still to come, how pope francis's comments is not the first time he or other folks have taken on politicians. >>> we will lighten up and help you get over winter's last hump. mario armstrong will help you.

let's start with francis jasper from san antonio, texas. she is turning 100 years old, enjoys playing the piano and exercising. harry is 100 years old. he has been struck by lightning not once but twice in his lifetime, walked away both times okay. that is one lucky guy. >>> happy 100th birthday to sophie eberly. 13 grandchildren, 18 great grand kids and 9 great great grand she is a great great great grandma. helen whiteford from whiteford. she is known for her world famous fried chicken. george cowan is also 100. he visited 51 countries. very happy 100th birthday to elsie ralph. she is fantastic. she is wonderful. if you know someone who wants to celebrate with us just head to today.com/celebrate. >> love hearing about these awesome folks. >>> and let's send it to matt. >>> earlier this week jill martin and the folks at real ji, good morning. you have an update for us. willie is here, as well. >> there are a lot of people around the country who are exactly your size. i'm excited to announce we are officially sold out. how much did we raise

patrick: knocking -- now he can include francis to that list. >> person that only things about building walls and not building patrick: when is all said and done, donald trump has led in nearly every republican poll since july last year. mr. trump: by the way, the original polls that just came out here -- we are through the roof. we are high. [applause] >> i like that he's not politically correct. >> i dislike what he has to say. he is brave and bold. -- i just like what he has to say. patrick: he came into the race as tv personality, businessman, and author of several books. the billionaire real estate mogul is self-funded, and quick to remind his supporters that he has turned down tens of millions of fundraising dollars. mr. trump: no, i don't want it. i want to do something else. i want to be greedy, but for the united states. we want to bring money into the united states. for an exclusive interview in the days leading up to the south carolina primary. mr. trump: is politics, i understand. i've only been a positive vision since june 16. -- politician since june 16. i will consider ca

pope francis paid at the border as a pastor. but the words on the papal plane sounded political to many. saying a person who thinks only about building walls and not bridges is not christian. >> for a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful. intention to get involved in that particular candidate. i think it was donald trump's reaction and other people's reaction is turn this into a political episode. >> reporter: they have a history of smiling, but clashing on policy. john paul ii took issue with clinton and bush for the pro abortion position and the republican for the second iraq war. benedict admonished president obama for supporting abortion and stem cell research. and this past september, francis urged congress to take action on climate change. >> the environmental challenge -- >> reporter: it is not just american politicians. pope francis in 2014 here and last week, he said the church does not need princes. wheelchair over a person. >> i don't like fighting with the pope. >> reporter: after all, the pop

. >>> pope francis said he is willing to relax the church's opposition to artificial birth control to control the spread of the zika virus. on his flight home from mexico, the pope said that avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil. the explosion of zika in latin america has led some governments to urge women to avoid getting pregnant. the virus has been linked to birth defects. >>> hospitals are reporting an alarming jump in the number of flu cases around the u.s. officials say the predominant strain hitting people is a good match for the current flu vaccine and they're urging a flu the biggest risk is people over 65 or those under the age of 2, or those also with chronic illnesses. experts are recommending a flu shot for everyone six months of age and older. >>> a big arts and crafts store is recalling hundreds of thousands of products that may have been exposed to mold. the recall involves more than 250,000 poinsettia flowers and holiday paper boxes. they were sold at michael's stores last year. there may be mold on the products, posing a risk to people with allergies to mold. co

