i'm savannah guthrie, in tonight for brian. and in virginia, something terrifying and almost unbelievable happened today. a navy f-18 fighter jet fell out of the sky, crashing into an apartment complex there. and given the images you see there, perhaps more astonishing still, there are no reported fatalities at this hour. we have two reports. tahn chong is on the ground in virginia beach, but we begin with nbc's pentagon correspondent, jim miklaszewski. >> it looked like a war zone. the navy fighter jet plowed into this virginia beach apartment complex, setting it ablaze. much of the complex for senior citizens was wiped out in the initial contact. eye witnesses were in shock. >> that one is on fire. look at the roof. the other roof is getting ready to go on fire. oh, my god. this apartment complex right here. this one is already ruined. firefighters are doing the best they can to get it out. >> in the burned out wreckage, the unmistakable twin tails and jet engines from a u.s. navy f-18. eye witnesses reported smoke and flames

. >> our chief legal correspondent savannah guthrie is here with us tonight in the studio. savannah, i watched today as a civilian, and i was surprised. you watch as a lawyer, do you think they took a risk in doing this? >> no question. i was surprised, too. it's very unorthodox to call a defendant to the stand to testify like this. at this stage of the hearing, and it could backfire. here you have george zimmerman apologizing to the parents, but remember, his story is that trayvon martin beat him so badly that he feared for his very life. so why is he apologizing? he also said, i didn't know he was young. i didn't know he was unarmed. that's almost a tacit acknowledgment that he was mistaken about the facts of the case. those statements may backfire at a future trial. on the other hand, it appears zimmerman and his defense lawyer are speaking to a wider audience. not just trayvon martin's parents, but potentially the jurors who could be out there watching and wanting to see some remorse from the defendant. >> either way, it felt like something of a moment today. savannah gu

i'm savannah guthrie in tonight for brian. it's the eve of a much anticipated jobs report. the experts hoping it confirms the signs we're starting to see throughout the economy, that we may finally be in a recovery that is built to last. consumers are out spending and employers are hiring. the number of people in unemployment lines is the lowest it's been in four years, but there is a long way to go to truly come back from this great recession. we begin with cnbc's sue herrera. >> call it the warm weather effect. retailers today reported stronger than expected sales. the reason, they say, the sun is out and people are buying. >> it's perfect. it's perfect for shopping. >> at target and macy's, sales were up more than 7%. nordstrom and gap, 8%. this week, gm, ford, and toyota each credited warm weather in part for strong sales. consumer spending jumps in february by the most in seven months. >> there's no question there's been two effects. the economy has gotten stronger at the same time unseasonably warm winter weather gave us a leg up on the strength on the economy. the qu

and once again, our chief legal correspondent savannah guthrie is here with us in the studio. when you hear a woman like trayvon martin's mother who isn't a media pro, a civilian thrust into this, not looking for it, use the word, it was an accident, does it have a legal bearing even though she chose to correct it later? >> not really. it doesn't have legal significance, but it was interesting because what prosecutors allege is much more, an intentional killing. obviously, she walked back the statement, but what a mom theorizes about a case one way or another, has no relevance in a court of law. >> and documents are going to come out regularly. did we learn anything new factually today? >> we learned a few things. remember last night on "rock center" we talked about how prosecutors have to establish a state of mind, a depraved mind, intent, evil intent, ill will, spite, hatred. we see facts established in the affidavit. prosecutors will argue that zimmerman assumed martin was a criminal when he saw him, he profiled martin, those are the words the prosecutor used, he used dispa

i'm savannah guthrie in tonight for brian. from the moment word broke about misconduct by secret service agents advancing the president's trip to colombia. some wondered whether it was a one-time incident or part of a larger cultural problem. at the agency. now, one day after the homeland security secretary said she believed it was an isolated incident, tonight, the secret service is investigating another allegation. this one during the president pfsz trip last year to els salvad salvador. it's an allegation only, not yet verified, but it adds to the growing headache to the people charged with protecting the president. nbc's kristen welker has the story tonight. kristen, good evening. >> the white house says despite the new allegations, the president continues to believe the majority of secret service and military personnel behaved responsibly and professionally. the nagging questions persist in the wake of the cartagena prostitution scandal. lawmakers and the obama administration acknowledge today investigators are looking in

