good morning, breaking news. turning on trump, the man at the right hand of donald trump f more than a the man at the right hand of onald trump for more man a decade today set to unload on his former boss, a public breakt for all see in live testimony on capitol hill. just ahead, cohen's planned remarks obtai by nbc news just this morning, calling the president a racist, a con man and a cheat. >> i'm goingheo let american people decide exactly who is telling the truth. >> the proof cohen believes he's bringing to congress today. president-to- the nd kim jong-un beginning their high stakeslear summit. can the president get more than just talk from the north

koreans? train tragedy at least two people killed when a train hits a car on the track. >> the gates were wn, the lights wereflashing. >> the collisionrk sing a fire, caung one train t derail and creating a travel nightmare for commuters. taking a stand. october car winner emma thompson lays into a to hollywood executive saying w she won'tork with him. how much can you trust the online reviews, the eye-opening resuf an nbc news investigation. and tackling her drea >> central methodist university. >> meet the remarkable young woman making history of t football field. >> my dream is to become the first female nfl player. sorry. i can't stop smiling when i say that. >> this morning, it's one step closer. you'll be here share her

inspiringstory, today fruary 27, 2019. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> thank you for being with use on asday morning. you think this is a busy one today? >> halfway around the world a big stor another oneight here at home. >> our top story, this morning's highly anticipated testimony fromresident trump's former lawyer and fixer michael cohen. what he plans to say about his former boss could potentially overshadow the president's summit with north leader kijongn. kavet all coved ts moorrning. we'll start with nbc's kristenn welkerhe hill for us. good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to yo the fireworks will begin on capitol hill in just a few hours.

nbc news has od a copy of michael cohen's testimony. here it is. it going to be explosive. in it cohen is going to call the president ast ra a con man and a cheat. and from the other side of the world, the president already firing back. morning er: thi michael cohen set to deliver potentially explosive testimony on capitol hill today. nbc news obtained a draft of his opening remarks in which he calls president trump a racist, a con man and a cheat says since taking office the president has become the worst version of himself. cohen is expected to say that he was explicitly told to lie about the trump tower in moscowhat was under way during the 2016 presidential campaign and that he knehead of time about the stolen clinton e-mails. cohen is expected to say he was in the room when roger stone told the then candidate on an

open phone line that wikileak founder julian assange told him, quote, within a couple of days there would be a massive dump of e-mails that would damage hillary clinton's campaign. it's a claim roger stone hased de also in the statement, cohen says he plans to hand over a copy of a personal check for mr. trump after he became president that cohenays was used to reimburse him for hush money payments t stormy daniels and that the president not only asked him to pay her off to keep her quiet about their alleged sexual en counter but to lie to his wife melania about it. the president's attorneys have disputed the payments are campaign violations and the president has accused cohen not telling the truth. >> very simply, michael cohen is lying. orter: ahead of this morning's north korean summit in betnam, president trump's thoughts clearlyk home as his former fixer gets set to tell all. the president tweeting overnight in part that michael cohen was

on many lawyers that represented me unfortunately. he had other clients, also. he was just disbarred by the state supreme court for lying and fraud. he did bad things unrelated to trump. he is lying in order r touce ooked's on time using lawyer. cohen speaking out last night after a nine-hour closed-door session on tuesday. >> i loo forward tomorrow to be able to in myoice tell the american people my story. t i'm goingo let the american people decide exactly who is telling the truth. >> reporter: cohen will soon begin serving three years in prison for a range of crimes including lying to congress, something cohenor apologized during his testimony on tuesday. meanwhile, overnight, republi congressman matt gates apologizing for this threatening tweet indirectly at cohen. do your wife and father-in-law know about your girlfriends? maybe tonight would be a good time for that i wonder if she'll remain faithful when you're in prison. she's about to learn a lot.

that apology coming after gates, a close ally of the president's doubled down earlier in the day. congressman, does your tweettn amount to s tampering? >> absolutely not. it's witness testing. we already knowhat cohen lies to congress and law enforcement. now we'll find out if he also es to the people closest toorte already disputing part of cohen's testimony saying that they never spoke to roger stone about the disclosures of those e-mails. of course, hovering over all of this, questions srling around russian collusion. on that michael cohen will say, well,e has no direct evidence, quote, i have mysp ions. hoda and savannah. >> kristen, hang on. we'll get back to you in a moment. cohen touted h self as one of the president's trust ed advisers. kate snow has a closer look. >> michael cohennce described

himself as fiercely loyal to donald trump, the guy who would take a bullet for the president. til last summer the president was praising him until cohen started talking toprosecutors. a long time ago he did me a favor, a long time ago we did he a favor. >> reporter: their friendship goes back to the 2000s, michael cohen lived at the trump world tower across from the united nations and help trump win a fight with the do while mr. trump was starring on "theen apprce," cohen began working for his organization. >> it's a mr. trump pitfall. >> cohen sai he was close to the family, almost like another son. it was cohen who started shouldtrumprun.com before the election. >> more than 1.5 million people arer. begging m trump should run for thepr esidency. >> reporter: when mr. trump did run in 2016, cohen was

frequently by his side. >> the words the media should be using to describe mr. trump are generous, compassionate -- >> reporter: but at the same time we now knowas cohen quietly talking with russians about a trump tower project in trump fiercely defended then plekt trump when asked about >> is there anybody that you know of -- that anybody knows talked to anybody in russia? no, no. there's no relationship. >> reporter: in ail 2018 cohen's office was raided by federal investigators. >> i just heard that theyroke into the office of one of my personal attorneys, a good man. it's a disgraceful situation. >> reporter: at firsttr preside p offered support. >> i always liked michael and he's a good person. >> reporter: then last august cohen's lawyer released a secret recording from 2016 of cohen and trump discussin how they could buy the rights to playboy model

karen mcdougal's story of a long running affair with mr. trump. >> when it comes time f the financing which will be -- >> listen. what financing? >> well, i have to pay -- >> president trump changed his tone, what kind of a lawyer would tape a client. so sad. c afteen pleaded guilty to federal charges in august. >> not somebody with me that much. >> cohen was alsoharged about lying to congress about conversations to build a trumpn tower moscow. in december he was sentenced te three years in prison. >> i did not do it to embarrass th president. he knows the truth. >> a lot of people say cen does hav a credibility problem. how does he plan onvercoming that? >> he says he lied out of loyalty for all these he told abc he's angry at

himself because he knew what he was doing was wrongw. e says he has corroborating evidence that he'll present this morning and mueller's team found him credible. trump's supporters and the president himself says you can't trust this guy. once a liar, always a liar. >> fascinating the see the trajectory of that relationship over the years. wel bring kristen in again. th president is looking at this testimony, tweeting about it all the way over in vietnam while he's attending the summit. e absolutely you right. few things get under his skin and concern him and his allies as much as michael cohen because of theat longstanding rnship that kate just laid out so well. that is why you have seen the president consistently step up his attacks against michael cohen. you can expect to see a lot more of that throughout the day.us white officials say yes,

the president is 100% focused. we know he's an avid viewer of cable news. we kno testimony.g that can expect him and his allies to try to stip away at cohen's credibility through out the day. we'll hear in michael cohen. but he's also going to have documentation. so today could be not only a political problem for president trump but also a legal m. >> kristen, thank you. kate, thank you, too. we'll have complete coverage on nbc of cohen's testimony. we'll bring it to you live on most of your nbc stations. as ntntioned, the presi kicking off his high-profile second summit wit north korea's leader kim jong-un. thne two met for d and a one-on-one conversation. let's get to nbc's white house correspondent peter alexander. he's in hanoi this morning.

