blayne alexander caught up with her. >> reporter: this is like a museum. >> and i treat it like that, too. >> reporter: you would be hard-pressed to find a room big enough to tell the story of xernona clayton. at just 4'11", she was a towering figure in the civil rights movement, a close confidante of dr. king she was there as he drafted his famous march on washington speech. >> i loved that man because he was ordinary, as famous as he was >> reporter: she broke barriers as a trailblazing journalist, the first black person in the south to have her own prime-time show. but perhaps her greatest power, persuasion, like when she wrote to president johnson in the '60s, asking for his help to allow black doctors to practice in georgia's segregated hospitals >> he didn't answer. i said, you know what? let's go to washington you know, not getting any response kind of makes you mad. >> reporter: they met, and soon after the passing of the 1965 medicare legislation, hospitals nationwide began to desegregate what do you think you said to him that convinced him to get involved >> guts. here's a g

blayne alexander, nbc news. >>> queen elizabeth has tested positive for covid-19. according to the palace, the queen is experiencing modest symptoms it comes after her son prince ago and also spent time with the queen. a number of cases have been reported at windsor castle spread across the front page, the queen's dedication to keep working. she wasn't too sick to congratulate the women's curling team over their victory in japan. she turns 96 in april. >>> there's good news in the fight against coronavirus as infection rates are plummeting across the country the cases have dropped by 67% in the last two weeks, but the covid decline isn't just being felt in american foreign countries are feeling it as well. israel will own to all foreign tourists regardless of their vaccination status as of march 1st. >>> but after a nearly two-year ban, borders are heading to australia. meanwhile justin bieber is the latest pop star who has contracted covid his concert series just kicked off. he was supposed to occur last night in las vegas a twice-delayed global tour was originall

nbc's blayne alexander has more >> reporter: it was a phone call for the history books. >> judge jackson >> yes >> this is joe biden >> reporter: president biden breaking the news to judge ketanji brown jackson that she would be his supreme court nominee. >> sir, i would be so honored. >> well, i'm honored to nominate you. >> reporter: delivering the news and delivering on a campaign promise to nominate the first black woman to the nation's highest court. >> i think the court should look like the country. i think it should reflect the country. >> reporter: now, the senate confirmation process. the white house has already started laying the groundwork, prepping judge jackson for her private meetings and public hearings, even reaching out to grass roots organizations to help build support democrats hope to have her confirmed by early april. it's not entirely unfamiliar territory judge jackson has come before the senate three times before, most recently last year as a nominee to the appellate court. then, she received support from three republicans, including senator susan collins who said,

blayne alexander, nbc news. >>> still ahead, the college coach throwing punches today. is saying now. >>> plus, the next olympics already >>> plus, the next olympics already ramping avoiding triggers, but can't keep migraine attacks away? qulipta™ can help prevent migraine attacks... it can't prevent your next period. qulipta™ can help prevent migraine attacks... it can't prevent stress. you can't prevent what's going on outside, that's why qulipta™ helps what's going on inside. qulipta™ is a pill. gets right to work to prevent migraine attacks and keeps them away over time. qulipta™ blocks cgrp a protein believed to be a cause of migraine attacks. qulipta is a preventive treatment for episodic migraine. most common side effects are nausea, constipation, and tiredness. qulipta™ can help prevent migraine attacks. it works within your body's chemistry... it can't prevent lack of chemistry on the court. learn how abbvie can help you save on qulipta. oh! you're doing it wrong, man. what's wrong with action figures? nothing. capital one shopping instantly searches for availa

here's blayne alexander with the story and the dramatic video >> reporter: the surveillance video is simply stunning first the growing roar of engine trouble. then on the left side of your screen a police helicopter tumbles from the sky, crashing into the water below >> airplane crash newport boulevard and west coast highway. >> reporter: it happened just south of l.a. in newport beach, california where the officers were responding to a call. >> it was like flipping over and spinning >> it just started losing its control and went into a tailspin, came all the way down. >> reporter: inside two officers with the huntington beach police department one released from the hospital but 44-year-old nicholas vella, a 14-year veteran of the department, did not survive. now the entire fleet is grounded as investigators try to determine what happened. >> we do regular maintenance it's ongoing maintenance and there's a schedule that is -- that is comprehensive with respect to the maintenance on our helicopters. so i don't know what occurred. >> reporter: it comes just hours after another shocking

