good morning. growing by the minute. that massive wildfire in yosemite national park raging out of control this morning as california's governor declares a state of emergency 150 miles away in the city of san francisco. we're live with the ongoing effort to try to contain it. weighing his options. president obama set to meet with his top team today to figure out what the u.s. should do when it comes to the crisis in syria. as two navy destroyers remain in the region in case they're needed. is the u.s. preparing a strike? and no baby, a giant panda is a proud new mom today giving birth to her third cub. the eyes of the world watching their every move. we'll go live to the zoo to see how everyone's doing. today's saturday, august 24th, 2013.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with lester holt and erica hill. live from rockefeller plaza. >> good morning, everyone, welcome to "today" on a saturday morning, i'm lester holt. >> and i'm erica hill. tom, of course, with us because jenna is on maternity leave and is now officially a mom. >> she tweeted out about half an hour ago. said, survived first night home with harper, but just barely. she's got pipes. >> as a parent, jenna, i can tell you the crying will stop after about a week. trust me on that. everything will be fine. >> right? and it's not fair how the babies sleep for the first few days and you think piece of cake and then they don't sleep anymore. >> anyway. we're going to check in with jenna a little later on in the show and see how they're doing. >> we'll get to that in a little

bit. but we have a busy morning in front of us, including the resignation of san diego's mayor after a series of sexual harassment claims against him. but perhaps not surprisingly, he's not leaving quietly. caught on tape, a florida school bus racing out of control when the brakes malfunction. kids on the bus were screaming thinking they were going to die. this morning we'll have more on that terrifying ride. we do want to begin, though, with the huge wildfire burning in california. more than 2,000 firefighters working around the clock to try to get it under control. that, however, is proving to be extremely difficult. and this morning, more people are being told they should seriously consider evacuating for the time being. tom costello is live in groveland, california, this morning. >> good morning to you, erica. the big news from here is that we are about 150 miles away from san francisco and, yet, san francisco's water supply and electrical supply are both being threatened by this fire. as a result of that, the governor has declared a state of

emergency for san francisco. 85% of the water comes from the reservoir nearby to us and also three massive hydroelectric plants power san francisco. right now, two of those are offline because of this massive fire. we can also tell you they are moving very quickly and fast to try to fight this fire. but it is as you said growing 200 square miles right now, 2,600 firefighters on the line. the communities around the yosemite national park are under both mandatory evacuation orders and voluntary evacuation orders as this fire starts to now eat further into the national park as well as yosemite national park. it is still about 20 miles away from yosemite's valley floor, that's the tourist areas that most of us are familiar with. and so those real pristine touristy areas are very much safe at the moment. and it's unlikely, at the moment, this fire is going to move into the valley, at least any time soon. it is in a remote, rugged area

here, mostly on the ground, the forest ground, and that is where they are -- the firefighters are trying to fight it. but it's a very rugged, steep terrain, 2,600 firefighters across the area are now on this line and working very hard. erica, back to you. >> all right. thanks. >> and as that difficult scene plays out overseas in syria, speculation is growing this morning that president obama could be getting closer to taking action. kristen welker is live at the white house with more on that. kristen, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. president obama will hold a meeting here at the white house with his national security team a little bit later on this morning. now, this comes as defense secretary chuck hagel who is traveling overseas signaled to traveling overseas said to reporters he is preparing naval assets in case president obama decides to take action. it comes in the wake of the horrifying images we saw this past week of an alleged chemical

weapons attack. president obama called the use of chemical weapons inside syria a red line. they believe syria crossed that line several months ago. if confirmed, this would be on a broader scale. the president is considering a range of military options including air strikes that target assad command posts. the defense department said two naval warships are in place in the mediterranean and down playing the significance of that. chuck hagel said on friday the defense department that has responsibility to provide the president with options for all contingencies, being able to carry out different options, whatever the president might choose. during an interview, president obama said the time line for making a decision has been accelerated. take a listen. >> when you start seeing

chemical weapons used on a large scale and, again, we are still gathering information about this particular event, but it is very troublesome. >> reporter: president obama has not decided whether or not to take action. he wants confirmation of what took place inside syria. he directed intelligence officials as well as u.n. investigative team. they are on the ground inside syria to get answers. while this is going on the pressure is mounting with lawmakers on capitol hill urging the obama administration to take action. back to you. >> john harwood is the chief washington correspondent, good to see you. >> morning, lester. >> trying to get troops out of afghanistan by the end of 2014. does he or this country have an appetite to get in another military venture? >> no.

