. good morning, dangerous deep freeze. bitter cold temperatures blanketing muc of the country this morning. warnings stretching all the way down to florida. al w tell us how long this cold snap will last. at it again? satellite images first obtained by nbc news reveal north kor is rebuilding a key missile launch facility justummi d brok. we're live with the very latest. r>kelly r. kelly speaks. >> i didn't dohis stuff. >> for the first time since his arrest, the notorious r&b singer faces questions and explodes in anger. >> this is not me. i'm fighting for my [ bleep ] life. >> how he answers the disturbing

charges against him just ahead. breaking overnight, new protests erupt in sacramento over the decision not to file charges agast police in a fatal shooting. the mother of stephon clark speaks out in an exclusive >>interview. taking on the hill and mom. the ohio teen who defied his anti vaccinati mother with facts as sial media spreading online. horrorhe on t highseas. the terrifying moments extreme winds hit a cruise ship injuring passengers and sending furniture and glass flying. the aftermath today wednesday, march 6th, 2019. >>nnouncer: from n news this is "today"ith savannah guthrie and hoda kotb liv from studio

1a in roca.feller pl >> good morning and welcome to "today," and thank you for joining us on a wednesday morning. >> you know when you walk outside and a wall ofold hits you? >> i was like, are we in march? it feels like the member of december. >> it's our top story. we'll start with this bone chilling cold gripping much of the country. al is here with a look at the l forecast and hg it will hest. we're used toold weather here in the northeast. new york, 4 deges windchill, minus 3 in minneapolis. look at this,ch strg from texas the florida, 61 million people under windchill advisories or freeze warnings. looking at 31 windchill in houston. then windchill tampa 37 degrees, 43 in ft. myers, tallahassee 29. it's going to stay cold at least another 24 hours. growing warmth i the southwest. frigid highs in the eastern

two-thirds of the country. 55 in new orleans. new york city will t only get 29 today. and then as we look toward ursday, 27 in boston, 16 degrees colder than usual. hoton, 69. tallahassee minus 6. the good news is byee thend temperatures rebound nicely. as we get into greenville, 69 on sunday, 77 in mobile, st. louis 50. philadelphia 53. butot we've another storm system coming across the country on saturday. possible blizzards from the high plains into the dakotas, severe weather threats in the southeast,ng for especially in thess lower sippi and saturday it continues to push to the east, the ufrmt p. of michigan and parts of new england will be watching this closely. hoda. al, thank you. another major story, troubling signs that north korea is renewing activities at a key missile j launch sitet days after president trump's second

summit with kim jongn. andrea mitchell broke the story and joins us with the latest. good morning. >> good morning, hoda. this is new evidence fst obtained by nbc news that north korea is rapidly rebuilding ay missile site possibly in preparation for a testespite promises byim jong-un in hanoi. experts say this commercial atellite image shows north korea is rebuilding a site for a long range missile banned by the u.n., it could reach all the way to the west coa of the u.s., even as far as denver or chicago. contrary to what president trump told him at the summit. >> chairman kim promise l $met night regardless he's not going to do testing of rocts and nuclear, not going to do testing. i trust him and i take him at his word. i hope that'strue. >> for months the site appeared to be shut down.

two days aer the summit, new igns of activity. a vertical testengine, a testing strand, crane, movement on theay raior transporting a missile indicating north korea may be getting ready to test. >> they basical open the shelters -- the environmental sheltersos exp the missile pad. this isn't random maintenance activity. this is clearlyctivity designed to send a message. >> all this raising questions about why president trump keeps praising kim. he's quite a guy and quite a character. i think our relationship isery strong. >> while the test site was being rebuilt, the president was giving kim a big concession, canceling annual joint u.s. military exercises this spring with south korea. the pentagon has long viewed them as critical to maintaining readiness. >> we know you reached out to the white house. how are they responding? >> in response to this report

sarah sanders said we never comment on intelligence. north korea is clearly a growing ltallenge for this president. john , the national security adviser has said if nukeson't give up their and dismantle, that the u.s. is prepared to of the en the economic sanctions instead of lifting the as north korea wants. >> andrea mitchell in d.c., thowk you. o the long road ahead when it comes to the 2020 presidential race. more big names on the democratic side are bowing out, raising the question . >> reporter: this morning michael bloomberg is bowing out. the billionaire, former new york city mayor announcing hejoon't the rapidly expanding 2020

democratic field, ending months of deliberations about a white house bid. in a column for bloomberg news, the three-term mayor acknowledges his path to the nomination would have bee narrow, writing, i believe i would defeat donald trump in a general b election, i am clear-eyed about the difficulty of winning the democraticon nominan such a crowded field. now bloomberg says he'll devot hisnergy and vast fortune to defeating the president with a focus ons battleground state and issues like combating climate change and gun violence, urging democrats to rally behind a nominee who can beat mr. trump. bloomberg's decision could clear a wider path for former vice president joe biden. last week biden suggesting he's closer. >> there's a consensus that they -- the most important people in my life, want me to run. >> while speculation has swirled around the democrat nominee in 2016, hlary clinton saying in

her most definitive terms yet tuesday she's not joining the race this time in an interview with new york station news 12. >> i running but i'll keep working to stand up for what i believe. >> president trump uncing, crooked hillary rules out a third bid for white house. oh, chicago white sox, does that mean i won't get to run against her again. she will be surely missed. clinton tweeting why are you so obse with me. now in addition to biden, all eyes are on former texaset congressman o'rourke, both said they'll make the decision soon. former starbucks ceo howard schultz is mulling an independent bid. hehows there's little room for centrist candidates. >> let's talk about the house investigation. democrats have announced the sweeping request for documents from president trump and people in his orbit.

how is rehe responding tothat? >> reporter: it's interesting. the president seems to be shifting his tone abouthose investigations swirling around him. on monday mr. trump said h would comply with the house judiciary committee's sweeping target request wch target 81 people and groups in his orbit. se tuesday he signaled he may not turn over t documents. take a listen. >> there was no collusion. it was a they want to do that instead of getting legislation passed.eo 81e or organizations got letters. it's a cedisg >> reporter: so defiant there. the president also making comments suggesting the white house could invoke executive privilege or take other steps to shield those documents from demoats. we d reach out to the white house for clarification. so far officials aren't commenting. >> kristen w wker at thete house, thank you. craig is with us with breaking news. >> the city of sacramento has

become the scene of heated protests after it was revealed two pole officers who shot and killed an unarmed black man wnol t face criminal charges. official there areracing for more unrest today. nbc's national correspondent miguel almaguer has been following this case from the very beginning. miguel, good morning to you.te >> rep craig, good morning. the decision by the state attorney general is not sitting well with many people in thiser community a months of protests last year, overnight stephon clark's mother told us she may never get the closure sheel defin wants. >> we will come back if i calms down. we're in recess. >> reporter: with protests erupting at city hall, t family of stephon clark is demanding justice. the22-year-old was shot and killed by police last year. by officers wearing body cameras and fm above by a police

helicopter. the shooting legally justified says california's attorney general, ark's mother speaking exclusively to nbc news. >> it's soard to be reminded that i'm a black citizen in america and that means absolutely nothing. >> reporter: after reviewing poli footage and conducting interviews, the 11-month investigation by the state's ag is now over. se two officers fired 20 shots, hitting clarken times, three in the back. they say they feared for their lives and wl not face criminal charges saying they pulled the trigger because theyhought clark was armed. au can see it on the video flash of light which one officer described as he thought a muzzle shot. clark only had a cell phone in s hand the attorney general says the 22-year-old was committing a crime, did not respond to police commands and moved within feet

offficers when he was kied. >> i believedom for a mt we would have justice. he >> reporter: tarch 18th shooting began with officers responding to a vandalism call, police track the 22-year-old as he moved through a sacramento neighborhood ending up in his own grandmother's back yard. >> this is a big remindef where we are and who we are. >> reporter: today sacramento, t yearhis shooting, bracing for demonstrations that could disrupt the city again. clars familyas filed a federal lawsuit against the city of sacramento seeking $20 million in damages. they are asking the protest continueor two more weeks, all the way up to the one-year anniversary of his death. >> miguel almaguer i sacramento, thank you. to the around-the-clork recovery efforts going on in alabama. m we're learnine about the victims.