>> reporter: president trump and kim jong-un moments ago down for the start of their second summit. literally sitting down for dinner as we speak. they are walking into this meeting with real uncertainty even voiced by the president who ended their las visit by touting what he called a historic agreements. today he acknowledd in a tweet that's he will, quote, try very hard to work something out. president trump and kim jong-un face-to-face fors second summit heret hanoi's historic metropoi hotel. followed by a dinner date alongside top aides. far from past threats of fire and fury and little rocket man insults, the president now embraces his chemistry wit the north korean dictator evenhe sayi two men fell in love. >> and then we fell in love. >> ahead oftoday's face-to-face, president trump hand in hand with navis

leaders. the president doubtinhi communist country that has since embraced capitalism as an exple of the prosperity kim jong-un can achieve. >> i think he wants to doin some that would be on a par, if you look at what you've done in a short time, he can do it in a very, ver rapid time. make north korea into a great economic power. president overnight on twitter writing the potential is awome, a great opportunity. ike almost none other in history for my friend kim jong-un. president trump betting his person relationship with the murderous dictator will produce results. giant gs remain between u.s. and north korean negotiators. with the president's aides conceding they've yet to even agree on the definition of denuclearization. in the eight months since their last summit singapore, there are no signs north korea is disarming. ,n fact, u.s. intelligence officials warn despite a pause in missile testing, the reglle is s actively producing

nuclear fuel and remains committed to expanding its long-range missile program, rockets that could potentially reach the united states. as we speak, the dinner is going onhe you see t president there alongside the north korean dictator, joined by secretary of state mike pompeo and acting chief of staff, thes presiden acting chief of staff, nick mulvaney. president trump's allies have expressed concerns that the president may be all too willing to ake a dealhere, to give too much away to divert attention from that political turmoil back at ho. michael cohen's testimony today, a white house official insisting the president is entirely focused on this summit here. as evidenced by his tweets rlier, it's clear his attention is divided. when he was asked about michael cohen moments ago, he ignored the reporter's questions. >> peter alexander in vietnam for us. we turn to craig now following a

dust-up on capitol hill. >> good morning. there's a growing war of words over jobs and paychecks in america between ivanka trump and the headline making democrat on capitol hill. nbc's morgan radford is following that one for us. good morning, morgan. good morning guys. alexandria ocasio-cortez's bold new legislation, aimed to guarantee jobs to all americans s ois the aisle. orning it's comments from the president's daughter and white house senior adviser that are taking thenternet by storm. >> this morning, white house senior adviser ivanka trump in th midst of a social media firestorm for these comments to fox news. >> we've got people who will see that offer from the democrats, from the pgressive democrats, alexandria ocasio-cortez, here is the green new deal, that's wh i want, that's simple. what do you say to those pe ile?

on't think most americans in their heart want to be given thing. >> reporter: in an explosive new interview, the president's daughter taking on cort over her green new deal. >> today is a big day for people who have bee left behind. >> reporter: the proposal seeks to eliminate carbon emissions by 2030, provide universal health care ands guarantee job and a family-sustaining minimum wage for allamericans. >> i spent a lot of time traveling around this country over the last four years. people want to worktor w they get. so i think this o idea a guaranteed minimum is not something most people epnt. >>ter: the reaction to trump's remarks was swift and fierce on social media with some calling the first daughr entitled, tone deaf and out of touch. one user tweetingyou, a lady

that has been given everything, have no right to speak about most care ca. cortez herself not backing down, responding to the first c daughterments on twitter writing, as a person who actually worked for tips and hourly wages in my life instead of having to learn about it secondhand, ian tell you people want to be paid enough to live. a livg wage isn gift, it's a right. workers are often paid far less than the value they create. ivanesponding to the backlash with a tweet of her own saying, i supportin aum wage. i do not, however, believe in a minimumuarantee foreople unwilling to work which was the question askedf me. >> so-calledreen n deal. no fan of the plan.nt trump is while republican leaders say it'sic unreali and too expensive. >> the green new deal drives a stake int the heart of our strong and healthy and growing >> senate majority leader mitch

mcconnell plans to put the deal to a vote before the august recess which begins august 5th. time for our first check of the weather. who better to get us to that an mr. roker. >> --h back thro the great lakes. upstate new york, talking four to six inches of snow into parts of central new england. and look at what was going on in california. heavy rain, places getting from two to inches of rain. sacramento set a record, 2.25 inches. on track for their fourth wettest february either. it continues to stream in. strong rains, heavy winds and mountain sws. before it's all over through thursday, generally along the

coast an inch to a half inch. as you get to thein moun two to three inches of rain and we're expecting the sierra mountain ranges to look for winter storm warnings with anywhere from two to four feet of snow. we'll get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. good morning. s i'mrm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell. bright sunshine for now. little more up a cloud cover as we go through the course of your wednesday. but no chance for rainoday.

current temperatures below freezing for just about everywhere. 29 in fairfax county. 30 in leaesburg. ngough temperatures to b temperatures to near 50 degrees. anotheray around 50 coming up for tomorrow. >> that's you latest weather. all right, al. thank you. coming up, oscar winner emma thompson's powerful letter putting hollywood on notice and y some are calling her stand a key moment in the me too are you falling for fake reviews on sites like amazon and google. thye opening results of a new nbc news investigation and the major lawsuit justfiled. first, this is "today" on nbc o nbc investigation and the major lawsuit filed. ist first th

coming up, the female football starma king history and breaking barriers. >> jenna tries the new knitting trend --

see this sweet feature? don't call it a spoiler, cuz it don't spoil a thing. oh look, you don't need to sell me. at carmax, they buy all the cars. that's helpful. this is just taped on for show. they'll still buy it. thank you. how do you gaveeno® happy 24/7? with prebiotic oat. it hydrates and softens skin. so it looks like this... and you feel like this. aveeno® daily moisturizer get skin happy™ is raised with no allantibiotics ever. chicken, [ music winding down ] they're a great decision for snacktime.