. >> with us in the studio, our chief legal correspondent, savannah guthrie. you're the lawyer here, not me, but as i understand it, other than premeditated murder in the first degree, this is the toughest possible charge. you said a few minutes ago, also tough to prove. >> tough to prosecutor. these facts are ambiguous. one person who was a witness to this, trayvon martin, no longer with us. it's a he said, george zimmerpen's account, against perhaps some of the witnesses, but as far as we know, some of the witnesses' accounts are conflicting. and where there is ambiguity, in fact, our legal system sets it up so the benefit of the doubt goes to the accused. add to that, you have florida's stand your ground self defense laws, and actually, this defendant will have an opportunity to go before a judge before there's even a trial and argue that he was acting in self defense. if he can prove it by a preponderance of the evidence, a lower standard, a judge could dismiss the case. >> how are you feeling tonight if you're say the former police chief of sanford, flori

and once again, savannah guthrie is here with us in the studio. when you hear a woman like trayvon martin's mother who isn't a media pro, use the word it was an accident, does that have a legal bearing, even though show chose not to correct it later? >> not really. it doesn't have legal significant, but it was interesting because what prosecutors allege is much more, an intentional killing. obwrsly, she walked back the statement, but what a mom t theorizines about a case has no relevance in a court of law. >> and documents are going to come out. did we learn anything new facal facally? >> we learned a few thicks. we talked how prosecutors have to establish a state of mind, a depraved mind, intent, evil intent, ill will, hatred. we see facts established in the affidavit. prosecutors will argue that zimmerman assumed martin was a criminal when he pro filed him, he used disparaging words with the dispatcher, saying they always get away. these are some of the facts that the prosecutors obviously think are relevant to establish that state of mind. >> t

nbc's savannah guthrie. former democratic congressman, mike murphy and nbc's chief white house correspondent and political director, chuck todd. but first this morning, i'll talk to the president's point man on the economy. i'll talk to tim quiter, about jobs, your taxes and the fight about economic fairness in this campaign. >> from nbc news in washington, "meet the press" with david gregory. >> good morning, the president is in south america for a trade summit this weekend, but his individual sit there has been ov overshadowed by some news. the news has been -- 11 secret service agents. the investigation is continuing this morning, we're going to have more on this story and reaction as we go through the hour. the economy is still the number one issue to voters, but some troubling numbers for white house. six out of ten americans think the country is on the wrong track. 12.7 million people were unemployed and only 120,000 jobs were added in march. lower numbers are expected. i sat down with tim geithner and

we'll analyze how the gender gap figures into the fall campaign with our roundtable, with us, savannah guthrie, harold ford, republican strategic mike murphy and nbc's chief courthouse correspondent and political director chuck todd. first this morning, i talk to the president's point man on the economy, treasury secretary timothy geithner about jobs, your taxes and the fight over economic fairness in this campaign. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good morning. the president is in south america for a trade summit this weekend. his visit has been overshadowed by some news and the news is alleged misconduct with prostitutes involving at least 11 secret service agents. the investigation is continuing this morning. we'll have more on this story and reaction as we go through the hour. back at home, tax day is tuesday and with the general election now under way, the economy is still the number one issue to voters. but some troubling numbers for the white house. six out of ten americans think the country is on the wrong track, 12.7 million people remain unemployed and 120,000 jobs w

. >>> rick santorum along with chuck schumer will be on "meet the press" this morning, and savannah guthrie, who is filling in this morning for moderator, ga david gregory will join us live for a preview. >>> a run starts in an hour, and there are plenty of road closures in the district because of the race. independence is closed to 14th street. and the memorial bridge and ohio drive is shut down. constitution will remain open during the race and most of the roads will re-open around 10:30 this morning. >>> the washington national cathedral joined kwraouin turni the lights. they went dark for 60 minutes. sidney, australia was among the first to flick off the switch for earth day. it's to raise awareness on global warming. >> not a bad idea. >> no, looks nice dark, too. you are used to seeing the lights on the vegas strip. >> no, not too bad. >> frank: you get everybody to turn all the lights out, we could see the stars. the other problem we had was cloud cover last night. could not see the stars for all the clouds out there. how long are they sticking around? what about the rest of the week

i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie. for vacation. she'll be back on monday. coming up in this half hour, savannah, we're going to have more on the life and career of the legendary dick clark. his shows and that new year's eve special that he did every year really thrilled millions of people in this country for generations. coming up, we're going to share what he told us about his beginning on "american bandstand" and how it all got started and how it moved on from there. >> wonderful to see him. of course, they always say dick clark never aged. he said he credited his good genes and he said that's why it's very important to pick your parents carefully. >> exactly. >>> also, we've been showing you this morning how a 19-year-old who struggles with severe acne was bullied because of it has really transformed her look. and she's become something of a youtube ensayisensation. we'll talk to her about her message to others. >> her self-confidence, i think, is really inspiring. >>> also, eva longoria is here. she's going to join