nbc's blayne alexander has more on this. >> reporter: he was a close confidante of jeffrey epstein andn cell, died by suicide. it comes less than three years ago when epstein was found dead in a manhattan prison under similar circumstances. brunel was awaiting trial after several former models accused him of rape and sexual harassment when they were minors. >> what he's accused of in connection with jeffrey epstein was using his position as a modeling scout to lure women to be abused by epstein and by himself. >> reporter: in his statement, his lawyers maintain their client's innocent writing in part, his decision was not driven by guilt but a deep sense of injustice. it's the latest twist in the sprawling saga of jeffrey epstein, days after prince andrew, an epstein associate, settled a lawsuit admitting no wrongdoing. ghislaine maxwell was convicted of luring young girls for epstein. she's requested a new trial. maxwell's brother calls the latest death in the epstein orbit incomprehensible. >> do you fear for your sister's safety? >> yes, i certainly do. i'm not a conspiracy theory p

blayne alexander, nbc news, fayetteville, georgia. >>> we have more to tell you about up next. up next. what might the u.s. do if if you have type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure... ...you're a target for... ...chronic kidney disease. you can already have it and not know it. if you have chronic kidney disease... ...your kidney health... ...could depend on what you do today. ♪far-xi-ga♪ farxiga is a pill that works... ...in the kidneys to help slow the progression of chronic kidney disease. farxiga can cause... ...serious side effects including dehydration,... ...urinary tract or genital yeast infections... ...in women and men,... ...and low blood sugar. ketoacidosis is a serious side effect... ...that may lead to death. a rare, life-threatening bacterial infection... ...in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking farxiga and call your doctor right away... n allergic reaction,... ...in the skin of the perineum could occur. ...or ketoacidosis. and don't take it if you are on dialysis. ...otake aim...sis. ...at chronic kidney disease by talking to your doctor... yo medi

lester. >> blayne alexander thank you. >>> in just 60 seconds, the next chapter in civilian space travel. we will have exclusive new deta il i'm mark and i live in vero beach, florida. my wife and i have three children. ruthann and i like to hike. we eat healthy. we exercise. i noticed i wasn't as sharp as i used to be. my wife introduced me to prevagen and so i said "yeah, i'll try it out." i noticed that i felt sharper, i felt like i was able to respond to things quicker. and i thought, yeah, it works for me. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. ♪ “all i do is win” by dj khaled ♪ ♪ everybody's hands go up! ♪ karaoke singer: and they stay there. and they say yeah. and they stay there, up, down, up, down. never lose confidence in how you run your business. intuit is bringing quickbooks and mailchimp together to help you set up and grow. dj khaled: man, i love this scent. pain hits fast. so get relief fast. only tylenol rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast for fast pain relief. and now get relief without a pill with tylenol dissolve packs. relief with

joining me now with more is nbc's blayne alexander. blayne, good morning. is this case different than what we saw in the last trial? >> reporter: race will be at the forefront of this, in a way that we didn't see during the murder trial that was put on by the state prosecution. we know that this is going to be notable in a couple of ways. one, this is a federal crime, so no cameras allowed inside. but we know that they have just reconvened after taking a recess earlier this morning. both sides are now going through their strikes, but we expect opening statements to begin some time later today. this is going to be different, of course, because the prosecution now has the burden of essentially proving racial animus, that the three men, who have now been convicted of killing ahmaud arbery, did so because they had racial animus, racial prejudice against him and they made an assumption against him that day back in february of 2020, when they saw him running down the street and ultimately decided to chase him down and resulted in his death. the other important th

blayne alexander has this story. >> reporter: here comes tonga.ng the island nation of tonga. >> it was about representing native indigenous people that weren't always represented. >> reporter: this year, taufatofua skipped the game. last month, a volcano erupted under water. that figured a tsunami, sending water flooding into the capital. >> it hit, my heart gets pulled towards tonga. my focus was, what can i do to help? >> taufatofua had not yet qualified for this year's game. when the volcano hit, he stopped training, focusing his energy on organizing relief efforts from afar. >> we sent containers of flour and breakfast crackers from fiji. there's a shortage. people are hungry. all of the ash landed on crops. >> reporter: he raised money.he 2024. but for now -- >> the olympics is my home. i love the olympics. tonga is my first home. i have to look after my first home right now. >> reporter: in the process, keeping the true olympic spirit alive. for "today," blayne alexander, nbc news. >> that is a good reason to skip the opening ceremony. >> h