nbc's gabe gutierrez is in beauregard east of montgomery, alabama. good morning. >> reporter: goo the coroner here said seven members of one extended are among the dead and about a half dozen people are un counted for. from the air you get a sense of the scope of this disaster. so many homes obliterated and inside this neighborhood lived a state trooper among the more than 90 people who were injured. this morning after the tornado cut a pmile-wideh of destruction through alabama and georgia,re crews scouring the debris searching for more survivors. >> we haven't giv up hope. we're still searching. >> reporter: we're learning more about the 23 eople wdied. the victims range in age from 6 to 89 years old. the youngest was a.j. hernandez. >> yeah, i'm going to cry. somebody is going to cry with me. >> reporter: the boy's father hid in a closet with his two sons. >> the house just exploded.

he said both of the boys was sucked cpletely outf his arms. >> reporter: the oldest victim, jimmy lee jones wasne of sev people who died from one extended family, his wife louise gone.on's manual are also the largest twister was on the ground for a staggering 70 miles. this video showing the moment of impact. avid mcbride feared for his life while the bar he ownedas torn to shreds. sergeant robert burrows an alabama staterooper atome with his wife. now he's in the icu while h damaged police cruiser sits outside hisavaged hous emily thought she lost everything. she showed us the pickup truck ere her father rode out the storm.

>> it doesn't seem real. it'scrazy. reporter: overnight she found what she had been looking for for two days. her cat abugsyve under the rubble. this morning this devastated counity hopin rescuers will find others missing amid all thistb heak. >> reporter: to give you a sense of how huge this tornado was, on the ground for 70 les. the average length of a tornado on the ground is usually just three miles. president trump approved an emergency disaster for this area and is schedul to tour the devastation on friday. >> a lot of folks want to help. we put ways to help the victims on our website, wday.com. >> have more to get to including r&b singer r. kelly. this morning he's speakingfout the first time since being arrested on sexual abuse charges. nbc's steph new goanie gosk has.

>> r. kelly h been accused, many women coming forward in the explosive lifetime documentary, in his first interview sincehe arrest, the singer gets emotional and angry, denying the >> anybody can get accusedf so many different things. >> reporter: his voice brought him endless fame. this morning he's using the same voice to defend himself, speaking out for a first time in an emotional interview with cbs news. when asked about ausations he held women against their will, the three-time grammy winnerot angry. >> is this camera onme? that's stupid. use your common sense. forget how you feel about me. hate me if you want mto. lo if you want to. use your common sense. how stupid would it be for me with my crazy past and what i've been through, oh, right now i

think i neeo be a monster and hold girls against their will. y'all quit plainng. quit pl >> robert. >> i didn't do this stuff. i didn't do this.m i' fighting for my [ bleep ] >> reporter: r. kelly is charged with ten counts of sexual abuse involvinwo four n, three of them minors. heleaded not guilty in court and has been released on bail. in 2008 he was acquitted on child pgraphy charges. beyond the criminalcharges, the 52-year-old hasat bred rumors of sexualisconduct for years. the rect documentary "surviving r. kelly" light on the abuse. >> he's a master manipulator. evertody knows now. >> how do you feel about how people view you in the industry. john legend has called you a ogrial rapist. lady gaga has aped for working with you. >> john legend, lady gaga, the

interestin t thing abouts is the fact that working with lady gaga, she's very great talent and it's unfortunate that her intelligence go to such a short lel when it comes to that. i have nothing against none ofe th artists, but i think it's not professional for them to do that. >> his lawr steve greenberg says his client has never had sex with underagegirls. >> he kept records. he made people show ides, m people sign statements. >> do you still sit here and say you have never been with underage girls? >> i will tell you this, people are going back to my past -- that's what they're doing -- going back to the past and trying todd all thi stuff now to that. >> hey doesn't direc answer a lot of those questions. the big ques eon is why onth did he sit down to do an interview when he's got a trial

coming up 12. a lot of issues there. >> an extremely risky strategy. you have to wonde whether his defense attorney recommended it. his defense attorney said he haa concerut finding an impartial jury.s perhape and r. kelly believe the singer is his best rs spokes. as you can see, he really comes undone in this interview. >> i you're trying to prove that you're not unhinged, rrifying, scary, perhaps that was not the best example. >> if he does go to trial, if this goes to trial, could that end up being shown? >> yes. it's probabl going to be litigated. it's been a long time since i've been alawyer, but i think it comes in. usually statements from the defendant will come in. >> you can't imagine the prosecution leaving that aside. >> no, they'll try toet g it in and not just what was aired, but l of it. >> all right. let's bring in al again with the cold temps. >> we're also watchinpp what's

ing out west. we'll look at this in more detail, sierra snow and heavy rain there. sunshine through the plns. bitterly cold again, lake-effect snow firing up around the tug hill plateau, four to six inches of snow. the morning freeze around the gulf. we'll get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. good morning everybody. storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell. skie are mostly clear. temperatures well below freezing

this morning. it it's cold. the northwest wind that returned yesterday is pushing windchills down to betweens. and 15 degr bundle up. it's going to stay windy and ith highsday today only in the low 30s. back into the 40s tomorrow and a etance of snowflakes on your friday. >> tt's your latest weather. still ahead, melania trump using her tour to take on the opioid crisis and what she just >>lieved about her panting choices. the new push to get social media platforms like facebook and youtube to crack down on anti vaccination content as the teen who defied his own mother so he could get vaccinated takes his message to capitol hill. first this is "today" on nbc.

. the co-stars and complnge stras coming forward with stories of luke perry's kindness, after your local news.

cat's inner voice: these new litter boxes are so weird. cat's inner voice: disable the security cameras. i'm at the vault. we'll never totally figure them out, but we do know what makes them happy. meow mix. 40 years, and still the only one cats ask for by name. (driver) relax, it's just a bug. that's not a bug, that's not a bug! (burke) hit and drone. seen it, covered it. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ check out our new trick. ♪ steady.. - roger! steady.. now!

go all in for what you love with tony and kellogg's frosted flakes. now in delicious new honey nut. as part of this complete breakfast. they're gr-r-r-reat! we all care about amazing taste. kithat's why we've been mang the best mayonnaise for over 100 years. hellmann's. we're on the side of food. of non-drowsy claritin... and relief from symptoms caused by over... 200 outdoor and indoor allergens. like those from pollen, pets and dust. because new memories start with dusting off old ones. feel the clarity and live claritin clear. what does it take to work that's a great question. if you'd stop in a monsoon to help someone change a tire, save a whale that had beached itself... you're gonna be ok big guy. push! lend a hand in an old-timey barn raising... you got it, jebediah! and if the middle school dance group was down one member

and you'd step in and lead them all the way to glory... yes! then carmax is for you, because helping people is what our people are all about. 7:26 is your time now on this wednesday, march 6, 2019. good morning. i'm eun yang. >> i'm aaron gilchrist. parents at prince george's county private school are upset when a the principal used the n word. she's since apologized. her entire statement is in the nbc washington app. this year's b cherryssom festival starts on march 20th, the first official day of spring let's check on your morning commute with melissa mollet and your first 4 traffic. >> two problems on the beltway. this is outer loop at 295, a crash there, and inner loop

between georgia and colesville, a ladder in the road. in laur, southbound bw parkway at powder mill, a crash on the right side. >> melissa, thank you. we see it all the time. gas stations advertising in bold letters a great low price, then you realize that great price is for cash only. new tonight on "news 4 at 5:00":00, ronsumerorter susan l hoganks at what's being done about it. we'll take a break. your forecast is up next. the ross spring dress event is here-finally! so you can say yes to the biggest selection of the season. yes! seriously, 20 to 60 percent off department store prices! more new dresses means more reasons to say yes. at the ross spring dress event. on now! (music throughout)

great minds shop alike? yes. that's yes for less. yep! yes, yes, yes ,yes, yes... yes. seriously, 600 rc offen pet at ross. yes for less. three words for today, sunny, breezy and cold. temperatures in the teens and 20s. windchills are down between 5 and 15 degrees today. it is going to be c waiting for those school buses this morning, in the low 20s. it willtay cold all day today with highs only in the low 30s at most. cold and dry again for tomorrow. a rain chance on friday that could include aew wet

snowflakes. most of your saturday looks on the dry side. >> chuck, thank you. another local news update in5 minutes. >> back to he "today" show after this short break. have a great day. style..

