north carolina edging out kentucky with this game-winning shot. south carolina upsetting florida. they join gonzaga and oregon in the final four and this morning al is catching the college spirit, storming right into the madness with rokerthon 3 this morning. matt lauer and savannah guthrie. live fro live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning, everybody, welcome to "today" on a monday morning. the stage is set, the competition is intense. it's rokerthon 3. >> the most exciting time of the year. we also have the final four to talk about but al roker told us he would not do unless it could surpass 1 and 2. so, al, how have you done that? [ cheers and applause ] >> whoa! hey, guys! how's that for an entrance? >> that's a good one. >> i've got to tell you, i'm not going to get down from here because it would be embarrassing. we are here at the university of oklahoma, the boomer sooners, baby. that's it. and we are going to attempt a guinness world record where we form the largest human weather symbols ever attempted. it's going to be big. we've got the whole school, everybody hanging out, it's going to be big. as we kick off rokerthon 3, storming into the madness. there's boomer and sooner right there. oh, my gosh. this is exciting! >> a little enthusi in the show. al, thank you very much. we'll check in with him in a bit. let's begin with infighting and the intense blame-game among republicans over that bid to pass an obamacare replacement. so where do the president and his party go from here? we're going to get perspective from former white house press secretary josh earnest. but first nbc's peter alexander has the latest on this. peter, good morning. >> reporter: matt, good morning. we'll have to work on our entrance at the white house in days ahead. this morning, in the wake of the health care failure, top republicans are licking their wounds, the president is trying to shake off defeat and move on even as his budget director asked allowed if the republican party is capable of governing. the party and the president only have a window to focus on lessons learned before going into other tricky agenda items like keeping the government funded and cutting taxes. more fallout for a president feeling drained. first the d finger pointing. >> what happened is washington won. we learned washington was more broken than president trump thought. >> reporter: president trump tweeting "democrats are smiling" blaming the conservative freedom caucus and other conservative groups for the loss arguing "they saved planned parenthood and obamacare." the debacle, a stinging failure for house speaker paul ryan, punctuated by the president directing his 27 million followers to tune into this fox news broadcast. judge janine pirro's opening statement? >> paul ryan needs to step down as speaker of the house. >> reporter: mr. trump's team insisting that was a coincidence, not a conspiracy. press secretary sean spicer telling nbc news the president wanted to show support for her show, that's it. but when the show aired, president trump himself was out to dinner at his d.c. hotel with his daughter ivanka trump and his son-in-law. aides say the president's partnership with the speaker remains strong, that the two spoke twice this weekend. >> he doesn't blame paul ryan. in fact, he thought paul r >> reporter: what now? republican senator lindsey graham says president trump should reach out to democrats. >> i don't think one party's going to be able to fix this by themselves. >> reporter: looking to regroup, mr. trump and his team are now eyeing another presidential priority -- tax cuts. after a tumultuous first ten weeks, the obamacare replacement bill pulled, a wiretapping claim rebuked even though his top aides rebuke that. >> he doesn't accept that? >> no, he doesn't. ultimately president trump is going to be proven correct. >> reporter: an expanded role for his son-in-law. the president tapping jared kushner to lead the new white house office of american innovation, described as a swat team of strategic consultants. the white house says it will empower former business executives to help the government run more smoothly and efficiently. also this week, the mystery over moscow's meddling grows. the senate intelligence committee holding the first public the trump campaign. the top democrat telling nbc news he would be "open" to an independent commission to investigate possible collusion. matt and savannah, back to you. >> peter alexander, thank you very much. josh earnest served as white house press secretary under president obama, he's joined nbc news as a political analyst. welcome to nbc. >> i'm thrilled to be here. >> now you have to wear your analyst hat, not your democrat hat. looking at what transpired over the last few weeks in health care, who is to blame? at first president trump said it's the democrats. then he said no, it's the hard-liners, the right, the house freedom caucus. what went wrong? >> well, it turns out governing is many complicated and in many ways more difficult than campaigning. and the challenge starts at the top. if you're going to be president of the united states and you want to solve problems for the american people then you have to figure out the way to get it done. if you are not going to be willing to make calls to the other side and build bipartisan legislation then you're going to have party remains divided. >> let's get more specific, though. you know how the white house works. so is this a problem with the chief of staff, reince priebus? was this a problem with the chief adviser steve bannon? was this the vice president who knows congress pretty well? who missed the stop sign? >> i think they all did. it's clear there are fissures in the republican party that could not be breached even by somebody like mike pence who has great relationships with conservative republicans. there wasn't a willingness on the part of anybody in the white house to work with democrats to actually improve obamacare and address the problems we know can be solved and improved and we couldn't be in a situation, matt, where the president of the united states -- it's just not tenable to be in a position where the president of the united states is ready to accept obamacare is going to explode. the american people expect you to solve problems not stand idly by while people get hurt. >> paul ryan said it's a major setback, he said we're trying to go from the party of no to a party governing and we're not there yet. the president has said supportive things about the speaker of the house to date but thee janine pirro show. is speaker ryan's job safe in your opinion? >> well, what is clear is that for republicans in congress, they haven't been safe in a long time if their party is so divided. the republican party over the last ten years has been instinctive opposition to everything related to president obama that's why it was easy to vote to repeal obamacare but when it came to replacing it, when it came to building a coalition to do something proactive and positive for the country, there's no consensus in the republican party. and as long as you're unwilling to work with democrats to find common ground, we're going to be stuck in the mud here. >> now the shoe is on the other foot, isn't it? democrats have a choice to make. they have some soul searching to do. on the one hand, there may be opportunity to work with president trump on infrastructure, on tax reform, perhaps a replacement bill for health care but there's not a lot of appetite on the lef wi trump a victory. what would be your advice? >> it's clear that democrats in congress are holding a much stronger hand than it looked like they were holding 65 days ago, so the question is how are they going to play the hand? they have leverage and they should use it and if there are opportunities to make progress on their terms in support of some values and priorities democrats have identified they can look for those opportunities but they don't have to fold to republicans, they're playing a strong hand. >> this is so unfair to do to you on your first day. in 10 seconds left josh, the relationship between donald trump, president trump, and president obama, started out cordially. is it completely over? >> i'm not aware they've had conversations since president trump took office but the telephone line still works so if he wants advice or insight, i'm confident that president obama, who's interested in the success of the country, would be happy to share his experience with president trump. >> that sounds like a press secretary's answer. josh earnest, good to have you, welcome to nbc. programming note, tomorrow south carolina lindsey graham he'll get his take on the fights over health care and the president's supreme court pick, russia and a whole lot more. senator lindsey graham live tomorrow morning on "today." taking a look at other news, we're hearing from the family of the american tourist who died in last week's terror attack in london. and there are new developments in the investigation as well. nbc's kelly cobiella is in london for us this morning. kelly, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning. emotional news conference in london. the family using words like "awful," "horrible," "gut wrenching" to describe what they're doing through. a family grieving. >> this has been a humbling and difficult experience but we felt the love of so many people during these past several days. >> reporter: for brother, son, husband curt cochran, he was killed, his wife melissa badly injured in last week's terrorist attack. >> the most difficult part of all of longer with us. and we miss him terribly. >> we're getting ready to get fired up, stick around. >> reporter: the 54-year-old cochran ran a music studio in utah with his wife. the couple in london to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary when a terrorist mowed them down on westminster bridge. four killed, dozens injured in an attack police said lasted just 82 seconds. the man responsible, police say, 52-year-old khalid masood, born and raised in england to a single mom. over the weekend, another arrest. two people are still being held, their alleged ties unclear. police say he left a message on what's app just before his killing spree. the british government pushing for access to encrypted s. >> we need to make sure they don't have a secret place to communicate with each other. >> reporter: in moment, pra mom silence, prayers and defiance. >> we want to dedicate this set to kurt. >> reporter: in utah, a somber tribute to a good friend. >> he touched people the same way music does. >> reporter: still in shock he's gone. this morning melissa cochran's mother says she has a broken rib, a cut on her head and badly broken leg but she says she is doing better. also this morning, the family thanked emergency workers and the public. so far $70,000 has been raised in support of this family. matt, savannah? >> kelly cobiella, thank you. this morning, the u.s. is condemning the arrests of hundreds of protesters in russia and calling for their release. tens of thousands of people took to the streets in moscow on sunday in an anti-corruption demonstration against the russian government. police say more tan rights group says that number is closer to 700. among those detained, alexei navalny, president putin's most strident critic. there was an avalanche at a japanese ski resort. the resort is about 100 miles of tokyo. more than 30 people were treated for non-life threatening injuries. hours before the incident the local meteorological agency issued an alert warning for heavy snowfall and possible avalanches. back to that dramatic video we showed you at the top of the show, an escalator packed full of shoppers at a hong kong mall reverses direction at high speed sending people tumbling to the bottom, at least 18 people were injured, two people are still in the hospital, they are in stable condition. the reason behind that malfunction still unknown but two technicians who were called in to help arrested, accused of tampering with the escalator after the incident. let us get back to march madness and the final four. thomas roberts is here. you tell me that you had oregon, south carolina, gonzaga and north carolina in the final four? i'm calling you on that. >> i'm married to a uk grad. i don't even fill out brackets but for millions of americans your brackets are probably busted and your voices may be gone like mine because those exciting elite eight games producing two first timers in the final four and one finish for the ages. this morning, the madness marches on with the final four now set. north carolina will face off against oregon while cinderella south carolina takes on gonzaga. two matchups few fans could have predicted. north carolina eking out a win over kentucky in dramatic fashion after the wildcats malik monk sunk a three point we are time running out. north carolina's luke may responded with his own buzzer beater. >> may for the win! with three seconds to go. >> reporter: the tar heels beating the wildcats 75-73 in the final nail-biting seconds. >> it's over. >> reporter: in another wild game, south carolina. >> back, yes! >> reporter: coming from behind in the second half against florida