Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl for five taliban talibans. Kidnapping hoax, the victim of a reported va lent abduction shows up safe and sound. Police now believe the entire story was made up. The fact that weve essentially wasted all of these resources for really nothing is upsetting. Now that woman is missing again today, thursday, march 26th, 2015. Announcer from nbc news, this is today with matt lauer and Savannah Guthrie live from studio 1a if rockefeller plaza. And good morning, everyone. Welcome to today. Its 7 00 a. M. On the west coast. We have a disturbing twist in the investigation into the p we went to sleep with so many questions about what happened, some of those major questions have now been answered. The copilot or the first officer of this flight deliberately crashed it into the mountains. Decided to take his own lavs and the lives of 149 other people. This was revealed by a friendench prosecutor at he said the copilot want to, quote, destroy the plane. He is identified as Andreas Lubitz from germany. The ceo of his airlines Parent Company is telling reporters that at this point there is no indication what the motive would have been. Were hearing from friends of the three americans who died aboard that plane. Well talk to tom costello and former ntsb investigator greg fiton a moment. We want to start at the crash site. Good morning to you. Reporter good morning to you. It is chilling to hear the ceo of the airline describing himself, as we speak, as speechless. Our Worst Nightmares we couldnt imagine Something Like this an a320 flown into the mountains here. The urgent focus had this morning on the copilot, Andreas Lubitz and what would have caused him to do this purposely. The copilot deliberately pushed the button and triggered the plane to go down, he told a the badly damaged cockpit voice recorder indicated first the cockpit door opened and closed a violent knocking was heard, and the pilot was trying to get back in. Lubifz was breathing and conscious to the end. The passengers with were likely not aware of the perilou impact, he said. We could hear the cries minutes before the plane crashed. They are making inquiries about the copilots personal situation but have ruled out terrorism. As the victims families are being flown to the crash area we know more about how the tragedy hear has touched american families. Emily and her mother from virginia were killed on cnn friends remembered them as selfless and loving. Two amazing, loving people who left behind friends and family who love and miss them a lot. Reporter emily studied the maas music strip at drexel university. She cared deeply for all those in her life. The state department has confirmed that a third american was killed in the crash. The spokesperson jen ps isaki say they are not releasing the names but they have been in be contact with the family. Wat to gain access to the cockpit. Lets bring in be ins own tom costello who covers aviation. Tom, i want to begin with you. This happened at 38,000 feet. The pilot used the restroom and the first officer locked the door and began the descent. Is this an act of opportunity . The German Authorities there, lufthansa, have given us more. The procedure is for a Flight Attendant to go in and kind of stand inside the cockpit, stand guard to ensure that the pielot who is flying the pl have the a medical emergency a let the pilot back in. That does not have in germany. Luft policy. The pilot rings a doorbell and its up to the pilot inside to look on a closed Circuit Television monitor to say, yes, thats the captain. Im going to let him in and open the door. But in this case the copilot didnt let the captain back in. Theres an emergency code that the captain can type in if he wants to get back in, assuming that, for example, he he leaves and someone inside has had a heart attack, but that can be overridden by the person inside deliberate act. The copilot overriding the captain who was trying to get into the cockpit. The other point here, im not so sure that i agree with frenc was happening. If you have the captain banging on the door as apparently was the case and screaming and shouting to get in and the pla is descending i ha quite a few pass jess may have been aware something wasn and, tom, its amazing the first officer said nothing, said nothing to the pilot who was trying it to gain access to the cockpit and nothing to the ground controls who are trying to reach him. All they heard on that congressckpit voice re his normal breathing. French prosecutors are very sure he was not, hem selfimself, having a me sounde but he was overriding that switch, not allowing the captain in. Theres a fiveminute break. If somebody doesnt override the switch over that fiveminute period, then the door will unlock if you type in the right code. That did not happen. This was an effort to keep the cap captain out lets bring greg in. This isnt unusual for the time of the flight, the plane levels off to its cruising alat this institute and the pilot gets up to use the restroom. It happens absolutely, matt. And then thats why it sounded so normal up until then the descent happened. Now that we have this new information, that will be a concern for World Aviation. Weigh build these four to five doors, we have these security protocols in place. As we talked about even a year ago with mh370 just because we do something here in the United States as far as security, having a fligh cockpit blocking the aisle, if you will, the rest of the world doesnt necessarily operate the same way we do. Thats why i was surprised lufthansa didnt have that same protocol. They left the pilot alone in the cockpit, and now we have a new issue. Weve fortified the doors to prevent people from getting into the cockpit. Now we hav transpiring in the cockpit and we cant get there to remedy it. And yet the airline rea has no way of knowing. He hadnt been in the air that long, 630 hours of flying time, 100plus hours on this