. >> let's talk about the dust up with pope francis. we heard about what you had to say about that, and you feel maybe pope francis didn't say something as initially harsh as you were told. you said yesterday no leader, especially a religious leader, another man's religious and faith. i was struck by that. over this last week, and even on friday, a week ago, you tweeted about ted cruz. how can ted cruz be an evangelical christian when he lies so much and is so dishonest. you have been questioning another person's faith. >> no, i'm not. ted cruz told many lies. he got caught. you'll be reporting on one in a while, what he did with marco rubio, with a false ad he put out. what he did to ben carson in iowa. >> you questioned his faith, whether or not the fact you say he's a liar makes him less of a christian. >> no, i didn't. >> how can he be an evangelical christian when he lies so much and is dishonest. >> i'm not questioning his faith. i say that ted cruz holds up the bible and then lies. he's been caught on almost all occasions. he did

in commitment 2016, franklin graham way men on the back-and-forth between donald trump and pope francis and others. geoff: on the way back from a visit to mexico, the pontiff was asked about trump's views on immigration. >> a person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building geoff: mark barger sharing the pope's words. trump responded during a rally in kiawah, just southwest of charleston. he said the pontiff went too far. and suggested he would regret not having supported him. >> if and when the vatican is attacked by isis, which as everyone knows is isis's ultimate trophy, i can promise you that the pope would have only wished and prayed that donald trump would have been president because it's true, it's true because this would not have happened. geoff: the son of reverend billy graham chimed in on all this. the reverend franklin graham said on facebook, quote, "i agree that as christians we should try to build bridges with everyone that we possibly can, but that doesn't mean that we should compromise our national security." donald trump was in gaffne

a major back and forth between donald trump and pope francis. geoff: on the way back from a visit to mexico, the pontiff was asked about trump's views on immigration. >> a person who thinks only about building walls, wherever bridges is not christian. this is not in the gospel. as far as what you said about whether i would advise to vote or not to vote, i am not going to get involved in that. geoff: that was a reporter sharing the pope's comments. trump responded during a rally in kiawah, just southwest of charleston. he said the pontiff went too far and suggested he would regret not having supported him. donald trump is not a nice person. and i'm, i am a very nice person. [applause] >> and i'm a very good christian because the pope said something to the effect of "maybe donald trump is not christian" and ok, he was questioning my face. i was very surprised to see it. geoff: the son of reverend billy graham chimed in on all this. the reverend franklin graham said on facebook, i agree that as christians we should try to build bridges with everyon

a major back and forth between donald trump and pope francis. geoff: on the way back from a visit to mexico, the pontiff was asked about trump's views on immigration. >> a person who thinks only about building walls, wherever bridges is not christian. this is not in the gospel. as far as what you said about whether i would advise to vote or not to vote, i am not going to get involved in that. geoff: that was a reporter sharing the pope's comments. trump responded during a rally in kiawah, just southwest of charleston. he said the pontiff went too far and suggested he would regret not having supported him. donald trump is not a nice

shock waves as pope francis weighs into the race for president. why he said donald trump is not a christian. donald firing back. >>> it's getting ugly as rubio and cruz have accusations. >>> sudden impact. a terrifying chopper crash caught on tape near pearl harbor. breaking news from hawaii. >>> a hospital hacked. its computers frozen, forced to pay ransom to gain back control. and a warning it could happen to you. >>> and hidden risk. when even exercise won't lower the stubbornly high cholesterol. what doctors say you need to get rid of to bring it down. "nightly news" begins >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening. it's virtually unheard of, a pope admonishing a u.s. presidential candidate, in this case [ bleep ]donald trump over his immigration plan. pope francis returning home took the reporter's question about trump's pledge to build a border wall. in his answer, implied that trump is not a christian. it was a high-level rebuke to say the least. but true to form, trump i

the event was part of a collaboration between bon secours st francis health system and upstate cardiology. it was part of the statewide screening day. testing everything from cholesterol, blood pressure, to >> it's very important for everyone to be screened, because heart disease will be present before you have symptoms. so if you have your screenings done regularly, youll know what your numbers are before you wind up with a heart attack. nigel: the event is held once a year. gabrielle: we want to bring you back to commitment 2016, live pictures of donald trump speaking at a debt -- a townhall in gaffney. let's listen in. >> have i converted you? no. this is incredible. the fact is, it is not even a contest. we have to protectct the second amendment. when it comes to what i have done, on june 16, i said i am i was with my wife and i said, we had more press, i had never seen somewhat present my life. it looked like the academy awards. i said, what am i doing? i have never seen anything like it. i made a speech and talked about illegal immigration. and it was a firestorm. you remember, a fi