7 7:30 now on ts wednesday morning, march 6th. check that out. that's the annual mardi gras celebration, wrapped up with a bunchfparties, celebrations, parades. for a lot of people recovering this wednesday -- >> those are your people. >> those are my! people >> did you see who stole the show at one event? those are the robin refs,rc ng group dedicated to the missed call that got the saints out o the super bowl. >> just when she was starting to get over it. >> the people in new orleans will never get over it. >> we'll be talking about that for years to come. >> let's get a checkf the headlines. new evidence first obtained by north koreat sho

is rapidly rebuilding a key missile site. experts say this satellite image taken8 hours of last week's summit shows they're building a site forle long range mis or rocket that could reach the west coast of the united states even as far as chicago. this comes just days after the president told reporters that kim jong-un promised him not to conduct missile tests. when asked for a response, white house press secretary sarah saers said we don't comment. the deaths of 21 horses in the last ten weeks. officials say they need to test the track's surface. the latest fatality came during training yesterday when 4-year-old philly was injured and had to be euthanized. r animalights activists were outside. a powful wind gust slammed into a cruise ship in the

atlantic ocean. that massive ship started to tip just hours after leaving new york city on sunday. norwegian cruise line described it as extreme gusts of wind. several guests and crew were ries.ed for minor in experts say there was interior damage but it remained fully operational on tuesday. >> do you know how strong the wind would have to be to make a boat like that -- >> yes.st f lady melania's trump's cross country to, she's hit the road to tackle a new issue. morgan radford has the latest. >> in her whirlwind two-day tour, mrs. telmp visited an entary school in oklahoma and a tech company in washington state to talk about kindness and onli safety. now she's turning her attention to opioiakaddiction, sg out on the crisis in one of her

longest speeches since teading the white house. this is the final pillar of her be best campaign. >> reporter: the first lady stepping into the spoight in nevada to deliver one of her most high profile public appearances among las vegas realrea royalty. >> it ishe worst drugrisis in american history. >> reporter: speaking to eriin whose son died of an overdose mrs. trump said she warned her own 12-year-old son baron about the dangers of addiction. >> i try to explain to him how drugs are dangous, it wil mess up your head, mess up your body. nothing comes positive out of it. >> reporter: during the 30-minute discussion, mrs. trump also blasted the press, chiding the media for not covering the epidemic more. >> i challenge the press to devote as much time to the lives lost and the potential lives that could be saved by

dedicating the same amount of coverage that you do to idle goss gossip. >> reporter: putting the spotlight on an addiction that affects more than 2 million americans and kills more than 130 people nationwide every day. tuesday's tn hall, the final stop in her inaugural be best tour focused oneeng kids healthy and protecting them against online bullying. >> there are people dying in this country of opioid abuse.re there are chi committing suicide because they're being bullied. those are the things we should be focused on as a country over some of the nasty political rhetoric that's haorening. >> rr: critics have slammed her campaign calling it ironic andhy critical. >> any guy that can do a body slam, he's my guy. >> reporter: her supporters say mrs. trump is using her platform

to save >>ves. known elieve we can be as the generation that ended the opioid epidemic. >> when asked towhe end of the interview when parents should talk to their kids, the first lady said they should talk to their children about the dangers of drugs when they are 8 years old. that's her advice. >> mr. roker standing by for a check of the weather. out west we're seeing of rain onshore. more heavy rain, probably going to cause maj problems. santa barbara, 1,200 lightning strikes last night as the system came onshore. flooding rain california today. snow from the northwest all the way into the rockies as the system pushes in. rainfall amounts, we're talking about anywhere from one to three inches possibleround southern california. thundershowers, theco rainfall d amount to an inch per hour falling and we're talking about

heavy snow back through the sierra and into the rockies. that's what's going on around the country. ngre is what's happen your neck of the woods. good morning, everybody. temperatures are round 20 degrees across the area. 22 in arlington, 19 at dulles airport, 17 in gaithersburg, a noticeable northwest wind 15 to miles per hour today. it's going to be with us all day. windchills are between about 5 and 15 degrees now. daytime highs today only i the low 30s. windchills will hover in the upper teens to aroun 20 all day today. still cold tomorrow but lessnd rain and possible sno lakes on friday afternoon. >> that's your latest weather. still to come this rning, an exclusive and eye opening look inside t world's most dangerous country for children where survival is a daily struggle. there's something you can do, something simple to help lthem >>e perry's heart of gold. the random acts of kindness that could be the actor's greatest legacy. we are going to pull back the curtain on t secret

underground societyringing magic into the digital>>age. first, the growing pressure on social media companies like facebook to address s theead of misinformation on vaccines after a teen's powerful testimony on capitol hill right 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. everyone wants to be (cthe cadbury bunny because only he brings delicious cadbury creme eggs. while others may keep trying, nobunny knows easter better than cadbury!®

[indistinct conversation] [friend] i've never seen that before. ♪ ♪ i have... ♪ i have... meenew tattoo brow pomadew. from maybelline new york. ♪ for up to 24-hour sculpted brows. new tattoo brow pomade. only from maybelline new york.

before people invite something they want to know who you are. we're almond breeze. and we only use california-grown blue diamond almonds in our almondmilk. cared for by our family of almond growers. blue diamond almond breeze. the best almonds make the best almondmilk. 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!

the sleep number 360 smart bed, from $999, intelligently senses your movement and automatically adjusts... so you wake up rested and ready for anything. save $500 on select sleep number 360 smart beds. only for a limited time. no, no, no. oh... ooh. what is that? no, no, no. you got a virus. i have a virus? ♪ i'm missing this. did you try restarting it? mom. any key enter... space bar... escape. ♪ ♪ ♪ i'with uncontrollederson who modete-to-severe eczema, on. or atopic dermatitis... ...you feel like you're itching all the time. and you never know how your skin will look. because deep within your skin... ...an overly sensitive immune system...

...could be the cause. so help heal your skin from within. with dupixent. dupixent is not a steroid,... ...and it continuously treats your eczema... ...even when you can't see it. at 16 weeks, nearly four times more patients taking dupixent saw clear or almost clear skin compared to those not taking it. ...and patients saw a significant reduction in itch. do not use if you are allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, a severe reaction. tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems, including eye pain or changes in vision. if you are taking asthma medicines, do not change or stop your asthma medicine without talking to your doctor. help heal your skin from within. ask your eczema specialist about dupixent. this morning on in-depth today, the great vaccination febate. >> i don't knowou saw this, an ohio teenager defied his mother and decided to get

vaccinated. he went to congress and he told congress that she received bad information on social media sites. nbc's kristen dahlgren picking up the story from there. good mornrng. >> good g, guys.. >> the world health organization now calls vaccine hesitancy one of the top ten threats to global health. ethan lindenberr said h saw firsthand how misinformation put him and the people around him ai . >> my mom would turn to anti vaccine groups online and social media looking for evidence and defense rather than health officials. >> reporter: testifying on capitol hill tuesday, ohio teen ethan lindenberger blamed social media for h mom's views on vaccinations. >> where do you get most ofour information? >> from not facebook, from cdc, world health organization and science information from those >>ganizations. 'd love to be a guest at thanksgiving dinner at your

house. >> reporter: health experts say it's no laughing matter. so-called anti vaxers have blanketedocial media. hundreds of ant vaccine websites designed to scare parents. >> parents will say i don't remember getting a lot of vaccines wn i was a kid. truth of the matter is, you didn't. >> by the time we got home, i saw a difference. his demnor changed, his face, his eyes, there was an emptiness, a blankness to his eyes. >> reporter: and drown out real science and information. >> those anti does canea at your heart but they don't bring you to the part where you learn the science of safety behindcc es. >> reporter: soch believe it may be to blame for measles outbreaks mostly among unvaccinated children. in fact, in the first two months of 2019, the cdc reported more cases of measles than in all of 2016 and17 combined.