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that's helpful. this is just taped on for show. they'll still buy it. thank you. 7:26 is your timeow on this wednesday, february 27, 2019. good morning, i'm eun yang. >> i'm aaron lchrist. police in fairfax county are workingin to fd out how far a sexting scam spread at as as many as five virginia high scols. in one instance explicit photos were shaed at robinson high school. montgomery county policele ed a list of items that a victim was wearing, a young hispanic male with several tattoos. now let's check on your commute with melissa mollet and your first 4 traffic. hi, melissa. good morning. upper marlboro 301 at courtrooms

station road, northbound askut down, laurel northbound bw parkway, we're slow. east 66 at sudley, a crash on the left side. >> thank you, melissa. tonight on news 4e're working to get answers to your questions about dnaest kits. >> doreen gentzler will show what what diseases and conditions it can screen customers for.

off to a freezing cold start this morning. temperatures in the upper 20s for about every location. upper 40s toear 50 with a mix of clouds and sunshine. tomorrow starting out a little , more ending up with more cloud cover, chance for a little more rain late in the day. it could be a rain-snow combination early friday. d

itsn't look like we'll have to worry about more than just a slushy inch on friday morning. >> another update in 25 minutes. >> for now, back to the "today" show after this short break. why are all these business owners so excited? co we're goimcast. it's ahead of the game, ahead of the curve. comcast business is for me. it's switch and save days at comcast business. right now, get fast, reliable internet for $49.95 a month and save $600 a year. just one more way we take your business beyond. but hurry, switch and save days ends april 7th. i can't wait to go home and tell everyone about it. i just wanna get it right now. guess what i'm gonna do. (laughing) call today. comcast business. beyond fast.

. back now 7:30 on this wednesday morning, february th, 2019. this is a live look at the scene of a deadly accide. a car struck by two commuter trains. police are suggesting this may ove been a casthe driver trying to save some time by trying to beat those gates. we'll have that story straight ahe ahead. the president's former personal attorney michael cohen expected to deliver potentially explosive public testimony on capitol hill today. nbc news has obtained a draft of his opening remarks in whichhe calls president trump a racist, a conman, and a cheat and says that since taking office the president has become the worst version of himself. that's a quote.

cohen is expected to claim that mr. trump instructed him to lie about the tjemp tower p that was underway in moscow. president trump meanwhile says cohen is lying to reduce his own prison sentence. 13 house republicans joined sidemocrats tuesday in p a resolution that would terminate president trump's declarationf a national emergency at the u.s./mexico border.s the measu intended to stop the president's use b oflions of dollars in existing federal funds to build wall without congressional approval. the sateill also have to vote on this members of the portland trailblazers got unexpected bonding time on tuesda 3 >> about minutes. about to give up. it's hot in here. >> all-star guard damian lillard mmand several teaes were stuck on an elevator at emerson university in boston. the team was practicing there ahead oftonight's game.

the players were trapped for about 30 minutes before the doors finally opened and they were able to climb out. everyone was okay. and the college apologized for the disruption. >> i've been stuck on an elevator. it's funny for like five minutes. then it's like, get us out of here. to the breaking news overnight. here in new york police are investigating a deadly crash on the nation's largestommuter railroad. a car was hit by tro trains after apparently swerved around lowered crossing gates. that's according to officials. nbc's kellyn cobiella the scene for us. good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morninhe you can see damage on the front on that long island railroad train still on the tracks. it was traveling at full speed. that concrete platform actually collapsed onimpact, all of this during the busy evening rush. al three people in that car were killed and at least seven train passengers injured. it's not clear if t driver of the car was in a hurry, but

their actions last night caused three people in the vehicle a their liv created a terrifying and chaotic scene. >> very scary. it felt crazy. nothing i've ever experienced before. driverorities say the tried to beat the gates by going around them. >> the gates were down. the lights were flashing. >> reporter: the car was hit by a train leaving the westbury station. it was struck by another train heading in the opposite direction. the front two t' the thahe westbsound t wrainm off the rails. the platform was damaged. >> reporter: the second train derailed. its two fro cars crashing into the platform. th vehicle sparking a fire, forcing train. >> we have a fire involved on the rail. we there wert least 900 people on board both trains. >> we have one person trapped.lo miraly only seven train passengers were hospitalized, none had life threatening

engineering. >> the engineeke was s up but able to walk to the ambulance. ts reporter: the car occup found lying dead on the tracks between the two trains. their vehicle so badly damaged, police unable to determine the make or model. determine the vehicle due to the damage right now. >> reporter: the problem of gate ashing when drivers run safety lights and push through barriers the long island railroad has been trying to combat the problem. s official trying to beat an 800 ton train can have deadly l consequence they did last night. railroad officials expect major delays as they start to fix the tracks as wells that crumpled platform. ys? >> kellycobiella, thank you. a major hollywood star taking a big stand.

hompson is r emma pulling out of a new film in protest. natalie morales is here to tell us why. >> emma bhompson hasn very outspoken in the wake of the me too movement. this time shey actua decided to part ways with sky dance animation on anin upc film. she explained her decision in a letter blasting the company for hiring former pixar and disney executive john lassiter who had been accused ofnaropriate behavior in the past. emma thompson was set to lend her voice to the new animated movie "luck" but h now decided to pull out of the project. she opened up in a scathing letter to sky dance citing the hiring of john lassiter as the reason she stepped away. it feels very odd to me tha you

and your company would consider hiring someone with mr. lassiter's pattern of misconducthe lassiter was man behind "toy story," "frozen" and many others. he andke thompson wor together on the disney animated film "brave." >> i'm the q ten. you listo me. >> reporter: he's been accused of ntunwaed actions against women and originally took a six-month sabbatical to consider his missteps. he parted ways with the company and was hired shortly after by sky dance animatns. that did not sit well with om on. who writes, if a man has been touching women inappropriately for decades, w would a woman want to work with him. he'sresumably being paid millions of dollars to receive that second chance. how much money are the employees at skyng dance b paid to give him that second chance. nbc reached out to john lassiter who had no comment.

lassiter issuedte a snt when he joined sky dance saying im resolute in my commitment to build an animation s dio upon the foundation of quality, safety, trust and mutual respect. thompson has not shied previously speaking to bbc news after the harvey weinstein scandal. >> this man is athe top of a rather big iceberg. a system of harassment and belittling and orllying. >> rr: in the wake of this recent decision thompson continues to speak out saying if people do not take this sort of a std, things a very unlikely to change at anything like the pace required to protect my daught's generation. >> explosive story out of hood. what is the studio sayingri abo lassiter? >> we reached out to sky dance media and it had no comment about thompson's decision to

walk away from the film. sky dance previously said when lassiter was hired that he had acknowledged and apologized for hisistakes and during the past year away from the workplace has endeavor to address anatalie, t nchts allright. let's get a check of the weather. mr.roker, what are we looking at here? >> looking at this divide temperaturewise tha so far this year. much colder than average in the plains and out west warmer than average. much warmer than average as you get down to the south. top five warmest februarys for 89 cities in the southeast and mid atlantic. two of the more nable places, key west on track for the warmest february on record. intelligent has had a freezeless february, no temperature below 32. that's oy occurred twice since 1878. you go out west, on the cool side, 45 cities, the top five coldest februarys. for example, seattle, their rst february without a high over 50 since 1956. l.a., first february without hitting 70 since 1877.

andir that cold now making its way further to the east where the warm airo stays the south. louisville will be warmer than average. minneapolis at only 14. same in rapid city. thursday the cold air makes i way further south. oklahoma city staying cool. warm weather through the south. look at the weekend. north platte 7, 42 in dallas on sunday. that's what's going on around the country. lear is what's hnepening in your of the d goomorning. i'm storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell. bright sunshine for now on this cold february morning. for the entire month, washington national airport is 3.5 degrees warmer than average for february. we've been warmer than average every single month this winter. right now that doesn't help for the cold this morning. 25 in manassas, 32 in arlington. highs today in the upper 40s fth a mix clouds and sunshine, back up to near 50 tomorrow. a chance for wet snow ear friday a chance for a cold rain later on sunday. >> that's y lratest weather.

coming up, we cannot wait to introduce you to an incredible young woman, literally tackling her dreams with a historic scholarship to play college football. she's going to be right here to share her story. also ahead, one of hollywood's most perful and successful men, tyler perry, also going to join us, opening up about his decision to end the wildly popular madea franchise. >> on pop start, your first look at amy schumer's netflix comedy special. could you spot a fake online review? the major new lawsuit and eye opening results o a new nbc news investigation coming up right . give its care a raise. if your teeth chew beyond their limit, then they've earned 62,000 movements a minute. if your mouth's used to a manual clean, treat it to microbubbles that feel great in between. if your amazing mouth does more than its share, give it philips sonicare.

