorrow morning. a quick accumulation tomorrow morninck probably a q two to three inches or more before lunchtime tomorrow and then t change over to rain tomorrow afternoon. snow totals will be very hard to p . today is about the sunshine and the cold. today's high is 42. again, snowfall tomorrow, on average two to four, three tx inches before it mixes in with a lot of rain in the afternoon. >> that'st your latest fore >> dylan, thank you. still ahead this morning, what we need t know about treating the flu with cases still on the rise coast to coast. first these messages.

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and vast expertise to work. ( ♪ ) the united states postal service makes more e-commerce deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country. makes more e-commerce deliveries to homes ♪ 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. how do you expect me to drive this?! just turn the key... and yeah, it's just uh... some of this... ...it's automatic... ...dual cupholders. go with the one that's here to help life go right. state farm. carson is here. we have the always adorable andy cohen. he'll be here live so we can gush over even more adorable baby benjamin. first your local news.

cancer that has spread to other parts of her body. she's also taking prescription ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor, which is for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive her2- metastatic breast cancer as the first hormonal based therapy. ibrance plus letrozole was significantly more effective at delaying disease progression versus letrozole. patients taking ibrance can develop low white blood cell counts, which may cause serious infections that can lead to death. before taking ibrance, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection, liver or kidney problems, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or plan to become pregnant. common side effects include low red blood cell and low platelet counts, infections, tiredness, nausea, sore mouth, abnormalities in liver blood tests, diarrhea, hair thinning or loss, vomiting, rash, and loss of appetite. carla calls it her new normal because a lot has changed, but a lot hasn't. ask your doctor about ibrance. the #1 prescribed fda-approved

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7:56 is your timeow on this tuesday, february 19, 2019. good morning to you. i'm eunangment let's check on your commute with melissa mollet on your first 4 traffic. >> springfield northbound 95, the ramp to the inner loop, center lane blocked by a broken down tractor-traile southbound gw parkway, left lane squeezing by. an overturned vehicle. looks etter than itdid. delays inbound 66 before centreville because of two earlier crashes. >> melissa, thank you. we'll take a break and check your forecast next. stay with us.

cold start to your day. temperatures in the 20s to around 30. today's high, a nice 42 with plenty of sunshine for today. snow starts before dawn tomorrow. changes over to a wintery mix during the day. on average about three to maybe six inches or so for most of the d.c. metro area. slightly lower amounts to the south bauset's mixing in with rain. keep that in mind for tomorro. an ugly me thursday a quick meltdown with highs back into the mid 50s. chuck, thank you. another local news update in 25 minutes. for now back to the "tor show aftethis short break. have a g. i

>>t is 8 it is 8:00 on "today." coming up, wicked winter weather. more than 200 million people from the midwest to theci northeast bng for a powerful storm. the widespread wintery mess just how bad wil and rain. dylan has the latest watch what happens now. live to talk about his life a a new dad. he shares never-before-seen pictures of his adorable baby benjamin. arkle in manhattan. the duchess is making a secret trip across the pond for a very special reason. what's behind her new york state of mind? today tuesday, february19,

2019. ♪ >> fromck kentuy and tennessee. >> checking off my bucket list. >> hi toriends and family in auburn, maine. >> spending our winter break on "today!" >> from south carolina. >> to rockefeller plaza. >> we're watchin "today" from mclean, virginia. >> finally made it to the plaza fromcleveland, ohio! >> cleveland in the house and a bunch of other people, too. welcome back to "today" on this tuesday morning.thank you for js day. right to your news at 8:00. a powerful winter storm, mix of esow, ice and rain taking aim at 39 stat dylan is here with the latest. ga> good morning, hoda. mostly rain moving in right now from the south. that moisturep will h boost up this system. we've got winter storm advisories acros the upper

