good morning. grounded. good morning. grounded. the faa and boeing facing tough questions after waiting more than tee days to pull 737 max planes out of the sky in the wake of that deadly second crash. >> the safety of the american people and all people is our paramount concern. >> so why the delay and what new red flags is the investigation raising? this morning we will ask the head of the faa in a live interview. breaking overnight, state of emergency. a bomb cyclone unleashing chaos in the rockies and the midwest. >> oh, my god!oh my god! >> heavy snow and powerful winds shutting down interstates and airpor o. thousands drivers and passengers stranded in colorado. the national guard called in

overnight as the m stormoves east. alan and dylan have the very latest.re actss lori loughlin out on bond after appearing in court from the sweeping bribery scandal. details on how the alleged scheme worked and an inside look at the admissiprocess. is it really rigged? those stories plus breaking news. it's official. the hioc-profile demrat announcing his presidential bid this morning. mobhit. the reputed bossf the gambino family shot inside his home. t lte ofife before instagram and fabook. this is march 14, 2019. >> announcer: this is "today "with savannah guthrie and hoda

kotb live in studio 1a in rockefeller pla. >> thanku, everyone, for joining us on this busy, busyay thurmorning. >> the faa has at last grounded those max 8 airplanes at the center of twocrashes. a lot of people said finally it came. >> critics saidoo it much too long for the faa to do it. in a minute we'll talk to thera adminir of the faa. as mentioned, the u.s. has now joined the rest of the world grounding the fleet in the wake of two recent air crashes. >> we'll talk to the head of the faa, but first tom costello jos us from reagan national with the very latest on this. hey, tom, goodin mo >> reporter: good morning. if you're flying today be prepared for cancellations, and it's not just because of the max 8 and max 9. weave a massive snowstorm really messing things up. between those two events, hundreds of flights canceled

already. as you know, the u.s. w the last country in the world to ground the max 8 and max 9, and that was only after the from ethiopia. >> some flights ordered tourn ound and return to the gate before even ting off. >> southwest 410, did they give you gate >> the pilot gave us a call and said we weren't going to orlando and we're headed back to the gate. o> reporter: for kids on board, disney would have wait. >> they were all very upset, everyone was crying, but that's okay. >> reporter: president trump made the announcement himself. >> any plane currently in the air will go to itson destina and thereafter be grounded until further notice. >> reporter: the faa reviewed data after the crash inirnia

saying it struggled. >> the evidence we discovered on the ground actually was even further evidence that the flight was very similar to lion air. > reporter: the possibility that two737 max 8 crashes in five months could be connected had already convinced the res of theworld, including canada, to ground the plane. boeing initially resisted but now says it supports temporarily grounding the max fleet out of an abundance of caution and in order to reassure the flying public of the aircraft's safety. >> i'm glad precautions are being taken. >> reporter: in the u.s., southwest, american and united fly the 737 max, roughly 200 flights a day. now those airlines are substituting other planes and dropping change fees for passengers changing flights. >> if the rest of the world is doing it, we might as well, too: >> reporhat's not clear this morning is how long it might take before the

best-selling plane in the world flies again. so we can tell you that theia ethi have sent the black boxes that were damaged and apparently seriously damag to france to be read out. how long will this taou? it take weeks because this is going to be a long process, and if they dermine there i fix that is needed, that could take weeks or perhaps longer. no idea how long this willo on. savannah? >> tom, thank you. that sets us u nice the for the faa administrator. a lot of people have questions on the time to groundit. we have the faa administrator. good morning to you. >> gd morning, savannah. >> as i understand it, the faa received new satellite information yestviday. is therence now in your hands that suggests possibly that lion air, the indonesia a cras the ethiopian airline were brought down by the same cause? >> we are much closer to that possibility, and that's why we

grounded the airplanes. we got new information yesterday, and we acted o it, and it is in our minds now a link that is close enough to ground theairplanes. >> well, as you well know, the faa was litnally last the world to ground the u.s. airplanes. my question to you is why. what took so long? you have two plane crashes,exhe t same plane. the crash happens in the first few minutes of flight. you know tret the planes losing altitude. why not in an abundance of caution did t u.s. ground these planes when literally every other country did? >> because wn the faa makes a decision like grounding airplanes, any safety decision of that magnitude, we do it based on data. we're a data-driven on organiza it's why u.s. aviation has been so incredibly safe, and frankly why aviation has been safe around the rld.

you have to establish at least more than a gut feeling that two crashes were related before you ground an entire fleet. >> of course, of course, but all those other countries go on gut feeling, not >> you would have to talk to the other countries and their decision makers. i know that canada and the u.s. made our decisions based on new data, and the data is what drovi it. eally don't know what drove the decisions of the other countries. >> i know we're early in the investigation certainly of the ethiopian airline crash and the lion crash, but there haseen information made publicly available that one of the issues with regard to the lion air crash had to do with this new software program put on this 737 max called mcas. my question to you is why 737

pilots were not trained on that system, still hav been trained on that system, and did not know this software system the plane. how does the faa explain that? >> ll, the mcas system is explained in the manuals. it kicks in for a pilot on the airplane at a regime of flight that is at avery, very narrow regime of flight. and many of the pilots who have been trained onhe max have, if they did stall, they worked with the mcas system. there is much happening with the controls, not the flight controls, but many many computers, and they are verymp lex, as the president has pointed out. >> but as i understand it, and plea i correct me wrong, one of the selling points of this new aircraft was that it was an innovation that did not require new training for the pilots, which made it a lot

chper for the airlines. but wasn't that case of boeing and the airlines putting cost savings over safety of the re pilots, the and the people flying those planes? >> we the 737 max, when thent acciccurred in ethiopia, we did a scrub of all of the technical data that we collected and gathered. it's called foqua data. for over 35,000 flights in the unit states, and a total of 50,000 when you add canada for the 737 8 and 9, and there was not a single incident in our examination of this mc system being activated or pilots having to work with it or to deal with it, so h it not, in the u.s. and with our pilots in the max, it's not been an issue. >> there are pilots who have said that they have not been adequately trained on the mcas

system, and, in fact one w quoted as saying it was criminally inadequate, the ight training manual, in regards to that. i just want to pnt that out. f finally the president tweeted, airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly.e ots are no longer needed but rather computer scientists from mi i see it all the time. i don't know about you but i don't want albert einstein to be my pilot. i want flying what do you think of this? does he have it right? >> the president and i have talked about thi very thing, and i'll tell you this. planes are complex rcrafts. but scientists would tell you since we have aircraft, since the dawn of automation, safety has improved dramatic wly. andle they are more complex, they are definitely safer. >> fa administrator daniel ll el thank you for your time.