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gadi schwartz is here with more. this is eye opening. >> that's right. the ground lawsui the nlc says a marketing company paid fore reviews. uncovering questionable reviews not onlyn amazon, but other platforms. we'll show you how to decipher the fake ones from the real thin f >> shoppinor a phone case on amazon, get t w oneh 4.5 stars o instead 3, right? chinese food on google, same thing. looking to hire a contractor on yelp, you'll probably want to look at the rating. you might want to take a closer look of those reviews. a dentist in chicago had a 4.8 out of 5 on facebook. does tha reviewer look familiar? at's actress meghan fox. in google, c aar dealershipap rently counts omare hardwick and terry cruz among their happy

customers. on yelp, lots of satisfied customers for antractor, look di the photos showing the amazing work they except those photos are for sale on getty images. it's gotten so bad that amazon filed a lawsuit againstogus reviewers. >> amazon is crackin down on fake reviews, the company suing over 1,00 people claiming they promised to post positive comments about a product for a price. >> that was back in 2015. more than three years latere found multiple suspicious amazon accounts including ts, 676 book reviews, everyne of them a glowing four or five stars, many with the se generic title, i really liked it. who are all the people writing bogus reviews? we start with a simple search on google. >>hat pops up. this is full of different sites. for that's let go tohe top one and, boom, $15 for 50 five

dr star rating,$200 for 60. i set up this page, gadi's gardening witero reviews. let's see if we can change that. we paid$168. almost immediately 183 likes two hourlater. by the next morning, 999 likes. >> s let's go over to our page, here we have a perfect score, five out of five. we have 607 people that have left reviews. sandra jones, gre place to do business, great customer service. rachel henderson, always friendly, always fast. remember, i do not own a gardening business. i don't know anyf these people and i certainly have never done any gardening for them. >> it is the wild west and no eriff on duty. >> jason brown runs reviewfraud.org and showed me what to look out for. >> how do you tell which are real and which are ifake? click on the profile and

see -- oneed flag is this viewer has reviews all over the united states andn the middle east. a normal review will leave i review their own isolated areas. this person is being paid to post reviews. >> one thing is they're using pictures of famous people. >> they'll create their doaccou, a google search for head shots. u they'll get famous people by mistake. this is heemily, looks familiar. hat i do is i right click for google image search. it is abigail >> on the red carpet. took her picture from the red carpet. >> that's correct. >> you're telli mever here little miss sunshine is not leaving reviews forl phone company in florida or a seat repair shop in california? >> p bably not. this is an account p pbably beind to post these reviews to increase their star rating. >> ogle, facebook, amazon and

yelp tell nbc news they actively monitor and remove fake reviews. in addition they ask the public's help in flagging suspicious reviews. we did confirm with the celebrities named in that report they did not leave those reports. >> you called little ms. sunshine. >> all right. thank you, >>gadi. coming up, jenna fisher's births day scare. you've got to see what was in that box. first, these messages. (ariana) what is he doing? (vince) he better not be messing up our taxes. (lisa) pssst! he could be doing anything. (ariana) watching wrestling? (lisa) online dating? (vince) sir? (tax pro) oh no. (lisa) at h&r block, you have your own screen so you can see your credits, deductions and tax tips! (vince) we need that now. he's shopping? (ariana) investing? (lisa) cat memes? (tax pro) i have a cat... coco... (lisa vo) ♪ know as you go at h&r block. see your credits, deductions and tax tips. in person or online. block has your back. dates, peanuts, chocolate chips and sea salt.

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these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. some serious allergic reactions and lung inflammation can occur. talk to your doctor today, and learn how janssen can help you explore cost support options. remission can start with stelara®. still ahead, what is old is >> stillll ahead, what is old i new jenna explores why knitting is catching on. >> did someone mention jenna? -- who said that women can't grill? there are a lot of cooking misconceptions out there... like that one that says olive oil is the only 'heart-healthy' cooking oil. mazola corn oil has significantly more cholesterol-blocking plant sterols than olive oil...

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this wednesday, february 27, good morning everyone, i'm eun yang. let's get right to your commute with melissa mollet and your first 4 traffic. how is it looking, melissa? >> bw parkway two crashes, northbound, sound at o197, slow in both directions. upper marlboro at kroom station road. we had the northbound laned shut wn. manassas eastbound 66 after 29 a t sideblocking the l >> we'll take a break now. your forecast is up next. stay with us.

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good wednesday morning. still below freezing for most of the suburbs. temperatures aretarting to trend upwards thanks to sunshine out there this morning. we'll end up wit a mix of sun and clouds later in the day today. eehigh temperature 49 de a little more cloud cover back to 50 tomorrow, likely to have rain and wet snow early friday morning. rain saturday morning and also a cold rain sunday night that might end with a little snow on monday. another local news update in 25 minutes. for now, back to the "today" show.

it's 8:00 on "today," coming up, ready to tell all. the president's former mixer michae cohen set to publicly testify on capitol hill today. >> i'm going to let the american people decide exactly who is telling the truth. >> overnight, cohen's explosive opening remarks obtained by nbc news. what he's planning to say a w the president is responding just ahead. plus, blazing the trail. we'lit sit down w a 22-year-old tackling a historys the first female football player to get a scholarship to play defense in college. >> i think my biggest pet t.elieha p p havveee t ove them wrong. >> this morning her inspiring story and dreams of playing i the nfl. hollywood titan.

the one and only tyler perry is stopping by studio 1a.we l talk to him about why he's saying good-bye to his be loved madea. today wednesday, february 27, 2019. ♪ >> spending time with my daughterrom prairie town, illinois. >> we're the duck twins. >> turning 14 on "today." >> hello to our friends. >> in summit, new jersey. >> hian sh and hoda. we're t topsyurvies from air, maryland. halfway to the smucker's ja >> goo morning and welcome back to "today." nice to have you with us on a wednesday morning right here in the good old united states -- what's that map?