midwest through parts of the upper midwest and appalachians. the threat of heavy rain that could lead to flooding. the snowfall we're expecting through washington, d.c.,ma land, philadelphia tomorrow morning. that's going to make a mess of the commute. that snow arrives in new y the evening, making a mess of the evening commute. then it all changesnd to rain a exits by the time we go into thursday morning. new england will hang on to tome snow for a little while longer. through the upper midwest, six to nine inches of snow. two to four inches through the great lakes. in the northeast there is the possibility for dc, parts of the appalachians we could see fouri to inches of snow. new york only an inch or two and lesser amounts arthernorth. craig? >> dylan, thank you. now to the battle over the president's border wall heading to the courts. 16 states are suing to block mrm s emergency declaration to fund the wall calling it a hyped cris to divert federal dollars. peter alexander is at the white

house this morning. >> reporter: the 16 states include california, new mexico and new york. they're accusing president trump of misusing his presidential power to build hislaw. what the lawsuit calls a vanity project. the states argue the president's effort tpend billions by declaring a national emergency is, quote, fgrant disregard of fundamental separation of powers principles. they dismiss the energy as a fafrd crisis and blast it as a unconstitutional and unlawful scheme. the president just minutes ago complaining on witter about this suit. it comes as new protests popped up aund theountry overnight. among the president's fiercest critic is vermont senator b sanders who announced he is running for president again in 2020. sanders who is 77 faces a much more crowded a diverse field than last time around. he's the sixth senator tothoin race. >> peter alexander at the white house, thank you. just moments ago i spoke to

former acting fbi director andr mccabe on "today." he acknowledged for the first time publicly he is the one who ordered a counterintelligence investigation into the president. >> did you tell congress --d >> i t congress what we had done. >> did>>nyone object? hat's the important part. no one objected, not on legal grounds, not on constitut anal ground not based on the facts. >> mccabe went on to say he believes he was fired because he opened that investigation intou president and the inspectorer g at the department of justity found he lied on four occasions and that's why he was >>fired. a man became trapped in quicksand as his girlfriend set out in frigid temperatures to find help. nbc's gadi schwartz has the story. >> what was supposed to be a day hike through zion natiol park on saturday turned into nightmare for ryan osmun and

girlfriend jessika mcneill. >> i thought for sure i would lose my sleg. towahe end i thought i wasn't going to make it. >> four hours into their hike, the couple got in trouble after lling into quicksand. >> i sank first and he came and got me and then he sank. >> reporter: after several attempts to free ryan and no cell phone service in the mountainous area, they decided the only hope for survival was for jessika to make the trek for alone. >> i realized the fastest way to get back was not switch packing and stay on the ground, i decided to swim down the river. >> reporter: for throng hours she maneuvered wairi deep in thed rushing waters. >> i kept telling myself he would dot for me. i'm so close, i need toe it and do it for him. >> reporter: four hours later and exhausted, she finally did. >> i was on the line with 911, and i realized i was going to

faint righte. th >> reporter: meanwhile stuck, cold, wet and in the dark, ryan said he began hallucinating thinking he had finally been found. >> i realized it was just my asnd. i thought thereo hope at that point. >> reporter: after 11 hours help actually did aruyve. >> the who rescued me. i could hear, he was yelling and i realized i wasn't dreaming. >> reporter: atorm dumping an additional four inch os of snow forced the group to shelter in frigid conditions overnight before a rescue helicopter was able to reach them. treatedpo for hype hythermia and mild injuries he's lucky to be alive. >> if it wasn't for them and jessica, i would be dead for sure. >> reporter: for "today," gadi schwartz, nbc ne t. >> the onlime i've seen quicksand is in cartoons. >> the real thing. for a morning boost, u savannah, as ow, passing the bar, you can be anxious tor

get thlts. a recent law school grad andre waited for his parents to come homepeefore hed the e-mail to find out if he got in. take a look. >> congratulations on passing the test! >> watch this. the mother goes back. yes, yes! >> congratulations. >> thank you, jesus. thank you, jesus. >> that is so awesome on so many levels. i like how she's like, did he pass? let me check one mortime. >> which is probably why the kid passed, he's got those parents. >> congrats.

