braves. how about that ring story? >> it's pretty interesting. >> to say the least. >> old days they'd start wars over something like that. we've evolved. >> international tensions begin with things just like that, so i hear. >> thanks, brody. still to come, the man responsible for one of the biggest intelligence leaks in u.s. history is still believed to be in hiding. but is he considered to be a fugitive? we'll let you know why pope francis spent part of the day with these folks, some harley-davidson riders.

the intelligence community is going on the offensive over the nsa's secret information-gathering programs. they're releasing tidbits of information about some of the

program's successes. in the process giving up some previously unknown details about a high-profile terror arrest. brian mooar has the story from washington. >> reporter: when colorado-based extremist nauj gy bull zaussy was arrested with backpack bombs intended for new york subways federal authorities say he was taking orders from al qaeda. now u.s. officials are revealing that terror plot was just one of dozens in more than 20 countries foiled with the help of the nsa's once-secret data-gathering programs. >> if we don't do that, another attack on our homeland is very likely. >> reporter: former vice president dick cheney says current technology could have crushed al qaeda. >> that program, that capability against that target, we might well have been able to prevent 9/11. >> reporter: nsa supporters want to step up the surge for edward snowden, the former government contractor who's claimed credit for the leak. china's now investigating snowden's claims that nation was a target for extensive nsa

hacking. >> he needs to look an american jury in the eye and explain why he has disclosed sources and methods that are going to put american lives in danger. >> reporter: while the nsa gathered hundreds of millions of phone records, intelligence officials say only 300 were followed up on last year. >> we have to find the right balance between protecting our privacy, which is sacrosanct in the president's view, and protecting the country from the very real risks and the threats that we face. >> reporter: washington trying to calm critics who worry uncle sam is becoming big brother. >> nsa supporters say they're hoping this week to reveal more about these secret successes they say speak loudly about the importance of information-gathering. brian mooar, nbc news, washington. >> as mentioned it's being called one of the biggest intelligence leaks in u.s. history. the 29-year-old man who claims to be the source of the leak about the government surveillance program is still in hiding. nbc's ian williams has the latest from hong kong.

>> reporter: snowden is believed to be in a safehouse somewhere in this teeming, rain-swept city of 7.2 million people. where hundreds marched to the u.s. consulate saturday -- >> support snowden! >> reporter: in his support, demanding the hong kong government defend him. a sentiment that seems to have wide support here. hong kong's leader has responded for the first time with a pledge to follow established local laws. the territory, ruled by britain until it was returned to china in 1997, has a well-respected legal system with considerable independence. but beijing has the final say in sensitive extradition cases. state newspapers have reveled in what they call the hypocrisy of the u.s. government which has accused china of cyber spying and the internet companies that apparently work the with it. but the chinese government itself has been title-lipped. >> in this instance i think they'll say, let the process of law take place in hong kong. and can we get him off the

premises as quickly as possible? >> reporter: he may be mading but as of now snowden is not a hugetive. he's broken no hong kong law and has yet to be charged in the u.s. which surprises the former member of the royal hong kong police criminal intelligence bureau. >> the longer he's here and the longer he digs in, the more difficult it will be to pry him out. >> reporter: the complex politics of hong kong may be one reason snowden chose to come here. this is one of the most-crowded cities on the planet. it's not difficult to disappear here. while somewhere here, the man described by his girlfriend as a keen chess player is plotting his next move. a lawmaker in china said if snowden's claims are true that the u.s. also spied on computers in hong kong, snowden would be admired for his courage but he also noted the allegations are "so far lacking in details or evidence." another round of visitors today for nelson mandela at the hospital in pretoria where he's believed to be. a daughter, granddaughter, and his former wife winnie mandela.