gators. their defense dominating. >> taken away! dozier, noticed. >> reporter: south carolina defeating florida 77-70, bringing heart break to their opponents and joy to their fans, including country music star darius rucker crying tears of joy in the stands. south carolina's coach frank martin also sharing this touching moment with his mother. >> i'm the luckiest human being in the world. >> reporter: their victory making south carolina's first trip to the final four but they're not the only ones. the gonzaga bulldogs also making history this weekend. >> for the first time in program history, gonzaga is headed to the final four. >> reporter: surging past xavier in an 83-59 victory, their matchup with south carolina next saturday guaranteed to be historic. but the oregon ducks are looking to make history of their own, returning to the final four for the first time since 1939. >> oh, no! are you kidding me? >> reporter: hoping to dash north carolina's dreams of returning to the championship and bringing home the trophy for the first time in nearly 80 years. we will all know coming up next saturday. so we have south carolina against gonzaga, oregon versus north carolina now. fill out your brackets. [ laughter ] >> literally now. thomas, thank youy stand the excitement but there's more on college campuses because al has stormed into the madness. he's at the university of oklahoma for the start of rokerthon 3. al, good morning again. >> well, good morning, guys. we've got everybody here gathered but i have to tell you, it was ironic that we're starting off here in norman because on campus here at the university of oklahoma is severe storms all housed in the national weathercenter here on campus. they had a lot going on yesterday. in fact, take a look right now. this is iona, oklahoma. damaging hail. they had upwards of softball sized hail. it did a lot of damage to homes and caused a lot of problems. this lake looks like it's boiling. and they also had tornados reported again just southeast of here, ada, oklahoma, we had twisters reported. there were some reports of damage to some mobile homes but thankfully no injuries. let's look at what's going on for today. more severe weather to talk about. it'sea mid-section of the country. the stuff that happened year yesterday has moved to the east. look at where we have the risk of severe weather including an enhanced risk from nashville to memphis, tupelo, mississippi, 12 million people at risk for isolated tornados and then tomorrow it moves further to the east as it continues to push eastward, storms rumbling in the tennessee valley, damaging winds, hail, downpour and then for tomorrow oklahoma city again under the gun, wichita falls down to san angelo, texas, 11 million people at risk with 60 mile per hour winds. we'll get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. good morning, everybody, i'm storm team four meteorologist chuck bell. a lot of clouds, low fog and low visibility as well so have your umbrella ready to go. not expecting any heavy rain today. this little round of light rain showers this morning will gradually taper off. we should be dry for lunchtime with another chance of the scattered showers or two coming in about 3:00 and 5:00. current temperatures are only in the 40s. afternoon highs today should make it back into the 70s so that will feel nice. back to al, boomer sooner. all right, that's your latest weather! when we come back, you are going to see the national map as you've never seen it before. interactive, made up of college students. what could possibly go wrong? it's going to be rok rokerthon 3 storming the madness comes your way! [ cheers and applause ] also ahead, an uproar after two girls are barred from a united flight wearing leggings, why the airline says there's more to this story. and then we have the report in the wake of the alabama woman's escape from the trunk of her car, would you know what to do if you found yourself in such a situation. but first, this is "today" on nbc. reports. coming up, a police officer tries to corral a cow. it didn't go as planned. >> after your local news. i am my best. and it all starts with a healthy routine. that's why i'm taking the activia probiotic two week challenge and enjoying activia yogurt twice a day. activia with billions of its exclusive probiotic helps take care of what's inside so you can focus on being your best no matter what you do. take the activia probiotic two week challenge with me. it works or it's free. take the a♪tivia probiotic two week challenge with me. lucis a lucky dog. but not every pet is as lucky as lucky. so we came up with a little idea, this year, when you buy any bag of dog or cat food at petsmart, we'll give a meal to a pet in need. it's like this: when pearl eats, peanut eats. when wolf woolfs, george gorges. and when moose mows down his meal, cuddles cuddles up to a bowl. you buy any bag, we'll give a meal. it's that simple. h! heartburn! no one burns on my watch! try alka seltzer heartburn relief chews. they work fast and don't taste chalky. mmmmm...amazing. i have heartburn. alka seltzer heartburn relief chews. enjoy the relief. is thno, it's, uh, breyers gelato indulgences. you really wouldn't like it. it's got caramel and crunchy stuff. i like caramel and crunchy stuff. breyers gelato indulgences. it's way beyond ice cream. larger than life fairy tales? endless magic? a world beyond belief? stories that come alive? or faraway lands? how about experiencing them all... together. walt disney world resort. four theme parks. one world. endless magic. he 4 park magic ticket. enjoy 4 days for $79 per day. purchase by july 30,2017. and the wolf huffed like you do sometimes, grandpa? well, when you have copd, it can be hard to breathe. it can be hard to get air out, which can make it hard to get air in. so i talked to my doctor. she said... symbicort could help you breathe better, starting within 5 minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. symbicort helps provide significant improvement of your lung function. symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol increase the risk of death from asthma problems. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. you should tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. symbicort could mean a day with better breathing. watch out, piggies! (child giggles) symbicort. breathe better starting within 5 minutes. visit saveonsymbicort.com today to learn more. >> good morning, everybody. it's 7:26 on this monday morning and today is march 27, 2017. i'm angie goss. >> i'm aaron gilchrist. developing now, crews will be back out on the potomac river to look for someone who went missing. this was a rescue mission but they've changed this to a recovery effort. d.c. fire and ems tweeting out this video from the key bridge. it doesn't appear as though the mission is impacting traffic on the bridge. also developing, a firefighter hurt in this house fire in lanham on annapolis road. you can see flames rising from the bottom of the house. the people who lived here got out and everyone is expected morning commute, first 4 traffic. >> good morning, three right lanes getting by the crash here. you can see outer loop up top there still a little bit slow as well and a little bit of rain around the area in certain spots. 66 inbound is still slow, 95 northbound not so bad, 270 south at falls road, main lanes are slow, so are the local lanes. university at rhode island avenue, new crash there. aaron? >> melissa, thank you, a check on your forecast is next. >> stay with us. cloudy and wet outside, not a lot of heavy rain coming down but just enough light rain, mist and drizzle in addition to thick fog to make it a gloomy monday morning. current temperatures are in the mid to upper 40s across the area but with breaks of sunshine, most areas will get back up into the 70s, keep the umbrella handy. friday looks wet but i'm optimistic the weekend will be dry. >> all right, thank you, chuck. more news in 25 minutes. >> back to the "today" show after a short break. ♪ 7:30 on a 7:30 on a monday morning, the 27th day of march, 2017. big crowd out on our plaza on a rainy morning here in the northeast. segue, dissolves, al is hanging without the in crowd in oklahoma, this is the start of rokerthon 3 and we'll check in with al and his friends in just a little while. by the way, those folks had rough weather to deal with over the weekend. that tops today's headlines. powerful storm system hammered parts of oklahoma in texas on sunday. it's moving east. that's baseball-sized hail crashing down near dallas. possible today from louisiana to southern illinois. the search is intensifying for several suspects in a deadly nightclub shooting. it happened in cincinnati. one person was killed, 15 others were wounded. police say the gunfire erupted after a dispute between several club goers. they've also ruled out terrorism as a motive. the shooters were able to flee amid all of that chaos. and president trump is creating a new office responsible for streamlining and overhauling the federal government. the so-called white house office of american innovation will be led by the president's son-in-law jared kushner. kushner was appointed as senior white house adviser back in january. now to a story causing outrage on social media this morning. united airlines' decision to ban two girls from boarding a flight because they were wearing leggin legging leggings. joe fryer has the story. >> reporter: two girls were stopped them deeming their spandex leggings were inappropriate. critics lined up as the news spread online but this morning the airline is fighting back. the outrage began at denver airport when two girls were denied entry on to a united flight by the gate agent. the reason, they were wearing spandex leggings. passenger shannon watts tweeting "she's forcing them to change or put dresses on over leggings or they can't board. since when does united policewomen's clothing." united immediately responded "we have the right to refuse transport for passengers who are barefoot or not properly clothed." watts, who witnessed the incident, said the girls were traveling with an adult man wearing shorts and he wasn't stopped. the reaction on social media fast and furious. "since when are leggings inappropriate? is united airlines fashion police or misobstruction of justices now." even mom and oscar wimmer patricia arquette weighed in "women and girls are in a no-man's-land about appropriate attire so looks li united later clarified the girls were traveling on the pass program which provides free flights for airline employers. the airline told us it has stricter dress code requirements because they're considered representatives of united, the restrictions? no spandex, midriffs and ahire with holes or tears. >> the dress code requirements for airlines friend and family program are common among all airlines. >> reporter: this travel blogger says he sees non-revenue passengers barred from flights because of their clothing but -- >> their policy seems a bit more sexist than other airlines because they restrict leggings, mostly articles of clothing that women would wear while men are mostly free to go as long as they don't wear flip-flops. united says this stricter dress code policy for non-revenue passengers is made clear to all its employees and it's up to them to ensure their family members and friends follow it when flying. united's dress code for paying calls "proper clothing and no bare feet." the airline says, "to our regular customers, your leggings are welcome." matt and savannah? >> matt is so relieved about that. >> thank goodness. let's check in with al. a little while ago he arrived on a speeding wagon. he is down in oklahoma for day one of rokerthon 3. al? >> that's right. university of oklahoma. the students and the band here are going to help us show you the weather the way we've never seen it before -- a giant human map, okay? so first of all we've got sunshine in the southwest. the weather is looking pretty spectacular but as we make our way up to the northwest, we have showers, winds, it will be a bit of a mess there. but up to the plains, the plains we go. we've got partly sunny skies, it's going to be a lovely day. the upper midwest and on into the mississippi river valley we've got showers and thunderstorms, we've got wind, but, again here in the midwest and norman, oklahoma, things looking good. up in the northeast showers and snow. we're talking some areas in northern new england picking up up to five to six inches of snow. