>> make sure no one stays home. >> reporter: many of them say their votesoday go to donald trump -- >> because i think he can change th country. >> i want to see somebody strong. a strong person. not a weak one that we had for eight years. >> reporter: the current president weighed in, not naming trump. >> our country has to toughen up, folks. >> reporter: but decrying the recent vulgarity. house speaker paul ryan criticized trump two weeks ago, t trump playing today gop leaders now accept he will be the biggest people in the party are calling. >> reporter: the party elite they say won't p@ck the nominee. >> the primary vetters will make this decision. this is not our decision to make. >> reporter: but john kasich today could take all of ohioio delegates. >> we're going to win. i feel terrific. >> reporter: and if trump does lose ohio, he might end up short

lock the nomination. cruz, rubio, kasich or others could fight for jt at the convention. hillary clinton's road to the democratic nomination looks smoother. >> i've gotten more votes than donald trump. >> reporter: bernie sanders winning ohio today cld stretch out the race. republican marco rubio could end tonight. if he does lose here today, rubio still might t drop out. here's why, he would have roughly 200 delegates, and could be a player, even maybe even a winner if the gop convention does go down to a floor fight. from miami, steve handelsman reporting. >> we heard from the trump voters here in florida. what have you heard from rubio voters today? i'm wondering if they're still confident, or they're discoaged at all by the poll numbers, if we can ask that follow-up for steve handelsman live out therere in miami? >> reporter: i think it would be

of rubio backers find that they just love the guy. they can't imagine not voting for him. they voted for him statewide. keep in mind, like john kasich in ohio, marco rubio's a guy who's tested and proven at the polls in his home state. he's a winner. so a lot of folks, when they see the polls that show he's trailing trump here in florida they don't believe it, and this edon't care anyway. they will cast their votes for rubio anyway. >> you talked a little bit about that, doesn't it put extreme pressure on rubio to exit the contest? are donors still going to kick in money for him to continue on? >> reporter: you know, i think the answer is yes. but probably mostly from people like cruz, and trump, and make today in ohio. he wouldn't need a lot of money to susuain what he would envision as the new campaign. which is not a lot of activity. don't hook for him.

tomorrow. might happen, might not. look, everybody's got pride. you just don't want to fold your tent and sit by the swimming pool and feel bad. but he wouldn't need a lot of money, because he wouldn't need to advertise or do a lot of travel. his hope would be, and it's a long, long, long shot, that somehow things would go his way in ohio. donald trump's not the nominee. the party looks around and does what it did months ago by saying, marco rubio's a good guy, let's go wh him. it's a dream, but he might hold on to it for a while. >> we'll find out soon enough. steve, thank you. senator rubio wife making a final appeal to voters. taking a break from phoning voters in miami to speak on msnbc. >> what's the response that you're getting? how are you feeling about tonight? >> great. we're getting great response.

supporting marco. we're having a good week, actually. >> the campaign is tough in the florida primary. has it been hard on you, on your family? >> i have moments, of course. but with ebelieve in marco and support himimn everything he's doing. nothing good is not easy, right? we're in it all the way. >> when asked if her husband were to lose florida tonight, mrs. rubio said she's not thinking that far into the future. we're following some breaking news for you on this crucial election night. marco rubio's washington, d.c. headquarters has been evacuated, this according to the florida senator's communications director. he says staffer found a suspicious white powder in an envelope someme within the past hour. and a hazmat team and police are investigating the scene. some of rubio's campaign team is waiting on the roof until the scene is safe and clear. more news, confusion at the polls in polk county today.

while trying to cast their ballots. melissa marino in tampa explains the problem. >> we would have been turned away if wee weren't forceful about it. >> reporter: when theresa showed up to her registered p/lling location -- >> i looked down and it was only republicans on the ballot. >> reporter: she asked a polling worker about it. >> she said it was a closed republican primary and it was not for democrats. >> reporter: it happened as the polls opened this mork in polk county. a handful of democratic voters were almost turnededaway. >> not one person sitting at the table questioned the fact there was no democrat ballots on the table. >> reporter: but she did. >> we pushed it a little further. she called a few people. >> reporter: lo and behold -- >> she found a box with the democratic ballots on there. and then they fixed it so we were able to vote for our candidate. >> reporter: we reached out to