gabrielle: in that statement, he also made reference to pope francis being used as a "political pawn" by other candidates. meanwhile, in the latest south carolina polls released this week, these are the points separating trump from second-place ted cruz. the ppp, plus 17. the cnn-orc, plus 16. monmouth poll, plus 16. the bloomberg poll, plus 19. that's according to real clear nigel: also new today, trump has decided to hold his primary watch party at the spartanburg marriott on saturday night. we will have more on the rally coming up at 5:30. marco rubio made his first stop of the day at the swamp rabbit crossfit in greenville. governor nikki haley, senator tim scott, representative trey gowdy, all appearing onstage to endorse rubio. former south carolina football player connor shaw, and utah senator mike lee, also spoke in favor of the florida senator. rubio talked about supporting the second amendment, ending defense cuts, empowering state and local government, and supporting term limits for elected officials. >> if you think members of congress will ever pass term limits, they'll a

francis health system, upstate cardiology and run by the governor's office because this is a statewide screening day. you can get results in about five minutes and i will be able to tell you how high my blood pressure is. i get nervous during the show. as she was saying, very easy stuff. you can make sure there is no heart disease, risk, weak as a not know they have symptoms until it is too late. if you have a few minutes this morning, do not eat or drink before you come today. i cannot really show you what is going on because we don't want to show blood, but thank you for doing this. we will be back in a few minutes to let you know what is going on. aly myles wyff news 4 live at the bon secours wellness arena. brad: the clemson men are in control of their own destiny. most of the games from here on out our must win games. the tigers have three of their last on the road and needed to win three of the fourth to get into the tournament. with boston college a back and , forth first half, but jaron blossomgame with a couple highlight reel dunks. clemson trailed 34 to 31 at the break. dante

bon secours st francis and upstate cardiology teamed up with the heart to heart foundation and south carolina's department of health, and governor haley's office. it's all part of the statewide screening day. theyre offering free heart health evaluations and risk assessments to anyone 18 and older. one of the techinicians for st francis suffered a heart attack years ago and he told us he did not have any just forearm pains. he told us about how these pre-screenings can save your life. >> these are called a silent killers because there are not you to understand things yourself. that is why these things are so important. that is why regular health care is so important. people catch things all the time on their physicals that they had no clue were going on. aly: if you are curious about what they will be testing for today, it is things like blood glucose, blood pressure and bmi. they'll also do risk assessment for cholesterol, blood pressure, height, weight, race, and sex. allyson: a former treasury secretary says it is time to dale: (cat vo #1) hey cats! wanna make a new flavor combina

one of the techinicians for st francis suffered a heart attack years ago when he didn't have any chest or arm pain. he told us about how these pre-screenings can save your live. >> these early detection screenings are what we do at the wellness center. i can really open your eyes. on a regular basis, people say, i had no idea my cholesterol was through the roof or, i had no idea my blood pressure was this aly: if you are wondering what they will be testing for, it is things like blood glucose, blood pressure, and bmi. it will also do risk assessments. geoff: thank you, aly. more water trouble in flint, michigan. steps the city is taking. announcece now, your live super doppler 4 hd weather forecast. dale: good morning. i hope your day is off to a good start. it is 32 degrees in spartanburg. this is gibbs field at wofford. it was very foggy yesterday at this time, that it is clear now. temperatures will reach into the mid-50's for the afternoon. currently, it is 35 in greenville. it is in the low 20's in franklin and mid 20's in andrews. jackets will be a good idea today. temperatures b

hotel, no transportation, and a decided to do whatimmigration front and center -- for pope francis' final day in mexico. he gathered at the banks