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. well, here this morning we have fog to talk about, dense fog advisory still in effect until 9:00 a.m., some areas are seeing about a half mile visibility, half mile in the district, manassas coming in close to a quarter mile, fredericksburg down to zero meaning that is very dense fog. so as we go through the morning we'll still see that. it will lift around 9:00, 10:00. temperatures mid to upper 40s, today 73 for a high temperature. you want the umbrella with you, thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon. that's your latest weather, get the weather any time you need it, check out our friends at the weather channel on mat and savannah, i'm so bright my mama calls me "son." >> wait a second, so you're in texas right now. real quickly because we don't have a lot of time, what's the weather in bangor, maine? [ laughter ] >> we'll check back with you in an hour. >> it's a little snowy! it's looking good! >> all right, buddy, thank you. >> i'm exhausted! >> it's just beginning, he has to conserve his energy. up next, we have a new rossen report that could be a lifesaver. good morning, i'm jeff rossen. a kidnapping case making headlines. an abductor stuffing a woman into the trunk of a car. she was able to get out. the question is, would you know how to escape if you were stuck in a trunk? i'm getting in to show you the simple way to do it, next. m get got any ideas for me? well, not all products work the same. that's why my owner gives me k9 advantix ii. yep kills all three through contact -- no biting required. wish my owner knew about k9 advantix ii. ow! well...could be worse. ooh. glorious. protect against the bites that can spread disease. k9 advantix ii. wise choice. i use what's already inside me to reach my goals. so i liked when my doctor told me that i may reach my blood sugar and a1c goals by activating what's within me with once-weekly trulicity. trulicity is not insulin. it helps activate my body to do what it's supposed to do release its own insulin. trulicity responds when my blood sugar rises. i take it once a week, and it works 24/7. it comes in an easy-to-use pen. and i may even lose a little weight. trulicity is a once-weekly injectable prescription medicine to improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes trulicity is not insulin. it should not be the first medicine to treat diabetes, or for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. do not take trulicity if you or a family member has had medullary thyroid cancer, if you've had multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to trulicity. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms such as itching, rash, or trouble breathing; a lump or swelling in your neck; or severe pain in your stomach area. serious side effects may include pancreatitis, which can be fatal. taking trulicity with a sulfonylurea or insulin increases your risk for low blood sugar. common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite, and indigestion. some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may make existing kidney problems worse. with trulicity, i click to activate what's within me. if you want help improving your a1c and blood sugar numbers with a non-insulin option, click to activate your within. ask your doctor about once-weekly trulicity. ♪ at almond breeze, we only use california-grown blue diamond almonds in our almondmilk. it's something we're proud of. knowing exactly where every almond comes from. but the whole "care-and-nurturing-making- sure-they-grow- up-just-right" part? that idea... ...we borrowed from the experts. ♪ blue diamond almond breeze. the best almonds make the best almondmilk. ♪ready. set. go. go. go. ♪ ♪ one way or another, i'm gonna find ya' ♪ ♪ i'm gonna get ya', get ya', get ya', get ya' ♪ ♪ one way or another,♪ ♪ one way or another, i wanna ♪ ya', get ya', get ya', get ya' ♪ ♪ ♪ one way or another, keep on giggling...ica. and goofing. keep on grooving... and togethering. with scott 1000's long-lasting roll, we'll keep on going, too. scott 1000. america's longest lasting roll. just head & shoulders? (gasp) i thought it was just for, like, dandruff new head & shoulders. cleans, protects and moisturizes to... ...get up to 100% flake-free and unbelievably beautiful hair it's not head & shoulders, it's the new head & shoulders we're back at 7:41 this morning. on an eye-opening experiment that could save your life. >> today jeff rossen is here with more on that. good morning. >> good morning, we have been reporting on that terrifying kidnapping case out of alabama right here on "today" the images are incredible when she actually escaped by popping the trunk from inside. it got me thinking, would i know what to do if a kidnapper stuffed me in a trunk? would you know what to do? what if your hands were tied? is there any way to break free and escape then? turns out you can do all of it and it's easier than you you how. a daring escape caught on camera in alabama. this nursing student jumping out of the trunk of a moving car after she was kidnapped and thrown in. >> and i'm, like, i might have a trunk latch. i found the latch, popped the latch and i stepped out. >> reporter: the trunk latch that saved her life is required by law in all passenger cars since 2001 but would you know where to find it and how to escape if you were trapped inside? we've set up a dramatic experiment today. we're going to take volunteers and stick them into the trunk of the car to see if they can turn their bodies around in the pitch black to find the latch, flip it and get out of the car. since we're sticking "people" in the trunk of the car today, we thought it would be a good idea to bring the cops along. this is major hector yavat from department. i'm going to hop into the trunk firs first. i have not done this before. this is as weird as you think it would be. >> ready? >> close it up. we're using infrared cameras so you can see me but you can't see a thing in here. imagine if you were in a real kidnapping situation how scared you would be. so the first thing is to push my way into the passenger seats but that's not working. hector, what should i do? >> try to turn your body around to face the rear bumper of the car. >> turn my body around which i'm six feet tall, is not easy in here. okay, so i've turned my body around facing the back of the car, now what? >> now you want to look towards the rear wall of the trunk and find anything glowing, like a latch or a pull. >> i see there's a glowing thing here. i see it glowing. >> try to switch that latch. >> this is the latch, let me flip it. here i am. wow. >> there you go. >> but knowing what to do makes it easier. >> i knew what i was looking for but let's see if volunteer cans pull it off climb in. if you freak out and you want to get out bang on the truck. >> i'm going to try using my own knowledge to try to get out? >> exactly. >> and it's locked? >> it's locked. >> okay. >> here we go. all right, try to get out. >> after just seconds in there -- wow! you did it. a few people get it but most -- it's dark and scary, a little freaky. what's it like in there? >> i can't find anything. trying. >> how are you supposed to get out of this? >> this mother is trying to kick out the seat. >> it feels like it's closing in on me. >> this woman seems to know there should be a latch but -- >> i'm trying to find the latch or something but i can't. >> in fact, most of our volunteers -- men and women of out. can i show you? >> yes, please. >> see this right here. that's the latch right there. >> oh, my gosh. >> look for the glow in the dark latch, they always glow in the dark. >> thank you, if i was in an emergency it would be good to know that there's a latch here. >> now you know. >> now i know. >> but what if your kidnapper ties you up? retired special forces officer michael hawk is about to show us how to break free. >> i'm going secure this zip tie very tight right on your wrist bone so it looks like you're not going anywhere. >> i'm not. >> now your mission is as soon as the bad guys take their eyes off of you to execute the escape maneuver and you do that by bringing your arms up as high as you can and pull them down into your stomach with as much force as you can, spread your elbows and push your stomach out and you'll overwhelm the locking mechanism and break free. >> anybody can do this? >> if i can do it this is what it's going to look like. >> bam! that's amazing. >> anyone can do it. we bring out more volunteers. yes! yeah! they snap the zip ties right off. nice job! >> thank you. >> was that easy? >> very easy. >> the simple tip that could save your life. >> we learned something today. >> yes, thank you. >> you're a great sport. >> thank you. >> here's another cool tip, go outside to your car, pop the trunk, look if the latch you didn't know existed before this because that woman in alabama was stuffed in her own trunk so why not know your own car as well because that could happen. >> i'm equally as impressed by the zip tie thing. >> it gives you a fighting chance. >> let's hope you never get there. thank you very much. coming up, we have more on the unbelievable march madness and why folks in one city never saw it. what? first these messages. >> how's your bracket, carson? >> done! ever wonder why they leave? the abuse. the mistreatment. the humiliation. it's time to treat them better. introducing tide pods plus downy. treat all your clothes better with tide pods plus downy. if it's gotta be clean, it's gotta be tide. ♪ lucis a lucky dog. but not every pet is as lucky as lucky. so we came up with a little idea, this year, when you buy any bag of dog or cat food at petsmart, we'll give a meal to a pet in need. it's like this: when pearl eats, peanut eats. when wolf woolfs, george gorges. and when moose mows down his meal, cuddles cuddles up to a bowl. you buy any bag, we'll give a meal. everyone wants to be (cthe cadbury bunny because only he brings delicious cadbury creme eggs. while others may keep trying, nobunny knows easter better than cadbury. [ cheers and applause ] there is nothing better than a thrilling end to a march see it. carson has the story. >> that can be a problem. a weekend full of surprises. as we showed you earlier this morning, perhaps none more exciting than the final minute of the north carolina and kentucky game. but as fans took in that final finish, here's what viewers in columbus, ohio saw. that's a blank black screen. the cbs columbus station went to black for a full six minutes to deliver news of a tornado warning over the final moments of that epic game. viewers not happy about it as you can imagine. here's jason tweeting in "here was my view of the buzzer beater." the station responding tweeting "10 tv will air the last two minutes of the north carolina/kentucky game at 8:00 p.m. but by then the final four had been set. here's the question -- how are our brackets holding up? let's look at today's virtual bracket battle and see with things stand. cool graphics, but look at savannah, 37 there's matt lawyuer -- sorry jk lawer with 66 points. matt, you're the only one with anybody in the big game there so if north carolina wins on saturday you would surpass savannah and win it sewell early congratulations to little jack lauer. >> they have to win on saturday. >> i'm pulling for them. >> talk about dumb look. >> that's cool, very good. coming up, al is storming into the madness of rokerthon 3 with the oklahoma sooners. don't miss the guinness world records they're about to attempt after your local fuse. 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[ cheers and applause ] yeah! >> al is storming into the madness beginning his week-long adventure to break world records at college campuses across the country. his first stop, the university of oklahoma. >> boomer, sooner, let's go, boys! hit it! and celebrating 70 music legend elton john marks his milestone in style with an epic star-studded birthday party today, monday, march 27, 2017. [ cheers and applause ] >> we're from michigan! >> good morning, illinois, we want to be savannah's bff! ? matt lauer, we're here for you! >> good morning, south carolina. go gamecocks! [ cheers and applause ] it's 8:00 on "today," monday, march 27. good morning, everybody. so nice to have everybody here. it's so rainy and cold. t i'm a little dangerous with this umbrella. >> meanwhile, al is on the road at the university of oklahoma for the start of rokerthon 3 and it's already been an eventful morning. mr. roker? >> i just got a doughnut from sooner. boomer and sooner, and we are about to set not one but two guinness world records. we spent the weekend here having a great time, singing "oklahoma." oh, man, it's fantastic. you will not believe the record we're going to set when we come back. yeah! . my arm is getting tired here. ♪ you're doing fine, oklahoma, oklahoma, okay ♪ >> it didn't get better than that, baby! and i've got a doughnut. >> is there anyone better to tour college campuses than al roker? >> al needs to go back to sch l school. al, thank you very much, now let's get to the top stories. here's your news at 8:00. >> reporter: i'm hallie jackson in washington. no marching bands but we are watching the blame game, the fallout after republicans yanked their health care bill. as president trump looks to refocus on tax reform, the white house is tamping down talk of any rift between the president and house speaker paul ryan. today back to work with backlash building, full on finger-pointing 72 hours after the health care bill failure. >> there's plenty of blame to go around. what happened is that washington won. >> reporter: the administration pitting responsibility on conservatives in congress. >> congress wasn't a you saw it. >> reporter: and the president this weekend raising eyebrows by telling his 27 million twitter followers to watch judge janine. her opening statement? >> paul ryan needs to step down as