>> we counseled the be precinct. it as an unfortunate mistake, but it was a man mistake and it got turned around mediately. nobody was turned away, everybody had the right to vote. >> trump pushes to sweep the sunshine state. paul ryan denouncing the violence at his rallies and at others. >> all candidates have an obligation to do what they can do to try and provide anharmony, to not incite violence, and making sure that we're appealing to people on their best ideals. >> ryan also reiterating he and other republican leaders are focused on the gop's agenda, not on who becomes the republican nominee. a new ad is taking aim at donald trump, in it women repeat misogynistic comments purporteded made by the

>> bimbo, dog, fat pig, real quotes from donald trump. how about women, a person who is very flat-chested is very hard to be a ten. >> i look her right in that fat ugly face of hers. >> the commercial was authored by an anti-trump superpac unded by former mitt romney staffer, during a phone interview, trump said he hasn't seen the advertisement but argued he's leading in the polls with women. our team coverage of this mega tuesday continues in the next half hour. at 6:00, nbc 6 is everywhere. we have reporters all over the area at events that candidates are hosting in south florida. plus, a look at how voters are reacting at poll sites. tonight, social view on you, the voters. we've been asking you to send us your selfies usi the #ivoted, and we want to keep them coming i keep them coming in as with ego

we've got you covered on decision tonight's 2016, and campaign speeches live on the app. we have a candidate match quiz, learn the candidates' positions on the important issues and how they align with your views. new tonight, police te down two suspects on the run. that duo caught and cuffed a busy south florida neighborhood. they're accused of beeg involved in a string of car burglaries. undercover detectives spotted the wanted man and woman. the woman ran and hid inside a walgreens. the guy tried to run, too, but after a brief search, they were both taken intnt custody. testimony is under way in the trial of a police officc accused of slapping a homeless man. cell phone video shows he smacked him across the face with an open hand. it happened last year at the downtown bus terminal. today in court, he talked about why he reached for the officer's arm after he was knocked to the ground.

reaction. again, i was shocked that i was -- that he had knocked me to the ground. coming from a police officer, it was unexpected. >> the state rested its case today. rammez is facing several charges, including battery and falsifying records. a $7,000 reward now being offered for information that might help solve the death of a miami-dade corrections officer. it's been more than six weeks nce davon hall was found dead inside his pembrook pines apartment. a $4,000 reward is offered, in addition to the $3,000 put up by crimestoppers. hall's mother found his body in january a ater he didn't show up for work. police haven't said how he died, but they do say his death is classified as a homicide. if you can help, call broward county crimestoppers at 954-493-tips. a man charged with running

jail time. he had to help police catch the other offenders out there. >> reporter: p facing animal krult for operateding an illegal slaughter hcuse. prosecutors offered santa ana a plea deal inwith his cooperation of four other defendants. they raided coco farms in northwest miami-dade and found morthan so,000 animals in poor condition. >> this guy ran one of the most violent illegal slaughter houses in the united states. skinning animals alive, boiling animals alive. he's been in operation, i think he admitted to close to 40 years. >> reporter: he told detectives he operated the business but didn't participated in the slaughter. today he pled guilty and got five years of probation with no

his probation includes no access to animals, or to running a business involving anmals. >> he's a 71-year-old man who's in poor health and just wanted to get this resolved. >> reporter: if he had gone to trial and beeee found guilty, then he would have gone away for 80 years. now that still holds true if he violates the terms of his probation. nbc 6 news. we have baking news out of washington, d.c., right now. the@entire metro system is going to be shut down tonight for at least 24 hours for emergency equipment inspections, this after an investigation revealed similarities between smoke that filled the tunnel near the plaza. >> la faunt plaza goes right into the d.c. area. crews need to inspected about 600 jumper cables. an initial investigation into the case earlier yesterday

sim har to the cause of a smoke situation back in januaryyof 2015. now, that killed a 61-year-old woman and injured dozens of people. so the entire metro system shutp down for as much as 24 hours. and that goes from maryland to d.c. into virginia, and tons of peple take that day in, day out. so a major inconvenience for those folks. we'll give you more of this on o nbc 6 news and weather app. >> they never shut down. >> i'm from there. it never shuts down. landmark admission from the nfl, trina. a national football league rep says what doctors have been saying for effects of the game on the brain. an outbreak at a south florida school. what's causing dozenss of students to get sick. that's next. today, our first 90-degree reading of 2016. i'll tell you where that happened. and in the heat, the defendant