you're doing excellent work and we appreciate you coming on and anering our questions. also leading to grounded flights this morning, that major winter storm slamming the rockies and the midwestith blinding snow, dangerous winds. conditions so bad in colorado, a state of emergency has been declared. al is tracking that storm, but sirst dylan has the latest on all the probl it's causing. dylan, good morning. >> reporter: good g, hoda. the word of the day describes a very serious phenomenon. it occurs when the central pressure of a storm drops 20 millibars or more within 30 hours. thisrm sto dropped 31 millibars. it moved east and caused destruction along the way. this morning an epiccyinter unone slamming the middle of the coy. millions hit with blizzard conditions and dangerous wind >> the visibility is impossible. >> reporter: blinding snow crea ng treacherous condition on the roads and causing massive

pile-ups. the weather service warning, do not even attempt to driveis in storm. despite the warnings, first responders were called into action. firefighters rescuing this stranded driver after a ve multhicle accident that totaled his car.wa >> i scary. it was just like couldn't see, and then boom. >> reporter: colorado, one of the hardest hit. governor jared polis calling in the national guarh to help w search and rescue operations with more than 1,000 drivers stuck on the roads overnight, the highways turning deadly. highway ste patrol officer daniel grovesle killed w helping a stranded clve the runways leading to thenc lation of more than 100 flights. handing ots blan stranded at the airport. the winds also wreaking havoc.

dangerous winds causing a train to derail. luckily no one was injured. in texas, winds reaching 80 miles an hour, violently turning er aemi truck and ripping off the roof at an amazon rehouse. with spring just a week away, thein wickedr weather refusing to let up.r: >> reporhe snow won't pack a punch today, but we are expecting a line of dangerous storms and that could lead to dangerous winds. guys? >> that leads us to al. he's going to t wl usre this storm is headed. al, don't say east. >> it is, unfortunately. and now we have a wind advisory for 77illion people. denver 36-mile-per-hour. that's t fourth time only that they've shut down that airport. chicago 35, nashville 35. we'll be looking at airport delays today because of those winds. we've also got a lot going on today as far as storm alerts are ncerned. take a look. we've got blizzard warnings now still in effect for much of the

planes. we've also got severe thunderstorm watch and tornado watches down to the south. we're seeing tornado warnings popping up now and severe thunderstorm warnings, and we also have this risk of severe weather for8 million people today, damaging winds, hail, po antial for tornadoes this system pushes to the east. snow will taper off in the upper midwest. we look for severe storms in the midwest all the way to the southeast today. for tomorrow that rain makes its way into the east coast, losing some of its -- maybe severe thunderstorms, but nothing quite like we saw back in the east. the storm moves on byay satu rainfall through friday. the heaviest amounts will be down throw the lower mississippi valley with upwards of two inches of rain. and behd thesystem, the good news is, as dylan mentioned, the snow is going to taper off, but those blong winds are going to make for very low visibility. guys, back to you. >> allright, al, thank you. craig is here with the story that everybody canno stop talking about.

>>, hoda savannah, good morning to you. were learning a lot more about it this morning as well as the gh-profile families and eight universities tied to this scheme. actress lori loughlin among those charged to appear in court. she appeared yesterday. miguel almaguer is in los angeles with the very latest. miguel, good morning. >> reporter: al, good morning. he said he helped more than ove0r the course of several years. singer said he raked in some $18 million, cashoming from many, some celebrities. actressori loughlin sidestepped the cracks, offering no commeacs aftering a judge and posting a $1 million bond. along with her husband, fashion designer, the cple stands accused of paying nearly half a million dollars in bribes to get their daughter into usc.

their youngest daughter blogging about going into college. >> i don't know how much of school i'mo going attend. >> reporter: the list of 33 parents who investigators sayri ed the system includes a stunning roster of wealthy professionals, some w have take leaves from their companies after being charged. >> the makeup is going forward to the fur:re. >> reporlso on that list, tv lifestyle expert jane bu buckingh posted last may, don't cheat. apply it to all aspects of life and you'll probably be okay. then it learned she hired someone to take the a.c.t. test fo her son. and rick singer supplied a handwriting sample from her son so the ringer could try to match it. buckingham, who has no comment, appeared as a job coach on the reality show "job or no job."

>> when a frien tells you to lie on your resume, you 100% don't do it >> reporter: the man who took the job isri ddell, a former tennis player. he is cooperating with investigators and issued this apology. i am profoundly sorry for the h damage ie done and grief i have koucaused those as a resulf my needless william singer is also cooperating with investigators, tmzbtning this video for his pitch of a reality show about the pressures of >> mom and dad go to a dinner party, they hear about every kid who is getting into this school -- sunday morning, my phone rings off the hook. >> reporter: this morning, the rich and famous using their wealth for the benefit of their children at the cost of someone else's. >> we're learning more about

what couldhoappen to students. each university may take a different approach, but for example, usc says anyone involved in thecaal still applying for college will be denied admissions. for those already en lled, the students will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.o guys, backyou. >> the investigators say there could be more charges on the way. >> we are goingo speak wit the attorney for one of the college coaches accused of accepting bribes and we're going to examine the dark side of college admissions. this case is really exploding. >> it is, a apparently perhaps just getting started. let us go to al for the rest oft the fore when is spring coming? >> it's just around the corner, march 20, but in the meantime we are looking at strong winds.e thtrong winds blowing around that snow making for blizzard-like conditions, but up and down the east coast, things looking pretty darn good. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. . john!

hi! >>hi. sasha got dressed to crush her job interview. it looks good! and millions of other americans got dressed for millions of other personal moments. that's why at stitch fix we don't just see your size or your style. sasha greene? we see you. good morning, everybody. a nice-looking way to get your thursday mormpng started. atures are mostly in the 40s early this morning. it is going to turn into a delightfully mild day to be outsidetoday. 46 in winchester, 48 in arlington, 45 in prince georges. coun your forecast high for today, close to 70 degrees. a nice one today. a little breezy, though. tomorrow c80%nce of some showers, maybe a rumble of thunder in the afternoon. dry for the weekend. >> that's your latestweather. guys? >> al, thank you so much. coming up, the many ways that

students are gaming the system to get into college. it's in the wake of this stunning admissions scandal. we'll talk to this the many coaches accused of accepting a bribe. and the head of the notoriousno gambi crime family killed outside hishome. this is first on "today" on nbc.