speaker of the house. the reason? he failed to deliver the votes on his health care bill. >> reporter: aides close to paul ryan say he talked twice over the week wednesday the president who made clear his tweet had nothing to do with the house speaker. press secretary sean spicer tells nbc news he wanted to show support of her show, that's it. now new fallout for the ultraconservative freedom caucus whose members mostly opposed the failed health care bill. one lawmaker now leaving the voting block all together. the caucus chairman reflecting on the republican revolt that sank the plan to kill obamacare. >> no one has been more self-critiquing than me. >> reporter: he's not the only one thinking about bipartisanship. >> be able to fix this by themselves. >> reporter: the president's influn son-in-lential son-in-la getting a bigger role. jared kushner will help oversee the overhaul of the federal government set to lead what will be called the office of american innovation and new today we've also learned jared kushner is willing to testify in front of the senate intelligence committee in as part of their ongoing investigation in russia's interference of the election. matt? >> hallie jackson at the white house, thank you very much. new developments in the case of elizabeth thomas. she is the 15-year-old tennessee girl allegedly kidnapped by her 50-year-old married former high school teacher. they were last seen about two weeks ago. >> reporter: good morning, matt, it's been two weeks since they disappeared and very few new leads. we're hearing this morning from the wife of the suspected kid jill cummins tells us "nobody understands the pain and shock i am in now." she had a message directly for her husband. she writes "you know you can't hide forever. for your sake and for beth's sake, please go to the police or just drop beth off somewhere safe. i know you are afraid and i know there's a part of you that's really sorry. it's not too late." also this morning we're hearing for the very first time elizabeth thomas' voice. in an undated facebook video she's seen with her brother, they're sewing a flag. let's listen to how she sounds. >> and right here you -- um -- you want to start from the back or from the front? >> investigators telling nbc more about how they were communicating. they used a school e-mail account, they would write e-mail, save it as a draft and once the other person read it they would delete it. obviously they were thinking nobody was able to trace these but investigators have gotten ahold of them. matt? >> tammy leitner, thank you. uber is investigating the weekend crash that caused the company to suspend its self-driving car program. police in tempe, arizona, say the driver failed to yield and flipped an uber suv on its side. the uber car was in self-driving mode though it had two safety drivers in the front seat. in addition to arizona, uber's pilot program is on hold in pittsburgh and in san francisco. coming up next, does pushing your kids to take harder classes and extracurricular activities help them get into college. on "trending," what you need to know about the admissions process. then an inside look at sir elton john's star-studded birthday bash. and al is start to finish on rockerthon 3 at the university of oklahoma. but first, these messages. lergi? 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[ cheers and applause ] a littl, this year, when you buy any bag of dog or cat food at petsmart, we'll give a meal to a pet in need. it's like this: when pearl eats, peanut eats. when wolf woolfs, george gorges. and when moose mows down his meal, cuddles cuddles up to a bowl. you buy any bag, we'll give a meal. it's that simple. when you're close to the people you love, does psoriasis ever get in the way of a touching moment? if you have moderate to severe psoriasis, you can embrace the chance of completely clear skin with taltz. taltz is proven to give you a chance at completely clear skin. with taltz, up to 90% of patients had a significant improvement of their psoriasis plaques. do not use if you are allergic to taltz. before starting you should be checked for tuberculosis. taltz may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you are being treated for an infection or have symptoms. or if you have received a vaccine or plan to. inflammatory bowel disease can happen with taltz. including worsening of symptoms. serious allergic reactions can occur. now's your chance at completely clear skin. just ask your doctor about taltz. we're back, 8:11. t so dylan is here. >> unexpectedly. as a parent, have you ever done something -- like take something away from your child, something they really like, just to punish them? >> not yet. >> well, if they're doing something bad like banging. >> like a favorite toy or something like that. >> not quite yet, no. >> we've done stories on this show in the past about child shaming, the kids do something wrong and parents in a very public way express their displeasure? i want to show you something, though. here's what one parent did. he let the world know about it. at the cavaliers/hornets name saying "thomas, get your grades back up and next time you'll be here. love dad." what do you think about that? >> i think if you're going to do it, that's the way to do it. it says love dad, it had an emoji with a tear saying i wish you were here but you have to do what you have to do. >> so you take the softer approach. >> i do. i like shaming. to me it's like airing your dirty laundry. but there's something comedic about that and light hearted that seems fine. >> it doesn't have his picture. >> and i'm normally not at all into the shaming thing. there's something almost good natured about that and you're right, the tear and the love dad. if he hadn't done that i would have felt differently but i think he's saying i love you, buddy. >> this could be yours, too, if you work hard enough. >> it would be fun to share this but you have to work harder. >> there's nothing about this that signals frustration or contempt on the part of dad and his motives. >> i agree. >> like he's saying i'd be happening a better time with you. >> young people react to that. >> especially if it's gone viral. >> i have a sign that says "jack, you don't win the bracket --" >> he normally does, though, right? >> he's looking good this year again. this is also the time of year high schoolers are hearing back from colleges so just in time for next year, the "washington post" took a look at myths surrounding the you. myth number one, that admissions essays don't matter. actually, they do, according to the paper. if there's an admission officer who's on the fence, that essay could put you over the edge. that makes sense. especially when you're looking for something beyond -- >> i needed that essay because my math scores weren't so great. i needed to write. >> i applied to rutgers because it didn't require an essay at the time. i can't write. >> okay, the more extracurriculars the better. >> we did a segment about this. don't they call that the vanity sheet and colleges are moving away from it. >> resume padding and the colleges are on to it, having numerous extracurriculars makes you look broad, unfocused, a resume padder. last one, this is surprising, the average grades in hard classes are better than as in easy classes, a lot of people think that but apparently it's better to go and get the a in the easy class because they don't want -- >> they don't lond it's advanced. >> they don't want to see you struggling across multiple classes, if you just see a c or a d on a report card, what do they do that? do they think well, that was a.p. calculus so it's okay. >> it's like sports. all those 52-0s. >> we've all seen dash cam footage of car chase, but what about a cow chase? in texas, the temple police department had to chase down a runaway cow that escaped from a nearby vet clinic. you can see the cow run into a fenced off area. that's good, right? so the cop walks up and says gotcha and shuts the gate. the cow had other ideas. whoa! >> the cow runs right through the gate, you can hear the cow saying "eat more chicken." [ laughter ] it ran down the street. >> he tried to close the gate behind him. >> we checked in with the police department, they have not heard whether the cow has been captured. >> oh, my gosh, the officer made >> i didn't know cows were so fast. >> nobody puts a cow in the corne corner. >> guys, antonio banderas is opening up about a recent health scare. you remember back in january the 56-year-old actor was rushed to the hospital for reasons unknown. but now he's revealed the reasons, at a festival in spain he had a heart attack, he said it was not serious, he didn't suffer any damage. he was down playing the scare. he said "it's not as dramatic as some have written." big news for one direction fans. you have band members like zayn malik and louis tomlinson who started their solo careers. now it looks like harry styles is jumping on board. he dropped a teaser on the uk not much is revealed in the factor. a couple keys on the piano are heard as he's walking around. you can check that out april 7 will be the date and we'll see what comes in store for harry styles. a big day for elton john, the legendary singer turned 70 and, of course, he celebrated in style. elton was surrounded by some of the biggest names in the industry, as you might expect. katy perry, neil patrick harris, john hamm among others. who sang happy birthday to elton? that's right, stevie wonder and lady gaga. melanie bromley, chief news correspondent for e news caught that moment on camera. ♪ happy birthday, happy birth y birthday ♪ >> looks like the party was a good time. happy birthday to elton john. >> carson, thank you very much and thanks for being here. let's send norman, oklahoma, on the opening day of rokerthon 3. all? >> guys, it's the moment we have been waiting for. we are not going to attempt to break one record, guinness world record but two guinness world records. we have from guinness world records michael embrick who is going to be here to validate whether we do it or not. so what's going to happen is the students from the university of oklahoma are going to try and create a cloud and a lightning bolt, a human lightning bolt and a cloud. we also have the band forming a sun just for support. so they need to hold the position for five minutes. we are going to start the clock now. >> one, two, three! >> all right, they are holding these positions, we are going to give you the official forecast. hold your positions as we bring you we are looking at the wet weather, there's severe weather in the mid-plains that affected parts of oklahoma and texas yesterday. it's moving to the east and there's snowy weather making its way into the northeast in new england. 12 million people at risk, damaging winds and tornados. the same area was at risk. large hail, tornados, possible from texas on into oklahoma, oklahoma city just on the northern fringe of that. rest of the country, wet weather making its way from the gulf into the ohio river valley. strong winds through southern california and the southwest. right now a minute gone on this. let's -- that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. good morning, everybody. thick fog outside this morning, the only thing we can see with our city cama little itsy bitsy spider web capturing droplets so hopefully our spieder is on a diet because all that's in the weather this morning is water. temperatures are in the mid-40s now. we'll get rid of the rain here this morning. okay, that's your latest weather. under three and a half minutes to go. >> aside from being the body president, i'm your i'm your roommate. >> who the heck are they? >> oh, they're with us, come on, let's go explore. >> okay, if you say so. >> it will be exciting. >> i'll take your word for it, j.d. ♪ oh, what a beautiful morning, oh, what a beautiful day ♪ i've got a beautiful feeling, everything's going my way ♪ >> did you know that ou has more national merit scholars freshman than any other university in the country. >> that is awesome! >> shh! >> sorry. >> roker. >> so, al, h so far? >> it's going great but -- i smell somebody getting a forecast ready for broadcast. >> you know what? i believe that's the journalism students preparing. >> how do i get there as quickly as possible? >> the engineering students can help you out. >> oh, that's what i'm talking about. you know, i think i'm going to need more horsepower. boomer, sooner, let's go, boys! hit it! faster! faster! faster! not so fast! >> so, al, this is our ou nightly broadcast. >> cool. >> rokerthon is officially coming to ou. >> we're hoping if bright sunny skies over the plains. >> we'll turn to sawyer wells, sawyer, what can you expect to see this week? >> monday is looking great, here's what's happening with your neck of the woods. >> no, say it with authority, your neck of the woods. >> what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> your neck of the woods. >> your neck of the woods. >> excellent, sawyer, my job here is done. >> al, did you know ou is ho >> you bet i did! i'm home, baby! [ cheers and applause ] my people! my people! all right! what's the temperature in anchorage, alaska? >> 24 degrees. >> what's