>> out on the plaza i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie. we've got natalie here and al, as well. and if you are looking for a great place to go on your next vacation, conde nast traveler is out with their list of the hottest new resorts and spas and hotels. these are places that either opened this year, reopened this year or were completely renovated and some of them on the list are affordable, great suggestions coming up. >> all right. also ahead, what is your anger management style? apparently there are different ways to handle your anger. some are more healthy than others. we will tell you how to figure it out and how to come up with a new approach to handle your anger. apparently repressing and then just becoming more and more builter is not on the list. >> are you somebody who keeps it all inside? >> yeah, repress. repress it. >> i go to a certain point then i explode. >> yeah. >> i think i'm kind of like al. you kind of reach that tipping point. >> i don't get mad often but when i get mad, it's not good. anyway, just a warning to all

i'm savannah guthrie in for ann this morning. it is going to be a long day of cleanup for people in cities hit by those devastating tornadoes over the weekend. including right there in woodward, oklahoma, where more than 100 homes and businesses were destroyed. and al says there's a risk of even more severe weather coming today. >> and there's another part to the whole weather story, from virginia to massachusetts, the bigger story might not actually be storms, but the heat. it could reach into the 90s in some spots, that's about 20 or 30 degrees above what would be normal temperatures for this time of the year. al's going to have his forecast on that straight ahead. >> also ahead, new details on what may have contributed to the unexpected death of the so-called painter of light, thomas kinkade. his artwork hangs in the homes of 1 in 20 americans. coming up, what the emergency calls from the night of his death, and the artist's own brother, are revealing about how he died. >>> and it is the big news out of hollywood. brad pitt an

i'm matt lauer alongside savannah guthrie.way, if you widen up, amy robach is joining us as well. this is what can happen when one of these highlighters explodes. you can end up with a fashion statement here. >> well, i think we complement each other. we're two rays of sunshine. >> we're color coordinating with our mugs. >> very nice. >> and we're going to go direct some traffic after this. >> will you explain. >> we're so happy you're here. >> also ahead you can teach the kids about the dangers of drinking and dpriefing, same with texting, but are they really listening to you? wait until you see natalie's hidden camera report on what can happen when you're not with your kid. >> is it a case of extreme parenting? one mom's new children's book preaching a vegan diet for kids. it's causing a stir with a controversial images and messages in that book. coming up we're going to hear from the author. >> all right. also ahead, have you ever had a really wild and crazy night? >> never. >> not like the one you're about to tell us about

among those with us right now, savannah guthrie our chief legal correspondent. savannah, what are the options open to this prosecutor? what might we hear? >> the toughest charge we could hear today would be a second-degree murder charge. we know it is not going to be first-degree murder or premeditated killing because in florida if you want to charge that you have to go via grand jury. this prosecutor opted not to do that. there is the top charge here of murder 2. could also be a manslaughter charge. may even be an aggravated assault charge though that would be unexpected. >> here is the special prosecutor. >> good evening everyone. i am angela cory the special prosecutor for the trayvon martin case. just moments ago we spoke by phone with sabrina fulton and tracy martin. it was less than three weeks ago that we told those sweet parents that we would get answers to all of their questions no matter where our quest for the truth led us. and it is the search for justice for trayvon that has brought us to this moment. the team here with me has worked tirelessly looki

it's going to get rough and loud starting very soon. >> savannah guthrie, president obama wasted no times issue once hilary rosen made those remarks saying i know seeing michelle, the first lady, how hard it is to work at home, to be home with our children. he wanted no part of this. >> i was struck by even more than the initial shock of what hilary rosen said, i think we can all agree that stay-at-home moms are wonderful. i'm the product of one. what she said was obviously wrong. i was shocked at how quickly chicago, the obama campaign motivated themselves to outdo each other on twitter to disavow this. in some ways i think it had the equal and opposite effect. they worked so hard to disown hilary rosen that you almost felt like they must own her, be aligned with her. in some ways it didn't betray confidence about their position with women. they weren't acting like a campaign that has a 19-point lead in the gender gap. >> that's an interesting point, actually. if you look at the numbers, just to show them again, what began all of this discussion was the fact that a tangible residual eff

. >>> and our chief legal correspondent savannah guthrie joins us here in the studio.e've all seen too many cop shows. we've seen those scenes where they're told to stay close, don't make any travel plans. you're a lawyer, how common is it to lose your client? >> this is not common. there's nothing ordinary about what we saw happen today. these lawyers couldn't get their client on the phone, but the state prosecutor could? it's incredibly odd. it was odd, frankly, that the lawyers came out and gave this public press conference announcing they would no longer represent george zimmerman, when a simple paper statement would have sufficed. instead, we learned he's not living in florida, he's doing things that are quite unorthodoxed, suggesting his mental state may be at issue. and you wonder if the end result may be, as a prosecutor who's looking at this and saying, wait a minute, should i bring charges more quickly because he may be a flight risk or a danger to himself? it was a very, very odd development today. >> thank you, savannah, for being with us. >>> now we turn t