it's the red line the president does not want to cross. he ran for office criticizing the iraq war. he opposes dumb wars. it's plain from everything the president has done and said, it would be dumb for the united states to get seriously involved. that said, when you have chemical weapons used on a large scale, with the president having said that is something he would not tolerate, he's got to have some sort of response. it's what they are weighing right now. what can you do? cruise missile strikes from the sea that does not involve boots on the ground and overflight syria which has air capability. >> he would like an international mandate. probably not going come from the u.n. security counsel. there's talk he could use the model president clinton used in kosovo, the humanitarian crisis

there. is that an option for him to give him international coverage? >> yes, if he gets the nato allies, france in particular has been calling for a strike against syria, the democratic ranking democrat on the floor in the house said we must strike the assad regime. there's growing pressure on the president. he could send heavier weapons than he's committed to do so far. it would not have the same sort of punch and visibility to the international community as an air strike would. what assets do you target? even if you do air strikes from a distance that don't involve flying over syria, you run the risk of getting deeper involved. the president is taking his time, weighing his options and trying to figure out, first of all, the absolute confirmation of what we think happened before making a decision. >> john harwood, good to talk to you. thank you very much.

>> you bet. the controversy around san diego mayor filner, he agreed to resign as part of a settlement. this is after weeks of sexual harassment claims. he is not going quietly. joe friar is live in san diego this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. bob filner will remain in office until friday. at that time, the council president will take over operations until a special election is held within 90 days. filner showed a defiant streak after the council accepted his resignation. he broke his silence apologizing to those he offended and denied all sexual harassment allegations. in the end, he would have vindicated, but he was not given due process. >> the part i have played, and i take responsibility for putting

the city through a bad time, again, i apologize to all of you, certainly, it was not my intention to be a mayor who went out like this. >> reporter: this agreement between filner and the city does not include a settlement of the one lawsuit filed against him so far. in exchange for the resignation, the city agrees to help him with his defense and some of his legal costs in the case. filner is facing other investigations right now, including one we learned about from the california attorney general. those investigations will continue despite his resignation. erica? >> joe, thank you. in las vegas, two people are behind bars this morning, accused of plotting to capture and kill police officers. law enforcement officers are very concerned about this one. they are part of a growing group that renounces government. here is our justice correspondent, pete williams.

>> reporter: the plan to detain and kill police officers was hatched by two people who claim police lack the power to make arrests. they charged david allen, 42, and devon campable, 67. >> they were plotting to kidnap and kill police officers. >> reporter: the two plans to follow police on patrol. when an officer made a traffic stop, they would take them a way to a house where the officer would be tied up and killed. she's not violent. >> i have never intended to harm of kidnap anyone. >> reporter: she said the police often act without authority. >> i feel they are going far beyond what the constitution allows. >> reporter: police say they were members of a movement called sovereign citizens with 100,000 citizens nationwide. they believe most of what the

government does is illegitimate. the stop of a citizen became violent when a follower got out and started shooting. two officers were killed. >> they are so loopy, a small percentage cannot control themselves and they resort to violence against the police or local authorities. >> reporter: the fbi says many are not violent. james turner sentenced to 18 years in prison. >> you can be a u.s. city or an american but not both, it's impossible. >> reporter: they showed up in court report. both remain in jail until a court hearing in two weeks. pete williams, nbc news, washington. heading back to school, parents must put their trust in school bus drivers to get them there and bring them home. one bus drivers quick actions

helped to save students on board. the chaotic moments that followed were caught on tape. here is dennis. >> reporter: students at a boca raton high school will not forget. >> it was a scary moment. i was so nervous about everything that was going on. >> reporter: filled with kids, a school bus out of control and careening down the street against traffic. a cell phone camera captured the sounds of panicked students as the driver dodged oncoming cars for a mile. >> we were trying to get help. everyone is honking and waving at us like we are playing a joke or something. >> the driver was finally able to stop the bus. no one is hurt and the district is investigating. parents remain concerned. >> i don't know what to do about taking the bus now. if that's how buses are kept, it's a problem.