still ahead thismo ing, a big apple baby shower. inside meghan markle's secret visit here to new york city. speing of babies, we have been dieing the get andy cohen into our studio. we've got to talk to him about everything. he has become a dad.ig theorning is here and we get to chat with him and find out everything about baby benjamin. where is he? right after this. ith a stain. soak your nasty jersey. it stinks! wash the really dirty clothes separately. remember -hard work builds character! new tide pods with upgraded 4-in-1 technology unleash a foolproof clean in one step. aww, you did the laundry! but you didn't fold it. oh, that wasn't in the note. should have sent a text. #1 stain and odor fighter, #1 trusted. it's got to be tide. it's got to be tide. ♪

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lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms, if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen, or if you've had a vaccine or plan to. serious allergic reactions may occur. how sexy are these elbows? ask your dermatologist about cosentyx. we are back with today's we are back with "today's lker". his name is andy cohen. father ago he became a with the arrival of his son benjamin >>alan. o how is life with this adorable bundle? andy cohen is in our studio. >> hi ladies. >> hi, andy. >> i walked onto the set and thought this is some mommy segment. where is the bar? >> this is syours. ts here, my friend. >> andy, you've been talking long having a child for a

time. >> i have. >> was there a moment when the lights went on and you said, yeoi, i'm to do this? >> it was always in the back of my head, and i a would be friends' houses and they would be tucking in their kid. i need this in my life. and i think i was getting to a point in my life where i was looking at where am i going and where am i headed and what do i want for the rest of mylife. writing two bucks, publishing tw books that were diaries about my life loo hd at i was living my life. i published three years of my diliies and i was , wow, i could keep putting the same book out every yearr i could do something different. i don't think this is all is for me. so that had a really profound affect on me, too. it caused me to look at lye in a way i had never done.

>> talk about the moment you la eyes on little benjamin. >> the head of hair was the first thi that came out. there we are -- that's kind of minutes aftere s born. he was so alert and his eyes were open and we were just kind of getting to know each other. it was just incredible. i can never describeit. the skin-to-skin two hours was absolutely incredible. >> you're whispering to him. do you remember what you were saying? >> like hi, i'm your dad. who are you? yeah, sweet. >> oh, my god. you and i talked a while a ago i remember it stuck with me when we talked and you said, hey, yod opted, i was thinking about what path to go down. you were talking abo adoption or a surrogate. you weren't sure. how did you decide what was the best for you?

>> i was fortunate to have the means to be abl to -- it can be expensive and complicated. i just said i'm goingo do this, i'm going to try to do this and i did. it's t incredibl me as i've now learned that sur gas see is illegal in many states. i don't understand why it's illegal in new york and new jersey which is why i went to california. that's where my wonderful surrogate was who i owe so much i don't really understand that. it's also illegal for gay people toer adopt inin places. it's still very complicated and challenging but ijust, once i decided to wdo, in. you were a great help to me and very inspiring to me, as you and i talked about it, hoi . s also wondering can i do this at this moment in my life? i'm 50, okay t's be real here.

>> but you're used to being up all night. >> iam. >> everyone is like, oh, are you ht sleeping? >> ien't slept in 30 years. it's a different kind of not sleeping. >> i know you're surprising because of what it's like to have a newborn, bottle feed and whatnot. have you seen a side to yourself you didn't really know? >> there's a comfort in knowing that he's there waiting for me. i went out for my first night away from him just to dinner with friends the other night. i was sitting there and i realized, wow, i love it that he's there at home waiting me.r it's an anchor. it's my family. that just -- i was like, wo love this feeling. >> i remember asking maria shriver -- when haley was a newborn and she wasn't eating or

pooping or sleeping. i was bouncing her. she said whatre you doing? she says she needs what you need, to be looked at, to be talked to, to be loved, to be listened to. basic stuff. a light bulbf. went oh, my gosh. >> i look at him the way i used to look at instagram. i'm like thise is much m interesting than looking at a bunch of hot guys on my idet. >> you get any good advice r om the real housewives anything? >> the housewives -- by the way, isn't it cute that meghan markle ca a to new york for baby shower. >> it's le a rave. >> it is like a rave. the housewives have been le incred the truth is, with all the noise and all the drama, they're all -- most of them moms.