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fact check this ad in good housekeeping. olay. good morning,everybody. 7:26 now on this thursday, march 14. i'm aaron gilchrist. >> happening today in federal court, a d.c. governor employer will answer to charges for exchanging sex and money for welfare benefits. demetrius mcmillan is accused of handing out nearly a million and aalf dollars in fraudulent benefits. former maryland governor harry hashes died. hughes was maryland's governor from 1979 to 1987. the current governor larry han shared his condolences last night calling hughes, quote, an maryla legend. harry hughes was 92 years old. a look now at your first 4

traffichis morning. 181 bridge, we're slow. fort washington, the 11th street bridge, part of a problem of a crash with the left side blocked.>> your forecast is next. stay with us.

some nice color in our sky ashe sun is coming up on a thursday morning. temperatures mostly in the 40s. we're 48 now i washington, 45 in clinton, maryland, 41 for gaithersburg, 49 in manassas. kids waiting for the bus stop, a little on the chilly side, but after-school playtime,

temperures will be on the mild side as well. tomorrow maybe a rumble of thunder tomorrow afternoon and evening, but it will be once again quite chilly and blustery on your side. [music] [female voiceover] today, people across the nation are experiencing the benefits of joining penfed credit union. with the penfed car buying service,

they're finding the right car at a better price. and everyone is welcome to apply. join today at penfed.org we're we're back now, 7:30. it's thunderstorms morning,, march 19. that is a look at staten island, new york at the very place where police are investigating the murder of a notorious mob boss. police say it happened right there. we're live on thecene with the details coming up. a check of the other headlines right now. the a acknowledging early on today that new information it received yesterday linking two recent deadly plane crashes led to the decision to ground the boeing 737 max jets. president trump actually made the announcement himself wednesday after the faa reviewed satellite data from ethiopian airlines flight 302. ithowed the plane experienced wild and erratic vertical takeoff speeds before crashing. the pilots told controllers they

struggled to control the plane milar to that lion air crash in indonesia. boeing now says itte supports mporarily grounding the fleet. in the u.s., southwest, american and united fly those planes. those airlines are swapping outa those planes dropping the change fee for passengers. there is a new place in the fda for a fig of e-cigarette use, especially among eyteenage. re limiting the sale of flavored tobacco products. the fda says there has been an epidemic rise on e-cigarette use among young people, and data showing more than 6 million high school students used re e-cies in the last year in the u.s. that's up 1.5 million from the previous year. millions of americans are waking up tohe path of a dangerous storm. lorado had deadly road conditions causing a massive pile-up. theio nl guard was called in

for rescue operations for more than 1,000 drivers alone. a so-called bomb cyclone shut do denver international airport, leading to the cancellation of 1400 flights. 14 million people are facing severe weathers the storm moves east. al will be back with the forecast in a few minutes. nowha more on scandal of 50 families accused of buying their way into colleges. >> nbc national correspondent kate snow joins us with more on this. kate, good morning. good morning, guys. athletes gate huge advantage when it comes to getting into some of the most prestigious schools. this scandal pting a stoplight on some of the coaches and managers who allegedly used that advantage for their own financial gain. the dark side of college admissions now under a microscope after what's being called the biggest college admissions scandal ever.

at the center, william "rick" singer, founder of a college counseng service for what he called the world's most reected families. he is accused of accepting millions of dollars to bribe colle coaches and test probable cauprocto proctors to get well-off kids into schools. the university of texas-austin men's tennis team coach accepted $1 million for saying a student was a recruit for histeam, eve though the student didn't play professional nn. there was a phone call to singer in order to get him to confess to his role. in the criminal complaint, senter confirmed he was paid hemost $1 million to get a student into school. he also said in the conversation

that some of it was put to tennisti faci. he had his official hearing in austin o wednesday afternoon where bail was set at $50 million. he said in a statement, ingrity in admissions is vital to the academic and social standardsf o university. >> they have declined to name the student of the coach who allegedly helped him in this case and whether or not that student is still enrolled in ut the coach is scheduled to appear in a federal courtroom in boston in march 25th. ys is expected to plead not guilty, >> kate, thank you. now back to this current scandal. we areoined by dan cogdell. he is the attorney of the tennis coach ay the univers of texas who was fired after being chanc charged in connection with this

bribhey . good morning. >> good morning. >> as you know, your college is ac of accepting a bribe of nearly $95,000 to admit a student who otherwise wouldn't have been admitted to the university oftexas. does your client deny accepting a bribe? >> my client certainly does. michael senter is a wonderful man. he's been hit by a tidal wave. thisccation has been devastating to him and he absolutely denies being guilty of this offense. >> your program is one of the top five in the coun y. that begs the question, why would your client recruit a young high school kid -- and these are the allegations by the u.s. attorney's office -- who played, i think, one year of tennis in hig school as freshman and give him what he called sort of a book scholarship? >> keep this mind, hoda, that the accusteions from the cooperation with this singer fellow who was the head of organization, and he's the

kingpin. it's kind of like making a deal with john gadi to go after the limo driver. i'm not accepting his accusations andg what he's say just because he said it. >> t u.s. attorney says he actually hass an e-mail from yor client to mr. singer saying there was a letter of intent. so that leaves mr. singer out of it. >> it doesn't leave mr. singer out of i because he' the center of gravity of these charges. again, these prosecutors are skilled, thorough and competent and i'm not accusing them of any misconduct. i'm simply saying i haven't reviewed the evidence. i don't know what thevidence is, and this is an accusation. last time i checked the ocpresumption of ice still means something. >> yers, but i'm sure you read the charging dument and it contains a transcript of a recorded call between your client and mr. singer where he appears to acknowledge giving the student a book feholarship,

to payments of approximately $90,000, some of which he says he gave totten nis progr -- to the tennis program. assuming the transcript is correct, isn't he essentially t admittin the basic facts here? >> i'm not assuming the transcript is t rrect. i haveen it, i haven't read it. >> wouldn't it be highly regular for a professional prosecutor to put an erroneous transcript int a cou record? >> it certainly would be erroneous, but prosecutors aren't perfect and no prosecutor, no lawyer is. so uil i s the evidence, i'm not going to sit there and speculate on what's right and what's wrong in the accusation. >>he assuming transcript is correct, though, would it not kanaadcontain an admission from client to the basic facts here? >> hypothetically, if that transcript is correct, it would be a damaging ddocument, it wo be a damaging tape. but again, i haven't listened to the tape, i haven'teen the transcript, i don't know the context, so let's move on from

speculation. >> dan cogdell, we appreciate your time this morning. we know it's early in the case ning as y in the m well. we appreciate it. >> thank you. appreciate it. it's time for another check on the weather. let's go to mr. roker. >> this ainter has bee wet one. extreme rainfall well above average in the eastern part of the country, well above average out west. 19 states hop their ten wettest winters on record, and in fact in wisconsin, their second wettest, wa, and tennessee, the wettest on record as well. in fact, since 1968, the eastern half of the country is seeing a massive increase in these extreme downdownpours. so we're going to be watching that. expanding cold is what we're wau watching out west, but nice and warm in the east. chicago, you're going to be 64, dallas will be 55 and by the

weekend, boston 42 degrees for your 36 on saturday in cleveland, 50 in nashville a ond saturday. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of th woods. good morning, everybody. a beautiful start to your wind ay morning, a lig out of the south. we get a little breezeier later on in the day today. southwest winds, though, promise a big upwa.rm 40s toet your day going. afternoon will be 60 to nearly 70 degrees. no chance for rain today. tomorrow there is an 80% chance of rain, most of it moming in thdle afternoon hours. it's not going to rain all day tomorrow. highs near 70 on your friday. back to the 5 for the weekend. a first look at a contradictoryocumentary of madeleine mccann. why her parents say it could help in s theearch for aners.

we talk to gary sinise as the actorpens up about veterans. > you can't wait to hear who was on "the tonight show." what's behind all the buzz with beto o'rourke? after this.