>> reporter: also in florida, an 8-year-old girl was hit by a car after getting off her bus. she was treated for a head injury and released. the safety administration reports 17 children die in school bus related accidents each year. pictures like this of a bus on fire in sarasota this week make parents shutter. fortunately, no students were on board. >> there's not a lot of wiring left but we are examining it. >> reporter: school bus accidents pick up in august and september. >> rather be in a car. i don't think i'm going to ride the bus anymore. >> reporter: for "today," janet chanling, nbc news. looking for a teenager after a horrible crime against a world war ii veteran. tom is in for jenna. good morning. >> good morning, the 88-year-old

was remembered with a candle light vigil in spokane, washington after being beaten to death by two teenagers. he was charged as an adult. officials are searching for the other teen. the soldier accused of killing 16 gets life without parole. he was not eligible for parole meaning he will spend the rest of his life in a military prison. he pled guilty to premeditated d murder in june. guilty of murder. the case will now move to a sentencing phase where a jury will decide if hasan will get prison or the death penalty. he targeted the soldiers because he wanted to protect the taliban. if he gets the death penalty, he will be a martyr. sandusky's son reached a

deal over sex claims. matt sandusky came to an agreement with the school. he was expected to be a defense witness for his father until he said he, too, had been abused by the former football coach. a million dollar mystery may soon unfold, maybe. the ticket was bought in new york a year ago. they have until sunday to claim the prize. the drawing was august 25th, 2012. if no one comes forward, the money goes back in the pot. the numbers were 1, 6, 7, 20, 49. the guys in the next story should think about playing the lottery. we go to the marlin darwin. this yacht was cruising off the dominican republic when a 350 pound marlin they hooked jumped into the boat with them. the fish did not survive the fight and crash landing. the crew gave it to local

fishermen. besides being an anchor, i'm an angler. i made a couple phone calls, called some buddies. they said the guys did everything by the book. there's nothing you can do in that situation. the marlin jumped so close to the stern of the boat. that could be a really bad accident. you are out at sea. the bill of the marlin has a lot of bacteria. >> i think the marlin would call it payback. you want to pull me out of my habitat, watch this. >> it feels like a fishing boat out here today. it is so windy. >> my co-anchor is sitting here with a polar fleece on her lap. >> i have a hoody. >> you think you are safe this time of year but i'm literally shaking right now. i'm a wimp when it comes to the cold and the wind is going in the wrong direction. it's a rough morning out here.

we are focusing on the fire weather out west. it's going to stay warm with temperatures in the 80s. the winds are not that strong. it is hot and dry. it's the right conditions for fires to continue out that way. on the flip side of that, further to the south, we have tropical storm ivo moving west-northwest and will bring rain to the southwest. it is several miles to the southwest of kabo san lucas. we will see six inches of rain in califo good morning. i'm anthony slaughter ashsd the temperatures are dry and warm. you can see in freemont lots of blue sky expected later on today. 59 in san francisco and santa rosa, you are cool at 51. it is going to warm up nicely for everybody.

81 in napa and cool in san francisco at 85, and you will get into more of the warmth as well 84 in santa rosa. average for the next few day, but a little below average with a little bit of drizzle in the forecast. forecast. >> that seemed like a good idea 30 seconds ago. thanks very much. thousands of people are expected at the nagszal mall in washington, d.c. for the beginning of a week long celebration of the 50th an verszry of martin luther king jr.'s, "i have a dream" speech. craig has more on that. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. 50 years ago, the official name was the march on washington for jobs and freedom. like then, today, organizers don't know precisely how many people are going to show up. i can tell you, a few hundred

have already started to gather. the speeches are going start at roughly 7:30 this morning. there will be several speeches from various speakers. marchers will organize at the feet of the lincoln memorial behind me, march down independence and stop at the washington monument. at 11:00 a.m., we'll start to hear from folks like nancy pelosi. the headline speaker, attorney general, eric holder, is expected to speak this afternoon. we should also note here, wednesday marks the 50th anniversary of the speech itself. that is when president obama is scheduled to speak at the feet of the lincoln behind me. lester, back to you. >> thanks very much. dreaming of kids around the world living in harmony. has the dream come true?

>> reporter: at the city pool in cincinnati, ohio. these kids tell you they are living part of dr. king's dream. >> we can all play together, drink the same water and go to the same water fountain. >> without him, we would never be able to do that. >> we hope one day everybody can speak willing and fairly. >> reporter: on a hot summer day, we got nine young students 12 to 16 years old to talk about a way of life in america they have never known. when hundreds of thousands marched on washington for jobs and freedom and martin luther king jr. threatened to change things, peacefully. >> i have a dream. my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but the content of their character. i have a dream.