>> it's a public health nightmare actually because children areually getting the diseases that were eliminated from our country years ago. >> reporter: most states allow religious exemptions to vaccinations and 17 states allow personal belief exemptions. under growing pressure to combat misinformation, social media companies are taking action. youtube now posts educational links about vaccines below all anti vaxeo v facebook says it tries to fact che check. as for the lindenbergers, ethan's siblings are not vaccinated but he doesn't blame his m. >> for m mother, her love and parent. these sources which spread misinformation should be the primary concern of the american people. >> ethan's mom says she respects his decision a an adult and is extremely proud. facebook told us it's working oi onal changes to combat

vaccine misinformation. >> kristen, thank you. spreads like wildfire in social media for sure. wheel bring i nbc news medical correspondent dr. john torres to talk about all this. >> we'll bust some myths this morning. t i wasking to you in the break and asking -- peoe say if you don't get vaccinated you're threatening others. wonder why is that because the others do have the vaccine? some kids can't get the vaccine because they have immune issues to begin with. for the restf us, no vaccine is 100% effective. if it's 70o 90%, we're very happy. that means if you get a vaccine, enough people that have the same infection, measles, there's a chance you can get it. that's the big concern. it can spread obviously to the ones without vaccines but to others as well. >> let's talk about the myths that people talk about. one is they think thene vac will bring in autism. >> that's the one that started the thingack in the '9 os.

a studyisproven and taken away. there's no connection. denmark release add study this week, il600,000 en, followed them for then years, looked at their vaccine schedulesnd whether they developed autism. they found out no connection between the two onto the p where they said in the study those who receive the mmr vaccine were 7% less likely to develop autism. it doesn't mean m mnchtszr doesn't cause autism. it means there's no connecti>>. ruth be told when you're get three or four, five at a time, can bealarming. there are a lot of folks that think an infant's body can't handle that many vaccinations. >> they talk about the infant's immune system isn't strong enough. as aarent i'm t same way. you've seen your kids around with a temperature of103 and they look normal. that's their immune system. it's very strong. thousands ofsed to germs every day. these shots have a few germs in

them trying to prime their. syst it's a small percentage of what they get exposed to. >> another thing people say the human immune system is better than any vaccine. >> if you've been exposed to it, it can protect you. measles has a 1 in 500 death rate. the death rate has 1 in a million chance for allergic reaction. look at the balance there. you have to be exposed to deadly diseases to be protected. >> the vaccines work with your immune system. dr. torres, thank you. coming up, an nbc news exclusive this morning. cynthia mcfadden taking us to africa for a firsthand look at the civil war that's ravaging one country, its impact on children there and the heroes who will stop at nothing to help them. first these messages. 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. next level clean, next level care. there's always a way to make life better. philips sonicare. wolfs, the wild ancestors of your dog. they share many traits like a love for meat. so grain free blue wilderness is made with more of the meat they desire. try blue wilderness, because he's wild inside. thto help janet change whher front tire... monsoon is the same type of person who can help you find exactly the right car from our inventory of over 50,000, because helping people is what carmax people are all about.

♪ seed to the oat, to the o ♪ ♪ to the honey in each bite ♪ ♪ healthy hearts make life sweeter ♪ so you can live it right ♪ ♪ the good goes around and around and around and around ♪ to severe rheumatoid arthritis was intense. my mom's pain from moderate i wondered if she could do the stuff she does for us... ...which is kind of, a lot. and if that pain... could mean something worse? joint pain could mean joint damage. enbrel helps relieve joint pain... and helps stop irreversible joint damage. enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including... infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system, and blood disorders, and allergic reactions have occurred.

tell your doctor if you've been some place where fungal infections are common... or if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. since enbrel... my mom's back to being... my mom. visit enbrel.com... and use the joint damage simulator to see how joint damage could progress. ask about embrel. enbrel.com fda approved for over 19 years. ♪ ♪ the things that matter most happen one morning and one cup at a time.

yeah, i thought doing some hibachi grilling would help take my mind off it all. maybe you could relieve some stress by calling geico for help with our homeowners insurance. geico helps with homeowners insurance? they sure do. and they could save us a bundle of money too. i'm calling geico right now. cell phone? it's ringing. get to know geico and see how much you could save on homeowners and condo insurance. get to know geico and see how much you could ♪ ♪ a lot will happen in your life. wrinkles just won't. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair's derm-proven retinol works so fast, it takes only one week to reveal younger looking skin. neutrogena®

coming up, coming up, luke perry's daughter speaks out for the first time since his death. plus unheard storition of the actor's generosity. jill is here with steals an deals to improve yr sleep. the people say amen. -oh, n-no. -look, [sighs] i get it. some new guy comes in helping your mom bundle and save with progressive, but hey, we're all in this together. right, champ? -i'm getting morets. -how about some carrots? you don't want to ruin your dinner. -you're not my dad! -that's fair. -you're not my dad! oversteand relief from symptoms caused by feel the clarity of non-drowsy claritin. over 200 indoor and outdoor allergens. like those from buddy. [ dog whimpering ]

istry eucerin advanced repairing ecream. for 48hour dry skin relief... goes beyond ceramides with moisturizing factors naturally found in skin... eucerin advanced repair cream for healthier looking skin. ♪ if♪ darling, tell me me, loveall the ways ♪ay ♪ ♪ tell me all the ways ♪ all the ways at the store, or to your door. target run and done. guys go through a lot to deal with shave irritation. so, we built the new gillette skinguard with a specialized guard designed to reduce it. because we believe all men deserve a razor just for them. the best a man can get. gillette.

hey, where's the food? what kind of meeting is this? there's no food, we just said that so you would show up. what?! no food? there's someone we think you should talk to. hey, dan! your coworkers told me you haven't done your taxes. i just want to say, you can call a turbotax live cpa for help. we'll help you get your refund and get back to your life. you'd really do that for me? yeah, dan. it's literally my job. thanks, guys! so, there's no snacks...nothing? i brought kale. turbotax live now with cpa's on demand. for mild-to-moderate eczema, it's steroid-free.a. do not use if you are allergic to eucrisa or its ingredients. allergic reactions may occur at or near the application site. the most common side effect is application site pain. ask your doctor about eucrisa.

our members can be out of the airport... in the blink of an eye. hertz. we're here to get you there. what they eat and drink ise is likely acidic and then what's happening is the weakening of enamel. now is the perfect time for a toothpaste like the n pronamel repair. this toothpaste takes it to the next level.es it tinerals and it drives it deep into the tooth surface so that we can actively help repair weakened enamel. gdo think dentists are go to want to recommend the new pronamel repair toothpaste. it's such an easy answerct and it will do e what their patients need. , it's quite new so i don't want to come in too hot. sophisticated. whoa...yeah. i mean, in a good way. what's her name? daisy. daisy. daisy. now in 6 bold flavors.

7:56 is your time now on this wednesday, march6, 2019. good morning to you. i'm eun yang. let's check on your morning commute with melissa mollet and your first 4 traffic. >> in upper marlboro, outer loop, broken down vehicle is blocking the center lanes, delays from that. laurel southbound bw parkway at powder mill, crash blocking the up top, silver spring westbound university boulevard colesville road, a new accident there.a, >> meliss thank you. we'll take a break and check your forecast next. stay with us.

your wednesday is off to a ry cold start this morning. windchills are in the single numbers and low teens to get your wednesday started. so put your heavy ct on today. temperatures will barely be above freezing for a few hours thisafternoon. tomorrow another very cold start, but less wind and back over 40 degrees tomorrow afternoon. still watching for a chance for a few wet snowflakes in the shenandoah valley midday on friday. so far no accumulations appr likely. drying out for saturday. more rain especially for the firstal of your sunday. chuck, thank you. another local news update for u in 25 minutes. back to the "today" show afrer this short.

it's 8:00 on "today," coming up, it's 8:00 on today.up bundle millions bracing for recor low femperatures as an arctic blast blankets much o the country. could another winr storm be on the way? al hasur latest forecast. plus, on the brink. we'll take you to an african country facing a massive humanitarian crisis with children caught from the crosshairs. >> where is the world? how are we letting this happen? >> the shockingk firsthand l at a place seldom seen on camera. luke's le lessons. celebrities and fans sharing stories of luke perry's kindness, from coming the the aid of a former co-star tohe ing neighbors during a flood. how the actor is being remembered for his big heart today, wednesday, march 6, 2019.