i want to bring in blayne alexander. i know cameras are not allowed in court. you can bring us up to speed what went down in that courtroom, what the jury has heard so far in the opening statements that have wrapped up? >> reporter: well, hallie, it did not take long for the prosecution to give a glimpse, a stunning glimpse, of the evidence they intend to present. and it speaks to what you spoke of which is the issue of race. we heard the prosecutor lay forth for weeks now, we've been talking about that the prosecution has the burden of making the case that all three had racial bias against african americans. but the prosecutor laid out what we can expect to hear in the case. she says there are text messages, social media posts and conversations with some witnesses that she says they will eventually call that show all three men at some point used racial slurs. a number of different racial slurs that i will not refer mere to refer to black people. wish harm on black people. certainly everything that the prosecution is going to try to make the case this pointed t

nbc's blayne alexander is joining us live.alking about the first few minutes of jury deliberations. closing arguments have wrapped up and now the decision-making process for them begins. >> absolutely. the jury has a lot to consider considering the fact that they heard from the prosecution and then three separate defense attorneys as well as the prosecution rebuttal so they have a lot of information and a lot of arguments to take back into that deliberation room, so let's talk about what we heard today. remember, the government is making the case that the three men who have already been convicted of the murder of ahmaud arbery, now the government is arguing that they did so because he was a black man and the racist language and sentiments that we saw put on the trial throughout the course of the trial, we saw them come back today. in fact, that was the last thing that the jury heard before they were given the instructions from the judge and sent to deliberate, so let's talk about the charges because there are a number of -- th

joining me now is nbc news correspondent blayne alexander.of the courtroom today? >> reporter: well, jose, closing arguments are still going on. we're still hearing from the prosecution right now. remember, the central point of their case is to prove the three men who have already been convicted in state court for the murder of ahmaud arbery, now the federal government has the burden of proving they did so because of the color of his skin, that they chased him down that day and those events were ultimately done because he was a black man. so right now we're listening to the prosecution, and they're really trying to knock down what has been the central point of the defense's argument the entire time, which is that the three men who are on trial, followed arbery that day, not because of the color of his skin, but because they suspected him of being involved in a number of recent crimes in the area. the defense has said that it had nothing to do with the fact that he was black. but we're listening to the prosecution, she said a number of things,

i want to bring in nbc's blayne alexander, who is covering this story very closely in georgia. t for today? >> reporter: chris, good morning to you. that trial got underway just about an hour ago, down in south georgia. right now, we're listening to a neighbor that's been called to the stand, kind of testifying about what he heard that day, whether or not the mcmichaels called 911, the different things he saw. as he mentioned, yes, the big focus of this is going to be race in a way that we have not seen before, certainly not in the state trial when it came to the death of ahmaud arbery. a couple of things to point out from the opening statements yesterday, the prosecution essentially making the case that the three defendants made an assumption about ahmaud arbery because of the color of his skin, and that had he been a white man, he would still be alive today. to underscore that point, you saw the prosecutor yesterday rolling out a number of racist slurs and different rants that she says that the three defendants used when speaking about black people. she says that gives a windo

nbc news correspondent blayne alexander has more on athletes speaking out. >> reporter: at the dubaionship this russian comare a star wrote no war. >> he might just have a message, andre rublev. >> reporter: and in basketball the nba's two ukranian players condemned the war. in a joint statement they called it a great tragedy writing dear fellow ukranians hold on. our strength is in unity. we are with you, and washington mystics guards ariel atkins currently playing overseas with the ukranian basketball club is safely out of the country, one of several wnba players to evacuate during off-season. in a social media post she praised her teammates for drying up their tears and giving their best. >> that was nbc's blayne alexander reporting. >>> the pressure is on major league baseball and its players union as they head into today's league-mandated deadline set in order to salvage a march 31st start to the regular season, but sides reportedly remain far apart on a new collective bargaining agreement as they prepare for an eighth straight day of negotiations, 89 days into the lockout and t

i want to bring in msnbc's blayne alexander outside the courthouse in georgia.t to see once the trial is under way? >> reporter: good morning to you. the biggest thing we are going to see, the biggest difference from the state trial is that race is going to play a much larger role in these proceedings. remember, the prosecution here has the burden of essentially trying to prove that these three men, william roddy brian, and gregory and travel mcmichael, chased down and ultimately killed ahmaud arbery because of the color of his skin. of course they've been convicted of murder in the state trial. this is going to speak more to the motive. right now we're in jury selection. we know that's going to last a week, possibly two, but once the trial gets under way, the prosecution and pretrial hearings have alewded to the fact they want to bring in a number of text messages, they want to bring in facebook posts, social media posts that they say essentially prove that they had a racial bias against african american people. so, those are some of the things we're going to e