>> reporter: even though none of them have heard the whole speech or studied his life in depth, they have strong opinions about the man and his legacy. >> i want to know how he could take all that punishment and all the anger people took out on him. >> reporter: on why dr. king is important. >> i never experienced a racial incident. i have never been through that. >> he made it possible for me to go through a privileged school. >> reporter: on equality. do you think everybody is equal and treated the same? >> sometimes. sometimes not. depends on where they are. >> reporter: if dr. king were here today, what would you say to him? >> thank you because i appreciate all the things he has done for us. >> i would just love to hear him speak. >> free at last. free at last, thank god almighty, i'm free at last. >> would love to see him in action and participate in what he's doing and support it.

>> reporter: a new century of dreamers living what dr. king hopes 1963 would not be an end, but a beginning. nbc news, cincinnati. >> we would like to know about your dreams. tell us on twitter #dreamday or see what other people are sharing on nbcnews.com/dreamday. a tribute to the australian baseball player gunned down in oklahoma. first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪

too big. ♪ too soft. too small. ♪ mmm!

♪ too happy. ♪ [ male announcer ] at progresso, we've got a passion for quality. because you've got a passion for taste. still to come on "today," baby north west revealed. a look at the baby. she is cute. >> we have more babies. a baby for jenna and stephanie. we'll check in and see how the new family is doing. first, these messages.

good morning the you. looking live are the palo alto camera, you can see the twinkling lights in the distance and what to expect from the

radar on the seven-day, and we will find out. i'm kris sanchez along with meteorologist anthony slaughter and let's lookt the all-important weekend forecast. >> well, the temperatures have been climbing each and everyday all week. we are good to go with the temperatures not bad. 61 in san jose, and a little cool in the north bay with the temperatures near 50. if you are planning to fly out of san francisco this morning or family and friends coming into town, no issues right now. the marine layer is not that thick. in the city by the bay, 65 in san francisco, and 75 in oakland and warmer in the south bay with 72 in san jose. and warm spot is concord and gilroy at 88. cooler tomorrow, kris, and fog and drizzle may impact the traveling plans if you are leaving the airport or coming to, and whatever way you are going, you want to check with the airline carrier, and otherwise, the temperatures are season sonl. we can do average. thank you very much. we begin with a developing story

this morning. the massive rim fire now burning in yosemite national park is forcing governor jerry brown the declare a state of emergency for san francisco. the fire is burning more than 150 miles away, but there is growing concern for the people here in the bay area. it is burning four miles from the reservoir that supplies 85% of the city's water. right now the reservoir is not affected, but the main concern is that ash from the fire could taint the water. however, two of the city's three hyd hydroelectric power stations in that area are shutdown and any more disruptions could have an effect on the water supply to san francisco. here are the latest numbers of the rim fire. i has scorched nearly 200 square miles and no sign of it letting up soon. more than 2600 firefighters are working to gain control of the blaze which sits at 5% containment this morning. it is now the 20th largest fire in northern california history.

if you are planning a getaway to either reno or tahoe this weekend, be aware that the smoke from the rim fire is impacting the areas. take a look at the city shots from various cameras around r reno. thick smoky air had one resident say he felt like he was living on mars. reno officials have issued a warning about the air quality, and the hazard air quality index is at a point where people without respiratory conditions may be affected. and there is a warning also in that area for people who have trouble breathing. we will have more updates and local news in just 30 minutes.

and welcome back on this saturday morning. it is august 24th, 2013. we have a lovely crowd out here. unseasonably brisk. >> these are the stragglers from the one direction concert. >> they actually slept here overnight to be with us this morning. they said one direction? no, no, no, no. lester holt. >> we appreciate it. >> thanks for being here, guys. just ahead in this half hour, you may have heard ben affleck is going to be batman. he will star as the caped crusader on the big screen. but turns out, not everyone is cheering him in the role. we'll take a look at why the controversy over ben as batman and the other entertainment

headlines. >> boy, social media took off about that yesterday, it's a big deal. then, we're missing jenna this morning. our new mom is home with her new baby harper. i love that name. >> i do too. that's a great name. >> we're going to check in with jenna and her partner stephanie and their bundle of joy coming up. that discrimination lawsuit against paula deen is dismissed. and the question this morning surrounds her business and whether or not she can get her reputation back. we'll take a look at that. but first, australian baseball player christopher lane is being remembered this morning at a baseball game in melbourne. people shocked and outraged after he was killed earlier this week in oklahoma. the target of what police call a random shooting. live in london this morning with more on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. many in the hometown of chris lane are struggling to understand the loss of a