the wind direction in portland, maine. >> from the south! >> are we going to see rain for rokerthon? >> no! >> yeah, baby, yeah! >> you know. ♪ i've got a beautiful feeling, everything's going my way ♪ >> boomer, sooner! >> we're coming down 10 seconds. here we go, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. >> all right! all right! well, coming up in a few minutes michael is tabulating if we have broken the record. not just one but two records as we continue rokerthon 3 storming the madness. back to you. >> fingers crossed. >> there was a musical on broadway years ago called "oklahoma" if you're too young to know about that. >> al, thank you, we'll check in with rokerthon 3 more madness after a check of your local news and weather. boy, i hope they made that record. >> i think they d. good morning, 8:26 on this monday, march 27, i'm aaron gilchrist, let's check in with melissa mollet with your first 4 traffic. >> right now inner loop at the springfield interchange, a disabled vehicle blocking the right lane so we are seeing a slowdown. beltway slow down as well from an earlier problem. outbound change after canal road had a crash, all lanes are open there. inbound 66 before the beltway, a broken down vehicle moves to the left shoulder. >> we'll have a check on your forecast when we come back. stay with us. nked highest in cu satisfaction by jd power 4 years in a row. and now you can love fios too. get 150 meg internet, tv and phone. all for $79.99 per month, for the first year it's the only internet with equal upload and download speeds. cable only offers upload speeds that are a fraction of the download speeds. plus get hbo for a year and free multi-room dvr service for two years. and verizon wireless customers can stream tv on the fios mobile app, data-free. get the best. go to getfios.com good morning, everybody. in the chilly 40s with thick fog across the area. so if you have an early morning flight you may want to call your carrier, there are likely to be delays. not much in the way of rain but take your umbrella with you. temperatures will gradually rise from the 40s to upper 60nd shower chance later this afternoon. tomorrow also warm with a chance for showers. >> thank you, chuck. you can get the latest news and weather any time. just open the nbc washington app. [ cheers and applause ] it's 8 k34r07b n:30 on this morning, the 27th day of march, 2017. and if this is spring, take me back to winter. >> i know. >> because it's dreary here in the northeast. temperature about 40 degrees. rainy. >> you got this cold or whatever. >> who knows what's going on here. we're fine and thank you guys for standing out in the rain, we appreciate it. >> seriously. we're on the edge of our seats here because we just saw, we think, a world record being set at the university of alaska where al is. al, what's the verdict? >> well, we're going to find out now, savannah. joining us is osu dean of students clark stroud and guinness world records, of course, our good imperic. michael, what's the news? >> al, i totalled the talese, i went through our counts and both of them are guinness world records titles. congratulations! >> you did it! >> i'd like to welcome you to the guinness world record family two times over. >> not one but two. wow, a lightning bolt and a cloud. that's impressive and we also have the band forming a sun just for -- because we could. that's why. all right, now we are not done just yet. because we have a $5,000 rockerthon pure point financial scholarship to help one of these lucky students so let's bring in our drum major. we're going to pick a name out of the hat oh, no. kelsey hawk. kelsey hawk. here she comes. all right, kelsey, congratulations we're going write your name in here in just a second. where are you from? >> i'm from northwest oklahoma. >> what's your major. >> international studies. >> and this time we could use more international studies. congratulations, a big thank you to our friends at pure point financial for this, $5,000 for you. >> that's not my last name. >> what's your last name? >> hull, h-u-l-l. oh, my god! wrong! i'm so >> you won, seriously. >> where's warren beatty when you need him? oh, my gosh! >> wait, what just happened? >> very close pronunciations. >> here's what happened. her name -- what's your last name, dear? come here. really quickly. >> at least kelsey's honest. >> hull. >> it's hull and she's kelsey hawk. she's kelsey hull. i think our friends at pure point financial are going to give them both a $5,000 check. yes. what's your major. >> arabic. >> what is it? >> arabic. >> well there you go. congratulations. that's fantastic. guys, we are so thrilled. thank you for coming out and being understanding. and thanks again to pure point financial for being so generous and we are crimson and cream, the school colors, we are going to be moving on from rokerthon, this has been a heck of a way to start off rokerthon 3. thank you guys so very much. let's do your weather, see what's going on as far as your weekend outlook is concerned. wow, how exciting. for the week ahead, severe storms through the plains, ice and snow in the northeast. as we move into the midweek period we are looking at more wet weather in the mid-section of the country. severe storms there, wet weather in the pacific northwest, unseasonably mild in the east and toward the end of the week heavy rain along the mid-atlantic states, plenty of sunshine up and down the west coast. sunshine from the upper midwest into the gulf coast. wow was that exciting! that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. i've got two microphones. >> visibility still not good here. we have areas with dense fog, clinton is around au half mile, fredericksburg down to zero, that is thick fog. scattered showers to our north and west through the afternoon. keep the umbrella with you. a few more showers in the forecast today. upper 40s this afternoon, 73 later. we dry up wednesday and thursda thursday. >> that's your latest weather. okay, here's the clue for tomorrow. i'm hitting the road, stop number two. within sight of the northern lights way up there you might freeze but it could be the source of your morning joe. so roker on this 3 rolls on, thank you, a big thank you to everybody at the university of oklahoma, thanks so much, guys. we'll see you tomorrow. stay tuned, rokerthon 3. >> well done, al. nobody getsut the way, like al does and our thanks to the sooners in norman. >> and congratulations to the kelseys, plural. coming up next, we'll shift gears, rachel dolezal is speaking out about moving forward in the wake of her racial identity scandal. this is "today" on nbc. back at 8:38. back at 8:38. rachel dolezal raised questions when she stated she identifies as a black person and intended to live her life that way. dolezal was accused of faking her black appearance, a claim she denies and in the aftermath of that firestorm she lost her job as director of the spokane chapter of the naacp. she's written a book about her life called "in full color, white world." good morning, good to see you again. >> good morning. >> i'm sure it's a mixed bag writing a book. i'm sure it was cathartic but you're back in the spotlight again. any trepidation about that? >> yeah, the book was a difficult one to right but i felt like it was -- you know, kind of a little bit forced upon me sparse the need to tell the whole truth about my life. >> how has life been? you were here and you were honest about the impact of these revelations on your life you just had a baby 13 months ago. is it still as difficult to put your life back together? >> it's a big challenge but i'm 100% committed to providing for my kids and finding my way back to the activism work that i'm so passionate about. >> you even changed your name legally, which we will not reveal the name, but why did you feel the need to do >> i really felt like i needed to change my legal name in order to be seen for my qualifications an experience rather than for the tabloid publicity that i got in 2015 so when i plyi iwhen ap for a job i felt like people were seeing rachel dolezal and not paying attention to the wide ranging experience and qualifications i have that. >> what are you hoping to say in this book? what is the message you're trying to get out there? >> i really want to advance the conversation about race and identity and i hope that readers are encouraged to be exactly who they are and i also hope that in some way like i said i want to tell the whole story of my life and in some way that that is able to kind of set the record straight because my life story was warped beyond recognition by a lot of the negative press in 2015. >> well, i don't have to tell you, you're stilly a lot of people think okay, even if i understand the fact she has a ton of affection for this african-american community, that she identifies with the african-american community, feels a part of it, why say that you are in fact a member of the african-american community? i think that's the disconnect people still have. what's your response? and i'm sure you hear it all the time. >> right. well i don't identify as african-american. i identify as black so i am part of the pan african diaspora and i definitely feel like in america, even though race is a social construct and we've acknowledged this in academia and in science there still is a line drawn in the sand. there still are sides, politically there's a black side and a white side and i stand unapologetically on the black side. i stand with my own internal sense of self and my own values. i stand with my sons, i stand with my sister and i also stand there really with the greater cause of white supremacy. >> it's interesting because you could stand there and take all of those same positions without saying i'm a member of this community. right? >> um, i really prefer to just be exactly who i am. and black is really the closest race and culture category that represents the essential essence of who i am. >> and how are you hoping to live the rest of your life? you said you want to get back to your activism and some of the things that you were doing prior to this. >> absolutely. i'm krited to racial and social justice work and education and i am just looking for opportunities to reentry that field and participate again and so i'm hopeful. >> the book is called "in full color." rachel, good to see you, appreciate it. coming up ann romney about her passion for family and what's going on in washington these days but first this is today on nbc. welcome back. 8:45. ann romney was thrust into the national spotlight when her husband, former massachusetts governor mitt romney became the republican nominee for president in 2012. but if you ask her, it's not politics that defines her, it's the work as her mother of five, grandmother of 24, 48 years of marriage, a passion for horse back riding and her nearly 20-year battle with multiple sclerosis. she writes about this in her book "in this together." it's good to see you. >> hi, savannah. >> the book is so much about your struggle with multiple sclerosis. you look fabulous. how do you feel? >> i feel great. i'm loving life. everything's good. i'm at this part of my life where it's time to give back and help ot so we have this great center in boston that studies multiple sclerosis, als, parkinson's and brain tumors. we're making progress on all of those fronts. >> the book talks about your diagnosis at the age of 49. you were very candid about dealing with that, how you got through it. what's the reaction that you got originally to the book? what have people said to you about it? >> i still get people that break down when they see me. they are so grate fful that someone understands where they're coming from. so to me to write the book it's about hope and giving those people that need that extra encouragement and say we're working on things, we're doing things, we're making progress, i know what your struggle is, i know how difficult it is and i just want to give people hope now. >> you give a checklist at the end of the book and the list. faith is on the list. what did you value most in terms of practical tools to help deal with whether it's an m.s. diagnosis or any challenge. >> it takes -- your rug gets ripped out from underneath you and you say who am i? what am i? how am i going to live my life? what's important in life and what you recognize you have to strip away so many different things. but the people you love, those around you, that's what matters, having a purpose in life, doing something that you love, finding joy and joy does not have to cost a lot. and you have to go back to simplicity and finding where the joy piece of life really is. >> well, you know i have to ask you about politics. your husband was a front-runner and finalist to be secretary of state in the trump administration. what did you think of that process and the end result. obviously the job went to somebody else. whole thing, really. i thought mitt would have been terrific and we were seriously considering it. i think he was very seriously being considered. so for mitt to have been able to shape foreign affairs would have been a significant role for him and i know he would have accepted it when he asked -- if he would have been