joining me from atlanta, nbc's blayne alexander, who has been covering this for us.in court today? >> reporter: well, as you said right now the prosecution has just gotten under way, giving the closing arguments. remember, their entire focus of this case is essentially proving that the three men who have already been convicted in a state courtroom of the murder of ahmaud arbery, now the federal government has the burden of proving that they did so, that the events that ultimately led to his death back in february of 2020 were motivated by race. so, we're hearing from the prosecution right now, making closing arguments, specifically they're trying to prove that the three men who are on trial deprived arbery of his rights by denying his use of a public street. so we're hearing a couple of things, you know, all along the defense has said essentially that they chased down arbery and ultimately killed him, not because he was black, not because of the color of his skin, but because they suspected him of a number of recent crimes in the neighborhood. well, right now the pro

blayne alexander caught up with her. >> this is like a museum >> and i treat it like that, too. >> reporterpressed to find a room big enough to tell the story of zernona clayton, a close confidant of dr. king. she was there as he drafted his famous march on washington speech >> i loved that man because he was ordinary as famous as he was. >> reporter: she broke barriers as a trailblazing journalist, the first black person in the south to have her own prime time show but perhaps her greatest power, persuasion like when she wrote to president johnson in the '60s asking for his help to allow black doctors to practice in georgia's segregated hospitals >> he didn't answer, and i said, you know, what let's go to washington not getting any response makes you mad. >> reporter: they met and soon after hospitals nationwide began to desegregate what do you think you said to him that convinced him to get involved >> guts. here's a gutsy woman and i had a real story to tell and i had my facts. >> reporter:ilater clayton used that same persuasive power to change a heart of hate, a local dragnet of the ku

>> blayne alexander, thank you for that report.e no war, please on the camera. >> we heard from one of the families in ukraine earlier, they need help. these folks need so much more help moving ahead. >>> let's check on the forecast. somara theodore is here, keeping an eye on things. good morning. >> good morning. this morning, a lot of friends in gulf coast states are waking to a soggy start this saturday. here's a live look at the radar. showers moving from corpus christi through houston. purple and pink is wintry mix in arkansas, pine bluff along 65, be careful on roads. that's impacting them through the day saturday. a bit of ice possible through saturday evening in arkansas. as far as totals go, looking at about a tenth of an inch. makes for slick driving conditions. give yourself time to take time that way. then we'll see this system make it to the coast heading through sunday. if you live in florida, montgomery, alabama, atlanta, south carolina, get ready for rain showers. we could see a quarter inch to an inch by the time i

blayne alexander, nbc news. >>> controversial podcaster joe rogan is now apologizing after being called for previously using racial slurs on his show. spotify has now reportedly pulled some of those episodes. guad venegas has more for us. >> joe rogan apologized for his repeated use of the "n" word. >> the most regretful and shameful thing i've ever had to talk about publicly. >> just as spotify reported dozens of past podcast episodes from its platform. nbc news reached out to spotify for comment, but has yet to hear back. in recent days, a compilation of rogan clips edited together to show the podcast host repeatedly using the "n" word has been circulating on social media shared notably by grammy award-winning artist india arie who wrote on instagram. i have decided to pull my music and podcast from spotify. i find joe rogan problematic for reasons other than his covid interviews. for me it's also around his language around race. last week it was neil young and joany mitchell removing their music over rogan's comments and spreading misinformation. rogan said he's not trying to spread

joining me now, outside the courthouse in brunswick, georgia, is nbc news correspondent, blayne alexandert is the latest out of court today? >> reporter: jose, right now what they're doing is jury selection. they're going through the normal process of interviewing potential jurors, see if there's anything in there that could prevent them from finding an impartial verdict in this case. what's going to be notable about this case versus the state trial, this is really going to examine issues of race. remember, this is a federal hate crimes case. and so while the state trial found all three men guilty of the murder of ahmaud arbery, gregory and travis mcmichael getting sentenced to life without parole, this is more so going to look at the reasons why they decided to chase him down in the first place that ultimately resulted in their death. federal prosecutors now have the burden, the responsibility, essentially, of pursuing that they were motivated by race, they were motivated by ahmaud arbery's skin color. the fact that he was a black man led them to make several decisions about him. so why

joining me right now is nbc's blayne alexander and also david nakamura, a reporter for "the washingtonaying out their case to the jury so far? >> reporter: well, the underscoring of the case that they are trying to make is essentially if ahmaud arbery were a white man he would still be alive today so what they are saying is that the three defendants who have already been convicted of argentinabury's murder made assumptions about him that day because he was a black man, because of the color of his skin and that's what led them to chase him down and ultimately kill him. in the opening statements we saw a phrase come right to the center, right to the heart of the trial. the prosecution laid out what you sent were text messages and social media posts, even some witness testimony that she plans to introduce saying all three defendants used racial language, racial slurs or went on rants about black people. she says that that's note habel and significant because it gives kind of a window into their mindset and talked about basically the thoughts that they had even though those statements were