where were we going to be? >> if you can't come, fear not. you can always join in on the fun by using your phone, mytodayplaza is the hashtag to use. you can put it on twitter, instagram. we'll put you on tv busy morning. right to the news at 8:00. a lot going on trns g. the president's high-profile meeting with kim jong-un happening in vietnam, but will it be overshadowed hours later by the bitter public condemnation expected from the r attorneys for michael cohen. a live report from that summit in vietnam just ahead. we'll start with nbc's kristen welker in position on capitol hill. kristen, good morning. >> savannah, good morning to you. in just a few hours michael cohen will arrive on capitol hill for what is expected to be explosive testimony. nbc news has obtained a copy of his remarks today. he's going to call the president a racist, aon can world, p thesident already

tweeting, responding to this, saying cohen did bad thingsla und to trump. he is lying in order r touce prison time using crooked's hewyer. among headlines cohen expected to allege thede pre knew ahead of time about the stolen clinton campaign e-mails from wikileaks and also will talk about the hush money payments, a copy of a persotl check t cohen says was used to reimburse him to hush money payments to stormy daniels. the president's attorneys disputed those are campaign violations. cohe t is expecte say while he has no direct knowledge of russian collusion, quote, i have my suspicions. >> kristen, thayou. nbc news will carry special live coverage on cohen's appearance throughout the nbc stations. on a dnt stage, 8,000 miles away, president trump sounded optimistic as he settled

into his second north korean summit with kim jong-un.s nbeter alexander is traveling with the president in hanoi. peter, good morning. >> hoda, good morning to you.tr presidenp and kim jong-un as we speak sharing what the white house is calling a social dinner, alongside a couple of theired to aides. this follows-o a oone meeting here between the two leaders that lasted roughly 20 t minutes, jhe president, the dictator and two interpreters in the the two beginning their second summit with a handshake and lowered expectations. after touting a historic agreement at the conclusion of their first meeting in singapore at the time, claiming north was no longer a nuclear threat, prident trump today acknowledged he will, quote, try to work something out when it comes t ridding north korea of its nuclear onwe white house officials themselves concede the two sides haven't agreed on a basic definition for denuclearization. here is what the presint said, making his sales pitch just moments ago.

>> i think that your country hao tremendousmic potential, unbelievable, unlimited, and i think that you will have a tremendous future with your country, a great i look forward to watching it happen and helping it to wehapp. will help it to happen. >> reporter: so what is on the table here? the president said we'll see. when asked when he said he'll announce an e to the 70-year-old war, that there are warnings that it would be rewarding the north koreans. president trump a kim will meet again tomorrow morning here, just 12 to 20 hours from now to discuss it all before the presidentts hos a news conference here and flies back home aboard air force one washington. hoda, back to you. >> peter alexander in hanoi, thank you. morehan 180 passengers are safe this morning after being stuck aboard an amtrak train in oregon for nearly two days. the travelers wereh greeted w food and supplies when they

finally pulled into eugene, oregon, tuesday afternoon. amtrak's coast star light train ft seattle sunday morning bound for los angeles, but it had to stop when arm snowsto toppled trees onto the tracks. decided it icials was safer to keep everyone on board because the train had power and nearby snowed-in towns were not. a century ol' bridge collapsed during a lives news broadcast. a local stati in grease was reporting the bridge had been closed after days of heavy rainfall when suddenly one of the arches gave way. fortunately nobody was h there. other bridges and buildings in the area were also damaged. >> my word. we usually do a morning boost at this time butso there' problem in the control room. we have some technical issues. we thought it would be good time to show our kids for onend se craig, you go first. >> this is from d a fews ago.

good morning sweet girl. >> here is char char, charlie, there's veil at her swimming lesson a at a '50s girl. >> good morning to her cousin is holding her. we wanted to say good morning. >> we don't know if that boost worked for you, but it worked for us. speaking of a boos lt, our ressed out staff gets a lesson in the latest wellness craze. are you ready? it's knittingment why the trend catching on across the country. also, first the young woman making history on the football field wit a college scholarship to prove it. we're going to sit down with the remarkable toni harris. >> yea, toni! >> that's right after this. but now... it's thursday.

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this morning on today's talker, the this morning, the 22-year-d woman blazing the historic trail on the foobld >> nbc's joe fryer with herrk remaable journey. >> when someone throws the word no atone any harris, you can bet she'll intercept it and make you pay. >> my biggest pet peeve is people telling me i can't. i have to prove them wrong. >> reporter: the word no rocouldn't stop her becoming a free safety for east l.a. college, the community college team she played for the last two seasons. >> they've said a lot of things about toni harris. >> nor could it keep her from starring in a super bowl commercial for toyota. >> i've never been a big fan of assumptions. >> reporter: the nos couldn't hold tony back when she was

diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 18 and lost nearly half her weight and certainly didn't block her from receiving scholarship offers from half a dozen schoolsrompting this moment on tuesday. ty i will be signing to central methodist univer >> after revealing her pick in dramatic fashion, toni signed her letter of intent surrounded by supporters including her coach the past two years. >> i didn't make ity e for her. i made her work for everything she got her resilience is what pushed her through. >> i just really appreate my coaches for it. sorry. i said i wasn't going to cry. >> reporter: for toni, it's time to move the chains down the field. >> what's your dream moving forward? >> my dream moving forward is tt beco first female nfl player. i can't stop smiling when i say that. >> why do you smile whenou say that? >> it makes my heart happy.

>> for "today," joe fryer, nbc news, los angeles. >> now we can't stop smiling either. >> come on, oakland raiders were soft on the corners. let's go. >> congratulations. >> thank you so much. >> you know what i love by you, you live by this quote,e so good they can't ignore you. i think that's happening. >> thank you. i do live by that quote. i actually have it tattooedn my right side with an nfl football because that's my dream. i feel like didn't make the sport -- they don't want fem pes y in this sport. so if you want the chance, you have to be so good they can't ignore you. once you're that good, there will be people reaching out. no matter what school you'r at, matter what state or what place, if you have the talent, theyl find you. i'm guessing they found me. >> did you ever think you'd be sitting here that position, watching you inzip that jersey and showing where you're going, tears in your eyes talking about the nfl.

did you have that dream and believe that was possible when tlyou were a l girl? >> not when i was a little girl, but as irew and you know getting more intog god and havin my faith and everything, i knew that it was going to happen. iheigure out all time how i'm going to do things. i talk to god about it and tell him what i wan a try to make sure i stay faithful. when you do as he asks you, he blesses you in return. i stay in church and everything. at night i tellgod, y know, i want to get an ierception or i want to get it in the game. it happens. this is super exciting. on this one game i had made a snapchat and i was like, i'm going to get ar interceptions today. it was the compton game and it kind of ppened. i didn't know what to do at the moment in the game. all my teammates, they we super excited. i was stunned, like did this ally happen? >> the oprah thing.