people across south africa continue to pray for the man regarded by many as the father of the nation. the 94-year-old mandela has been in the hospital since june 8th treated for recurring lung infection. he's improving but remains in serious condition. 5,000 members of the u.s. military are in jordan today. it's the start of the annual multi-national military exercises there. but this year there's a civil war next door in syria. u.s. marines today practiced demolition exercises as well as errant missile defense tactics. officials for jordan and the u.s. are playing down any link between the exercises and the crisis in syria but did acknowledge that the u.s. will likely leave patriot missiles and f-16s in jordan. today the u.s. worked with 19 other countries to share information and skills. >> what we'll be doing today this is demolition shows how to use demolitions to provide mobility to a battalion, so possibly breaching any

obstacles. and also counter mobility. so if you're trying to stop the mobility area, you can use demolition to do so. >> some american officials also said the exercises are going on throughout the country but not near the border with syria and there's no plan to leave soldiers on the ground in jordan after the exercises are over in two weeks. and in turkey, the prime minister says it was his duty to clear anti-government protesters from the main square in istanbul. also, two major unions there have called for a one-day strike demanding the end of police violence. nbc's richard angle has more from us stall bule. >> reporter: clashes have spread well. there are running street battles in many neighborhoods. protesters are gathering in the side streets. they are trying to gather in large numbers and head to taksin square. they're being chased downpy police, water cannons.

what's different is police and particularly the plain clothes officers are starting to arrest some of the protesters, take their gas masks, and the government is maintaining its hard line. today, the turkish prime minister held a mass rally. he claims there were 1 million people there. there were at least several hundred thousand. the prime minister says these are domestic protests, these are not nationwide uprisings, they are being led by hooligans, by marginal groups is the term the prime minister prefers. he's blaming the foreign media. he says organizations like cnn, reuters, bbc are all lying, they are provoking the situation, and he is trying to paint a picture in which the government is still popular, it is still strong, but it is chasing down a few rebels and troublemakers. but what we are seeing now across istanbul also is starting to spread to other cities, not just a fringe movement that is

throwing stones and rising up against the government authorities. what we are seeing now is a protest movement that is spreading both with intensity and across this country. richard angle, nbc news, istanbul. thanks to rain authorities say they've made progress against the massive wildfire in colorado. but the area is still not safe. nearly 500 homes in colorado, colorado springs, have been destroyed by the 2,200 square mile plats. the sheriff understands residents' anxieties but they'll not be allowed home. all emergency access will be halted. the sheriff asked people for their cooperation and patience to allow crews to make repairs. >> we have a crime scene in there, we have fire in there we have downed power lines in there we have trees falling each time there's a gust of wind that are badly damaged. we have heavy equipment, bulldozers, fire trucks, water tankers constantly moving through those roads. >> as a result of the so-called black forest fire, more than

34,000 homes have been evacuated. officials are calling this the most destructive wildfire in the state's history. when we come back, coming together for a cause. >> neighbors find a way to save their local park without a single dime from taxpayers. how their idea could help rebuild broken parks across the bay area. medications? i don't know. last immunization shots? really? honey, what's my blood pressure medicine called? one time i took something and i blew up like a puffer fish. i'm probably allergic to that. at kaiser permanente, your medical information is available to you and your doctors. quickly. securely. no guesswork required. better information. better care.

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there's an old saying, everyone complains about the weather but no one does anything about it. you could say the same thing sometimes about the california state budget. >> except for one group in sonoma county which didn't want to see its favorite state park close. the group did something about it. garvin thomas has the story that will make you bay area proud. >> reporter: to tell the story of the saving of jack london state historic park, one needs to start on a horse. one that, in the late 1980s,

carried chuck levine on his first visit to the park, on his second date, with his future wife. >> i remember the trail up to the lake was a beautiful trail. i remember the historic buildings and being amazed at the architecture. >> reporter: it was the beginning, it turns out, of two long-term relationships. chuck eventually retiring from a high-flying career in the telecommunications industry to a home right next to the park. >> we spent a tremendous amount of time in the park. i'm probably in the park at least four or five days a week. when i'm in town probably seven days a week i'm in the park. >> reporter: jack became a member of the valley of the moon natural history association. a friends of the park, if you will. although when news hit in 2011 that jack london was one of 70 parks the state planned to shut for budget reasons, the park needed more than just a friend. >> there wasn't a lot of choice in the matter. we knew we had to save the park