♪ >> good morning to our parents in north carolina. >> and new hampshire. >> we're the satari family from goshen, indiana. >> good morning to eveone in new orleans! >> celebrating 25 years together. >> watching the "today" show with my sister ellie. >> it's luke's birthday. >> and i'mng turni2. >> happy birthday, luke. >> happy 12th birthday. welcome back to "today" on this wednesday morning. 20 degrees out there. luckily we're going out -- yes, we are going out there. if they c out there waving and smile, we will be out there in a bit. >> you can do your my today plaza shout-out. use #mytodayplaza, put it on

twitter, put it on insta. >> we've got a lot to get to. winter is just apparently in no hurry to hand it off to spring. millions of americans are facing icy temperatuos as they head work or school this morning. al is all over it with what we can expect. good morning. >> good morning, guys. as you can see, aot of cold air stretching from the north down to the south. windchill feels like 6 degrees in new york city, minus 7 in uffalo, minus 4 in chicago, kansas city minus 8. 61 million people under windchill advisories and wind and freeze warnings from corpus christi, texas all the way to tampa where it feels like 37 degrees. for today, we're going t look at those frigid highs in the eastern two-thirds. of the high today of 16 in pierre, 23 degrees below average. atlanta, 16 degrees colderhan normal. tomorrow, tallahassee at ap66. indiis 32, midland, texas, starting to warm up. you'll see it's a fast-moving

systemhat bringsn much warmer air. greenville by sunday, 69. phil 53. mobile 77. we've got another storm system that's going to bring snow and severe weather this weekend. heavy snow from theas dak into minnesota and parts of michigan and wisconsin. strong stornls tohe south on saturday. sunday this pushes into new d. englan heavy rain in the mid atlantic states through noon. that moves through rather quickly. we'll continue to fine-tune this as we get later in the week. , thank you so much. evidence first obtained by nbc news shows north korea is rebuilding a key site for missiles capable of reaching th. u.s. mainla satellite images were taken days after president trump's failed hanoi summit with north korean leader kimjong-un. although they failed to reach a nuclear agreement, the president said kim had promised to refrain from any new missile testing. in sacramento, california, the outrage continues over a controversial police shooting that was caught on camera.

>> demonstrators disrupted a city council meeting to protest li gcepo a k monday's protests. gercalifo wrnia's attorney gene announced two officers who shot unarmedrk stephon c last year will not be charged. that followed a similar decision by the sacramento d.a. ficers shot clork seven times while rponding to a vandalism report. the officers say they thought clark was armed but clark only had a cell phone in his hand. the fda has approved atmew trt for severe depression. it has the same active edinient as the illegal street drug kno as specik. the nasal spray ketamine was widely abused in the '80s and '90s. drugmakers say it can help patients who haven't responded to antidepressants. the spray would have to be

administered in a doctor's fi ofce. a little morning boost to you. noen pcan resist giving l reacts y kisses.his baby gir when she sees her parents kissing each other. >> you know what? that's it. she loves affection betweom and dad. gives a smile every time they smooch in front o her. maybe that's a reminder. >> i heard you and kat talking about this on y show. she said she once saw her mom and dad give each other a embrace and how good that made her feel as a little girl. >> snuggled up. >> she said she had never seen at kind of affection. >> it's a really good reminder. i smembering my dad grabbing my mom in the kitchen and dancing a with her. i'm never forget it. it makes the child feel good. moms and dads, love each other. just ahead, a powerful nbc newsexclusive, opening our eyes

to a massive humanitarian crisis. >> this is the most dangerous place in the world for children. >> harder than syria? >> the most dangerous. >> cynthia mcfadden travels to africa and a country on the brink. we want to show you there what children are facing and more importantly how y can help. also, the random acts of kindness from actor luke perry that are only now coming to light. first, these messages. to lower . to lower . because my body can still make its own insulin. and i take trulicity once a week to activate my body to release it, like it's supposed to. trulicity is not insulin. it starts acting in my body from the first dose and continues to work when i need it, 24/7. mp to iro bloveugod sar i nad ul wittspeh ty 2 dbeiates n when used with diet and exercise. don't use it as the first medicine to treat diabetes, or if you have type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. don't take trulicity if you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer,

you're allergic to trulicity, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, a lump or swelling in your neck, or severe stomach pain. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. taking trulicity with a sulfonylurea or insulin increases your low blood sugar risk. common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and decreased appetite. these can lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. i choose once-weekly trulicity to activate my within. if you need help lowering your a1c, ask your doctor about once-weekly trulicity. hey, does anyone have a charger? yea, it's down here. i'm dying. oh no, i'm dying. i'm dying. ♪ we all care about amazing taste. that's why we've been making the best mayonnaise

for over 100 years. hellmann's.id we're on thee of food. ohh yeah! ohh yeah! ohh we hide hotel names, so you can find four star hotels at two star prices. ♪ h-o-t-w-i-r-e [dophin making] e-e-e-e this weekend as we spring forward, we lose an hour. we're going to help you gain some sleep steals & deals style. pedigree brings out the good in them. feed the good. check out our new trick. ♪ steady.. - roger! steady.. now! go all in for what you love with tony and kellogg's frosted flakes. now in delicious new honey nut.

as part of this complete breakfast. they're gr-r-r-reat! ♪ ♪ thto help janet change whher front tire... monsoon is the same type of person who can help you find exactly the right car from our inventory of over 50,000, because helping people is what carmax people are all about. show your gut some love. only activia has billions of our live and active probiotics. a delicious way to enjoy probiotics every day. with 20 years of devotion to gut health. activia. like no other.

we're back with an nbc news special investigative rort on a humanitarian crisis unfolding right before our eyes. mo of us don't even know about it. >> it's happening in a remote african countr arly 2 million children, 2 million fighting for theery survival. without help from the outside world, many will face starvation >> a violent civil war has made it difficult to send aid and nearly impossible to even tell this story until right now. nbc senior investigative and de legal corresp cynthia mcmadden is just back to bring us an nbc news exclusive.

it's hard to hear, but it's important. >> thanks so much. good ldrning. the cn you're going to meet this morning are caught in the middle of a bruel man m disaster that much of the world has heard very little about, about the size of texas, the central african republic has some of the richest deposits of natural resources in the world. gold, diamonds, uranium. but the ongoing civil war has left its children among the poort and hungriest. as we covered on our recent journey, there is a way for all of us to help save lives. >> the central africanli rep is in shambles, the result of a brutal civil war that's killed tens of thousands of people. this is the firsteime in f years a u.s. television network has gone . it requires heavily armed guards as the fighting between muslim rebels and christian militias fight for control of this portion of the country. we have this linef vehicles

here, two are armored. he re going with helmets, guys with the guns. >> looking thrgh the bulletproof glass, a precaution at people who live here do not have, it's obvious not everyone was happy to see us. >> except for war zone, this is as dangerous as of an assignment as it gets? >> yes. >> the ceof o unicef usa says there's a massive humanitarian crisis that is only getting worse. > 1.5 million children are at risk of starvation. where is the world. how are we letting this happen. the danger has driven aid groupt f the country. 396 attacks on humanitarianrk wos here just last year. >> the jeep we've been driving around in, there's a bullet hole in the window. it's a very scary place. >> reporter: the young children

here have never known peace. >> this is the most dangerous place in the world for children. >> harder than syria? >> the most dangerous. the conflict and violence here prevent supplies from getting through, prevent people from having any kindf normalcy to their life. there is an alarming rate of malnutrition in the country as a result. >> reporter: the u.n. t ranks central african republic the worst country in the world when it comes to hunger. >> two of every three children in this country are in need o humanitarian assistance right now. >> reporter: in the country's capital, she takes us to meet some of those children. >> we are in the only pediatric hospital in the country. >> reporter: we meet the hea nurse, ann, here for more than 25 years. >> how many ambulances do you have? >> one. >> how many children? >> we have 300 beds, but depending on the time of year we could have two or three kids per bed. >> two or three children per