saint francis has free screenings at the wellness arena tomorrow from 7:00 until 9:00 for anyone 18 or older, and participants are asked not to drink or eat after midnight. john: picture is showing mainly clear skies, but instead of the north georgia mountains, this is along the north carolina and tennessee line, back into kentucky. this moisture back up against the slope of the mountains. a few clouds. there may be some on the tennessee line, but that is about it. pretty close to the average. this is exactly where it should and the breeze made it feel cooler. and here is downtown spartanburg. looking pretty nice. 55 in toccoa. temperatures in the 50's. so it will gradually cooler temperatures. 51 in greenville, 58 in abbeville. cool temperatures across the area. there is that wind i was talking about in asheville. it looks like 27 degrees. north carolina, and 38%. 39 in laurens and in anderson. and this storm is going up into eastern canada. some lake effect snow. lake ontario and lake erie, that is picking up moisture. and oklahoma city and dallas, they were in the 70's. and this rid

pope francis and his historic trip to mexico later today with historic trip to mexico later this afternoon. more than a million are expected to attend, and there will be tens-of-thousands sharing the moment just across the border in el paso. jay gray is in el paso with more on this special day. j: final preparations at the university of texas at el paso campus later today. 50,000 expected to gather to listen as the pope delivers his final mass from just across the border, a few miles away. >> close to mexico, which i have emotional. jay: it is part of a five day mexican toward and more than one and the tens of thousands who will be here. it will be a mix of the allergy and technology this afternoon. it will be a two-way video feed, and see those who gathered to we expect to see people start to fill the stadium long before the mass this afternoon. they will join in prayer and song, celebrating the papal visit. jay gray nbc news from el paso. geoff: thank you. some kind of story here. a man accused of stealing a backhoe digs himself into a deep hole of trouble in florida and it was all caugh

. >> we've been watching pope francis, who is visiting mexico. it's a six-day trip to mexico. earlier this week, you saw the touching video of him walking down the al-- from the altar and blessing this wheat child in the wheelchair. it was a touching moment. yesterday, we saw what became a tense moment, actually. really get in with the crowds and surround himself with people, as we saw here in the united states when he visited. he gets down in there with people. unfortunately, the situation seemed like it got a little out of hand for him. he was at a western city, greeting the fans at this open-air mass. you see there a person reaching over the barricade and pulling at his robe. he crashes into a man in the wheelchair. the pope got a little peeved, which i think we can all understand. he's 79 years old, too, being pulled and yanked on to a person in a wheelchair. he basically said, don't be selfish. what's wrong with you? stop being so selfish. clearly understandable in that moment. scary for the person in the wheelchair, too. >> i don't think it was about him. i think he was

pope francis said in spanish, don't be selfish. the pontiff stepped back and waved to people a few more minutes before leaving. today, he'll hold a large outdoor mass. he also plans to speak to inmates at a prison and visit >>> last night was the kennel club dog show. wrangler snubbed again. but we have our winner. >> c.j.! >> that's right. a german short haired pointer from california was best in show. the 3-year-old beat out more than 2,700 other dogs to win the nation's most prestigious dog competition. lucy finished second. congratulations to c.j. >> the "new york times" said the tension was thick in the air, and so was the smell of wet dog. it was a rainy day. >> enjoy your cheerios. >> what's going on, al? >>> look what happened in florida. tornadoes touching down. could have been an f-3 tornado there. then you go to the north. rochester, new york, a massive snowstorm bringing really all kinds of traffic to a standstill. a real mess there. going to talk about a big change in our temperatures for a big portion of the country.