popular, talented athlete especially at the baseball club he played for more than a decade. chris lane's former baseball club in this melbourne, australian suburb sported black arm bands for a rising star who was everyone's mate. >> he did a great thing for australian baseball for this club. he's the guy we all looked up to. and we all wanted to be like him. we idolized him a little bit. >> chris left the field of dreams to pursue greater opportunities in america. only to be gunned down half a world away from home, a murder that stunned australia. >> three teenagers targeted him randomly. >> there's shock and disbelief for teenagers. >> that's beyond -- >> reporter: as the investigation continues in oklahoma, the questions continue in australia. >> i know a lot of people have said to me, you know, would you send your kids over there? >> reporter: but the former

deputy prime minister who helped enact strict gun laws after a mass shooting in 1996 says there is anguish and outrage. >> i am angry because it is corrupting the world, the gun culture of the usa, i'm simply saying that australians should think twice about the risk factors when they travel, especially when they travel to the usa. >> chris's american girlfriend arrived in melbourne to be with his family who have struggled to make sense of a senseless crime. >> it's the fact that something that shouldn't have happened happened. it's the fact that somebody we all love so much is not going to come home. >> tomorrow, the family of chris lane will be at a tribute game in memory of their son. his funeral is expected to be held on wednesday. lester? >> all right, thank you. we want to get a check, now of the weather. is it warmer where you are over there? >> it's not warmer. but i'm trying to figure out this sign over here.

144 years of fun? how is that even possible? >> collectively. >> collectively, okay. because you look great for 144. that's fantastic. but we are actually seeing some really chilly temperatures in the northeast only because there's no humidity. but other areas where they're feeling the heat right through the middle of the country, we are looking at exceptionally hot temperatures from the northern plains right down into texas in the 90s to above 100 degrees and that is all going to spread eastward tomorrow. we are looking at sun in that same area except north dakota and northwestern minnesota where we could see really strong storms today, mostly hail and gusty winds and we are going to keep an eye out for some showers and pretty strong thunderstorms down across the gulf coast states in the northeast. it looks absolutely gorgeous with high pressure in control. temperatures should make it into the mid to upper 70s and, again, we are looking at more scattered showers and storms just east of the good morning.

at 6:04 taking a live look at san jose and the clear skies this morning and no worries and not that much fog at the golden gate. as a result, we are looking at the airport delays non-existent right now and that is good news if you are doing any flying to or from the city. temperatures in san francisco today, 65. and 76 in freemont, and 82 in san jose. and livermore, 86f. the heat is on for today with 90 in inland location. more fog tomorrow, and the temperatures will balance out as we head to next week. your latest forecast. lester? >> just ahead, holy backlash, batman. not everyone is on board with the choice of ben aflac at the caped ♪ at chico's we're famous for our so slimming jeans. ♪ now, meet our instantly slimming, secretly shaping dresses, skirts and pants. ♪ they slim, smooth,

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from our first look at kim and kanye's baby to holy controversy batman, ben affleck not as well received as some would hope. >> we have that and the rest of the entertainment news. good to see you. >> good to see you as well. >> we got our first look at baby north west. >> kanye west went on kris jenner's talk show, the season finale. he said what better way than on her grandmother's show. kanye is actually very sweet. she is a beautiful baby.

>> she's 10 weeks old. the paparazzi, everybody wanted the first picture. it has kanye's cheeks and nose and kim's eyes. >> she's one good looking baby. everyone can agree on that. everyone cannot agree on ben affle affleck. >> the controversy is that people can never forget the days like ""argo"." he gone best picture and did really good things. people cannot forget where he didn't do that well. "daredevil" crashed at the box office. he's a phenomenal actor and good director. everybody is talking about it. >> i think he will look good in a bat suit. there i said it. >> i'm with you. >> really, that's the point, anyway. >> 2015, we are going to see it. >> we have a date.

>> let's talk about bon jovi and his guitarist richey sambora. is there bad blood here? >> we don't know. sambora has not been with the band since april. thank you for your support, it's a private matter. some sites are reporting he was booted from the band because of money. nobody knows. he's been with the band for 30 years. >> he's as much of the band as jon bonn jovi. >> lady gaga is not having a good week. >> she's feuding with perez hilton. she's taking backlash for asking fans to view her video, "applause". >> she's trying to rig the

charts. mtv awards are tomorrow. she's opening it up. see if they have confrontation. >> quite a video. >> we have affleck, you have gaga. >> somehow, i don't know if that's -- i'm sorry. >> going to drop that one. >> we'll leave that one alone. up next, it's something we can all appreciate. how would you like to meet baby harper. the new mommys will join us how 'bout we replace old and worn out with beautiful and durable. let's head to the one place with the flooring we want, the know-how we need, and low prices that won't trample our budget. then let's do some simple placing, locking... and admiring. a better-looking floor is just a few steps away. and... they're affordable steps. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot.