. >> good morning, everyone, i'm savannah guthrie. the olympics today. but we'll start with the news, that newborn in houston you talked about, not even a week old. witnesses say they could hear his mother yelling for her baby as she lay dying. >> this morning that child is in state custody as investigators are trying to find a possible motive in this case. we're going to have the latest on the investigation in just a couple of minutes. >> also ahead the search is intensifying for a missing ft. bragg soldier. the 23-year-old woman was last seen on saturday morning and officials fear she may be in danger. we'll hear from the woman's sister. >>> and a rare wednesday edition of "today's professionals." just wait until you see who is joining our panel this morning. then an exclusive interview with madonna. this morning the material girl opens up about trying to stay on top of the music world at the age of 53. and the madonna we don't see when she's at home. plus how she reacted to a photo of her 15-year-old daughter lourdes smoking a cigarette. >> but we wan

savannah guthrie is in their home in arkansas. savannah, good morning. >> good morning, ann.anization, skill, resources, stamina, and patience. otherwise known as breakfast here at the duggars. but first a day in the life of this famous family. >> hi i'm jim bob. >> and i'm michelle. and these are our children. and we're going to share 19 fun facts about being a duggar. >> when i was 19. >> and believe it or not i was 17 when we were first married. >> we built this house as a family project. >> we thought it would take one year. it took almost four. >> people always ask me what it's like. the boys have one room. >> the girls have the other. it's a little quieter. >> we have nine bathrooms. but sometimes we still have to wait. >> this is a duggar family secret. we have one big family closet. >> around here, everybody has a job. >> we do 35 loads of laundry a week. >> we even have a laundry chute. >> this is one of our favorite lunches. my dad's barbecued tuna fish sandwiches. >> we all play an instrument. but not usually together. ♪ >> people always ask us if we have a hard ti

savannah guthrie is in for natalie this morning. good morning. >> good morning to you. topping our news, at least three nato service members have been killed this morning in a bombing in northern afghanistan. nearly 100 nato service members have been killed so far this year in afghanistan. more than half of them americans. >>> back here, a frienting accident in mid town manhattan. a massive crane snapped and crashed to the ground killing one construction worker and injuring four others tuesday night. investigators are looking for what caused the 170-foot crane to crash into two pieces. several workers had to be rescued from the construction site 60 feet below ground. >>> five students in california were sent to the hospital tuesday night after campus police at santa monica college used pepper spray on protesters there. some 200 students were demanding to be let into a board meeting to protest tuition hikes. students call it excessive force. campus police are investigating the incident but say that controlling the crowd become an issue of safety. >>> the fda is investiga

now for a look on what is coming up on "meet the press," here is savannah guthrie. >> rick santorum sayshe long hall and joins me live two days before a high stakes vote in wisconsin. and then what impact will things have on the campaign. and then the "meet the press" roundtable led by msnbc's joe scar borough. it's only here on nbc 4. >> thank you, savannah. >>> it appears michelle obama has a new title. tv star. >> the first lady has made guest appearances on multiple shows recently. luckily the first lady did not get slimed like others, but did present taylor swift with an award for community

here's nbc's savannah guthri with a look at what's coming up on "meet the press." >> coming up, rickg hall. will this weekend be his last stand? >> then the president's signature health care reform law in critical condition. what impact will its fate have on the fall campaign. i'll ask the senior democrat from new york chuck shumer. all this morning on "meet the press." >> good morning. let's take you to a live view out doors. it is cloudy out there. we even have fog way high up above the sky tops. what am i trying to say? the skyscrapers up there. 49 at the science center. moftly cloudy through the afternoon. it has been mild. the numbers are coming in for the month of march. even that was well above normal. we took the high temperatures and the low temperatures and averaged them out and compared them to normal. we really need the rain. we are going to get a little bit today. at least a chance for it tonight. it not going to catch us up, but any bit can catch us up. cloud cover thickening in baltimore. high pressure is in control. that's keeping us mostly dry. this is bringing rain

i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie. savannah's here while anns taking some time off. she would normally be here anyway so i'm not sure why i brought that up. >> just reminding. >> we're also joined by al roker and tamron hall, as well. coming up we're going to talk more about pippa middleton. i mean here's this story coming out of paris where she's seen in a car with some friends. one of those friends appears to point what is a gun at a photographer. the question now, i guess, is will there be a criminal investigation? >> that is the question. no one was harmed. no one has brought charges yet. not even clear whether that was a real gun or a fake gun so what will paris police do? we'll have the latest on the investigation. >> not a smart thing to do in a crowd. and you ever wonder when you're working on our elliptical trainer, the treadmill, whether those calorie counters are actually accurate? we're going to get the answers from joy bauer. the answer may surprise you. and is low fat peanut butter better than the real thing? you may be surprised at the answer to that.