in a rare expression of anger, pope francis vividly frustrated, scolding on eager tofollowers tugging on his arm, causing him to topple over a man in a wheelchair. >>> it's a dog beat dog world tonight. german shorthead is the best in show at the westminster dog show, beating out 2 rksz,700 other dogs, to have his day today, wednesday, february 17th, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer

pope francis wraps up his visit to mexico today, when he'll travel to the border town of juarez. myra: 139th westminster dog show has wrapped up and the favorite did not come out the winner. that is next. geoff: also coming up at 6:00, we are four days away from the biggest race in nascar the daytona 500. we hear from dale earnhardt junior, who's the favorite, as well as the pote winner chase that's coming up at 6:00. (vo) with thousands of quality pre-owned vehicles... and exceptional customer service, and let the people who buy more vehicles than anyone... flip your thinking about buying your next one. gilliard: you know, there's an old saying about south carolina, we're always first in the things that are last and last in the things that are first. this economy is rigged. we can do better. and that's where bernie comes in. bernie is not in the pocket of wall street. we don't have to depend on the so-called wall street giants. everybody knows the problem. bernie wants to do somethingngabout it. he gets it. i mean, he really gets it. sanders: i'm bernie sanders, and i approve th

pope francis blessed the child, prompting the crowd to erupt into applause. nice moment there. >>> also this moment, from the fashion to the performances to those who took home grammy gold, music's biggest night didn't disappoint. dylan dreyer was there for it all and joins us now. you survived. tell us about it. >> i did survive and it was awesome. i got to be on the red carpet before the show last night and music. i got to wave at some of the biggest stars, as they walked right by me. inside, there were unforgettable performances, touching tributes and plenty of grammy moments that made for an electrifying night. oh, i remember >> reporter: taylor swift opens the show to a packed house. grabbed three grammys and, some say, struck back at kanye west, as she took the trophy for album of the year for a second time. >> there are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success. or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame. >> reporter: other big winners of the night, a stunned ed sheeran, winning song of the year. >> whoa. wow, wow

. >>> pope francis will celebrate mass today in mexico's least catholic state. on sunday, the pope held an outdoor mass for more than 300,000 people in a crime-ridden suburb of mexico city. the pope condemns the drug trade, telling worshippers there can be, quote, no dialogue with the devil. pope francis is halfway through his five-day trip to mexico. >>> hours long ordeal for people at a new hampshire ski resort. >> good morning to you. two tram cars malfunctioned, leaving dozens, including an 8 month old baby, trapped in the biting cold for hours. their dramatic rescue is caught on camera. >> reporter: a day on the slopes in new hampshire turned into a harrowing rescue, when two tram cars suddenly stopped, leaving dozens stranded 40 feet in the air for almost three hours in sub zero temperatures. after what passengers described as a severe jolt, one tram came to a rest near the 4,000 foot summit. mountain. among the 48 people trapped, an 8 month old baby. with the mercury around negative 4 degrees, blankets were sent to the top car to help guests stay warm unt

. >> that's coming over and i just talk talked to francis. >> he's trying to get some attention and the referee bench. he's staying out and he's hurt. right now. he's hurt. that's what he was telling the official. with the way that he's played this afternoon the bruins don't mind that straight off there. talking to pete van zandt in the runway. >> the drive and that was high and taken by abdelkader and lifted along with colin miller couldn't get there and out by zetterberg and it's abdelkader and trotman able to wedge it along. slams on the brakes and they lose abdelkader now with 47 seconds to go, and connolly sent it back across and gliding ahead with it now and hoisting it back in is spooner and goes into the, and kept alive by colin miller and rolled along and settled down by hayes and hayes able to play at close quarters and sent on back to the point and colin miller and the shot one and ricocheted around behind in the punched back ahead against spooner and he's got hayes' position there and got it on to the back and collen miller right and the that one is ahead right and crashing

sheriff chris francis wanted to use the decals to show patriotism and a local church pitched in to pay for them. patrol cars. dale: good morning, happy valentine's day. with mostly cloudy skies as we look out more various skycam's. it will be a chilly valentine's day. we are for another winter event. if already seen some flurries overnight as we take a look at our live super doppler four. most of this in western north carolina but a few spots right now in the mountains of south carolina getting just a flurry. areas in blue, that is a winter storm watch. it means things could get a little slippery. counties from mcdowell and towards the virginia border all under a winter storm warning. there is a potential for 2-6 inches in the higher elevations. otherwise it will be basically sleet starting overnight tonight and into tomorrow. here's a quick look at the southeast. from parts of kentucky and tennessee we're seeing some snow already. that cold blast is affecting so much of the country. it will actually be about 5:36:00 first then in the early morning hours tomorrow for upstate. currently