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because a few days ago, our weekend "today" family got a little bigger when jenna gave birth to her daughter harp er wolf-gosk. >> joining us on skype with her mommy's. good morning, you guys. >> hi, guys. >> is she still sleeping? >> she's amazing. she didn't sleep all last night. >> was this the first night you were all home together? >> first night. >> how did it go? >> i used to think it was a joke when parents were like wait until you get home, trust me, you are not going to sleep at all. we slept zero seconds of zero minutes. it's amazing. >> all night crying and carrying on and you wake up in the morning or not wake up and you still really like them. >> it is amazing how that works.

jenna, tell us what it was like. you sent a sweet e-mail saying how you couldn't have imagined until you went through it all. tell us, what was the moment like when you were together as a family? >> it was -- it was almost like a religious experience. i kid you not. you carry this little person around with you that you have yet to meet for nine months, then all of a sudden, the stars align and everything comes together. you and this little angel and this person that you love and you go from being two people finding their way to a family instantaneously. it's a wonderful feeling in the world. anyone who's gone through it understands. >> we are loving the pictures. i have to tell you, i sent you an e-mail when you were in labor. i didn't expect to get one back, but i did. >> she was busy on the phone. i had to pry it from her fingers. >> you said it was harder than

any work you have done. i have been through your workouts. i have a respect for labor. >> lester, as soon as i get back, we are going to do the birthing, maternity workout. you are going to love this thing. >> boy, can't wait. i hope you have a long maternity leave. >> jenna, i saw that you tweeted something this morning, something you overheard between stephanie and the baby. what happened? >> stephanie is having a full-on conversation with harper asking her what it's like and how her second day of life was going. i was just about to melt. she just looked at her and went -- >> i have had people respond with worse. >> the smiles coming up the next couple weeks will mostly be gas.

>> by the way, lester, i know that you put a bid in for lesterina and we were mulling it over until the baby arrived. >> when i saw the name harper estelle, i thought that is such a cool name. >> it is. >> i love that name. >> it's worth keeping secret. we didn't know, either. >> you could have gone with south or east. north is taken. harper really works. >> stephanie played field hockey in college and i felt like she follows in stephanie's footsteps, harper is a great field hockey name. >> for sure. >> she's probably going to be a ballerina. >> there you go. >> it works for ballerinas, too. >> great seeing you guys.

continue being happy. try to get some sleep. it's difficult, but you are going to get through it. we are touched you took the time out to talk to us this morning. >> thanks, it was fun. >> see you soon. not too soon. >> we'll be over after the show. >> back in a moment, this is "today" on nbc. ♪ too big. ♪ too soft. too small. ♪

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kids back at school, but that makes the weekends count more and if you have plans. >> yes, and the temperatures will be comfortable, and right now 52 in santa rosa and 52 in san francisco and in the south bay, 57 in san jose. if you are making plans to leave or come into the town at sfo, no delays. we have shrouded with cloud cover, but not bad. 74 in oakland and 82 in san jose, and 86 in livermore. seven-day forecast showing the temperatures to balance out for the next several days and the only thing to note here, tomorrow morning delays at sfo because of the low clouds and drizzle. sglrt l. we. >> all right. we will wait for that. and now we begin with the massive rim fire at yosemite national park has governor jerry brown declaring a state of emergency.

the concern is for the bay area the water supply. the fire is burning from the reservoir that supplies 85% of the city's water. right now the reservoir, itself, is not fkted a, but the concern is that the ash from the fire could tanint the water, however two of the three city's hydroelectric power stations in the area are shutdown and any more disruptions could have an effect on the power supply in san francisco as well. the numbers on the rim fire, it has scorched nearly 200,000 square miles. more than 2600 firefighters are working the gain control of the blaze which is now 5% contained this morning. it is now the 20th largest fire in northern california history. if you are planning a get away to reno or tahoe, be aware that the smoke from the rim fire is impacting those areas as well. a look from the city cameras around e reno this morning. the thick smoky air had one resident saying that he felt like he was living on mars.

reno health officials have issued a warning for the health quality index, because even people without respiratory conditions may be affected. in tahoe, the smoke filled the skies and also a concern for people who have respiratory trouble. coming up this morning on "today in the bay" a plan to ban, to promote healthy lifestyle sparks outrage in the south bay with a plan to ban sugary drinks and whole milk even. all of those details will be coming up here on "today in the bay."