and joining me now blayne alexander. what is the latest from the courtroom?hree men who have been convicted of the murder of ahmaud arbery will go to trial to face federal hate crime charges. so the jury selection set to begin on monday morning. and we know that both father and son gregory and travis mcmichael along with william roddie bryan will face trial. and what is interesting is that both father and son were -- son actually pled guilty, father was preparing to plead guilty, so that now raises questions about what jury selection looks like. when you talk about a possible taint to jury pool knowing that they were preparing to or had entered a plea of guilty and now going to face trial in this. now, we're waiting to hear from the mother of arbery and her attorney to see how they are reacting to this. we are that wanda cooper jones was very much against any sort of plea deal. and she now has gotten her wishes. here is what her attorney told me yesterday. take a look. >> for wanda, she made a promise to her son that she would get him justice. and she has had

northbound's blayne alexander has the latest. >> the surveillance video is stunning.r of engine trouble. then on the left side of your screen a police helicopter tumbles from the sky crashing into the water below. >> airplane crash, newport boulevard west. >> it happened south of l.a. the officers were responding to a call. >> it was flipping over and spinning. >> it started losing control and went into a tail spin. came all the way down. >> inside two officers with the huntington beach police department. one released from the hospital. 44-year-old nicholas bella, a 14 year veteran of the department did not survive. now the entire fleet is grounded as investigators try to determine what happened. >> we do regular maintenance. >> it comes hours after another shocking crash this time in miami beach where a chopper plunged into the water just barely missing the crowded beach. lieutenant was one of the first officers on the scene. >> the location of the crash site helped the three survivors tremendously. it wasn't too far into the ocean, wasn't too deep. crashes hike thes

we have blayne alexander with more. >> reporter: good morning, guys.e more intense and it is leading some to ask is it time to raise the age of competition. this morning, a warm welcome home for russian olympic skater kamila valiyeva. days after the chilling moments on the ice. >> stumbles the landing. >> reporter: instead, stumble after stumble for the 15-year-old world record holder. it was the stunning end to the week marred by doping controversy. valiyeva, allowed to take the ice, despite revelations she tested positive for a banned drug in december. in the final program of the olympics, she finished a disappointing fourth place. the 15-year-old left the ice in tears only to be berated by her coach. raising eyebrows from the ioc president. >> rather than try to help her, you could feel the chilling atmosphere. >> reporter: nbc's mike tirico. >> something undeniable is the harm to the person underneath. >> reporter: it is facing pressure for athletes. scott hamilton moved to tears. >> when i see something like this that happens, especially to someon

nbc news correspondent blayne alexander has the latest. >> reporter: the surveillance video is simplylane crash, newport boulevard at west coast highway. >> reporter: it happened just south of l.a. in newport beach, california, where the officers were responding to a call. >> it was like flipping over and spinning. >> it started losing control and went into a tail spin, came all the way down. >> reporter: inside, two officers with the huntington beach police department, one released from the hospital, but 44-year-old nicholas bella, a 14-year veteran of the department, did not survive. now the entire fleet is grounded as investigators try to determine what happened. >> we do regular maintenance, ongoing maintenance and there's a schedule that is -- that is comprehensive with respect to the maintenance on our helicopter, so i don't know what occurred. >> reporter: it comes just hours after another shocking crash, this time in miami beach, where a chopper plunged into the water just barely missing the crowded beach. one of the first officers on the scene. >> the location of the crash si

nbc's blayne alexander is in miami with more.stead memorialized in a number of different ways than tree behind me, and in his name, leads to the high school where he attended. in several cities across the country this weekend there will be remembrances in his name, his mother tells me it is a ve exhausting and emotional time but it's worth it to keep her son's name alive. >> he was 17 years old he was unarmed and a 28-year-old man followed him, chased him, pursued him, and ultimately shot and killed him. >> trayvon martin's death birthed a movement but a decade later his mother's emotions remain raw >> on my bad days, ten years later, i still cry >> a reluctant activist, sabrina fulton is still fighting in his name >> i would never have signed up for this but by the same token, i feel like what i'm doing is with a purpose. >> trayvon martin was just 17 years old when he was confronted by george zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer as the teenager wearing a hoodie walked home from a store with a bag of skittles. after an argu