pope francis described it as a conversation between two brothers. these institutions had been separated for centuries. today is official business for the pope. he will meet with the president and give a speech to the diplomatic corps. then we are expecting the highlight of the visit when he holds mass at the patron saint of guadalajara. craig. >>> thank you. >> an announced cease-fire will really take hold in the country torn apart by civil war. nbc's keir simmons is in today damascus this morning. a peace deal is set to come into place. a cessation of hostilities next week. already it is coming apart. secretary kerry criticizing the russians for the bombardment around aleppo. president assad of syria saying he intends to keep fighting until he takes back the entire country. this morning, syrian forces backed by the russians and iranians are continuing to advance around aleppo taking new villages. the rebels, telling news organizations saying they don't plan to end the bloodshed. isis and al qaeda al nusra still trying to hold the country. people in

. >>> pope francis is on his way to cuba and then mexico. today on board the plane to he got a gift from a mexican journalist, a sombrero. looks good in it. the pontiff returns to the vat cann -- vatican in a week. >>> saturday, we have wet weather in the pacific northwest. lake-effect snow showers left over around the great lakes. cold temperatures in the upper midwest and northeast. as far south as northern florida. sunday, sunday, we are looking for more snow from the upper great lakes all the way down into the gulf coast. rain and ice in between. rain and snow on the pacific northwest. record lows sunday morning in the northeast and mid-atlantic states. 10 degrees cooler than it should be in florida. look at los angeles on sunday, 90. that'sgreenville, spartanburg, anderson will see some isolated rain/snow mix early then clearing for the afternoon, high of 43. northeast winds of 5-10. the mountains of north carolina will have a 30% chance of snow early changing over to rain expected at most. northwest winds at 5-8. high in the asheville,

for the "star wars" francis,hisefranchise, nothing can stop it. the sequel has already begun shooting at the same studios. let's hope they've fixed the spaceship door by now. back to you. >> is he in the next one? >> no -- >> says the person who hasn't seen it. >> you don't know this, but you're stepping into this. you are stirring the pot. >> anything is possible. >> let's get a check of the weather, chewbacca. >> these are not the lawyers you're looking for. go about your lawsuit. we've got more lake-effect snow. some areas picking up three feet of snow already and there's more into sunday, especially from erie, pennsylvania, all the way to water town, new york, where they may see another 24 inches of snow before it's over. erie, p.a., and buffalo, 8 to 14 inches. next week, sunday, we have a clipper coming in, and it'll bring snow from minneapolis to cleveland. ministry mix from missouri to south carolina. monday, ice event for the southeast and mid-atlantic. this is monday afternoon. by tuesday, warmer air gets in. can you believe it? here, we

. >> also, we have sir francis bacon peanut brittle. chocolate, bacon and peanut brittle. this is true love. >> it really is. >> this is delicious. peanut brittle.com. $16. >> cute one. >> next up, for the gal in your life. >> your bestie. >> why not a little bit of sequence, savannah? these are sequence heart market totes. made in morocco. they start at $56 for the little one. so fun. i mean, day wear. >> i love it. a lot of times you want to hang out with girlfriends on >> and you want to sparkle. next, if you're hitting double digits, for the long-term relationship, this is the, we first met here jigsaw puzzle. they'll see the puzzle of the exact location where you met. >> i love that. >> how cute is that? this is my simply personalized.com. $39. >> so cute. the piece is missing, of course. >> saved the best for last. >> for a new mom valentine. >> new mom or dad. >> this is shareece and her little boy. works here at the "today" show. >> a matching pajama set. how can we get cuter? they start at $19. it's at amazon. >> what a sight for sore eyes. so good to see you. hol