>> great moms. >> there you go. that's h you do a baby shower. >> wait till benjamin sees thisn >> i wait for him to see this. >> andy, we have a little gift. weade you a little care package. nk you.k you, t >> all right. appreciate the product placement. >> it's all "today show" swag. >> of course it is. am we love you, andy. benji or benj? >> i'm getting to know him. >> keep us posted. >> i will. let's goo dylan for a check of the weather. >> good morning again, everyone. we have the flooding threat moving into if gulf coast. this storm system is moving in from the gulf. on the northern sid of it, it is very chilly. the chance of significant snowfall. four to six inches across the

upper midwest. new york city about two to three inches. in good mo that change from snow to rain tomorrow afternoon is a big factor in how much you'll be measuring wednesday night and thursday morning. today sunny and ld, today's high 42 with 100% sunshines high cloud later today. tomorrow all snow before noon. snow changing to during the afternoon. snowfall totals, most of the metro area t between three six inches before it changes over to all rain. >> that's your latest forecast. > all right, dylan, thank you. "pop start" time. >> first up, the duchess of sussex, meghan is stateside to celebrate her baby shower with friends. as mentioned, correspondent sheinelle jones with us. m >> she be expecting her first child within less than two months. that didn't stop meghan from making a surprise, even secret

trip right here to new york. >> wrapped in an overcoat and wearing a gray cap, meghan seems to be trying to keep a low profile as she's snapped on a new york street with her bodyguard monday evening. it's the duchess of sussex, the famous bump and the fabous engagement ring prince harry gave her. exclusive photos from the dailymail.com. accoing to multiple reports, a secretisit to see friends, do some shopping and be guest of honor at her baby shower. >> she's seven months pregnant. it's the last time she can travel to the u.s. before she has the baby. she wants to see her closest friends and celebrate before the arril. >> the duchess has been busy. on saturday seen in soho at a swanky french restaurant. enjoying tea and macaroons with best friend jessica mulroney.

shopping at nearby children's clothing store, bon point. the exclusive party for 15 or 20 to be being ught thrown at aho tell on the upper east side. who might be there to shower the royal mom-to-be? as jessica mulroney is already in new york, it's suggested she'll likely be there and serena williams and "suits" star sa ih rafferty who werenvited to the royal wedding are strong possibilities. meghan will head home wednesday to rejoin husband prince harry. it's been a whirlwind few months for the new royal. a wedding, a world tour and a full schedule of official engagements. in a few days' time the pay are off again to morocco. with the duchess now in her thiroutrimester, that trip cld be the last time she'll fly before the birth of baby sussex two months from now. back in january she reportedly told crowd goers the baby is

expected last april. lots of people making bets on the due date and the gender. >> i think boy. >> no idea. >> a 50/50 chance. >> exactly. >> thank you, sheinelle are you off on the "pop start" jet. >> that's right. don't i wish. up next,ti amy schumer pos this. joining women in the mardi gras. she's in the back wearing all black. she caught up with the group behind, dancingal ong. seeminglyce und. it wasn't just one group she crashed, but two. finding another g mardi grasroup to practice with. there she is. pregnant with her first child and had been battling severe morning sickness causing her to cancel a few date theair just celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary. presidents day, the first