bed? >> many of them have lost parents, they get lost from theires fami their whole secured has been undermined. >> colette is one of those orphans. >> the 7-year-old weighs how much? >> 14 kilos, 28 pounds roughly and she's years old. >> reporter: we meet vin sent, a 1.5-year-old, he's so malnourished he is can no longer eat. >> the child's stomach isut ng down. no intervention and you'll lose this child. >> reporter: this 6-year-old, so tiny for her age, is also running out of time. >> look at the color of their hair whi changes with severe malnutrition in terms of more orange color. >> you ever turn a child away? >> no. >> reporter: there is nowhere else to go. the ultimate irony, beneath the ground here in the heart ofhe

africa w so many have so little lies a wealth of riers. >> uath this ground, diamonds, gold, living on a treasure trove that they will never benefit from. >> the most dangerous place for children and yet here it is. >> it doesnbe have to . >> it doesn't have to rbe. orter: we climb aboard a small un plane, our only way to the front lines as the few roads here are too dangerous. 14 different warlords c otrol mof the country. >> we were originally going to go over here, but we've been advised it's not safe for us to be there today. so we'll go here instead. >> we touch down on a dirt runway surrounded by a makeshift camp. in the past few years over a million people have had to flee their homes. lage grew tly this v up in six hours. >> 20,000 people have crossed through here. >> trying to figure a placee wh they would be safest.

the airstrip has the most serity in the area. >> reporter: this woman says she and her children ran for their lives when rebels attacked the village. >> what did you bring with you. >> they couldn't take anything. only the clothes they have. nothing. >> the factions don't attack each other. th attack citizens, civilians, families afraid to go out of their homes. they're afraid to send a chdren to school. >> and afraid to farm the land. no one and nothing is safe here. >> we leave the plane unguarded and we may not have a plane to come back to. >> the nickname is the death trap. that's how security described it to us. >> reporter: we are going with security and yet we're still supposed to check in every 20 minutes. >> every 20 minutes, ande will. >> reporter: even in a place theed the death triangle, is reason for hope. a lifesaving miracle in a small

packet. >> these are under 50 cents. >>nder 50 cents apiece, this is life or death. >> reporter: it's called plumpy nut, tastes like peanut butter but has a day's worth nutrition. >> you can se no refrigeration, things that weren't created in the past, no water. no preparation, mom rips it open. the f babies cand themselves. as you can see, they're thoroughly enjoying this. >> reporter: nearby an unexpected sight. in a countedhere almost no one feels safe, children singing, playing a traditional tribal game based on trust. p >> yourepare yourself for the pain and the horror, but there's no preparation for the joy.

>> this is wt they do have. they have each ototr. unicef haseen able to raise the money you want to raise for the central african pe rub lick. >> overall budget, $56.5 million needed. less than half of that was raised. >> what happens if you can't raise the money? what happens to theple here? >> children die. that's the answer. unicef will stretch and do as much as it can in every corner of this country, but we can only do what we are funded to do. >> reporter: look what the money w doing? remember the kids met a few days ago, stern and her team show us that tender care and plumpy nut can make a world of difference. >> much better. >> little vincent, now healthy to sit up on his own. >> his mother is doing better, to >> look at the girl who stared sigh lently and couldn't eat. >> she's sitting up. strength. she's got sparkle. she's eating better, not forced

to eat. so she has an appetite. these kids wouie if you, this hospital, unicef wasn't here. >> in the morning when we have the staff meeting a they tell us no baby die overnight, thank god. >> without the umpynut, these kids wouldn't make it. >> they wouldn't make it. this is giving them a full day's nutrition. >> and a complete chance of a life. complete chance at life that wouldn't be there without it. >> and this i it. a little packet of plum nut that does its job so well and costs under 50 cents. >> so if people want to help, what do they do? >> you can go to our website at today.com, it links to unicef if you want to help. i know people are generous and know people will. >> so many profound moments in there. when you said you prepare yourself f the pain, but the

joy is what gets you. and watching how just the smallest thing heald those children that you saw in the beginning. >> it really is true. to see the joy these kids can find in the most difcult circumstances and to see some of the adults who are suffering so much themselves create these little crass rooms where they're wodsing with the i know all of you have been in those kinds of places, the joy is what gets me every time. >> hard to get your head around two of three kids need assistance. >> we have such generous view as. 50 cents f pack and it can bring a light back to a choild's eyes andiv r them. are they going to be able to get it there o because this terrible civil war. >> they're determined and very present there now. they're willingo take the risk. these are the kinds of assignments where the aid workers go in. b you canng your families. you go in, you sacrifice, you do

it. unicef and other os are very present in the country. nearly 400 attacks on aid workers. three journalists murdered last summer. the three russian journalists who have gone in to try to tell the story. aike worrs are targets. the people who want to do the badtuff don't want foreign eyes in. >> doing god's work. >> thank you forgiving us the time to tell the tory. >> cynthia will have morepo ing tonight on nightly news with lester holt. we'll turn now to mr. roker for a check ofhe weather. >> a quick look to show you what's happening around the country. we do have a lot of wet weather out west. we're also looking at temperatures bhat are wayow normal, from the plains down into the gulf as that pushes in northeast as well. we do look at lake-effect snow around the great lakes. rain, erra snow heavy possible flooding. central and southern california, snow into the rockies, morning

freeze through the gulf coast. that's what's going on across the country. here is what'sning in your neck of the woods. right here in the d.c. meo area, it windy and cold this morning. the sun is out. don't let that fool you. you'll need all your winter layers on. i temperatur the low 20s now with windchills mostly hovering around fiveo ten degrees. plan on a very sunny, windy and cold afrnnoope temraretus will get d into the low 30s, but just barely. then for tomorrow, another very cold star but a lot less wind to worry about tomorrow, and then clouds returning tomorrow afterno afternoon. as tributing to luke perry pour in.'r learning more about his legacy and the impacts going way beyond his work on camera. gadi schwartz has more on that story. >> at some point everyone learne the g rule, whether you're 5 or 105, the principlesre everlasting, treat others the way you want to be treated. as the world reacts to his

shocking death, story after story is surfacing of perry doing justthat, leaving his ma on the world he helped entertain and improve. >> mad, bad and dangerous to know. >> reporter: when it was time to shine, lukery per delivered, diving head first into characters and filling the screen with charisma. >> your mother and i will always love you. >> reporter: as the world mourns his passing, his daughter sophie expressing her thanks for the outpouring of support as stories flood social media highlighting her father'sne ki, generosity to friends, neighbors and even strangers. 90210 skoe star shannen doherty opening up to people about his heart of gold and never-ending well of integrity and love. >> none of usre up here today without shanen in. >> he defended doherty whose tabloids. minated