good morning. it's saturday, august 24th, 2013. here is a look at today's top stories. firefighters are working around the clock in california. the raging wildfire at yosemite national park is still burning out of control with no signs of letting up anytime soon. president obama is weighing his options as to when or if the united states will get involved in the ongoing crisis in syria. he's out. bob filner will step down as head of the city after weeks of sexual harassment claims against him. good morning. i'm lester hold. >> i'm erica hill. jenna is out enjoying time with

her baby girl, harper. >> paula deen will move forward after her case has been dismissed. after weeks of sensational headlines, is that damage already done? >> then a new giant panda born. that sounds funny, giant panda born because it's so tiny. >> it's the size of a stick of butter. it's wrong. i say that for every mother. >> the national zoo, everyone keeping a close eye on the little one. we go there live to see how mom and baby are doing. >> the wildfire near yosemite, more people should consider getting out of harm's way as the fire consumes 125,000 acres. california's governor declaring a state of emergency in san francisco. that city, 150 miles away but could be affected. tom is live in groveland, california with the latest for

us. good morning. >> reporter: hi, erica, good morning. the reason san francisco could be affected is 85% of its water comes from a nearby reservoir here as well as the electrical system. because of that, the governor declared a state of emergency. firefighters are on the line because the fire moved into yosemite national park. their job is to protect the park and the people who live nearby. 3:00 a.m. on the fire line and this team from sacramento is doing battle with a wall or flames. determined to eat its way further into yosemite. the sacramento crew has been on the line for 14 hours already. >> it's extreamly hard. you are tired. stress. it's hard to sleep. >> reporter: the so-called fire in the national forest but spreading into a remote center of yosemite far from the tourist

areas. highway 120 is closed. for now, fire commanders are hoping the deep valleys and the granite rock will keep it from going into the popular areas of yosemite. >> it goes into the trees. >> from the air, a highly choreographed helicopter directing the water drops on the exact spot to give fire crews a chance for a quick advantage. >> the biggest challenge is the fire itself. it's making its own weather. it's unreal. >> reporter: for the 2,000 men and women fighting the fire, the work is exhausting. at the base camp, the first hot meal in 24 hours. a much needed shower and shave and a few hours of sleep before the morning break. >> everything you learned, you have to make sure you apply it correctly and you have to do that even when you are tired. >> reporter: fire commanders meeting in colorado say fatigue is one of their biggest concerns. >> we try to work a 24 hour

shift on and a 24 hour shift off for recovery. >> reporter: with more than a dozen fires burning, resources are thin, men and women running on empty. the hard, cold reality is this fight could take some time. the terrain is so rugged and so remote and there's so much fuel that the fight here in the national forest could take perhaps days or weeks. they are still worried about what's going on in yosemite. back to you. >> tom, thanks. now to the crisis in syria and the question of how and when the u.s. might get involved. problem is meeting with his top advisers today to figure out what to do next. kristen welker is live at the white house with more. good morning. >> reporter: lester, good morning to you. that meeting here at the white house comes as defense secretary chuck hagel who is traveling overseas signaled to reporters he's preparing naval assets in

case president obama should decide to take action. these images out of syria that played out on tv screens around the world of an alleged chemical weapons attack are increasing the pressure on the obama administration to take action. >> if we don't do anything, it makes our friends think we are not willing to act. it makes our enemies think we are not willing to act. that has the wrong effect on both. >> reporter: the president said the use of chemical weapons would cross a red line. he wants confirmation first and has directed intelligence officials to investigate this latest incident. in an interview friday, he said the time line for the next step has been accelerated. >> when you see chemical weapons used on a large scale, again, we are still gathering information about this event, but it's very troublesome. >> reporter: the calls to increase u.s. engagement are growing louder. >> when does the united states,

with very little cost stand-up for these people? >> reporter: the president is considering a range of military options, including limited air strikes targeting key assad command posts. friday, chuck hagel told reporters the defense department will provide the president with all options and that requires positioning forces and assets to carry out different options, whatever options the president might choose. meanwhile, susan rice reiterated demands for assad to let an investigation move forward tweeting otherwise, we will conclude assad is guilty and lying again. the one thing the president won't do say aids is put american boots on the ground. >> we have to make them think we are unpredictable. right now, it looks like what is predictable is there is nothing we will do. >> reporter: officials say president obama has largely ruled out the idea of a no-fly zone.