trailer to "veep" is here. lina meyer running for president of the united stes. julia louis-dreyfus is funny as ever. >> leon, i'm not sure about this part where i say i want to be president for all americans. i mean do i,re ly? all of them? >> how about real americans. >> that's good. then we can figure out what i mean later. >> julia returning to screen after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017 pausingon producn the show. last october she announced she's cancer-free and f >> one of the best shows on television. >> i know you're so happy. i am. >> you giggle through the whole thing. how do y wrap up a beloved movie franchise? we'll chat with "how to drain your drago stars"america a ferrerand jay bare shell after

a check of your local news. it's 8:26. i'm aaron gilchrist. let's get right to melissa mollet. >> delays on 66 beforesudley. talking about those inbound lanes. st a messrom earlier issues on 66. very, very slow through manassas. single tracking on the green line on the greenbelt due to police activity. we'll have a look at our forecast when we come back.

good morning everybody. snow likely ton start before d tomorrow. snow totals, most of the d.c. metro area will be three to six-inch rain. maybe a little more out north and west where the snow will last longer. the trickis, it will be all snow before the first half of the day before changing over to mostly rwn later tomor

afternoon and evening, ending as all rain very early on thursdayt >> chucnk you. you can get the latest news and weather any time in the nbc washington app.

nice to meet you. 8:30 on the 19th of february, 2019. we're outere on the plaza. it's wild. hoda has a b marred gra umbrella and almost poked pour dylan in the eye. watch out. here she is. hoda has a mardi gras umbrella. that is awesome. i >>s almost fat tuesday. we've got a couple weeks to go. >> brought some rain.

>> the crowd is all decked out wi the cool glasses. getting ready for "how train your dragon: the hidden world." this morning america ferrera and jay fair shell are here to tell us all about it. >> where is little ramona. hi little ramona. how are you? >> gra good. how are you. >> you wch the "today" show every morning? >> who do you watch it with? >> my grandma. >> lau want to say hi to your grandma? >> hi, grandma. >> ramona, i hear it's somebody's birthday. whose birthday is it? >> my mom's. >> happy birthday to you. ere are you guys from? >> ernaca.da e'thank you. happy birthday and thanks for watching, grandma. over to you guys. >> happy birthday.

we're going to talk aboulu fighting the the virus is widespread in 48 states. what should we be asking ourut doctors ahe medications made to treat the fl. dr. raj is here with the answ s answers. this morning richae to tell us how he' doingnd to say thanks. >> just ahead on thehird hour of "today," we'll meet a woman making basketball historyte withouting on the court. serena williams' husband andrn in entrepreneur stops by to talk about his mission helping other new dads. first let's get a check of the weather. >> a little chilly but the worst is yet to come. we've got snow to talk about. we'll see the chance of that snow moving intomorrow. today we are kind of setting the

stage. temperatures running below average by 10 to 15 degrees up and down the east coast. on wednesday, that storm system moves in. it will start off cold. washington, d.c.4 degrees on wednesday. it does come with some warmer air, believe it or not. we'll actually be above average going into thursday. new york city should get into the mid 50s.da on, ohio, mid 50s by saturday as that warmer air comes in with the nex storm. in the meantime, snow will overspread the plain state move into the upper midwest tonight. flooding is likely with three to four inches of rain possible through arkansas,ui ana, tennessee and kentucky. that's a look at the weather across the now here is a peek out your window. >> good morning. sunshine for now. s wintrm warnings are posted for tomorrow for all the d.c. metro area. nter weather advisories through the south, southern maryland, fredricksburg and the northern neck. temperatures around the freezing mark. we'll reach low 40s for the daytime his. tomorrow starting with all snow and below freezing. getting into the mid 30s tomorrow afternoon as this will