when you will it. talking xs ands, what do you need to do in the next stage in your career to prepare you self for the nfl?>> i always tell people the game is 80% mental and 20%physical. although i do have the mentality for that, i still have to build my mentality moreve day because the next level gets harder and harder. it won't get any and more so physicality where i'm ready to continue to keep playint at the n level going higher and higher. >> four years ago you hadov ian cancer. we saw the picture of you there. you lose half your body weight. at that point did you think maybe i am going to have to give up on this football thing at least in s thert term? >> at first i did. staymily helped me grounded in my faith and everything. i did want to give up. i thought things were over.u ake two steps forward and you get etback moresteps. you kind of want to give up on those things. when you're dealing with your

own, it gets hard and you want to give up on it. i have my friendst who w to toledo with me. my friend dominique who was pushing with me and wento the hospital. i had my mom praying for me and my pastors and stuff. i said, you know what, i fought through everything. >> nothing stopping you. >> who is you am? >> i'm a big fan of the seattle seahawks. >> ever think there's a little girl watching you right now thau yo are inspiring a whole generation of young women, if she can do it, i can do it. >> of cour. >> well, they don't have to be me. they can make their own legacy and create names for selves. i believe the future is female. >> toni, did the guys all accept when you walked onto the high school team, were they like cool, she joined or were they like what was going on here? >> in high school the guys weren't too fond of me play ug.

they warme to me. when i got to college, my teammates aeady warmed up to me. they were my second family. ney asked me questions w they needed it. i asked them questions. and they held my head high as well as i there. >> what position do you play there? >> free safety. >> why that positionnd why football? what about it captured your imagination? >> i think watching my cousin when i was ayounger,ut 4 years old, i seen all the passion and competition and they love ee had for each other. i had always done cheerleading and track and fid, but i wanted to do something different. it's not the fact that ie wante todifferent, i just was because my gender. i tried itel and in love. i think i chose defense because defense is more exciting than anything else. offense sells tickets but defense winning championships. >> you've got to have that diggs, see multiple things at once. the win for you isn't just about football. i have two daughters watching this, young women watching being

inspired that the future is female and you embody that power in whatever field they choose to go in. >> exactly. feel like it's important to be a leader and a role model for the young girlsau today b we don't have a lot of those now. you can see the image of females dropping out of sports. the guy, they're more come nantd in sports we want to get our females into sports and support them and tell them -- there was a time when women w couldn'tk and women couldn't do for themselves. we want to make sure we have equality, to there's things we want to do and accomplish and make people proud. i feel as though, if you have th talent to be on a football field or a basketball court, you should be given that chance fairly. >> we're a toni harris fan. >> two words. where is nike? let's >> she already did a toyota commercial. >> the other sponsors will have to get in line. >> thanks so much for having me. now let's tackle the

weather, al. >> we've got wet weather in california. snow in the mountains. wet weather making its way through the panhandle of florida. snow from chicago, i buffalo,o new york and parts of new england. looking at pretty cold temperatures throughhe plains, single digits and teens as you get into the plains. 70s through florida. we look for snowy conditions as we get into upstate new york. gulf storms will be a problem later today. that's what's going on around the country. here is what's happening in your neck of the woods.>> ood morning everybody. temperatures are still in the old 20s and low 30s across t area. the sun is shining. as a result i'm optimistic you'll enjoy most of the day. afternoon highs in the upper 40s. few spots might touch 50 today. tomorrow clouds incrsing, highs around 50 degrees tomorrow. there could be raindrops after the sun goes down tomorrow. th could lead to a wet. ♪ combination on friday morning. the weekend will start a wet

end wet. >> that's your latest weather. mr. melvin? jenna bush hager, it's "popstart" time. >> we'll start with amy schumer, the comedian recently due to battling the severe morning sickness that she would have to ccel her remaining standup tour. disappointing news for fans. ateast now sheas gifted us with a first look at her upcoming netflix special. it's called growing where she covers married life and pregnancy. >> here is the thing. you're pregnant. you don't change who you are. i hate women who start to act like really precious. you don't stop being you. you don't stop workingr drinking, like you -- married, yea. in movies and tv shows, the guy always gets down on one knee and the girl a isays shocked, i didn't even know you lik me.

i'm still -- >> to catch her full special, you can check it out on netflix when it drops on march 19th. now to jenna fisher, las s night spped by the late night show. she has a birthday coming up. sh wanted to celebrate by gifting her a few early presents, all of which were from her former co-stars on "the office." she made sure to save the best for last. >> this is your final one and it's really big. but it is really special. >> oh, my god. >> that's a good prprise. ling off that epic surprise. >> she was shocked to see him. a nice moment there andpy h early birthday to fischer. she'll be co-hosting the fourth hour with hoda on the 24th. >> giveth tndeth away.

>> it was a heck a of 24 hours. >> from one janet to another, our "today" show famile has m very exciting news. we made the announcement yesterday. here is a quick peek in case you missed all the tion. >> it's time to make the announcement of who will bejo ing the program. >> that's exactly right. >> the person is -- come on out. [ cheers and applause ] >> jenna bush hager. >> my heart is pounding. it's >> our dear friend jenna bush hager joining hoda as the hosto of theh hour of today. you'll officially start your role in april -- it was at bitterswday. happy you're joining the family but klg, the memories you >>hav

t was a beautiful day. kathie lee has for 11 years and that will be a difficult good-bye. there was really onl one perso i could think of when i thought about that role. jenna walked through the door -- by the way, when i saw her walk through, even though i knew she was coming, i was nodding my head, yet, that's ri that's the right thing. >> what did it feel like for >> i'm beaming. henry was like, youpeave not st smiling. i think partly because i got an singlefrom almost every person here. we have this awesome family. producers that are nore longer texted me, meredith. >> twitter, social media was on lsre. >> it f really good to be part of something so that's because of kathie lee, she's gracious and generous. >> meredith wrote congrats to jenna hager. she and hoda will make a great team. two wild and crazy ladies.

>> what was your's fami reaction? >> they were happy. >> jenna, we love you. straight ahead, tyler perry is in the house. first, your local news. >> he snuck in. >> uh-huh. good morning everybody. 8:26 on this wednesday, february 27th. gilchrist. let's get a check on the morning commute with melissa mollet. >> delays northbound and southbound on bw parkway. a couple of crashes in each direction. thearkway north of 197 in sbounds side, you can see those delays from an earlier disabled vehicle. inbound, a new york aven 4th street, a crash blocking the middle of the road there. southbound gw parkway, heavy difficult lays inbound. >> melissa thank you. collect of you first alert forecast when we come back. . ♪ here comes the sun

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this is beyond wifi. this is xfi. [ joyful laughter ] simple. easy. awesome. xfinity the future of awesome. good morning everybody. temperatures will be in the upper 40s to near 50 both today and tomorrow. a little chance for rain or wet snow early friday. rain on saturday morning. rain again sunday night which could end on monday morning with another little chance of a rain-snow mix and way colder

weather next week. >> chuck, thank you. you can get the latest news weather any time. open the nbc washington app. another update here in about 25 minutes. y sh whop 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 times, welcomeback, everybody. 8:30 on a wednesday morn mo> welcome back everybody, 8:30 on a wednesday rning, february 27, 2019. look at our happy crowd out here at rockefeller plaza. good morning to everybody. >> good morning. just ahead. a true titan in hollywood. tyler perry is here. we'll get his take on sund's oscars, recent news impacting his industry and why, why have you decided to bring an end to madea. >> no! >> don't answer now, it would be a weird situation.