asked. >> tongues wag in washington. some people thought is donald trump stringing along good morning and having this public process where he's considered for the role but knows he won't offer the job? >> i think it was serious. i don't think for a moment that was the case. >> you've been married 48 years so the first anniversary is paper. the second one is -- >> oh, dear, i don't know. >> what's 48? what do you do to celebrate? >> well, with a lot of grandchildren. we roasted marshmallows. >> s'mores? >> s'mores. we did s'mores with all of our grand kids. so you know that's again -- it's so much joy with having that family i always tell people now skip parenting and go straight to grandparenting. it's way easier. >> it seems good. your son josh, some people talk about him as the governor of utah. are you on board? >> i see in the the light for josh. >> you do? >> i do. >> and everything you experienced in politics you say go for it? >> yes, go for it. it's worth trying to get involved. let your voice be heard. get in there. >> do you think your husband will get back in the arena in any way, shape or form? >> we're enjoying life the way it is right now. >> grant parenting is good? >> very good. >> mrs. romney, thank you so much. the book is called "in this together" and it's out in paper back tomorrow. we should note all proceeds going to the ann romney center for neurologic diseases. al m facebook live later today. go to facebook.com/today for more on that. up next, we'll meet the new kid on "sesame street" with an important message to share but first, this is "today" on nbc. we are back, 8:51, "sesame street" has been part of so many childhoods, providing a positive way for kids to learn and grow. >> a new muppet is joining the group. she'll join us live in a but first jenna has her story. >> good morning, guys. diversity and inclusion have always been a staple on "sesame street," now they're tackling the autism spectrum disorder with a fun-loving character named julia and we recently got to spend time together. on one of the most storied streets around -- ♪ help me get to "sesame street" ♪ >> reporter: -- there's a brand new face in town. >> this is our friend julia. >> oh, hi, julia, i'm big bird, nice to meet you. >> reporter: julia is a preschooler who has autism. >> what's autism? >> reporter: well, for julia it means she might not answer you right away. >> yeah, she does things just a littledifferently. >> reporter: julia is part of sesame's besee amazing. first introduced in 2015, she's coming to life as a muppet on the show for the first time. wh >> so julia is a very special little girl. she's four years old. and she is not as verbal, she uses a communication device. she just enjoys being part of the sesame friends. >> reporter: she's a component of sesame workshop's free resource tools designed to build better understanding about autism sprectrum disorder. tell me some of your favorite things to do together. >> we like to jump. jumping. >> jump, jump, jump. >> autism is pretty magical because julia sees the world so differently that when we play together sometimes we find different adventures. >> you're so creative. >> i want julia to be a beautiful, likable, wonderful kid because that's what our kids are. >> stacy or go zgordon is the you have a personal connection to autism. will you tell me about that? >> my son is on the autism spectrum but before i had him i was ah- habilitator for kids wi autism. my son hasn't had anyone represent him in a positive like like they're doing with julia. so for me that's important to our family. >> look who's feeling better. >> julia! >> "sesame street" has always been about diversity. we want to represent what our nation and the world really represents. >> reporter: a new friend for grover, elmo and abby who's adding to "sesame street's" diverse, fun and loving community. when you think about the overall goal, what do you hope julia does? >> i hope julia brings positivity and lond ♪ it feels a little better when we all play together ♪ we can all be friends >> and look who we have here, we have julia along with her friend abbey and sherry weston. good morning, guys. >> hi, good to have you all. >> so happy to be here. >> julia, how are you doing. >> good morning! >> she likes being here, mr. matt. >> somewhere exciting. >> yes, my friend julia, she has autism so it takes her a while to, um, you know, take in the environment just a little bit differently. >> what do you like to do together, abbey? >> we like to play? >> play! play! >> we made up a game called boing tag. >> boing, bo sesame workshop to do this with julia? >> well, as jenna pointed out, today one in 68 children are diagnosed with autism so we knew this was an issue we had to address and when we created the initiative, see amazing in all children, she we created julia, she was a digital character online and quite frankly the response from the autism community was so enormous that we knew we needed to bring her to life on "sesame street." >> we love having here here. thank you so much. >> great to have you. nice to meet you, julia. >> good monday morning, 8:56 on this march 27, i'm angie geoff. we want to turn things over to melissa mollet and get the latest on your first four traffic. >> hi sheena -- i mean, hi angie, sorry. no big problems right now. everything looking good, angie. northbound at crash with a single lane getting by. eastbound toll road before the fairfax county parkway. >> call me whatever name you would like. >> all right, jarck, thanks. >> we'll get a return on your forecast. stay with us. ♪ ♪ ♪ weathertech. made right, in america good morning, still dealing with the fog outside, dense fog and the dense fog advisory has been extended until noon today. we're seeing visibility less than a half mile through much of the area including the district so just use caution out there. upper 40s through most of the area and once that breaks we should get to around 70. we'll see the chance of showers later this afternoon. tomorrow mid-70s, afternoon storms, clear and dry thursday, wednesday and thursday, angie. >> sheena, thanks so much. get the latest news and weather in i time in our nbc washington app. this morning on "today's take" singing sensation selena gomez on her struggles in the spotlight and her message to young fans. plus wwe champ john cena is our co-host and he has a big surprise for al. and the youtube star who has celebrities singing her praises. lilly singh coming up now. >> from nbc news, this is "today's take." live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaz from nbc news, this is today's take. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning, welcome to "today" on this monday, march 27, 2017. our guest co-host today, wwe champion yes that. you're family. i have to say. >> i should say we're listening to "outside" from calvin is al is outside on the road for a rokerthon 3. we'll check in with al coming up in just a little bit. they are tight. >> they are getting rowdy down there. >> that's what you do on a monday morning, i guess. >> more giant head of al across this country than he's ever seen before. >> his face is everywhere. >> they are never going to forget this day. >> we'll get to that and his world record breaking in just a bit. >> big weekend? >> i thought it was a big weekend for you. >> it was. i said big weekend. in my mind it was a huge weekend for my family. it was calvin's baptism sunday and i had my entire family come into town. i haven't seen my brother for two years, my whole family hasn't been together since our wedding almost four or five years ago. [ laughter ] almost five years ago. and there he is. we thought the hat looked like a christening hat until everybody said "is he >> i was about to say, is he going to bake something? >> he's going to bake cupcakes after he's welcomed to the catholic faith. that's brian's whole family there and my whole family so it was a very special week en. that's my mom and dad. >> look at your smile. so happy. >> it was such a magical weekend to have. what's better than family and having them together. >> jill and i were saying we all work so much that sometimes you forget it's worth it to take time off, see your relatives who live on the other side of the country and when you get together you realize you should do it more often. >> and kids grow up very fast. >> that's the thing, you get together and you look around, we should do this more often then it doesn't happen for so long. >> well, you can have another baby then get everybody together again. >> my mother-in-law is already asking about that. >> i'll bet. they're like when are you i promise i didn't plan that. we'll get to that many just a moment. and then you get married and it's like when you have having a baby. >> there's always something down the road. >> well, i decided to slow things down so i work saturday and everybody's like what are you doing? then i decided to not leave the house. they were outside playing in th this. all the judgment from my neighbors. so clara found the drawer where my grandmother sent me all of her aprons after i got married. she has a dress from scotland underneath which you can't see and the red plaid and u.s. and then twin on the other side here, i try to take their clothes that don't fit and put them in a bag to donate to the salvation army. he refuses to let go of those angry bird pants. he's 5t and that's okay. >> there were no floods expected in new york city. anyway then i went back to bed and this little guy kept coming around. i'm like well take a selfie, there you go. so that was my weekend. what about you? >> i got in a couple street fights. >> and then there's that. >> wwe had live events in south carolina and i was able to film a commercial, i snuck on to "the tonight show," i filmed a couple days in the movies "daddy's home 2" and then picked a street fight. >> all in a day's work. >> i don't think there are enough hours in a weekend to get that done. how do you do it? >> i got all of it done. just down to the micro second. >> are you sore? when you do those street fights -- >> i did okay. [ a street fight if you don't do too well, then you get sore. if you do okay, you're all right. >> how's the other person? >> oh, they're not good. they are not good. i'm here, i'm great. they are not good. no. >> well, we're happy to have you here. >> because if i didn't do too well, i wouldn't be here. >> my seven-year-old doesn't watch this usually but i told him you were going on and he goes "can i come to work with you?" i said "no, i'll take a picture" he said "but i want to see him with my own eyes." >> if you did bring him, he'd just stare at you. >> have you heard about the united airlines situation? >> this is interesting. >> they're all over social me a media. many at the denver airport, two girls get on the plane and they can't get on the plane. >> they weren't allowed to board the flight because they were wearing leggings. >> everybody around see this is happening, they tweeted out, it starts to go viral because who doesn't wear leggings on a plane? that's how i fly. but apparently these girls, according to united, they said we do have the transport for passengers who are barefoot or not properly clothed. united explained the girls were traveling on the airline's pass program which means that there are free flights for relatives or friends and they have stricter dress code requirements because these are non-revenue passengers and they're representing the company. but they followed up and said to our regular customers, your leggings are welcome. it was just because they were on a special pass. >> first of all, were the leggings see through? i don't think it was anything like that. >> if i was flying with them, i don't know that they're on a special pass representing united at all. to me they're other people on the plane. >> i get the concept of united trying to establish a dress code for people that represent the airline so on one hand you can accept that but on the other hand, like you said, travel and travel attire has become so casual now days how are you going to tell with united who is not with te their airline representatives but every single person is dressed like that on the plane and for you to stop two people at random and be like, you can't get on, that's weird. >> it goes back to the whole thing, you know, people used to really dress up to get on a plane and, yes, attire has gotten more casual but planes have gotten much more uncomfortable. >> yes. >> it's not like we're getting fed. it's not like there's room. >> it's truly not. >> and if you want to be comfortable you're going to be comfortable. >> literally everyone -- everybody is nodding with you dylan. last time i went home i had holes in my jeans and my grandparents were like "did you fly like that? why do you have holes in your jeans?" >> different generation. >> this is tough because you know the company wants to uphold a standard of professionalism but they create an environment where they're like i'm going to dress the way i want. now it's time to get off. >> can you >> especially because they're young women. >> give the world a chance to weigh in. get on the tweet machine and tweet something. >> the tweet machine. >> speaking of