change over to rain. total snow accumulations mostly in the three to six-inch range. more snow likely farther north and west. >>hat's your latest forecast. craig? >> dylan, thank you. if you think we're on the other side of flu season, think again. according to the laeest numbers for the centers for disease control, flu activity actually on the rise. the good news is, this year's vaccine has been 47% effective in preventing severe illness m from thet common strain. yet flu is widespread in 48 states with 18 million cases nationwide. what should you ask your doctor about the virus. dr. raj, always good to have you. >> nice to be here. >> so 47 that may sound low to a lot of folks, but we're actually better than we were this time last year. >> that's right. last year the estimates with 36 to 47% effectiveness. while 47 doesn't sound like a

lot, millions of people are getting sick. if we could cut that number byl that's a good thing. >> to be clear, if you get the vin vaccine, even if you get the flu, the thinking is it won't be as severe. >> that's right. and it's not too late to get it. that's the other thing. >> let's talk about the most common symptoms. how do folks know if they have the flu? >> y might get the runny nose cough, sore throat. but you'll also have fever, chills, body aches. for most people the flu is relatively mild. stay home, rest your body. don't infect o people and get a lot of hydration. >> how do we know it's bad enough toee the doctor? >> if you have signs of respiratory problems including chest pain, shortness of breath, bluish tinge to your lips, you have any confusion, these are signs that the flu is much more serious. you need to talk your doctor. >> are there groups at a higher

risk? this is very important to know. if you do belong to a high-risk group. we're talking children ages 5 or under, people or older, pregnant mim, anyone with a weakened immune syem. if you have any chronicle medical condition, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, these are people at higher risk to develop serious complications, thingse bronchitis, pneumonia that could be fatal. if given medication within 48 hours, they can have a much loweris of developing serious complications. >> you mentioned medications. let's talk about them. there are a number of options that doctors prescribe. what are the mications and which groups should be using them. >> antiviral medicines attack the virus of the flu. they're not going to cure you, but they can lessen e duration and severity. there are three given to tpatients, one is calle alled tamiflu, can be given to infants as old as two weeks and

certainly adults. ene have relenza, good for children 7 and older. not good f people with respiratory problems. then we have xofluza, not good for pregnant women or breast-feeding women. but good for children 12 years and older. some people get diarrhea that can get better when you stake it for food. there were reports that tamiflu that might cause hallucination with children. that hasn't been borne out from thre arch. >> anything over the counter people can take? >> it can make you feel symptomatically better, a dngestan deconges ieb proefrp or tylenol. i want to point out very porn, children or anyon under t age of 19 should never be given aspirin if they have a flu.

it can cause rye's syndrome. >> how long should i go before go and see my doctor? >> do not wait long. thesemedications, the antivirals are most effective whenit givenn two days. if you think you're having a more serious version ofhe flu or if you belong to those high-ris kacategories, call you doctor right away. >> dr. t raj,nk you for being here. >> thanks for being here. >> we should all be washing our hands, too? >> yes. let's do it right here. we'veca got ameferrara, jay baruchel. you'll recogze their voices in "how to train you dragon." first this is "today" on nbc. >> indeed. >> but first this is "today" on nbc.

. we're>> bk where the stars of "how to." train your drag >> this is the third and they say the final film of this be loved franchise, bringing together their characters one more time. take a look. >> you are the bravest most stubborn, most determined knucklehead i know. oothless didn't give you that hiccup, he just made it -- >> easier. >> now it's going to be a lot harder. so what are you going to do about it? >> probably something stupid. mgohat's the hiccup i know. soee >> getng oh ,emotional. what's happening? >> i thought you said we needed ti because it was flu season. this is like a tearjerker. i cried for sure. but i couldn't tell if it was because what was happening or it hit me that tseharacters

we've been voicing for almost 12 years were sayin good-bye. >> i heard the kiss. >> we never saw each >>other. best gig ever. >> the first time we're meeting each other. >> she seems lovely. >> this is the last one. >> when you heard this was going to be it, what did you think? this felt like it could have gone on forever. >> yeah. it's all goodhings must come to an end. most important is we end the right way, and i think if you get to the ending f thismovie, this is the ending that our characters and our fans deserve. but it's inherently a bit mel l melon collie. >> you had done the voices -- >> six seasons of a tv shond three movies later. >> back on tv season de, you ever imagine this would turn into such ajuggernaut? what was it that caught people? >> i think it's hard to