i' a noro virus outbreak causing a lot of students to miss class. since wednesday of last week, at least 100 children per day have been absent from citrus grove elementary school. the school district said a lot of the students stayed home just

the noro virus is a contagious gastrointestinal illness. spring break starts friday up there which might help stop the spread of the virus. hopefully. well, today in south florida, you can see the radar doesn't showuch out there. there have been some showers south of florida city in deep southern miami-dade county. this is avoiding metro area, not interrupting the primary voting process anywhere across south florida. but certainly in the heat of the day, we've had that develop this afternoon. speaking of the heat of the day, look at the coastal area here. it's nice and calm at the coast. winds have been light. with edon't have much of a problem with the rip currents. right now it's 85 degrees in miami. but i wanted you to see what today's highs were like this afternoon. and that includes a 90-degree reading in pembrook pines.

florida has seen 90 degrees or hotter this year. it is only march 15th. there you go, pretty hot way to head into spring, which isn't officially here yet. 87 the high in kendall, miami and ft. lauderdale. and it was 88 degrees in pompano beach. 85 in miami right now, as i said. pretty warm all lver the southeast. so we look at the forecast for this evening. 80s will still be arrnd through 8:00 this evening. definitely a warm evening out there. i'mnot expecting much of a chance of rain except in deep southern dade. that's why i only leave that 5% chance of rain early in the evening. temperatures overnight will eventually cool into the lower 70s, even upper 60s for some spots because at least saving grace today, the humidity levels have been lower. they'll s ill be relatively low tomorrow morning when we start off the day with mostly sunny skies, not much of a wind. 66 to 70 degrees as you head out

let's take a look at the future tracker for tonight. any shower activity out there dissipates. there will be the development of some fog once again tonight. but you can see by early tomorrow morning, the fog is expected to be limited to places out to thewest. so east of the turnpike, for example, not much there anticipated. there was some this morning as far as the coast. but it wasn't as thick as it was in the inland spots. in the afternoon, looks to be partly sunny. a couple of showers try t t pop up again. but they should be inland. i'll nototeave them in the forecast for tomorrow despite the future tracker showing that they could occur. green threat tracker for tomorrow, no problems at the coast, no problems with showers or thunderstorms. should be a quiet weather day. but another very warm day in the ur upper 80s. showers or thunderstorms

now, once this ont moves through, next week, monday and tuesday would be drastically cooler, with highs only in the mid-70s. there is something to look forward to once the front moves through. we'll finally get some cooler air into the area. >> sounds good, john. thank you. south florida sounding off on season ten "the voice." paxton ingram was front and center. breaking down his onstage bale. >> paxton told us his battle would be epic. and it was. as coach adam levine said, his voii is dynamic, unique. but his stage presence onstage -- that's what got him

and this awesome stage name? >> paxton, you're seriously like a vocal ninja. just in there chomping -- all this stuff going on. >> that was so fast, you didn't see it. >> it was so quick. >> shining in the spotlight, something paxton has always wanted. something he's done most of his life. >> family reunions are like the super bowl for me. super bowl halftime show. >> now this is your stage, paxton ingram. this is your halftime shows and your coach blake shelton just signed you up for another performance. in the knockout round on "the voice." >> he's so good, right? the battles are back tonight on "the voice" at 8:00. >> a vocal ninja. >> yeah. nice. i like that, too. still to come --

return the skies for a high-flying tribute. all n tonight on the nbc 6

appeal, dozens of peopl welcome back. a game-changing admission by the nfl has many wondering about the future of the sport. for the first time officials said there's a nk between football and a degenerative brain disease called cte. the ground-breaking statement came during a congressional hearing. >> mr. miller, do you think there is a link between football and degenerative brain injuries like cte? >> research shows a number of retired nfl players were diagnosed with cte. the answer to that question is certainly yes. but therrs also a number of questions that come with that. >> the landmark admission is after years of league policy. in 2013 the nfl settled a class-action lawsuit with former players paying $765 million and pledging future research on the subject. but the league didn't admit any wrongdoing, nor that football was the cause of the retired