weighing in -- >> oh, no. >> can we talk about ryan reynolds. >> i thought you brought a scale over. >> that is your life, isn't it? i'm holding a little water today. >> that would never cross my mind. the wrestlers in high school used to always eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. >> with the crust cut off. >> to gain weight? >> no, just because i like the taste. >> running in garbage bags. they'd go running with garbage bags. >> i play in the dumpster every once in a while. totally kidding, i don't. >> totally off topic. let me tell you why i brought up ryan reynolds because we're going to bring it back to you, elle magazine asked him what it's like to watch his wife blake lively kiss over guys on screen. so ryan said he didn't mind that much, he said he realized there are 50 or 60 tired hungry overworked crew members standing behind them then he reflected on pool" saying "i remember shooting this thinking this is going to be tough playing in the headrest of every seat on the plane." so -- do you ever talk about that? >> well, i think in my case because i had a very awkward instance in the movie "train wreck" but i think my biggest flaw in the whole situation was i didn't consult with nicole and even ask her for her feedback or how she felt about the situation i just went into it and worried about the repercussions after. >> so she didn't know the scene was coming. >> this was a bad idea on my part, i fully admit. >> you didn't wait until the movie came out. >> no, but that was the first time she saw it and you don't know what to expect. but i didn't have the conversation with her of are you comfortable with this? so lesson learned. but it was very trying and i can understand that because there's a couple -- those moments are considered intimate. >> john? hey, >> yes. al. >> the students had a little bit of a reaction to your love scene. [ cheers and applause ] . well, al roker, you boomer sooner you. [ crowd chanti ining cena ] >> shall we mention that nickie is here? good morning! >> pretty hot in here. [ laughter ] wow. >> indeed it is. >> we're going to ask you about that later. you didn't see it coming? >> no. >> i messed up. >> a lot of therapy. >> we're not opening an old wound? >> it's been years. >> you guys are a beautiful couple. can i add that? >> man, she looks wonderful today. >> stand by for that, she's coming back. up next, you won't want to miss this. >> al had a surprise for us, we have a surprise for him. >> you're going to reveal it? >> i am and it's not a giant crowd chanting "cena, cena, cena." >> although that would be great. 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[ cheers and applause ] >> yes! yes! yes! >> the music is appropriate. al's time is now. look at this. and he is prepped and ready. wwe champion shship. >> al, is that belt heavy? >> say again? is that belt heavy? >> it's not good at holding up your pants, it doesn't fit through the room. >> yeah, i need wwe suspenders, actually. [ laughter ] >> you're going to be our guest at wrestlemania. you'll be in the event, it will be awesome. 70,000 people in the citrus bowl and the world watching you on withwe network. thank you, man, appreciate it >> i cannot wait. my gosh, it's having to do the weather. >> there's a storm coming to orlando, thunder and lightning! >> that's it, baby! there's a storm coming, be there! be there! all right, let's get to the weather, she yow you what's happening. we have severe weather making its way through the mid-plains. more wet weather, winter won't let go in new england. we'll see ice and snow, some areas picking up up to three to four inches of snow in northern new england. look at the heat down through texas and on into the gulf coast with 80s there. 50s in the pacific northwest. we look for more wet weather in the pacific northwest, strong winds through the southwest. the threat of strong storms in the mid-mississippi river valley. sunny skies in the mid-atlantic states into the southeast and florida as well. 81 degrees in miami. who doesn't love john cena? that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the it's still a very foggy start to the day here. the advisory has been extended until noontime today. hopefully, though, we should get the fog out of here between now and then, already the windows -- the view outside of our windows in northwest starting to improve a bit. keep the umbrella handy, there will be a chance for a new more showers later this afternoon. if we can get the fog out of here we should be able to make up for 60s and low 70s today. 70s again tomorrow. sunshine back on wednesday. >> and that's our latest weather. i'm getting ready to get out of here. we have one more weather for you, rokerthon 3 day two tomorrow. and cena, i need a nickname. i need you to come up for me, baby! i need a nickname! >> i will begin work on that now. it's certainly pandemonium there aatou. >> i think the weatherman. >> it's got to be something better than that. >> tweet your suggestions. coming up -- maybe not that way. she's one of the biggest youtube stars on the planet who has celebrities lining up to work with her. you're about to see what the buzz is about when you meet lilly singh right after this. does your makeup remover every kiss-proof,ff? 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>> it's play nintendo. i don't mean on screen but in your life. when you play nintendo you only control mario, you can't control the levels, the time, the obstacles but when we live we try to control people that we can't. so when you live life, you can only control yourself. >> you talked about climbing ladders. you have been tremendously successful on youtube. you're pretty much at the pinnacle of the digital space yet you still have ladders to climb. talk about that. >> definitely. as you mentioned i'm a little bit of a somebody in the digital space but in traditional hollywood i'm doing pilot seasons, doing the auditions, still climbing the ladder but understanding they're two separate ladders. i'm fine with that. >> so even though successful in one venture, still on the ground floor in starting up something else? >> and something else. and when it comes to wrestlemania, i'm on the bottom of that ladder, too. >> we're handing out invites, you want to go? >> i'll be there. i'll be cheering you on. >> will you, though? >> we'll see. >> talk about this, i was looking at the list this morning, selena gomez, the rock, dwayne johnson, even john's girlfriend nikki bella. >> how much fun is it? you have fun talented >> that's one of the coolest things of my job. everyone asks how do you define success. i could say money and views but it's about making teenage lilly proud and when i meet these people i'm like little lilly would be so proud of this. that's what drives me. meeting cool people. and they make up a lot of it. >> your favorite moment. >> meeting the rock, dwayne johnson. >> i thought you were going to say michelle obama. >> i love the dynamic happening here. but dwayne -- he's mentioned a lot in the book, he's become like my mentor and has taught me so much in life. >> and such a nice guy, too. >> so super nice. >> unbelievably nice. anybody you want to work with in the future. >> i'd love to work with you one day. i've heard amazing things about you. >> then maybe she'll cheer you on. >> if i can get one of those golden tickets you're putting out. >> love that. >> little lilly is happy. congratulations. thank you so much. speaking of which, she's a total diva. wwe nikki bella gets into the ring. wrestlemania heaven in your local news. this is 100% useful for a 100% fresh mouth. just ask listerine® users. the very people we studied in the study of bold. people who are statistically more likely to stand up to a bully, do a yoga handstand, and be in a magician's act. listerine® kills 99% of bad breath germs so you can feel 100% in life. bring out the bold™. want a less intense taste that still cleans your whole mouth? try listerine® zero alcohol. ♪ lucis a lucky dog. but not every pet is as lucky as lucky. so we came up with a little idea, this year, when you buy any bag of dog or cat food at petsmart, we'll give a meal to a pet in need. it's like this: when pearl eats, peanut eats. when wolf woolfs, george gorges. and when moose mows down his meal, you buy any bag, we'll give a meal. it's that simple. good morning, it's 9:26 on this monday, march 27, i'm aaron gilchrist. in our headlines, grief counselors are in brookline middle school in northeast d.c. to help classmates deal with a young man's death. dennis taylor was shot and killed in landover. until last month he went to that middle school. prince georges county police are looking for the person responsible for this 15-year-old's death. today the man charged with killing five people in a crash will go on trial. police say kenneth kelly was driving under the influence and on a suspended license during that 2014 crash. two children and three adults died. we'll have a look at your forecast when we come back. stay with us. still clouds and fog hanging over the city of washington. most of the light rain has temporarily come to an end. keep your umbrella handy to play it on the safe side. temperatures are in the upper 40s now with a few slivers of sunshine and a south breeze we should still make the upper 60s to around 70 for today. tomorrow looks wa b rain tomorrow so just know where your umbrella is today and tomorrow. sunny and dry weather for wednesday and thursday. >> chuck, got it, thank you. you can get the latest news and weather any time. ♪ wrestling, relationships and real life drama. that's what you get with wwe superstar in nikki bella. >> john and nikki are teaming up in the next wwe. >> a different type of date night. >> she also stars in "total divas" which follows the lives of nikki, her twin and other wrestling superstars. hi, nicole, nice to have you here. >> thank you. i'm happy to be here. >> i feel like you two, we'll just watch you and you guys with chitch chitchat. >> so tag team wrestling, how does that work in a co-ed environment. >> the way w when the women wrestle the women, the men wrestle the men so if i people in there we are facing them then i tag nicole in, nicole has a chance to have action. >> it can get challenging if it was the other way around. >> i would take on the man. i would have no problem with that. but that would be against the rules. >> she can kick all of our bu butts. >> i hear you like to tackle john, is that true? >> i love it. it's become a little ritual before bed i get one tackle in. i get a running start. >> do you catch him off guard. >> no, he just stands there and goes "okay." then i run and tag l him. >> that's kind of adorable. >> he bring this is little kid out in me i guess. >> this is a lot to tackle. >> i feel like he just scoops me up. i think that's what i like about it and i feel small and i'm like yay. >> there's a lot of flirtin going on instead of wrestling. >> yeah, i'm not like -- >> we don't have a ring set up in the bedroom. no moves or anything like that. >> no i don't know if you're aware there's a bet of whether or not john will propose -- not to put you on the spot. but for what it's worth the odds are strongly in favor of a proposal. >> where, at wrestlemania? what's a prop bet? >> those side bets. >> is this a real thing? >> this is a real thing. >> okay, tip number one, never bet on wwe, ever, that's all i need to say about that. >> no pressure whatsoever. >> oh, his thumbs are getting all damp. >> that's so sweet. >> you know after we're going to get in the car and be like "so." >> john, we'll let you off the hook, let's talk about "total divas." you're making a comeback. what can we expect to see? >> we have a lot of women on cast and we come back april wednesd wednesday/make my comeback you t to see my journey of how i make it and not only the struggle with my journey but the other women to get back in the ring with me. >> just so those who don't know, nicole broke her neck and underwent corrective fusion surgery so that's what they mean. >> i had a very small chance of getting back to the ring so the fact that i'm making that comeback and i did. >> super empowering. >> yes, thank you so much. >> before you leave we want to play a game. >> we're going to do this. >> well, you guys know each other. so this one is for nicole. what's the worst gift john ever gave you? >> he never did. >> oh, sweet. >> because i have no idea. >> he's never given me a bad gift and i'm not even being, like sweet. you never have. >> we're going to give you that one. how about -- is this the next one? where was your first kiss? >> chicago. >> he remembered! >> next, guilty pleasure? >> doughnuts. >> oh, we spelled it different but good job! >> nicole, what is john's most irritating habit. >> i have way too many. >> says yes to everything. >> i have way too many. >> yeah. it's similar but he says yes to everything. >> time doesn't allow for all this. >> what was your first fight about? >> me being a jerk. >> no marriage or kids. >> like i said, me being a jerk. >> so about that bed. >> a jerk. go for more with nikki a.k.a. nicole at her facebook.com/todayhealth and catch us on wrestlemania 3 this sunday on the wwe network and the mid-season of "total devies" premiers april 7 on e. >> i could watch you guys all day. >> up next, one on one with selena gomez opens up life as a spotlight and what she wants every young girl to know right after this. know, right after big and small. but when i feel my best, i am my best. and it all starts with a healthy routine. that's why i'm taking the activia probiotic two week challenge and enjoying activia yogurt twice a day. activia with billions of its exclusive probiotic helps take care of what's inside so you can focus on being your best no matter what you do. take the activia probiotic two week challenge with me. it works or it's free. take the activia probiotic two week challenge with me. i had a wonderful time tonight. me too! call me tomorrow? 