>> a very big part of the ccess of thatprogram. i will say -- >> reporter: for perry, kindness was anything but an act, one twitter saying perry was the nicest customer at our block buster. another witnessed the former teen idol pitch in during flood relief. riverdalear revealing that perry offered to cosign for her car when a dealership wouldn't let her finance it. after colin hanks, pinning a tribute of his own, meeting perry o a flight from mexico, he overheard two brothers fighting. as things escalate, a man comes from first class, hat,beard, blowing up a balloon, hands it offike he's handing it off tong a later in the customs line hanks realize the hero wpe y, writing me he always tells he

flies with a couple balloons for th very reason to give tore scing kids. i'll be damned if i don't start traveling with spare balloons. a life of warmth and compassion. >> if you know it's the right thing to do, even though it's tough, even thought might cost y you. >> he was archie's dad on "riverdale." above it all it seems his larger legacy was living a life full of kindness and humanity. >>gadi, thank you. so much stories come out after hi passing. >> isn't it nice to hear when people are doing kind things. just ahead, we areoing to help save you money on this wednesday morning. the secrets to finding the best summer travel deals. >> speaking of deals jill is

here. it's all about rest and relaxation and getting a good bught's sleep. first a check of your local news and weather. m goodning everybody. 8:26 on this wednesday, march 6th. i'm aaron gilchrist. let's get a check o the commute with melissa mollet. >> silver spring outup loop, the bauilding quickly. district heights, pennsylvania avenue, crash involving a pedestrian. northbound 295 over the 11th street bridge, some big dels headed inbound. >> melissa thank you. we'll get a check on the forecast when we come back. stay with us. ♪

we're in memphis, tennessee, a city with one of the highest increases of women-owned businesses in the u.s. it's really this constant juxtaposition when you're a mom and an entrepreneur. with more businesses starting every day, how do they plan for their financial wellness? i am very mindful of the sacrifices that i make. so i have to manage my time wisely. plan your financial life with prudential. bring your challenges. and you realize great minds shop alike? yes. or when you find those name-brand shoes that everyone notices? oh, yeah! or when you get exactly what you need

for your growing family? yes! that's yes for less. yep! yes, yes, yes, yes... yes! seriously, 20 to 60 percent off department store prices every day. at ross. yes for less. good morning everybod it isold wednesday morning. temperatures are only in the low 20s now. the wind is sblowing, windchills are down around 10 the door you go out this morning. layer up. don't forget to put your hat and gloves on for today. afternoon highs only in the low 30s today. low 40s tomorrow, but with a lot less wind around. it won't feel quite that cold.

for friday, rain likely in the afternoon, could have a few snowflakes along the nesn shally. we'll keep a close eye on it. exesn't look like accumulations are pected. >> get your latest news and weather in the nbc washington app. this is you shopping. and this is you maximizing at t.j.maxx. you shopping, you maximizing. you shopping, you maximizing. find the brands you love and get more you for your money, every time. it's not shopping, it's maximizing. start maximizing today! maxx life at t.j.maxx

♪ >> hey ev ybody. it is 8:30 on this wednesday morning. what an awesome crowd out here, march 6th if you're counting, two days a counting to our special citi sponsored live event right here on the plaza. we'll mark international women's day. we'll be celebrating awe-inspiring women across the country. as an added eat, on friday we'll have a live concert from

country music superstar marin is mo >> jenna is so excited, she's here already. >> gearing up for friday. always gearing u for friday. >> you've got the crowd moment? >> i've got the crowd moment. serious 108 -- >> we're not going to lose you in that coat. >> afterwards i'll be on fifth avenue as a traffic cone. >> weave a fan of "today" show radio. jody from florida, you called into our show -- >> last week. i said i was coming. here i . >> a big fan. would you like to meet them? >> we're goingo take you in and go downstairs to our control room. meet libby, tom and pete breen, the brain trust behind our show. thank you for listening. we really appreciate that. >> that was awesome.

>> i love it. >> that's so cool. >> i'm hitting you with all these folks who have savannah i was like, wow. but it's for savannah, georgia. >> you've never been? >> ie never been to savannah. i've got to come, right? >> it's areatcity. >> okay. just ahead is about to make getting out of bed even harder with this batchf comfy, cozy steals and deals. >> our travel expert is standing by to reveal big deals on saving on your family's next trip. >> exciting news to share and i. need your he so look out for that announcement. coming up on the third hour of today, we've got another great story from our influence-her series. entrepreneur who is trying to create a new way for women to work.

and it is catching on. first al, let's get a check of the weather. >> announcer: today's weather is brought to you by marvel studios "captain marvel." discover what makes her a hero, in theaters everywhere friday. >> let's check your weather out starting with "today." we're looking a a lot of wet weather out west, especially central and southern california, mountain ows, lake-effect snow in the great lakes area. that's going to continue and push into the n theast and n england. much colder down through texas. mohetain snows through rockies, sunshine through the southeastern atlantic states with rain in the mid mississippi and ohio river valleys and snow moving into the pacnoic hwest. that's what's going on around the country. here is what's happening in your neck of the oowoods. morning, everybody. sunshine and cold. probably going to be the coldest day of the month of march today. temperatures onlyn the low 20s across the region now. on top of the cold we havhe wind to deal with.

windchills hovering around 10 degrees. lan,r this afternigh temperatures in the low 30s. with the wind blowing, windchillsovering near 2 degrees all day today. still watching for a chance of cold raindrops, maybe a few wet snowflakes on friday. sunday morning will be rainy, but at least it will be back near 60 late sunday afternoon. >> and that's your latest weather. let's head back inside. mr. melvin. >> mr. roker, thank you, sir. for our next trick, magic. people have been baffled and amazed b tricks and illusions for centuries. now a brand new group of magicians is using the internet to revolutionize the craft. this is cool. >> it's cool. so excited for you to see it. a whole new world foradge ikss. i got to spend time inside magic's coolest new >> they're not your parents' magicians. >> you guys are part of an underground magic society where the members get tattoos to show their allegiance.

is the t anything coolern that? >> at least nothing that's happened toane yet. f> i and chris are part of a new group o magicians called the 52, a secret s magicians ocdetermieined to modernize magn a digital age. >> i saw veryarly on how they're really changing magic, utilizing the intert in social media and changing the brand of what a magician is. i thought that was al powerfu shift in one of the world's oldest art forms. >> he's a freelance journalist writing an article on magic.as sonated by the group he learned magic himself and joined them. he details hey journ in the new book "magic is dead." in it he said it's named the 512 fter a deck of playing card, invite only and only ever has 52 members. each magicwnn has their playing card identity and their n tattoo to prove it. ian, the 2 of clubs and chris ramsey, the 4 of spades. all of the 52 are determined to

make magic come alive in a whole new way. >> what's social media meant for you as a imagician? think it's great. i think it shows magic in a way that people have never seen it before. magic has always been this untouchable, unreachable thing only done by a few people. the b internetngs something to people which they've been yearning for for a long time which is the vulnerability, the authenticity. >> do you think magic can helpi in real in a lot of ways? >> definitely it has. i've letters from kids being bullied, not being bullied anymore or a veteran using magic forab ritation or take his mind off things. >> everyone, especially people who fall into magic, are seonching for the best versi of themselves. magic is a great tool to be able to do that. >> this mag is innovative. more importantly it's accessible and intimate. >> magic is not really about the move or the mechanics, but it's about sharing, sharing an

experience. >> like the one i got from chris. >> i'm going to take a playing card, and i'm going to run it down the side of the book. i want you to say stop whenever and we'll choose a page. >> right there. >> remember the fir word on the page, but also remember the page number can you do that? you got ? what pag was it on? >> i should tell you? >> . >> go to page 86. we've not set anything up. >> what the heck? >> look, vannah, have a look behind thatr glass o there. >> oh, my goodness. >> so the future of magic is in very good and probably tattooed hands. >> i think progression is important for magic. that's the whole pointf the book, is magic is dead, but it's up to us to keep it alive. >> you ys, they showed me so many cool tricks like that. one moreember of the 52 you

may be familiar with, shin lim, in the 52 he's the queen of spades. they all have the playing card identity. ian was with him when he got his tattoo. >> did he show you how to do the tric >> he did not show me. all he said is it's been here since you got what if i pickea different page. >> if your quest to be the coolest kid in school, not only did play violin, you were a magician. >> i took a couple years of magic classes. it's very expensive to get into. that's one reason my father encouraged me to stop. >> do you have any tricks? >> a couple if i had the right sulies. >> savannah sellers, thank you. remember you canor see of her on stay tuned, nbc's twice odaily show snapchat. > yesterday was our 1,000th

episode. kind of wild. >> congrats. >> thank you. >> a bunch of ave.ns vannah s out there. coming up next, prepare to be amazed by the "steals & pals" jill has lined to improve your sleep. first this is "today" on nbc. thn nbc.

welcome back, this morning on steals and deals some help getting a welcome back. this weekend we turn the clocks ahead and lose an hour of sleep. jill martin is here with items that may help us sleep. >> you los an hour so we thought we' perk everyboup. this is the nine-space sheet sets, retail $290 to $310. anrgic cotton sheet set. it comes in eight colors. all the details on today.com. the deal $59, up to 81% off.