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to ted . now the el paso native says he's ready to run for the white >> amy and i are happy to share with you that i'm ready to serve you as the next president of the united states of america. >> reporter: this morning beto o'rourke making it official. the former texas congressman announcing he's running for present in this video message posted on social media. >> this is a defining moment of truth for this country and for every single one of us. >> reporter: o'rourke saying the interconnected crises of the economy, the climate and the nation democracy have never been greater. the latest hint o'rourke was ready toinun c in a glossy vanity fair spread overnight captured by celebrity photographer annie leibovitz, o'rourke saying, i'm just born to dohis after recently telling oprah, i am thinking about running for president. in his last political fight, the -year-old father of three tried but failed to unseat senator ted cruz in the midrm elections. but it was these remarks that quickly went viral aft the

campaign about the divisive issue of nfl players taking a knee to protest police brutality that helped catapult him to national fame. >> i can think of nothing more american than to peacefully stand up or take a knee for your rights. >> reporter: o'rrke is known bur drawing big money and big names. he's also faced criticism for struggling in a recent "washington post" interview to say exactlyhere he stands on important policy issues like immigration. while a congressman, he sponsored three billssi that we ed into law, and this recent "new york times" profile painted the former entrepreneur and rock musician as still searching to define who he is. the president recently took aim at o'rourke during a rally in his hometown, el paso. >> he'll say beto o'rourke -- that's his last name, right, o'rourke beto o'rourke had a wonderful rally of about 15 people. >> o'rourke faces aou primary field filled with a

diverse array of candidates, and even steeper competition if former vice president joe biden enters the race. facing the challenges, o'rourke now signalling he's drid fready the fight. >> thenly way to live up to our promise for averica is to t our all and give it for all of us. ore than uly now, ever, the last great hope of earth. >> and o'rourke's first stop today, the critical state of wa. he'll hold several events there over the nexto' few days. urke is aiming to have a crossover appeal to moderates androessives. but can he turn his defeat in texas into a nationalor vi we'll have to see. >> how many candidates, kristen? putting you on the spot.nk >> i that makes it maybe 13, i think. i think. fact check me. coming up, the investigation

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7:56 is your time now on this thursday, march 14, 2019. good morning to you. we want to check on your commute with melissa malay and your morning traffic. >> local lanes on the woodrow wilson bridge. take a lookay at that d as you head across the bridge. very slow because of that crash. ouurelbound parkway between maryland 198, slow because of some flat tires this morning. arlington, an accident there. thank you. auw we'll check your forecast next. ful sunrise.

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havertys life looks good a very pretty morning here in the washington area. the sun is up a a mostly clear sky for now. there will be more clouds later on today but no rain today. current temperatures in the mid topper 4 across much of the d.c. metro area. afternoon temperatures will be in the upper 60s to right around 70 degrees. another mild day coming our way, for tomorr but there is an 80% chance for some showers, esn.cially tomorrow aftern high of 71, then 50s for the weekend. >> chuck, thank you. another local news update for you in 25 minutes. we're now back to the "today" show after this short break. have a great day.

it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, grounded. after facing days of mounting pressure, the faa declares an emergency order, grounding 737 max >> any plane currently in the air will go to its destination, and thereafter be grounded until further notice. >> the united states, the lasto country ground the plane. so what's behindhe decision, and how will it affect flights this morning? we're live with the latest. plus, under fire. >> i'm here with my mom. >> in the wake of the collegeio adns scheme, a look at theow ing backlash targeting lori loughl's daughter. we're going to get ready for a college party together. >> she's becoming the face of

the scandal. from self to service.y harrmith sits down with actor gary sinise aboutil his f to help out the military families. >> my heart broke for the litary families. i didn't want it to happen again, the people serving in iraq and afghanistan. >> why theta forrest gump s says it is his greatest work yet. today, march 14th, 2019. >> te'reed up from tcu. >> go frogs. >> good morning to my kinderrtners in mississippi. ♪ i'm an animal, animal >> from texas. >> peach tree city, georgia. >> columbus, ohio. >> and anchorage, alaska. >> hi, i'm from colorado springs, colorado. after twoyears, two months, and six days, i'm all done with chemo and ceecer fr ♪ animal, animal

>> might be t best o. >> wow. welcome back to "today." thank you for being with us on this thursday mornin all right, y'all, the crowds keep building. we have a lot of hs and handshakes. >> spring fever out there. we want to get right to your lot goiause there's on at 8:00. the u.s. has joined the rest of the world in grounding all boeing 737 max-8 jet liners after new data revealed similarities between two catastrophic crashes. nbc's tom costello covers aviation for us and has the very latest. >> reporter: hoda, good morning. so if you are flying today, tomorrow, or next week, you will not be on a max-8 or max-9. but if you're flying today, you may be facing big cancellations nationwide. not only is that he snowstorm rolling across the country that's affecting travel, but then this entire fleet of max jets now grounded. so the airlines are trying to move planes around to cover that. it is all because of the connection, the possible connection, between the i plane

cras ethiopia on sunday and last e crash in indonesia october. earlier today on "today," savannah asked the faa chief about evidence suggesting these two max-8 crashes may be related. >> as i understand it, the faac ed new information, satellite information yesterday. is there evidencenow, inour hands, that suggests, possibly, that lion air, the indonesian crash, and the ethpian airline were brought down by the same cause? >> we are much closer to that possibility, and that's why wee grouhe airplanes. we got new infor yesterday, and we acted on it. it is,ds in our m now, a link that is close enough to ground airplanes. >> reporter: he's talking about evidence on the ground and also data froe,the satell suggesting both planes had very erratic takeoff speeds and performance issues. the black boxesre now in paris

for a readout. savannah and hoda, back to you. >> tom, the president is remaining defiant in the face of what could be a major setback today in a vote in congress. the epublican-controlled sen is expected to pass a bill that would block thepr ident's emergency declaration, which he used to go around congress so that heould fund h border wall. this would be a sharp rejection president's signature initiatives. this morning, the president tweeted, i am prepared t veto, if necessary. the southern border is a national security and humanitarian nightmare, but it can be easily fixed, he wrote. also this morning, what appears to be the first major new york city mob hit in decades is under information. kathy park is at the scene on staten island with the latest on the investigation. good morning. >> reporter: craig,in good mo the shooting happened shortly after 9:00 last night, but it is still very much an active crime scene in this neighborhood. investigators are tryingo figure out if this was in any

way linked to the mob. in a brazen shooting straight out of a crime dra, 53-year-old francisco "frankie" cali was bound with multiple w gunshonds to his torso outside his home. he was having dinner with his family around he9:00 p.m. he hoepped outside to talk to someone and wast and killed. law eorcement sources tell wnbc that officials are investigating the attack at a possible mob hit. w calias believed to be the acting boss of the gambino crime family. the s totingk place in the affluent todt hillofeighborhood staten island, well-known for its crime connections. it was used as a location for the ficonal character in "the godfather." >> i'm going to make an offer he can't refuse. >> reporter: federal prosecutor reserved to calis the mob

boss. his criminal conviction came decade ago when he pleaded guilty in a failed attempt to build a nascar track on staten land. he was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison and released in 2009. the gambino family was onceg amhe most powerful criminal organizations in the u.s. federal procutions in the 1980s and '90ens its top leaders to prison, including g joi, often referred to as dapper don. unlike the well-dressed gadi, cali kept a low profile. police are working to solve his high-profile murder. ow, police have not made any arrests, but witnesses describe seeing a suspect fleeing the scene in a blue pickup truck. now, it's been decades since a mob boss was killed in new york. the last time being paul 1 casillano ou85 ide a steak house. >> thanks, kathy.