the man who turned thet conc of wisdom into social media gold. you'll hear from the urban monk and learn his tips from leading a stress-free life. an eye opening moving filmed in a real prison starring real inmates. jeffrey wright will tell u about "og" and talk about west world as well. first mr.ro r, a check of the weather? >> absolutely. a start of the weatherda cold air coming in, frigid highs in the plains, heavy know in the pacific northwest. snowy conditions in the great lakes. look for gulftorms and the for tomorrow, strong storms continue in the southeast. heavynow moves into the inner mountain region. suns.ne through the southwest that's what's going on around the country. here is what's happening in yo >> mainly dry weather for her for the next day and a half or so. temperatures 20s and low 30s d now, hea for a high near 49 degrees today. a little moreerloud cover l in the afternoon.

for tomorrow, another seasonably chilly day,ncasing clouds tomorrow afternoon and maybe a chance for a shower or two late evening. a wet snowflake or two early on friday morning. the weekend will start with rain saturday morning and end with rain potentially changing to snow sunday night into monday morning. >> here's your forecast, burr, from our >> your f forecast, brrr from o friends in louisiana. over here, you want to say happy birthday to grandma. where is andma? >> grandma is in virginia. >> say happy birthday grana? >> happy birthday grandma. >> all right. it's better than a ca. back inside. >> cute, al. >> very happy jenna is back with a surprising secret to achieving mindfulness. >> how many of you guys have knitte >> i have. before.ve >> no. >> it turns out that grandma may have been on to something, knitting is a relaxing esce fromur overconnected lives.

i grabbed some yarn and gave it my best. >> in the city that never sleeps, the "today" show is no exception. our staff works around the clock to keep up with the24-hour news cycle. the pressure is on. the communication constant. so i i decidedwas time for a break, a knitting break. but first we had to forfeit our most prized os sessions. >> not so fast. sorry. i'm going to need your phones. disconnect. k ank you. thanu for disconnecting. >> hardest thing i've ever done. >> heart knit is a workshop helping participants be present in the moment and connect with thosed aro them. >> welcome to your mindful knitting practice. >> sophie has shared her passion for knitting all around the world. she's channelling that passion into a stress relieving workshop. >> why is this so important now?

>> we are so overstimulated with using our cell phone all the time, couters, tv i think we need to go back to simplicity. >> knittingcts this that has existed for hundreds and ndreds of years. >> yes. >> are you surprised there's this renaissance and in the er imulated world we live in people are really taking to it? >> knitti t, itns out, has superpowers. it'sood for your body. it's good for your mind and it's goods for yourself. >> multiple studies show the repetitive movement of knitting induss a relaxed meditative state that can lower heart rate, blood pressure and stress levels. hor works gained instant popularity in offices such as google, vogue and l'oreal. now it's our rn. we begin with meditation and breathings. exerci >> take a deep breath in, hold it and exhale.

>> reporter: and light stretching to release stress. >> we are goi to work on a neck warmer. grab my yarn. i'm going to go around my hands. >> what? >> reporter: needless to say, we were off to a bumpy start. >> you don't want to see this. >> i have nooudea how did that. >> is that right? uh-oh. did i just ms that up? >> reporter: we eventually got the hang of it aur cast first row. >> there you go. you did it. >> i'm finished. >> reporter: after celebrating our small victory, we knit and knit and knit some more. >> we're cooking with yarn, folks. >> i feel very zen. i'm learning to knit. i feel proud of myself. ♪

>> i just finishe another row. no big deal. do you feel more zen after spending an hour knitting? >> yes. >> why do you think? >> it takes every ounce of your aterntion. >> s relaxing. >> raise your hand if you want to continue to knit? i might. everyone >> let's finish these -- what are these called? snooks. >> snoods. >> let's finish these nec >> reporter: our team now feeling more relaxed and close knit than ever before. >> pink really is my color. >> did you all really make these? >> we tried to make these. carson this one is particularly you. >> my wife has told me i wear like this and that way she can

walk up and go like this. >> can i show yo this was our group photo one plor time. let's show it. here ishe real story behind it. this is what happened when we were asked to gather for the oto, if we can get there. >> there it is. we still we knitting. >> like the piece and over. >> they were like -- get a picture together. >> how much was about the process of knittin and how much was just about not -- >> i think the combination, you have to be so mindful when you do this,ll espec when you first start, because otherwise you'll mess up, that you can't thinkut a anything else. >> yellow really i yourcolor. >> no thank you. >> free champagne might have had something to do with that. >> look at al. like a cat. >> tyler perry is sitting over there. >> tyler has one, too. up next, one of the biggest

names of hollywood, madea himself, saying good-bye to that be loved character and a whole lot more. >> are you okay, al? >> this is fascinating.

we are back with one of the hard evident working and one of the mos successful guys in hollywood. tyler perry. >> known for writing, producing, directing and starring in his own films.st famous as the wide cracking completely inappropriate grandma, our favorite madea. >> nowppears back for one final goo in his newest movie "a madea family funeral." >> you no i kant drive nowhere. my license ain't right. >> i keep telling you i cou helpou with that. >> you told me i would have to go to court. >> you have tickets and bench warrants and stuff like that. court.e to go t >> i don't go to court. i'm dragged to court. i don't just go to court because

the judge says go to court.m thug. new kids don't know about being a real thug, i'm an og m-a-d-e-a. >> kind of bummed. craig was saying his mom is n happy. >> i'm turning 50. i don't want to be her age playing her. it's gn a great run. done a lot of things for a lot of people. i think it's time. >> but i mean for people who have come to know you as that, doeshat bother y at all that you were so closely identified with maa? >> no she's been so great. been such a positive influence on soany people. even now i'm on tour with the play. the last 30 minut we get to talk about wisdom and forgiveness and moving on. that's the inly timeon't feel silly in that dress. it's been so wonderful a these years. >> it's called a madea family

funeral. >> she doesn't die. she's a family member to of people. can't kill off a family member. maybeehe'll do l cher and do ten retirements. >> i enjoyed you in "vice" a general colin powell. understand you called him himself. >> it was surreal. before i said i'm going to do this, i wanted to callnd say is this okay. it was powerful. he sent me his book. we had a great conversation. pretty cool to pick up the phone and call. >> something in the newsisately the case of jussie smollett. the way police are describing it now as a hoax. you weighed in earlyn twitter. what are you thoughts about this case? >> i've been f fighting justice for terrance williams icd felipe sans to who were put

into a p car and disappeared. i wish that case could have gotten half the attentiont t the jussie smollett got. he's adamant he's telling the everyone i know that knows hauth. him say he's not the type of person to do that. >> you talk to him. >> io do. >>you believe he'seelling truth? >> he is so adamant about i and he's so convincin in his story, that i'm just hoping and standing with mim and hoping it all turns out i his favor for sure. >> when i look at you tyler, i instantly g happy. >> is that right? >> thank you, baby,e appreci that so much. >> we're going to miss that. >> if anyone is ever feeling funky, the should google your commencement address attu egee. >> it will lift you up. i don't care where you are in your life. you told the story of your life. when you think about where you started which i knowro you're new orleans. you had a very rough upbringing, stories of your living in your

car and all those things to where you are today. if you were giving adyice to somewatching, what might that be in. >> don't give up. it's alwaysen that one m -- just when you're about to give up, i think it's always --mo th nt is the pressure point. right past that is where everything changes. >> one of the tngs you said is, when you didn't have any money and were poor, you would go to open houses because he wanted to see where he was going to live. >> ah. >> you lived that way. >> willed it. >> people do vision boards now. back in the day wet did hear anything about vision boards. i was living in the mome. ould test drive cars, go to open houses.ee you can it and believe it in your life. be good and good things will come back toyou. >> what's next? what's tyler perry going to do now? what's the mountain you haven't cl >> opening the studio in atlanta, 331 acres 12rks sound stages on a former confederate

army base that kno own, i think i've reached this 0 momen. 275,rs have come through the gates over the last three years. that's where i was trying to get to. now that i'm here, it's about holding the door open for who is next and legacy. >> we should point t that was awe-struck when she saw you. you d't know how many people you inspire. h. i appreciate that. she's to >> so glad madea is not dieing. t not today. >> maybersday or friday, march 1st, thank you. up next -- >> you do it. >> please do. >> you don't see l of former monks becoming social media superstars. there's a reasonhatillions of people are liss zheng to what jaiz shetty has to say. madea? >> first -- what am i reading. first this is "today" on nbc.