aircraft. But i was looking through his record. It looked pretty solid, greg. Yes, and thats a concern, matt. You can only do so many psychological testing for pilots. They do that normally during an initial employment screen. Theyll do psychological testing and that kind of stuff. They do some of that. I know that the ceo of lufthansa said that they dont have a specific protocol during medicals but every ame, every medical doctor i go to for my pilot certificate and medical, they will talk to you, see w your state o like that. I have a feeling protocols will change worldwide especially after this event. Greg feith, tom koss it tell low, guys, thank you bot again, a deliberate act on the part of the first officer of this aircraft crashing that plane into the french alps. Well have more on the investigation throughout the morning. Another big story were following close at home. A deadly and destructive tornadoe the. At least one person died in oklahoma where emergency crews have been busy throughout th night. Gabe gutierrez is west of tulsa. Reporter this this used to be a doughnut shop. Not anymore. Powerful winds sliced through this area last night. Tens of thousands of people in oklahoma are still without power, and this morning emergency crews are out assessing the damage. Oh, dear lord. Reporter terrifying moments wednesday night as Storm Chasers captured this tornado on camera barreling towards sand springs. My person is popping. There it is. Tornado on the ground about five miles. Reporter one person was killed and at least three others injured ravaged by the Severe Weather. I just ran. I dont know where i was running to, man. Reporter in tulsa, a possible tornado ripped through a gymnasium with 60 to 70 people inside. Firefighters rushing young girls to safety. Amazingly, they all escaped. No one was seriously hurt. Reporter the rain is still going good, as far as the rotation it slowed down a bit. Reporter as the storms spread across oklahoma, travelers frantically huddled at the tulsa airport. Further south a twister caused damage in moore the same place where a massive tornado in 2013 killed 24 people and injured more than 300. Nothing compared to may 20th. Not even in comparison from size to damage to injuries, nothing compared to that day. Its right here. Reporter interstate 35 was closed through moore when they said overturned cars were littering the freeway in both directions. But the mayor of moore says it could have been worse. Its just one of those things that happens. Leak i tell people, were the center of the universe, this is where things happen. Fortunately, there is no deaths with this. We had very few injuries. Reporter here in tornado alley, it had been a quiet season so far. Today several School Districts in the area are closed. Again, here in oklahoma, tens of thousands of people are st without power. U. S. Army sarergeant Bowe Bergdahl abandoned his post in afghanistan and was held captive by the taliban for more than five years. Bergdahl i Jim Miklaszewski is at the pentagon with more on this. Hi, good morning. Reporter good morning. An army general has petty much thrown the book at bergdahl. Hes been charged with desertion, for leaving his post in afghanistan, a second more serious charge of endangering his fellow soldiers could lady to life in prison. Sandra andrews welcomed the news that bergdahl had been charged. Her son was in bergdahls unit, later killed in certificate of operations. She believ actions contributed it t sons death. I dont think he should have anything less than life in federal prison. Reporter no doubt bergdahl had deserted. He left his body armor behind. It was very clear th gone and wasnt coming back. Reporter Berg Bergdahl was held captive for five years appearing in videos, a propaganda tool for the taliban. This war isnt worth the waste of human life. Reporter the Obama Administration released five high value from guantanamo bay. They were traded for bergdahl who deserted his men. Reporter eager to have bergdahl tell his side of the story in military court. People will learn things about bergdahls conduct, his motivation, his intentions, as well as the details of his captivity for nearly five years. Reporter bergdahl could be offered a plea deal to avoid any jail time. But one official familiar with the investigation tells nbc news there was no indication that bergdahl posed any threats held any malice towards the u. S. , but hes instead described as just one really mixed up kid who made a very bad mistake. Matt. All right, jim miklazewski at the pentagon. Thank you very much. Savannah. All right, matt. Thanks. That is just one story that has the attention of mitt Romney Romney romney, the former republican president ial candidate recent areally entertained a third White House Run earlier this year. He joined us now having decided not to. Good morning to you. Good morning, savannah. Lets start with the Bowe Bergdahl case. First of all, you seen he isnt maybe courtmartialed. Do you agree with that . Do you think he should have been . Well, if he deserted his post, thats appropriate for military justice. If a courtmartial goes forward and he were convicted, do you think this is someone who should spend time in a military brig . If it were a severe setting, where he abandoned his post and put other members of the military at risk, then, of course, a prison term is something that has to be contemplated. Let me ask you about the decision that the president made to trade five taliban prisoners for Bowe Bergdahl. It was controversial. The president presumably knew the circumstances of Bowe Bergdahl leaving his post. He said, though, leave no soldier on the battlefield. If that had been you in the oval office, would you have made that same call . There are two conflicting principles at play here. One is leave no one behind. The other is dont negotiate with terrorists. In a setting like this, Congress Said you must have the president go to congress. He didnt