something becoming a global phenomen, phenomenright? we believed it was good. >> yeah. you can never know what the life that it's going to hav i think personally what makes these films so amazing is there's so much heart and depth. there' always an incredible story at the core of it and message really. as a grownup i love watching these movies, but i alsoan't wait until my son is old enough el discover these because of the stories that it and the messages that each film has. >> you guys areoth great actors. i do radio. i was doing radio yesterday. i was in sweats and a t-shirt with spaghetti sauce on it. >> carson is this a cry for help. >> no. how can i get in on this? what's the process like forheou in booth? how does it all work? >> yeah, like six times a year for about three years we go in for these little half, two-hour sessions. at the end of three years we're in this movie. >> the multiple takes when

you're on camera, is it the same thg? >> yeah more or less. we kind of riff. we flow our director. i dig it becau't i dave to worry about anything else. makeup, wardrobe and people staring. it's just the microphone, the script and the director. >> america, you saw your son growing up to see this. how old is he >> nine months. >> nine months already? >> i know. >> what are you noticing about how he's changing. >> i have mogmyes on. yesterday he pulled himself up in the grib for the first i couldn't believe it. i was like, oh, my gosh, pray for c. thld is about to get more mobile. he's amazing. we're so happy. it's wonderful. it's wonderful to have the next ration -- i knew by the time we were done with these movies, i'd have at least one child. >> it workedut just right. >> thank you for hanging with us. congrats on the seriesbe

>> m one more? maybe one more. like boxing, you can neverly ow close the door. >> to train your dragon: the hidden world" hits theaters on friday. you can catch america on "superstore" which returns to nbc ursday, march 7th. aop par pastry chef with a remarkable comeback story. first this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on "today food," theltate comeback story. >> one man's passion for dough nuggets and a dev ed customer who helped him through a difficult time. we'll speak with him in a minute. first, nbc's kristen dahlgren has the story. >> reporter: in queens, new york, he is the doughnut ki>>.

chewy, crispy, creamy. >> reporter: richard eng, reinventing the morning staple. >> these are not your average time to make the doughnuts. >> reporter: no, i try to approach doughnuts with a fine dining sensibility, give it a little more sophistication. you want to take that doughnut and dabble it all over i >>don' eporter: as a young man, he wanted to be a doctor. now he takes that background in science to the kitchen. marrying tastes and textures in often unexpected combinatons. >> what you want people to get out of that first bite? >> fireworks. stars and stripes. >> the wait for the popular popup can b up to three hours. >> reporter: what makes these doughnuts worth the wait? >> the favors are so different. >> reporter: while it may be the stuff of dreams, the real life of theising food star took a nightmare turn last june. >> i was getting out o my c and i got ambushed from behind.

>> a robbery? >> armed robbery, yeah, and a faceent off in my >> reporter: police think it was a random crime. in at the wrong place at the wrong time. he survived the shot but feared he had lost everything else o oe the face his skyrocketing business -- >> i didn't want to see any reflections. i kept the room dark. i didn't know mentally if i could take it in. i didn't want to be the elephan man. >> reporter: his followers on social media wouldn't let him succumb to fea and bitterness. >> i miss you, i miss your doughnuts. i know they miss the doughnuts more than they miss me. i'm take both for now. >> reporter: within fr months, he was back in the kitchen and in front of the crowds, scarred but no longer scared. >> when you love something so much and it's a passion, you want to get at it. >> reporter: police never found the two men thatke att him. while he would love to see an arrest. >> if such a thing that exists as karma, i would love for