jaiz is up next. we'll be right back. ♪ we buy any car dot com ♪ ♪ we buy any car dot com ♪ ♪ we buy any car dot com ♪ ♪ any any any any ♪d u know trading in your car at a dealer could cost you money? a recent study f tnd consumers who trade ir car pay an average of $990 dollars more.ra so don't in... sell it.... to we buy any car. learn more and get your free online valuation now at we buy any car dot com ♪ snd out how much your car worth at webuyanycar.com ♪

welcome welcome back, social media can be a powerful platform for people seeking a advic wisdom. millions of people are flocking to the pages of this m here t we're talking about jaiz shetty. >> we'll talk to him in a mminute. firse about how the urban monk has gone viral making wisdom. >> intention is the fuel behind al of our activities. ost and shetty is a viral creator. he had a chance meeting in his teens changed h. pa >> at 18 i was fortunate when i met a monk. hete capti me like no one had ever captivated me before. >> reporter: after finishing business school, he turned down offers from prestigiousmp anies and traded in his

suits for robes. e traveled for three years in service and self-discovery. after his journey, he was inspired to sha h what learned with as many people as possible. >> if you really want to achieve something, you'll find a way. if you don't, you'll find excuses. >> reporter: he launched a facebook channel in 2016 and it exploded in three years, his inspiring, entertaining and insightful videos haveacked up more than 4 billion views and collected 25 million global followers. he named to the forbes 30 under 30 class of 2017. google, facebook, coca-cola and microsoft. purpose podcast shot straight to the top of the charts, proving that knowledge real spread just as fast as entertainment.in g us is jays sletitiz shetty. >> i'm a theology major in college, contemplated a lif of pious flay tour at some point.

what sticks out here i the stark contrast between six to eight hours a day which you did meditating, understanding humility and silence to now online internet celebrity. tell us about that path. >> absolutely. i believe everything i learned as a monk allows me to do what i do today with more intention, more tconsciousnes right energy. it helps keep me grounded in this crazy, hecticworld. i believe that meditation and mindfulness allows us to nction more effectively and productively in this world. >> i'm going to start and ask you for a little questionmant an impo issue for me is balance, whether it's career and my family,hether it's eating and drinking too much and reigning it in. finding the perfect balance is difficult. help me with that. >> i always say you can have it all just not all at the same time. i find i our lives we're always looking for this equal breakdown of balance. life just doesn't work like that. it comes in phases. there will be times in our life

that we're totally busy enjoying multiple things. one thin i'd say, repeat this after me, is time has memory. >> time has memory. >> and location has energy. >> location has energy. >> what i mean is every day i want people to find a time in their day just for themselves, a time to reflect, to have a onversation, a meeting with themselves. the most important meeting of se day. location, find ace that helps you feel balanced, calm, just a space. so time is memory. when you do something at the same time every day, your mind remembersucthat. >> how time are we talking about? >> it could be ten m butes. it cou three minutes. it could be three breaths. >> al. >> gratitude. trying to have a grateful life, passing that on to my kids as. we how do you make that a regular part of your day? >> people, places and projects.

think about people that you're grateful for. think about p'rces that y grateful for in your life that you've visited in the past and ojects in your life that bring you alive and excited. do it just before you go to bed or when you wake up in the in morning, m a list of three things before you go to bed will make you wake up feeling grateful, make you wake up feeling energized and loved and comforted. in the first thing morning meaning you stop those complaints and negativity -- >> hoe, you h a gratitude journal. >> i try to do that. >> that's why she's so joyful. >> what is yours, savannah? >> i often struggle with mom guilt. i spend a lot of time with my kids so i don't think it's reality, it's just something i feel, something ith struggle when i'm apart from them, i feel a pit in my stomach, and i don't think that's totally healthy. >> i'm n a mom, so i have no expertise. i'm not goingeo claim h expertise in this area. one thing i talk about, we think about giving ourselves to people in terms of time.

i have this belief that when people say theyant our time, what they're saying is they want our energy. you could spend an hourrf y time with someone or your child and you could feel disconnected, you could be with your partner and feelec discod because you're on your phones or watching tv or whatever it is. but if you bring your energy, choose energy over timeow >> jay,uch are you an hour? incredible stuff. >> free for you any time. >> jay, thank you. >> we're back in a moment. first this is "toda on nbc. on >> we'll be back in a moment, first thi s

if you're looking for more great stories, be sure to check out today.com/allday. >> we've gotten a celebrity nutritionist behind the popular f factor diet. she gives us her tips and pantri organi short kuts. if you're a fan of meghan

markle's stylish travel looks from her trip to wmorocco, found similar styles for a lot less. all that and more at day.com/allday. >> in the third hour, hot spring reads from best-sellg authors nicholas sparks, angie thomas. they'll share their picks for adults and kids, right after your local news. 8:56 is your time now on this wednesday, february 27, 2019. good morning everyone. i'm eun yang. right now let's check on your commute with melissa mollet and your first 4 trfic. >> silver spring outer loop of the beltway after georgia, left lane is blocked. arlington westbound66 at glee broken down bus blocking the left lane causing rl dre lays.

southbound gw parkway heavyde lays all morning long. northbound looking just fine. eun? >> we'll take a break and check your forecast when we come back. stay wit. dearest britain. we love you. maybe it's your big hearts. your sense of style. welcome to ba100. (ba100, you're clear for take-off). how you follow your own path. you've led revolutions... of all kinds. yet you won't shout about it. it's just not in your nature.

instead, you'll quietly make history. cake. beds. poetry. trouble. love! hope! and rather a lot of tea. the best of britain, from the moment you step on board.

good morning everybody. still on the cold side. temperaturesow to mid 30s across the area now, heading to a high in the upper 40s for today. a little chilly outside. for tomorrow, back to with clouds later on in the day. chance of some rain which may mix with wet snow early friday.a then on sat rain in the morning, dry saturday afternoon and early sunday beforeld more ain on sunday afternoon. >> all right, chuck. thank you. get the latest news and weather any time in the nbc washington

>> did you actually bite your tongue? >> no, somebody else did. i nearly bit through my tongue. >> how? >> what were