and that was job one. >> reporter: so the association made an agreement with the state to take over park operations, which is just what they did last year. the park was not only saved, it is now thriving. attendance is up. revenue is up. as one visitor simply put it, the park's energy is up. >> we got 85% of our guests saying that their visit was excellent. i've never had a survey come out with numbers like that and i'm ecstatic. >> reporter: that is in part because visitors say the park looks better than it has in decades. thousands of volunteer hours are helping to chip away at years of deferred maintenance. miles of once-closed trails are open once again. >> if you want to go further -- >> reporter: chuck says the model they have come up with for jack london is not a perfect fit for every park out there.

still, for other groups looking to do something similar, there is, if not a blueprint to copy, a lesson to learn. >> getting together, a community can successfully accomplish an enormous amount. the people here are focused, concentrating on running a successful park and allowing it to thrive. we can do that if we all pitch in, we all work together. we can make it work. >> reporter: garvin thomas, nbc bay area news. all right, still ahead a story that's fit for father's day. >> reunited, 30 years later how this man was able to reconnect with his dad three decades after he died and the woman who made it all possible. [ woman ] hey! [ man ] hey, louis! [ woman ] thank you.

♪ mmm. now, why can't you grill chicken like louis? there is something about a... man who knows his way around a grill. it's so manly. [ grunts, laughs ] we talkin' about louis right? [ woman ] mm-hmm. it's like some kind of grill master. [ male announcer ] so good they'll think you grilled it. kentucky grilled chicken. freshly prepared and slow grilled to juicy perfection. try a 10-piece mixed bucket for just $14.99. today tastes so good.

in portland, oregon, the son of a local world war ii veteran was reunited in a way with his father, who died more than 30 years ago. >> it traces back to a woman who

ended up with some world war ii-era handwritten letters. the more she read, the more she loved. the more she realized she couldn't keep them. >> reporter: don't worry about me, mother, and write often. april 29th, 1944. army sergeant delbert steele was toward the beginning of his world war ii service that would take him across europe. he left behind a personal history with every word he sent back to portland. history his family figured had disappeared. >> she brings me this box of musty old letters here where i work. and i just delve into them and started reading them when i got home and that's just when i had that feeling of, these don't belong in my hands. >> reporter: sean's story got these letters from auction. she decided it was her responsibility to find the stranger's family. >> so i just started to begin to google delbert w. steele. >> reporter: she figured out the author of the pile of neatly written correspondence died in

1979. her detective work -- >> little puzzle pieces. >> reporter: -- finally led her to delbert steele's son. she couldn't believe gary steele was only a short drive away. >> i couldn't get him the letters fast enough. >> who could ask for a better father's day gift than this? there's no way. >> reporter: gary steele is the same age now his father was when he died. >> there's so many things like that that are in these letters that i never knew about. >> reporter: fun details about his early romances and chilling passages about war. >> we all went in the gas claim bear and stayed for seven to eight minutes. >> do you feel like you're learning about your dad? >> absolutely. like i said, we just barely talked about the war. you know, a little bit. but this here, he gets into very much detail. and all these questions that i would have missed are going to be answered in here. it's nice to reconnect in this way. for me. >> reporter: his father left him way too soon. thanks to a little luck and a

kind stranger, gary steele is getting to know his dad one letter at a time. >> again, that was reggie akey reporting. right now rob mayeda checking on the weather and changes coming up. >> yeah, you can't be bored with the seven-day forecast that's coming up. we've got a big cool-down coming then a big warm-up toward the end of the week. right now in between the two. 60s in san francisco and oakland. 73 in san jose. still some 80s inland this afternoon. we did see temperatures climb especially out by concord and fairfield. winds still primarily onshore bringing the chance of low clouds tomorrow morning and hopefully bring our humidity levels up. we've had that fire now about 40 acres by the crockett area which is now being contained. but you can see the humidity levels fairly dry in inland locations at 20% or less at times this afternoon. we do have the fog here from pacifica to half moon bay. sunny around santa cruz where we managed mid 70s this afternoon. the system we're going to be watching for you that's going to bring the drop in temperatures,