how about a boost for you? a maryland father is really proud of his 8-year-old savannah. she's deaf. she learned to perform the carrie underwood song "the champion" in sign language. her dad thought it was really cool and shared it on twitter. ♪ and now it's do or die ♪ i am invincible, unbreakable, unstoppable, unshakable ♪ ♪ they knock me down, get up again ♪ ♪ im a champion >> wow. >> how about that? >> richard, by the way, is t asking other re-tweet the video. he is trying to get carrie underwood's attention. >> nkne. >> i te may have helped a little. >> i hope so. i'm sure carrie would love to meet her. a doll. >> keep you posted on that one. ahead, the big surprise

guest who showed up with jimmy last night on "the tonight >>ghtnigh show." first, lori loughlin's first, lori loughlin's daughter, jade, how the college oh ♪ oh h oh oh ♪ it's taking over first, lori loughlin's daughter, jade, how the college ♪ there's no escape ♪ou better get moving ♪ ready or not ♪ it's about to go down here it comes now ♪ ♪ get ready ♪ oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ♪ ♪ get ready ♪ moving ♪ ready or not ♪♪ get ready ♪ oh oh oh oh oh ♪ hey i couldn't catch my breath. it was the last song of the night. it felt like my heart was skipping beats. they said i had afib. what's afib? i knew that meant i was at a greater risk of stroke. i needed answers. my doctor and i chose xarelto® to help keep me protected from a stroke. once-daily xarelto®, a latest-generation blood thinner

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the college admissions cheatingn scdal. >> olivia jade giannulli is daughter of lori loughlin and fashion designer giannulli, who are accused of cheating the system to get into the university of southern natalie has more. good morning. >> the big question, not just what happens to the parents butn also the childho benefitted from the cheating scandal. well before the scandal broke, olivia giannulli was famous for social media. >> welcome back to my youtube channel. >> reporter: from social media darling. c >> amazon iing to shoot some of my room because they hooked me up with basically everything in my dorm. >> reporter: t poster child for entitled rich kids. >> i do want theie expernce of game days, partying. i don't really care about school. >> reporter: 19-year-old olivia giannulli, known as olivia jade on youtube and has 2 milon

followers. >> we're going to get ready for a college party together. >> reporter: is facing backlash. she is sitting with money, doesn't even want college, then to know she's paying to get into a school she doesn't want to go to, it is irritating. >> here with my mom. >> reporter: her parents are charged with spending $500,000 in bribes to get their daughters into usc. >> i didn't mean it that way. >> reporter: last year, sheed pon apology for coming off as spoiled. >> i'm really sorry to anyone i offended by saying i wasn't excited to do like schoolwork and for anything elsd i s that made me sound kind of like an idiot. >> reporter: this week during spring break, nbc news has confirmed olivia vacationed on this mega-yacht owned by the chairman of usc's board of trustees. his daughter is trends with o live friends with olivia. >> it is the coolest things, getting s from girls, i'm

applying for college. what'd you do? >> reporter: no students face e charges in th scandal, and officials say it is unclear if any knew what their paren were doing. the list of 33 wealthy parents who investigators say rigged the system includes a stunning roster of wealthy executives, a doctor, and a lawyer. critics say their kids, who ben fritt bentt bene from the fraud, should be held accountable. >> it should be looked at. >> even in situations where they were unaware of what was going on, they should be moved. >> reporter: in 2016, lori loughlin appeared on "access" with older daughter bella, talking about her education. >> i want her to have the experience and a opportunity to have a degree, have something t fall back on. i think it is imorrtant. >> rr: according to court documents, she and bella's fatheresorted to bribes because bella's academic qualifications were at or just obelow the low end usc's admissions standards.

in a statement, usc says it is conducting a case by case review for current students and graduates that may be connected to the scheme. >> i got an assistant, which has been a really awesome thing. >> reporter: the social media influencer's future may already be in jeopardy. olivia has had sponsorship deals with major brands. >> this shade is my absolute favorite shade. >> reporter: now, hp pulled her content, and critics are pressuring other companies to do the same, as more blame falls the parents who, instead of helping their kids, may have hurt their futures. >> reps for the giannulli didn't respond to our request for comment. unsurehat wilappen to olivia's future at usc. about her visit to the yacht, the board member said the young woman decided it'd be in her best intest to return home. guys?

>> boy. >> natalie, thank you. >> stay tuned. mr. roker, how about a check of the forecast. >> let's show you what we have going . still have the good morning, everybody. all is h quiete in our area this morning. skies are partly cloudy and the temperatures are in the 40s for much most of the met. ar there are some cooler 30s in parts of northern maryland and parts of the shenandoah valley. there is more than enough

sunshine that will besng temperatnto the 50s by later this morning and near 70 for a high temperature today. also near 70 today, raindrops a couple times tomorrow. then dry weather returns for the weekend but it won't be mild anymore. door, make sure you catch us on "today" siriuskxm channel 108. >> happy pi day. al, thank you. what would you do without social media to occupy your time? >> i don't know. >> a lot of folks foundut yesterday. carson is in the orange room with that story. a lot of upset people. >> yes, on wednesday, facebook experienced one of its longest outages in history for much of the day. not only were users unable to access the social media, but also facebook-owned apps like ha instagram ands app. they experienced issues, as well. let's go through it. just before 2:00 p.m. eastern, facebook turned to twitter and wrote this, wre awarehat

some people are currently having trouble accessing the facebook family of apps. we're wolking to r the issue as soon as possible. during the outage, social media users also turned to twitter. they were usinghe hashtag facebook down. that became a top trend. here's a w. mindy kaling writing, instagram and facebook are down.he we are, crossing my fingers, this is my best performing tweet ye josh peck wrote, with facebook and instagram down, 250 models just became dental high jeets. eric said, hey, try turning iac off and on again. facebook was restored around 00 a.m. easte time. facebook posted, it is good to be back. facebook said the outage was not the result of any attack, but th have yet to confirm exactly what the issue was. the issues were all over the place. i was trying to post sometng on instagram yesterday, last night, and it wasn't working. it wasn't posting.