>> rlly soft. >> as you go through this, you'll see how you can also spice -- i always up for a makeover with a pop of color. this is awesome. i think you're still a big fan of thescrunchy. jason ma' jaso mamoa rocked one at the osz cars. this comes with the pillow sk, ise e mask and the scrunchy. what i love about hole situation, the retail is $63. satin will not put dts in your hair or imprints on your face. it helps with your overallar apce after sleeping. there are studies that say this works. i actually sleep with a satin pillowcase. now to a who new level with the scrunchie because it won't leave dents in your hair.ee guy nds one, too, if you

have longhair. >> same deal. it will protect your eyes, and also protect it from wrinkles that you'll get on aar reg pillowcase. the deal $19.99 for the 68set, off. even if you don't believe in this stuff -- some people say does i reallyrk, this is a great way to try it out to see if it works for you. >> i love a cozy blanket. talk about this one. >> this is great. your mini me, too. retail for $175. it's faux fur with a satin border. we did a test. it's very soft. 45 by 59. fans include jennife garner, $175.ca alba, normally again a pop of color, something you wouldn't normally buy in a different color. >> by the way, it's a good time of year. sometimes you need to replace towels. you keep them forever and ever, they're thread-bear. i washinking we need to change

ours out. >> maybe now is the time. really about starting your day right. open your eyes and everything is a ten and you want your day to be better. that starts with a shower. retail $136. turkish cotton, you get two-bath, two hand and two wash cloths, carried in neiman marcus and blooming dale's, retail $136, $39 for the whole set. ozat's a great deal. >> up in some jammies. >> the nationltg lounge, retail $120. i only have two looks, it's thi and very dressed up. there's no medium left. if youe lik that, leisure wear is so big. this is a great way to wear your pajamas all day and look chic. come in five colors, retail $120. the deal $48. that's 60% off. ve they're meant to stop there, like a your ankle.

>> it's actually a flattering silhouette. streamlines your body because it gives bagginess in the hip. ar >> i love all these. let's go through them one more time. sheet ns froe space, the sat tin sleep sets fromkitsch, the littleow giraffe t blankets which are adorable. peacock alley towel sets and loungewear from natio d. you can find all these deals and a lot more at today.com/deals. daylight saving time is coming up this weekend. feel coz and get all this stuff. text today at 66866. o downlo app and shop away. thank you, chijill. iike it. we're sharing the secrets behind the best travel deals. first this is "todaybc. everyone's got to listen to mom.

when it comes to reducing the sugar in your family's diet, coke, dr pepper and pepsi hear you. we're working together to do just that. bringing you more great tasting beverages with less sugar or no sugar at all. smaller portion sizes, clear calorie labels and reminders to think balance.

because we know mom wants what's best. more beverage choices, smaller portions, less sugar. balanceus.org

> we are back with today travel and the secrets to finding the bestavings on your next vacation. contributing editor at condive nast t has the cheapest deals. get out your pen and paper.u ave good ideas today. we're doing it by question. the first question is when can yo save the most money by using a travel agent. choices are ying, booki hotels or booking a cruise. >> which one do you think? >> well, i rea the answer. >> what is it? it's cruises. the reason is you're crazy not to use a travel specialist as we call them nor a cruise because you'll get t access special perks, on board credit which is and free money for the ship better deals. remember, you might pay a fee when you work with a tral specialist. across four people saving money, that's a great deal. 90 day out from a cruise, double collect the prices. probably discounted >> last-minute deals happen. >> they want to fill the ships. >> can unused gift cards buy

your next vacation. true or false? i was going to s false. >> in fact it's true. here is the thing. when we used to get a gift card we didn't want, we wrote au thak ote and put it in a groor. >> and then it expired. >> and now you can sell it on giftcardanny. if you're flying american airlines, frontier, booking a tel, you can go on those sites and get those gift cards. if you're a buyer it's better. you could save up to 10%. $100 to spe on the flight might save you money on that flight. epuseable sites. >> weekends are always the most expensiv time to fly. i would say true. >> it's not. >> it's false. >> i think people assume that weekends -- yes, ifou're inflexible, friday night to sunday night, you might pay

more. if you cane the dates, terrific. i would also suggest, say you have a family ton visit chicago at some point in the next few u months. ow you have to go for a weekend, use travelgam because it will allow you to search weekends only. > what i like, i wtan to go somewhere, youf need a destination. >> the flip si. say y k want to be away but not sure where, use sky scanner. it has a destination which isyw everre. type that in and it will offer you all the flights from your origin. look at what appeals. >> that's fun. the next question is- statement, before booking any trip, you should negotiate on your flights, hotels, excursions or car. i didn't think you could negotiate anything in this space. >> the one thing you can really negotiate is hotels.

here is the key. do a bit of research in advance. check a hotel price for your room before you negotiate. check it out. and then call the hotel directly. don't call ateaktimes, check-in, checkout. >> are you calling the front desk? >> calhe mainline and say could i speak to the duty manager. again, the key here, be polite, be charming, don't berate them. say most people stay for a couple nigh, i'm staying for three. can you get a better price. the more youtalk, the better. >> the next one is, the best day of the week to purchase flights is -- >> we're going to talk about -- >> shoot. i missed one. >> let's talk about this. i this the best price on hotel is in dollars. this is a pro ttip. if you'rveling overseas, it's false to think buying on the u.s.il side always be cheapest. look at your country of

destination, china. >> usually -- in english we're lucky. look at thosend see whether the local pricing is a better deal than if you pay in dollars. >> we have no time. do it fast. >> there is not a secret day to buy a flight. none of this iue just plan ahead. dog.up for airfare watch that's how to get bookings. >> the best tips. i told you to get your pen and paper out. when we come back, jenna is here with a big announcement. first this is "today" on nbc.

welcome back, welcome back everybody. we have a very exciting announcement from our pal jenna. >> you know i love to i've said this probably a thousand times. my mom was a librarian so it's basically in my dna. we wanted to share that passion. guess what? >> what? "today" showting a book club. we want everyone at home to join

#readwithjenna. we'll post thoughts and questions on today's instagram account. >> you're talking about books all the time. >> i love to read and i love getting recmendations from people. i say watch out oprah. >> our first pick is this -- are you ready to unveil it? >> yes. >> open it . go for it. don't tear the bo h. >>ave you already read this? >> i have started it. >> okay. it'salled "the last romantics" by tara conklin. i'm real excited about it. it's about siblings whith i k is fascinated. as you know, i talk about barbara all the time, butoping with a tragedy and how their whole lives unravel and come together. i sent copy to savannah's mom. all, will, first of

read it in ten minutes. >> she's already read it. it.he's all ove >> she likes to recommend books to me. read with us and follow our instagram account and be part of the #readwithjenna. 8:56 is your time on this wednesday, march 6, 2019. good morning to you. i' eun yang. let's check on your commute with melissa mollet and your fst traffic. >> beltsville, inner loop

between kenilworth and u.s 1, southbound 270, an accident in rockville. backnto town, arlington southbound memorial bridge, right lane blocked by an oversized bus. we'll check your forecast when we come back. stay with us.

good morning everybody. going to stay cold and windy all through the course of your wednesday. temperatures barely above the freezing mark for probably only a couple of hours around 3:00, 4:00 this afternoon. back into the mid 20s by 8:00 this evening. chilly tomorrow for sure. a little rain and wet snow on friday. back to near 60 late sunday afternoon after the rain stops. >> all right,chuck. thank you. get the latest news and weather any time in the nbc washington app. have a great day.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" live from studio 1a in rockefeer plaza. and good wednesday morning, everyone. craig melvin here along with al roker, sheinelle jones also joining us. dylan has the morning off. maria shriver is going to join us in just a moment. we start this morning with what a lot of folkabtalking t. >> everybody's talking about it this morning. this interview that r. kelly apparently did, his first interview sin his arrest. kelly of course charged with ten counts of sexual abuse including four women,hree of them minors. r. kelly has pled not guilty. he's out on bail, and this morning he sat down with gayle king over at cbs emphatically proclaiming his innocence. at