the gulf of alaska has been holding position this weekend. by tuesday it's going to drop in over the bay area which will lead to cooler temperatures. in the meantime we're watching areas of low clouds pulling back from the coast during the day. just like we're seeing now, heading back to the seashore and along the coastline as we head toward tomorrow night. our temperatures now for the even, 50s and 60s out are outside. tomorrow morning making up to 50s and low 60s by 7:00. by lunchtime tomorrow, 70s and 80s inland. not much change from today's highs. you're looking at mid 60s closer to san francisco. upper 70s in san jose. the sea breeze picks up and we'll see temperatures cooling off into monday evening. the bigger changes come for tuesday, the coolest day of the week. partly cloudy skies and maybe showers north of sonoma county up toward mendocino counties. that's possible for tuesday. could see showers over the sierra as well. factor that into your plans. high pressure builds in which will lead to the other swing in our weather as we head toward

the weekend. we'll see high pressure building in for the first full day of summer which is finally friday. we'll see upper 80s, maybe low 90s as we head toward next weekend. if you're a fan of ocean air conditioning you'll love now through about wednesday afternoon and it will feel like summer, perfect next weekend, 80s and low 90s. >> a little should go for everybody which we always like. >> temperatures just right for the weekend crowd.

pope francis today blessed thousands of harley-davidsons and their riders at the vatican. yes, i'm not kidding. the riders gathered to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the motorcycle company, an american company. while the group was welcomed there, the thundering engines nearly drowned out the prayers as the pope greeted the crowd. >> i come out and saw all these persons.

that's really incredible. >> and beautiful. i'm hearing the motorcycles. we're told about 500,000 harvey davidson fans were in rome for the four-day anniversary celebration of the company. earlier in the week harley-davidson gave pope francis two white classic motorcycles to the vatican police force, he did not drive them today. >> god heard the prayers even over the revving engines. the northern california emmys were handed out in san francisco and nbc bay area picked up ten awards. the national academy of television arts and sciences in san francisco honored this station with awards in news editing, photography, news reporting, garvin thomas has been spotted. who's that? >> raj mathai. >> among -- it's like watching a home movie. nbc investigative unit tony kovaleski, raj mathai and garvin

thomas, and mark villarreal, a photographer who took home three emmys. it took place at the union square hilton. congratulations to all of the winners. mark villarreal, the first day he got into a news vehicle, it was in the back of one at the old kntv, me and i believe steve whelock, or steve dorr. we went out together and he did the opposite and now he's won three emmys. >> are you taking credit somehow? >> i'm trying to angle in here, get on some of the accolades that he's been getting. >> get your name put on the bottom of the emmy? >> he's going to loan one to me for a week. >> he has three of them, like he'll notice. >> one for each of us. >> what can we expect tomorrow morning? >> here's a look at temperatures right now. we're going to see similar temperatures during the day tomorrow with low clouds approaching the coast but that system in the gulf of alaska is going to bring a big change in our weather tuesday and wednesday. it's going to lead to more cooling, showers i think for lake county, maybe northern sonoma county tuesday. and then summer arrives friday,

80s and 90s for next weekend. >> thanks for watching nbc bay area news at 5:00. for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created... a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more.. low and no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know... exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks... with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories... america's beverage companies are delivering.

good evening. i'm diane dwyerer. >> i'm terry mcsceweeney. the brush bay has a fire that broke out about 4:00 o'clock. they don't have it under control. it took them about four thundershowers get to that point. it has scorched many acres and chp is blocking off one of the ramps to interstate 80 and the traffic affected by the smoke and the area joined in the fight. rob, what conditions have crews been dealing wi