someone else to drop tam hr on those two guys. >> reporter: he knows real healing comes from a tray of hand-dipped doughnuts and a smile. >> we can sado nuts really do fix everything? i've never seen anyone reject a doughnut. >> reporter: that must be exactly what they mean by swe revenge. for "today," kristen dahlgren, nbc news, queens. >> richard ing is with us. soci media can't get. orange miso s pecancky bun. we'll get to the doughnuts in a minute. it's been eight months since you were attacked. the first question, how are you? >> getting better and better. it's a work in progress. hopefully this will be a much kinder year than last year was. >> takes a lot of courage to kind of -- when you've had such an experience to come back and do the thing you love, but to do it so publicly. where are you finding your strength? hen you're the face of a brand and people kind of relyo n

you help them choose those how up andwhen they there are so many options to choose from, you become kind of a crutch. >> so many beautiful messages on your instagram page. was there something that stuck out to you during that time, richard, tt made you say, wow, i need to get back? >> you know, for the mos part i knew i had to bidey time. it was more than apparent that it was going to be super overwhelming for me when i finally came back. that was a record sellout. i made extra first day i showed up and literally within less than t hours i blew through almost 450, 500 doughnuts. >> what's the secret to making a good doughnut what makes yours so special? the flavors off theto they're flavors you would see in "cuine" and "food."

>> i like to say black label doughnuts is about three ss. t typicallynk there are more or less sophisticated, signature -- definitely signature and mostly seasonal. >> and sugar. >> i like to incorporate my fine dining background and bring integrity back to something that's so hble but also make something that's an every day item, more of an every day luxury. you can enjoy something and it's just going to be less sugary because there's a lot more restraint involved, balance is hierything. >> sticky bun is the best i've ever had. >> you can predict that. >> black label doughnuts doing better than ever and glad to see you doing well, too. thank you so muc f >> thanks the doughnuts. >> we're back in a rsment. c this is "today" in nbc. >> don't let therew in here.

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we playp be wrapped for this hour of "today," you can find more stories on today.com/allday. weave got a sneak peek of 's cold cuts. chatting with some of his favorite people over sandwiches. this time we have actor terry cruz >> we'll celebrate the 20th anniversary of "officespace" with ron livingston. a that more on today.com/allday. >> dane cook will tell us about his big comedy comeback. tour and we'll meet the first black woman to run an nba team. first up, your local news.

8:56 is your time on this tuesday, february 19, 2019. good morning, i'm eun yang. let's check on your commute with melissa mollet a your first 4 traffic. how is it looking o >> inner loo the beltway american legion bridge, middle of the bridge we havehree lanes blocked because of a crash. another unit arriving on scene to block another secti of the roadway. outer loop delays also as you

approach the same area because of that track. single tracking on the green line into greenbelt because of police activity. >> melissa, thank you. we'll take a break and check your forecast when we come back. stay with us.

good morning everybody. sunshine for today with high temperatures around 40 degrees. accumulating snow begins just before the sun comes up tomorrow rning. on average, i'd say two to four inches at least around the d.c. metro area. higher amounts northwe and . unfortunately this will be changing to rain during the afternoon tomorrow. exact amounts will be hard to pinpoint. nothing to worry about today. winter s frm impac tomorrow, will be extreme during the morning hours especially. we end as all rain thursday afternoon and melted all the way on friday. chuck, thank you. get the latest news and weather any time on the nbc washington app.

>> announcer: from nbc news this is "today," live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. a good tuesday morning, everyone. nlcome, craig mel here, sheinel sheinelle jones, dylan dreyer, jenna bush in the studio. in a little bit we've got an incredib u story out ofh about that hiker rescued after spendings 11 ho stuck in quicksand. >>ick jnnd, it's one of those things you don't really realize exists. >> i didn't think it who real. iht it was like dracula. >> cartoons, i've only seen it in cartoons. >> it's still very much a thing. before that, though, savannah had a pretty nineworthy rview a few minutes ago. she sat down with former