do that, he violate again the law. But number two the real question for me is, do the people being released represent a threat to american lives in the future. In this case i believe they do. As a result i was critical at the time of the exchange and continue to be critical. It doesnt sound like you would have made the trade. I dont think i would have made the trade. Ted cruz is in the republican race this year. He is someone you have praised for his oratorical skill. I might add hes used against you a couple of times. The reason they lost last time around they werent conservative enough. Do you believe thats crew . Thats the case hes going take. I believe everybody expresses their own views on issue, everybody choose which views they align with and choose that nominee. Ted cruz will make his case. Well have ten or 12 other people making their cases. We will have exciting debates. I think the democratic debates will be quiet with Hillary Clinton and people that want to be her vp. I think ted cruz and a whole group of folks represents an interesting thought within the republican party. Well see who gets the prize. So you dont take personal offense that hes basically suggesting the reason republicans didnt win, you didnt win in 2012, because you were to use his word mushy . I would take exception. I made a the lot of mistakes, theres no question about th im a big target. Im happy to have people express their views about why i lost, but thats a decision that will be made by Republican Voters as to who our nominee ought to be. Ted is a legitimate contender, obviously, a skilled orator. We have other skilled contenders in the race. I want to see how it works out. When you said you were not going to join the race this year, you said its time for a next generation republican leader, quote, not as well known as you are, who is just Getting Started and had not yet had the opportunity to take their message across the country. I have to say, governor, that does not sound like governor jeb bush. Is that what you meant . No, im talking about the next political generation. I along with a few other people ran in the last contest and i was not successful and my thought was, we need a new face, someone not yet defined in the publics mind. Jeb bush is one of those new faces. I want to hear what he has to say and marco has to say and Chris Christie and others. Well decide who is best able to communicate why it is that republican principles, conservative principles, are the best in helping middle class and par people do better in this country. Would you consider being one of these nominees Vice President s . I dont think anyone wants to be a vp. Not a good job . I wont say the things that have been said about this job. Im looking to try and support one of these folks and help that sounds like a no to me. Lets talk about your next career as a boxing channelmpion. You are taking on ev holyfield in the ring for charity. What are you thinking . All im thinking is dont get him angry. We have to go soft. Have fun in the arena. You are right. We are raising money for something called Charity Vision which provides surgeries to poor people in the world. He is kind and willing to get in the ring with me and not hurt me too bad. Evander is the real deal rocky was the italian stallion are you thinking of a name for yourself . Just the fastest runner ever seen inside a boxing arena. Governor romney, i appreciate your time. Thank you, savannah. Lets go back over to al. As we look out west you a picture perfect day if this was not the fourth year going of drought where you could use some rain. But as we look currently, los angeles and San Francisco beautiful mornings. Look at that sunshine. Just a perfect day. Geld golden gate bridge, l. A. X. , the airport will be fine, no problems. 90 degrees in l. A. Man, what a great beach day. Seattle partly cloudy. 69, 65 in billings. Denver 62. Phoenix, 91 degrees. Further east while we had all those tornadoes, seven tornadoes reported as Gabe Gutierrez just told you about, we have rain along this system and what were look inging at basically weve got this colder air system. So were watching that and then ahead of it warmer air. So ahead of the system temperatures like, for example, nashville. Youre going to be in the mid60s today. However, once that front moves through, colder air comes in behind it, youre going to be looking at rain and cooler conditions. Syracuse, new york, rain, we snow today. Its going to be up to one to three inches by late tonight into tomorrow morning. And then as we move on into friday, more cold air coming in, showers along the coast. Its not going to be the worst day ever but we will see generally about one to two inches of rain, about half an inch generally. Snowfall from buffalo, syracuse, on into upstate new york and parts of new england, one to three inches of snow and, again, the rain continues tomorrow. Look at this for today. Florida perfect, perfect spring break weather. 84 in orlando. 88 degrees in miami. Look for some snow as you get your way up into the u. P. Of michigan, one it to three inwas of. 38 in minneapolis. Again, looking at boise idaho with plenty of sunshine. The clouds do start to move into seattle later this afternoon, but, meantime, a high of 69 degrees. As we look back washington 75 but rainy we all your life youre told to tame your curls. When you try to tame my curls, it feels like you want to tame me. Dove wants you to unleash the beauty of your curls. Thats why we created new dove quench absolute. This system deeply nourishes curls to quench dryness for 4 times more defined natural curls. New dove quench absolute. Good morning you to. Happy thursday. Im meteorologist christina loren. Taking a live look at San Francisco. Mostly clear to start the day here. Temperatures are pretty clear now but then we have a big climb on the way. 54 degrees in san carlos. San jose. Clear start hot Sunny Afternoon with temperatures in the 70s by lunch time. Well