pictures weren't going to it. >> your life went on. >> very muc so my quality of life improved actually. >> i know, right? >> exactly. >> good for the soul. how about pop start? >> quick pop start. there was a surpriseas return night to "the tonight show." take a look who stopped b during jimmy fallon's monologue. >> anngry man was yelling about all this stuff and wouldn't stop yelling. i thought, if he has something to say, let's bring him on the show. he the angry guy i saw on the street. here he is. >> amazon announced they're going to be opening stores nationwide with no sales clerks of any kind. first of all, that's not new, okay? sears had that 20 years ago. you ever try to buy something in sears? hello, i'mrying to pay for this kenmore. hello, anybody here? hello? remember when sears was amazon? redamber those ? you got that catalog. you found what you wanted and,

boom, eight weeks later, it was right there. i am out of here! >> jay leno there. >>e's still got it. >> millenials going, sears? >> former host of "t tonight show." saw him yesterday in studio 1a erday, as well. good to see mr. leno. that's your pop start. look who is is here atshe table tmorning. >> morning, kids. good to see you all. >> you, too. >> you talked to actor gary sinise about what he considers his greatest role. >> he started a theater in chicago, then a great movie role in "forrest gump." years on cbs on "csi." this is his greatest role as a gre grateful american.or >> rr: the lieutenant dan band is smoking at the air station. leading the crew is actor gary sinise. while playing the hits for service members and theirot famy isis day job, it may very

well be his calling. how many concerts do you think you've done? 400 something concerts, man. it's excessive. i mean, it's crazy, but it is good excessive, you know? i don't make a living doing this. this is what i do for -- to help. >> reporter: 400 concerts at more than 150 bases anderutposts all he world. the hours, the days, the miles, uncountable. sinise is most famous for his signature role in "forrest gump." >> thought i'dea try out my s legs. >> you ain't got no legs, lieutenant dan. >> reporter: his devotion to the military and america's vets first came when he got to know the vietnam vets in his wife's family. >> they really opened my eyes. started to support vietnam veterans groups in various ways in the chicago area in the early '80s. >> reporteme my wn. >> your hometown.

>> reporter: yearste la when america had a new war to fight, sinise new he wouldnot, he could not stand on sidelines. >> my heart broke for our vietnam veterans. i didn't want that to happen again to people that were volunteering to serve in iq and afghanistan. so i just went fullep on. >>ter: full on has meant the gary sinise foundation, building user-friendly smart homes for dozens of disabled ve. marine sean adams and retired sergeant john each survived encounters with ieds. heir new homes are welcome homes. >> we're proud to celebrate the bravery of master see'eant. >>d get down every hallway. you can turn around in the wheelchair. get through every doorway, insi and out. everything is built to my height in my wheelchair. >> reporter: what was your retion when you found out that you were going to get one of these

>> it was great relief. >> sir, i'd like to present you with the flags, raised for t first time. >> gary sinise is the most humble human being i've ever been around. he loves you, and he loves his family. he sets the bar, the mark, of what being a man is. >> reporter: thesinise foundation also sponsors the snowball express, which sends families of the fallen tod disny wo each year. especially vital retreat for t guinns, after 14 proud years in the navy. husband and father of four, marcusfe took his own >> you kind of forget reality and forget the real reason you're here. at the same time, you have thatd bo >> reporter: our wars are no longer front page news, but that matters not to gary sinise. the needs aretill great. >> these are our freedom providers. i don't take that for granted, you know. the military families don't get a lot of attention. they don't have a lot. >> reporter: especiall anymore. >> no, no. we have people down range that

are deployed and ierving andn harm's way each and every day. they get hurt, and their families struggle. ♪ >> reporter: that night at the concert in jacksonville, gold star families lined up just to spend a little time with sinisee there tears and hs and thank yous for his service. >> oh, thanks, gary. >> i sat on the floor and jus watched this line of people. couples and parents and spouses and person after person after person. gold star families. for a lot of people in america, say what's that? that's when you have lost a service member. >> >> to watch those people respond to him because they know that, as a civilian, he is maybe the it. who gets >> yeah. >> wow. >> he has -- his book is, what, foures weeks on the seller list. te terrific book. >> "gl american." >> coming out of the role he plays, then to make a

commitment, and it decades long commitment to our service members, that he's just living every oay with no knowing it. >> right. >> no one watching. >> yeah. >> it is just incredible. >> so you see him walk around jacksonvil jacksonville there, and people just respond. he actually is the man. he's the man. he's the guy. you hear people talk the talk. this guy talks the talk and walks the walk. >> the book really is all about the incredible things he overcame in his life. >> not so easy. >> it's got a lot we didn't know about gary. >> for sure. >> thank you, harry. >> if we could take one page out of his book, do one thing. >> exactly right. >> for sure. straight ahead, new shoes for any and all occasions. we are revealing the winner -- >> today? >> yeah, you're here on the right day. >> today? >> what size shoe do you wear, harry? >> oh, my gosh. mha

good morning to you. it's 8:26 on this thursday, march 14. i'm cory smith. lecks start with a c on the roads with melissa malay and her first 4 traffic. melissa? ck in lle the right side is blocked so you can see those main lanes looking slow as you soad hbound. fort washington, woodrow wilson bridge. those delays have cleared, and vienna, a crash with t left lane blocked. cory? >> we'll get a check on the forecast when we come back.

sunshine to get your thursday going. temperatures mostly in the 40s. a little cooler in parts of the shenandoah valley. it will be a milderay today with temperatures getting up to 70 degrees.

another day near 70g comp tomorrow, but if you were hoping the warm weather i would lasto the weekend, your hopes will be dashed. >> thank you, chuc you can get your morning weather and news on the n brbc app. >>

hi, everybody. good morning. it's 8:30 now. t is thursday, march 14th, 2019. as we say hello to a great crowd out on the plaza, happy to have so many folks here. lots of spring breakers out herg gettin jump on spring, actually s we loveaying hello to all of you. thanyou for being here. al. nice and warm out here >> yes, it is. >> feels good. >> just getting better. >> spring is here. >> where's the class from fleming high school in colorado? where are you guys?

this is tio sen class. right here?u, who is the senior class? >> we are, us four. >> the four of you, in the wscle high ol? >> yeah. >> you're all here >> yeah. >> this is your graduation. what are your names? >> emma. >> i'm jenna. >> brooke. >> garrett. >> welcome to new york. >> whank you. t are you doing? >> it is our senior class trip. >> this is it, huh? what do you have planned? >> a lot. >> we're trying to cram in everything. >> we went to the 9/11 museum. it was cool. >> ate good food. >> h anybo plans, college, life, work, getting a job? nursing.ing to unc for it is a college in colorado. >> awesome. who is the gledictorian? d question. >> all right. welcom congratulations. >> thank you. >> there you have it. >> are you sisters in the front? are you related? >> no. >> okay. >> i love it. >> how many in your graduating class? >> like 600. >> yeah. >> i was not distinguished. that's forsure.

