legendarily, lincoln is sort of hiding his right hand because, supported -- supposedly, it was swollen from shaking thousands of hands. i think that's a myth. i think it is a nice story and i don't mind retelling it. lincoln did shake a lot of hands, but this is a fairly conventional piece. now the other thing that it's addressing is that you notice that he has grown the beard. lincoln famously grows the beard between the election and the inauguration. it is the biggest alteration by any president. and as it today if a president were to dramatically change their look, growing a beard between the election -- what i think it meant for reagan, the way -- for lincoln, the way lincoln is cutting off from the past. what he is doing, he is putting oh others things. half the south is out of the union and there's an element that he is toughening up. i am a big sports fan. i like talking. and the way the hockey players grow a beard during the playoffs. there is a test roster on -- there is a testosterone level here. returning to a slightly more primitive state here. what lincoln is really doing

legendarily, lincoln is sort of hiding his right hand because, supposedly, it was swollen it was swollen from shaking thousands of hands. i think that's a myth. i think it is a nice story and i don't mind retelling it. lincoln did shake a lot of hands, but this is a fairly conventional piece. now, the other thing that needs addressing, he has grown a beard. aitman had talked about bearded man coming out of the west. lincoln famously grows the beard between the election and the inauguration. it is the biggest alteration by any president. imagine today in the president were to dramatically change their look by growing a beard between an election? what i think and met for lincoln, and i go back to this notion, the way lincoln was cutting things off from the past, he is putting aside childish things. he is out of the union. there is an element that he is toughening up. i am a big sports fan. i liked cocky. and the way the hockey players hockey. and the way the hockey players grow a beard during the playoffs. this is the first big break for lincoln. the rising politician is getting harder. ha

. >> trump holding a rally in indiana tomorrow with one of that state's most legendary and legendarily controversial characters. does bob knight still have the juice to put trump over the top in the hoosier state? all that, much more still to come. but we begin this hour with our top story. ted cruz and john kasich now appearing to downplay the deal that they struck, the one that has kasich pulling resources from indiana in exchange for cruz giving up at least officially on oregon and new mexico further down the calendar. the entire interview with kasich from the "today" show earlier this morning where he was pressed on exactly what this deal does and doesn't mean. we're going to have that for you coming up. the whole situation setting up what cruz has called for for weeks now. he will get the one-on-one race he has been looking for between him, ted cruz, and donald trump in indiana. that may be the last best shot for cruz to keep trump from that magic 1237 delegate number. our latest nbc news survey monkey weekly national tracking poll now has donald trump reaching his highest mark ye