new tonight, america's heroes soar high in south florida. a group of military veterans take a trip down memory lane with a very special flyover. those former troops now in their golden age were honored for their service to our nation. >> nbc 6 reporter erica glover has the heart-warming reaction to the high-flying tribute. >> reporter: this 97-year-old is not afraid of a little adventure. >> i'm not that old. >> reporter: this tuesday morning, j.j. is surrounded by four generations of family at the north perry airport. >> i said, dad, go for it of the he was in world war ii. and he was in the air force, and he worked on a lot of planes. >> reporter: which means he knows a thing or two about this one. >> it was called a pt-17. and it was a primary trainer.

the naval aviators and army air corps pilots flew in world war ii. >> reporter: before taking off, the four military veterans still have a few questions. >> it's very safe, yeah. >> reporter: nowowt's tii to strap in and get comfortable. as the pilot with the ageless aviation dreams foundation hits the runway for takeoff. >> up on the wing, there's a mirror and i can see their face. >> reporter: the higher they get, the bigger the smile. >> i can just imagine the guys, especially that trained this airplane for world war ii, the memories that must come back. >> reporter: this nonprofit organization focuses on giving back to our veterans with a gift of flight. in hollywood, erica glover, nbc 6 news. breaking news to report tonight. chopper 6 over the scene of a crash on southbound i-95, exit 10-a near bell harbor. at least three lanes are blocked because of that wreck. >> there's an armored car involved in this. hopefully the money is secure.

had some kind of accident with another vehicle that shut down three lanes southbound at exit 10-a. we'll keeeeyou pobd onsted on this. more news straight ahead. right now, nbc 6 is everywhere. voting under way in florida's primary as republicans and democrats make their pick for president. nbc 6 has team coverage of decision 2016. marcrcrubio fighting for a win in his home state. i'm laura rodriguez at florida international university. i'll have a live report ahead. i'm willard shepard covering donald trump in palm beach county. he's questioning whether he was on the ballot everywhere in florida. hillary clinton rallying her troops. >> we're watching the results

bernie sanders. there is about an hour left to vote in south florida in the primary. voters have been hitting the polls, castingheir voted for a candidate that will becomethe country's next president. >> florida, the biggest prize, all eyes focused on the sunshine state. as votes are being counted, we should begin seeing results shortly afterer polls close. >> we have team coverage across south florida as we follow the candidates on primary day. we begin with nbc 6 reporter laura rodrigu live where senator marco rubio is expected to speak later tonight. >> reporter: we're inside the fiu arena. this is where marco rubio will be tonight. his campaign calling the event a primary night celebration. so they are optimistic about a win tonight in florida. the senator was on several media outlets today, and essentlly said the polls are getting it

polls show trump leading in the sunshine state by double digits. although rubio said in the past it all comes down to florida, today he said he plans to move forward with his presidential bid even ifthe florida primary doesn't go in his favor. moments ago we spokek to several people on the fiu campus say they're happy to see such an place here tonight. fiu. this i think it's pretty cool. >> basically survey after survey has not looked favorable for him. but i think still the fact that he's made it this long underlies tte strength of his support here in south florida. reporter: rubio has said multiple times on the campaign trail, he's been an underdog his whole life. rubio supporters out here today telling me if there's anyone that could pull off a win tonight, it's marco rubio. reporting live at f irgs u, laura rodriguez, nbc 6 news. >> now we want to head to palm

watching tonight's results come in. nbc 6 reporter willard shepard is live from mar-a-lago where trump plans on speaking aboutut 9:00 tonight. willard? jawan. area. people driving by us here at the second home. he's scheduled to speak lter this evening. as laura rodriguez is telling us, that marco rubio is not going to get out of the race in spite of what happens here in florida. of course, donald trump has been saying that marco rubio should et out of the race and should have done it a short time ago. but mr. rubio still in the race. and now also, trumpn social media today tweeting out saying that he was getting reports, his campaign, that in some places, some places he wasn't on the ballot. he put a qualifier to that saying he hoped that was not the case. of coue, we will hear what he