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[ screaming ] >> hi! >> it's not everyday that a global superstar walks into your school. but when selena gomez surprised a group of girls at a los angeles high school their reactions were priceless. the students, all part of an organization called "step up" which helps empower young girls to realize their full potential. selena gomez teamed up with the organization as part of her work with the coach brand. >> so if i was your fairy godmother, which i'm not, and i would say okay, selena, what do you want these girls to walk away with? >> i think if there's sometng platform is live by example. i want them to see that they're able to have the same dreams and the same goals. there's so much pressure now, especially for young girls and i just want them to feel like they are capable of doing anything. >> there are a lot of celebrities that almost keep a veil up. you've chosen not to be that way, you've stayed authentic. you've said "these are my struggles, i've struggled with this." >> i think i didn't have a choice. a lot of people saw my life whether i liked it or not. i had two options -- either i would succumb to what everybody was saying or assuming or i could take that opportunity and be vulnerable with my specific audience which is the people who have been with me since the beginning. and i think that's what i chose to do. >> i hope our girls see themselves in selena becausety think she sees herself in them and that they really understand if they can get clear on who e of their life that there's a whole world of people that are willing to help them make that happen and that these types of things do come true. >> for many of the students the day was a dream come true. >> i'm going to try. i promised myself i wasn't going to cry. >> when she walked by i saw you look at the girls like oh, my god. >> that's like my take away. >> it's somebody that you grew up with and inspired you and look up to. so, yeah. >> that's so sweet. i need to hug you now. thank you, you're so sweet. >> the young girls here and the young girls who will see this story who, like so many, are obsessed with twitter and instagram. is there a message with how to handle that? sometimes it makes people feel bad about themselves and they don't realize. >> i hope they know more -- they're worth more than an instagram like. >> they're worth more than a like. can i steal that? >> yeah. >> as now? i'm finding moments for myself, whether i'm in the studio and i've been in the studio for a week straight and haven't said anything about it, i like having mystery to where i'm at and that makes me feel very empowered. it makes me feel in control of where i'm at. i'm also taking time to have a personal life so i'm enjoying mixing that because i've always been kind of straight work. now it's just taking my time. >> last question to bring it back full circle. you could be anywhere, you could be at home but you're here at a high school with these kids. >> it reminds me of what i do what i do. these girls inspire me everyday. they give me strength in areas of my life that i didn't know i had. >> she is such a sweet girl. >> very, very cool. >> and so genuine. >> someone of that impact, the impression they can have on other people's lives. >> john said it was like a beatle walking in the door and he said well, it kind of is. >> she is. >> to those kids, yeah, for sure. >> sweet moment. let's send it over to al at the university of oklahoma. at the university of oklahoma. we'll look at your week ahead. let's start off with today. we have strong storms firing up in the mid-mississippi river valley. strong winds in the southwest, rain in the pacific northwest, ice and snow in northern new england. as we get into the midweek period we have another area of severe weather. snowy weather in the pask northwest. unseasonably mild weather makes its way into the eastern third of the country and we are looking at heavy rain along the northeast and mid-atlantic coastline and snow through the rockies. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. well, the fog is improving through part of the area so fredericksburg is at four mile visibility. earlier it was down to zero. half mile visibility still in the district so we have some areas of thick fog but overall we are seeing improvements right now. temperatures in the upper 40 leesburg 50 degrees. once the fog lifts we should get into the low 70s with a chance for afternoon showers tomorrow mid-70s, afternoon storms, dry wednesday and thursday. >> that's it for us here at the university of oklahoma. we are heading out. thank you rokerthon 3. here's a clue, you can see the northern lights from where you're going. back to you guys, we'll see you tomorrow. >> thank you, al, looks like so much fun. >> exciting. >> i can never guess. up next from the hit series "grace and frankie" june diane raphael reveals what it's like to work with two legends. what are you supposed to do? 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they're twice as big as regular wipes, so you're done in half the time. and you're off. johnson's. for every little wonder. ♪ lucis a lucky dog. but not every pet is as lucky as lucky. so we came up with a little idea, this year, when you buy any bag of dog or cat food at petsmart, we'll give a meal to a pet in need. it's like this: when pearl eats, peanut eats. when wolf woolfs, george gorges. and when moose mows down his meal, cuddles cuddles up to a bowl. you buy any bag, we'll give a meal. it's that simple. ♪ it >> it seems like life is good for actress june diane raphael. she has a new baby at home and >> she plays jane fonda's daughter. >> she's strong, independent and career driven while her sister is married with kids. let's take a look. >> you should know i actually do love your kids. because they're your kids. >> you have a very weird way of showing it. >> i know, right? look, i am who i am, i'm never going to be good with him, i can't pretend they're dumb stories and i always gag when i see that gross dirt thing under their runny nose, but when they're teenagers and can clean themselves and see correctly they're mine, they're going to love their auntie. >> that's true. >> good morning. >> good morning! good morning. >> i can relate to that so much before i had calvin. >> yeah, i was like -- that was dylan before calvin. >> and now you're obsessed with him. obsessed. and you shot right up until you pretty much gave birth, didn't you? >> so i was -- during some of frankie" season three i was having contractions on set. when i watch it now i look back and i can see just behind the eyes that something is happening. >> twinge of pain. >> there's an elbow popping out of me. i shot up until friday, i gave birth on a tuesday so i was super pregnant. >> yes, you were. >> you don't know what that's like. >> yes, i do. i walk around super pregnant most of the time. >> last time i saw your character she had dogs, a boyfriend. >> yes, so the dog is still there, the boyfriend is the more difficult relation shship. we see brianna dealing with the strong life choices she's made and her feelings about family and seeing the repercussions taking such a hard line on these issues and season three follows my character's love life or lack thereof. >> you have very funny, you had us break. >> thank you, finally i get a compliment from you. >> well, it's well deserved. it's obviously that you do a lot of improv as well. do you get to do that on set? >> the scripts are already so funny that i don't have to improvise because it's already so good, but, yes, i love to throw some things in here and there and keep it alive and fresh. >> so you do a little bit of -- >> yeah, i do me. they're already so good that i don't have to. >> and life is funny at home as well. >> hilarious. hilarious. people always say -- because my husband is a comedian, it must be a ton of laughs. it's not. it's not. >> it's not funny? >> it's not. >> your husband did post on instagram entitled the picture "parenting." >> oh, yeah, that's our life. >> that looks fun. >> that was fun. no, it's amazing it's just we're not doing jokes and bits all day long. we're parenting, we're in the thick of it, we ha t babies and i think people have a misconception about comedians at home. >> i totally get it. >> we're mostly staring at each other angry. [ laughter ] that's really what we're up to. >> you're working another project with casey wilson? >> yes, casey and i where writing a script for hulu called "unhinged" which is about a woman going through a mid-life crisis who has a rage problem. so i can connect to it. >> sounds like something we can all relate to. >> get your material from. >> right from home. right from home. sorry, you're looking at me -- was i supposed to say something? >> well, we're out of time. >> i have more information to dig up. i don't want you to leave. >> if somebody kicks me under the table i think i'm supposed to do something so -- >> they wanted you off the show, i want to ask you more questions. go for it, go for it. >> season three is on netflix. this is today on nbc. now. fios is not cable. we're wired differently. maybe that's why we've been ranked highest in customer satisfaction by jd power 4 years in a row. and now you can love fios too. get 150 meg internet, tv and phone. all for $79.99 per month, for the first year with a two-year agreement. it's the only internet with equal upload and download speeds. cable only offers upload speeds that are a fraction of the download speeds. plus get hbo for a year and free multi-room dvr service for two years. and verizon wireless customers can stream tv on the fios mobile app, data-free. get the best. go to getfios.com john, so >> john, so much fun with you this morning. >> it was a fun, fun morning. >> it's all about john, isn't it? oh, he's so nice. hey, john. >> what's going on? good to see you. >> do you know each other? >> we go way back. >> we used to go out. you're welcome, internet. >> we're also college roommates. that's also not true. >> andrew mccarthy is going to be with us and country star steve moakler and, yes, greg ferguson. (voand exceptional customerity pre-ownservice,les... head t to your neiborhood enterprise car sales and let the people who buy more vehicles than anyone... flip your thinking about buying your next one. hi, good morning, everyone, the time right now, 9:57 on this monday, march 27. i'm angie geoff. in the news, take a look at this house fire in lanham. one firefighter was hurt in this. it happened on route 450 near forbes boulevard this morning. we're told the people who lived here made it out and are okay. no word on the extent of damage yet. no word on what sparked the fire either. we'll keep you updated. > team 4 meteorologist sheena parveen. hi, sheena. >> hi, angie. skies are still gray, it's still cloudy, up to one mile in the district. big improvements down 95. temperatures are in the upper 40s. many areas hitting 50 degrees. 50 today we expect the low 70s with some clearing but a chance for afternoon showers. mid-70s tomorrow with afternoon storms wednesday and thursday look good. rain returns as we go into friday. weekend not too bad. angie? >> thanks, sheena. on news 4 midday, we are going to have more on what police are doing to find a person who killed a 16-year-old boy in landover. fios is not cable. we're wired differently. maybe that's why we've been ranked highest in customer satisfaction by jd power 4 years in a row. and now you can love fios too. get 150 meg internet, tv and phone. all for $79.99 per month, for the first year it's the only internet with equal upload and download speeds. cable only offers upload speeds that are a fraction of the download speeds. plus get hbo for a year and free multi-room dvr service for two years. and verizon wireless customers can stream tv on the fios mobile app, data-free. get the best. go to getfios.com from nbc news, this is "today," with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> what a fun way to start our fun day monday, march 27. craig's back, hide the babies. >> lock up the kids. a 10-second delay this morning. >> apparently. >> apparently this is about a half hour ago. it's so much of a delay. everyone is frightened i'm going to cut. i'm not going to cut. it's going to feel like i cut but i didn't cut. >> you made me a little nervous because right beforehand you did cuss. >> well, i cuss in real life but i understand therre

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