coming up, you are in luck if you are in the market for a new pair of kicks. we're about to reveal the top picks from "shape" magazine's annual sneaker awards. everything from the tym fashionable choices you can wear to work. >> cool. we have the great michael simon here. we'll be doing some cooking. he's been on the show b core but neveked for us. >> wow. >> we'll learn secrets behind recipecken >> brining involved. top of the hour, literally, the biggest guest we've ever had on the third hour oftoday." there he is. shaquille o'neal. >> the largest. >> we'll hav a lot o fun with shaq, the basketball and business legendpping by studio 1a. weas animportant, new cause to talk about. >> you know what size sneaker he wears? >> 16,17. >> nope. >> 18. >> nope. >> 20. >> 22 >> 22? >> that's a thing. >> you put a motor on it, take it out on the lake, it's grea

fantastic. feeling springy,al. >> let's see what we have around the rest of the country for our weekendk.outl mild with showers along the east sunshine for your thursday. gradually increasing clouds later on in the day.on it rain today, it will rain tomorrow, though. temperatures in the 40s across it is region today's high around 70 degrees. a little breezy at times, southwest wind up to 20 miles an

hour. tomorrow also mild but an 80% chance of rain tomorrow. the best chance of rain will be about 00 tomorrow afternoon and about 8:00 tomorrow evening. otherwise the mild weather disappears but we get chilly again but stay dry through most of next week. now to a contr doary heading to netflix. he documentary explores the mysterious case of madeleine mccann, 12 years after her still unlved disappearance. today, keir sions has the story. good morning. >> reporter: hey, craig. good morning. this netflixocumentary has a senior former police officer saying that he still believes we will discover what happened to madeleine mccann. you guys wil not be able to watch this without thinking nbout your own children. i have my heart my mouth, and i have reported on this story from the beginning. what happened is every parent's worste. nightm

her name, madeleine, was heard around the world. a little girl, just 3 when she disappeared, vanishing from her family's vacation apartment. a horrifying prospect for any parent. then wors m heom and dad themselves accused and questioned. >> what's happened to madeleine mccann? >> reporter: a new netflix documentary shining the light oa the, interviewing witnesses, former suspects, and law enforcement officials. the eight-part series re-creating the ments madeleine' mother, while chec checking on her while with friends, finds a window open. a neighbor speaking out about the events she witnessed. >> i heard that terriblenoise.it as like howling. i could hear kate howling. it was an animal sound.

's horrible. it's so destroying. >> reporter: today, portuguese lice were searching fields around the resorts. i covered the investigation in portugal from the day madeleine disappeared in may 2007. are you sure this is the man you saw? >> yes, sir. this is, as i remember, the man. >> reporter: thispo documentary urs over the evidence from potential witnesses, offering fresh insights more than ten years on. >> it was here that we saw the twomen. >> reporter: someone seen carrying madeleine. >> it is easy to move children to other >> reporter: it examines the media frenzy, the police under pressure. >> i really had deep concerns about the approach of the portuguese police >> reporter: and talks to those who fell under suspicion. their reputations damaged, lives changed forever. >> we had nobody. >> reporter: one had his car set alight. >> pretty much ruined ten years life.

>> reporter: it charts the mccann's journey, from sympathy to villaiy. the documentary facing criticism from madeleine's parents. we don't see how this could help the search for her, they say. it could hinder a police investigatewn. it raises questions about the many mistakes made. >> the police leaked infortion to the press. > reporter: and about how the media and the new questiphenome social media, fueled poisonous conspiracy theories. >> one, it is unfair to the parents. two, it goes against, you know, justice, proven until guilty. three, critically, t stops other people from looking. >> reporter: more tn a decade later, madeleine is still missing. her case still a mystery. it really makes you think, this documentary, about what happens when a case h so much attention. you know, we journalists like to

think of ourselves as a force fo good. we very often are. but in in case, a lot of misinformation was reported. on a positive note, gu , the is still hope for madeleine mccann. remember, duguard was found at 18 years. >> it's unting. when we come back, we'll switch gears and reveal the ha winners of "spe" magazine's sneakers awards. first, thiis "today"n nbc.s

welcome back, everybody. w we're bach the latest trend in footwear. if you haven't notisd, sneak happen to be the new stilettos. >> good to know. from the gym to the runways ofi fa week, they are the must-have item this spring. "shape" magazine narrowed down the lengthy list of options to the latestre andest styles.

we have the lifestyle director, brooke. >> thanks for having me >> rocking sneakers yourself. >> these are my favorites, which we'll get to in the segment. >> we have a meter, and you'll know us what the hottest ones are. craig will start, and i'll pick up halfway through. >> we'reoi to start here. when i think of a sneaker, this what i think of. >> ultimate gym shoe. this is the nike free tr-8. itails at $100. it is the ultimate gym shoe, great for cross-frtraining and lunges. it fits like a sock or glove. >> you make it look good, too. >> yes. >> what do we have here, looks shoe. skechers >> it is solomon, retails at $100. it is the amphib bold. this is the summer sneaker to have. you can go into the locean. >>e that. >> you can lace up and hit the road. from creek to ocean to road, this does it all. they dry really quickly. >> are they comfortable? >> very. >> what'sathe sticker on >> $100 by salomon.

>> yes. >> we'll start with lwrard. he iss fashionable. fashion meets function. >> we have the same sneak by allbirds. it is machine washable. it has arwool, o resistant in-sole. derived from eucalyptus, sot is eco-friendly. you're helping the planet. >> super comfy? >> i'm walking on a cloud. >> your moment in the sun, baby. >> walking on acloud. >> thank you. people would love to wear a sneaker to work. that's what tiffany isdoing. >> the hope is sakers appropriate for work. this is a metallic by keds. it retails at$70. it is a dream sole, so you can walk in it all day and go out at night. >> some think sneakren't right for work, but that's the cool, new thing. it's okay? >> i think it is the cool new

thing. i'm not everyone's boss so iak can't me the decision. >> some may like the sneakers but not the imetallic. comes in a variety of colors. black, white, red, blue. they have it all at keds.com. >> how mu? >> $70. >> how much are the allbirds again? >> $95. >> i have two pairs of the allbirds. they're great. >> apparently, ts is the perfect shoe. the perfect sneaker. >> perfect shoe. who doesn't lhie a wte sneaker that stands the test of time? from aldo, retails at $70. it has an embroidered upper, so this is a fre take on the white sneaker. detail makes it fun. i love this for summer, spring, and even winter white, to >> do the make a men's version? >> this is female only,s are the brkeds. >>ke, you rocked it. >> thank you. >> brooke, thank you. the hamodels, you, as well. thank you. walking on a cloud. you can find more o sneakers and the rest of "shape's" shoe winners at .

today.com/sh up next. >> best segment of the day. >> we're eating, hoda kotb. we have renowned chef michael simon. first, this is "today" on nbc. >>

♪

find a world of inspiration. find something you love today. unique selection. unbelievable prices. homegoods. go finding. welcome back. this morn today food, celebrated chef michael simon, the author of, count them, five best-selling cookbooks with another on the way, is also chef and owner of award-winning restaurants, including the crown jewel of cleveland, lola's, as well as maybel's. chef, great to have you here. >> good to be here. >> big fan, brother. >> thank you. >> can we talk before getting into the cooking? >> yes. cleveland. the cleveland browns. >> we have obj. i don't know if anybody knows it. we gobj. >> you went from 30-1 to win the super wl to 14-1. your team didn't win a game two years ago. you're the hottest thing in the nfl. >> we were 400-1 to win the

sur bowl. >> lost lebron. >> we have baker. happy we got obj.i i'm a uflong-timering browns fan. >> you're also a granddad. >> emerson. deceer 8th, kyle and his wonderful wife welcomed emerson in the world. could not be -- oh, there she is. cute as a button. that w the day she was born. three months now. she's, you know, talking in full sentences andru ing. she's going to be an olympic, i'm sure. >> good stuff. we have fried chicken toy. ingredients look -- >> simple.ch ken. i normally never brine food i'mi ro, but when i'm frying, i brine. we have ckoshur salt and brown sugar. you can do it from four hours to the night before. dissolve that in the warm water, and i add to cold water so we're at the right temperature.

we don't want to p the chicken in hot water. then the other ingredients. thyme, rosemary, garlic. >> pretty easy. >> basic flavors. take your chicken. you know, i like the organic chicken, if you can. i'm a fan of when you're frying chicken, the bone should be in, and the skin should be on. >> right. you need those. >> that's where the goodness is. people go, i don't want skin on my fried chicken. it's fried chicken. you're already frying the chicken. >> good fried chicken. >> it is going in the saltwater. >> right, with the herbs. what happens when you brine itui is then liq goes in and out. all the flavors of the thyme, the rosemary, garlic, going into the chicken. >> after the brining, you pull it out. you want to dry it off? >> yeah. we let it dry a little t. this is a two-step. this will be i promise you, carson, the crunchiest fried chicken. >> talk slower. i love it. >> you will hear this chicken in

cleveland when you bite into it. in cleveland, you'll hear the >> come on. >> the way we do it, here, i have cornstarch and baking powder. i take the chicken after it has en brined. >> sorry. is baking powder -- it's not flour. >> no. no flouryet. this goes in here, and this stays on the chicken. >> no egg wash? >> no egg wash yet. >> okay. >> stays on a couple hours. this is goingo form like a little skin around the chicken that will help the batter sit. >> this sits? >> for an hour to three hour >> gotit. >> now, flour, cornstarch, and a ttle baking powder again. >> cool. >> to this, i add water. here's the very secret, special, important ingredient, >>vodka. whoa. >> yes. >> i'm not crazy after all. >> not to get us goosed up. >> why vodka though? why? >> it helps t glutens not form enmpletely, and it evaporates quick. e put the vodka in this

batter, it makes the glutens not form, which makes the chicken incredibly crunchy. >> y're doing science over there. >> just call me alton brown. i am going crazy right now. that's it. this is next level. almost >> this is almost a korean styled fried chicken. >> heaven. >> it goe into the batter. we pull it out. 360 degree oil in until your chicken reaches s.0 degr >> carson, you're going to die. >> unbelievable. >> is there ath glaze or someing on it? >> i hit it -- it comes out. it is rah's in vegas. when it comes out, we hit it with the honey and fresh. truffl we're fancy there. this is just, i hit it with a little bit of the honey on top. >> mm-hmm. >> parmesan and chili flakes. >> really good. >> >> you get this salt, a little chili. >> it is not oily or overlyy. sa it is light and fresh. >> this is the healthiest fried

chicken you've ever had. i actually lost 4 pounds. look at me. >> incredible. >> what do you pair it with? >> because, you know, myother is -- everyone heard this story. my mother is sicilian and greek, making her an incredibly calm person, but it makes her a wonderful cook. so this is ripini and sicilian flour i grew up with. blanch it for 45 seconds. once it comes out of the water, i lik throw it in an ice bath to stop the cooking. now, whener have friends i'm ready to finish it at the end. i do this early in the day. i don't want to mess around when friends get there. >> this is the same thing, rapini? >> broccolini. they rename it every yeartoo try ell more of it. it is delicious. if you like broccoli, you'll like it. do your the bath, what do here? >> i have sliced garlic. >> the chicken is ridiculous.e

meat itself. >> outrage. >> oh. my go >> we put a little sliced garlic in the pan. we let that start to kind of i put a pinch of salt in with the garlic because it pushes the bitternessack and pulls the sweetness out of the garlic. we add our rapini, broccolini. you like spice? >> i sure do. >> put it in. i ask first. butter, which i mother didn't did, but i'll do it. lemon zest. we toss it. on, hoda.o, w n w does it taste? >> michael, awesome. >> hit it again with a little parm. >> chef, all the restaurants come and go. there's so mesyurants all over the country. celebrity chefs. you've been like a mainsy for long. your restaurants are revered. what's the key? >> i have great partners. my wife, liz, who designs the restaurants, does the berage program. my other partner, named a restaurant after his mom.

katie has been with me 13 years. corporate chef, 15. assistant, 22 yo 2 years. we were in cleveland 22 years ago. there. >> finally got you on the show to cook. cooking againn the fourth hour. stick around. today.com/food. we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. this is "today" on nbc. >> i

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love? head to today.com/. >> all day! >> with meghan markle's due date approaching, we're looking at the role of pregnancy helpersue doulae ca eed what do they do, and how much do they cost? plus, it is pie day. national chains have bigeals to honor of the mathematical holiday. y.com/all day. sheinelle sitting down in the third hour, getting a surprise dance lesson.

>> plus shaq. >> to celebrate pi day, we'll good morning. it's 8:56 on is this thursday, march i'. cory smith. let's check your roads with first 4 traffic. melissa? >> lanham, a debris spill in the right two lanes. gaithersburg, a crash there.

and vienna, eastbound leesburg pike with the left lane blocked. cory? >> we'll checkhe forecast when we come back.

♪ find a world of inspiration. find something you love today. unique selection. unbelievable prices. homegoods. go finding.

> already u to about 50 degrees here in and around the city. 49 in gaithersburg, 49 in upper marlboro. today's hig will be right around 70 degrees and dry weather. ,mitomorrow, nice and ld chance youut'll get rained on a least once on you friday, especially mid-afternoon into the evening hours. dry for the weekend but it wte't be q so mild. >> thank you, chuck, and you can get the latest news and weather y time, justse the nbc washington app.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today," live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> thais not pie. >> good morning, everybody. welcome. i'm al with sheinelle, craig, dylan. of course, it's thursday, so sweet willie geist. >> i got some sweet pie. >> thursday, march 14th,3/14, pian pi day. >> 3.14, for those of you who may not get it. >> why did you assume they didn't g it. >> valedictorian, thank you. >> you don't know what pi is because i'm a meteorologist. >> i walked in on a family fight. >> how are we fighting about pie? >> you can't fight in frontf company. >> it brings people together.