top officials within the obama administration had been devided about whether or not to engage more deeply in syria. more and more are getting on board. the question is, what will that look like. back to you. >> thank you. san diego will soon elect a new leader now that bob filner will resign as part of a settlement with the city. at least 18 women accused him of sexual harassment. joe is live with more on the resignation. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. the may ya's last day in office will be friday. before disappearing from public service, he delivered a defiant farewell speech. >> mr. mayor would you like to address the public at this time? >> reporter: san diego six-week summer headache is now over. >> i apologize to all of you. >> reporter: an emotional bob filner offered his resignation and a string of apologies. >> to all the women i offended,

i had no intention to be offensive. >> reporter: but in nearly the same breath, he denied all allegations of sexual harassment. >> the lynch mob mentality, rumors become allegations. allegations become facts. facts become evidence of sexual harassment. >> reporter: nearly 20 women made allegations against the 70 dwreerld mayor including peggy shannon. >> i'm pleased he resigned. >> reporter: she attended the meeting hoping to see him resign firsthand. plenty of filner's supporters packed the chambers fighting to keep him in office. >> today was a bad day. it was a bad day for san diego, civil rights and democracy. >> reporter: despite the resignation, the city will help him with legal costs and defense in the sexual harassment lawsuit brought by a former aid.

it doesn't sit well with taxpayers. >> we shouldn't have to pay for that. he should have to pay for it. >> reporter: experts say it might be the best solution. >> nobody wants to pay the costs, his legal fees and damages, but they want him out of office a lot more. >> reporter: as for filner, he insists he would have been vindicated if given more time to fight. >> certainly was never my intention to be a mayor who went out like this. >> reporter: despite the resignation, there are still a few investigations into filner which continue including one by the california attorney general as for his job, a special election will take place within 90 days. until then, the council president will oversea city operations. erica? >> thank you. tom is here. he's got the rest of the morning's top stories including an update on nelson mandela. >> good morning, everyone. we start overseas.

former south african president, nelson mandela in the hospital since june with lung infection is showing great resilience. it's coming from officials who say though his condition becomes unstable at times, doctors are able to stabilize him with medical interventions. hannah anderson's mother and brother will be remembered at a public memorial service. they were killed by family friend, james dimaggio. dimaggio set his house on fire with the victims still inside and kidnapped hannah. large crowds heading to the national mall in washington, d.c. to celebrate martin luther king jr.'s, "i have a dream" speech. it will include a series of speeches. we want to know about your dreams. tell us on #dreamday or tell us what others are sharing on

nbcnews.com/dreamday. they don't call him eric mean maline for nothing. he was crowned with the world class rendition. defending world champ justin howard also from the u.s., actually placed fourth. trivia question, what is howard's stage name? we did the same story last year. can you remember? it involved leather. nordic thunder. >> of course, how could i forget. >> lester, i have a question for you. you play the bass. if you ran into an air guitarist at a bar and you wanted to bond -- >> i would just. yeah. anytime. >> you should enter the competition. >> he's already won.

dylan is back with a check of your forecast on this saturday morning. good morning, again. >> good morning. now we need a nickname for lester. would lesterina work there? i don't know. i'm looking at the phones in the crowd. you have some of the coolest phone covers. if you take a picture of the camera taking a picture of you, it makes for cool pictures. we are going to work on that. i can't wait to see those. we are going to see out in the southwest a lot of rain. we have flash flood watches in effect and flood watches in effect across nevada, into arizona and southern california. we are looking at tropical storm ivo to make its way to the northwest. it's still far away right now. 180 miles to the west of cabo san lucas mexico. by the time you get into sunday and monday, we are going to see several inches of rain in the southwest. flooding is likely. look at these rainfall estimates. in las vegas, we could end up with four or five inches of

rain. same for the san diego area. an arianna does need rain. when it comes in a short period of time, it can lead to flooding. we are looking at scattered showers and storms. good morning at 6:43, taking a live look at the emeryville cam, and you can see cloud and fog covering enshrouding the city and that is because of the fog and the low clouds starting to cause a few delays at sfo. minor delays and no major issues rights now to report. the temperatures will be comfortable later on. 75 in san francisco, and 88 today in concord. temperatures cool off tomorrow as a cold front streams through and a few more areas of drizzle, but otherwise, dry for the rest of the week. thanks. celebrity chef, paula deen is breathing a sigh of relief today. on friday, the racial

discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuit against her was dismissed when they agreed to a settlement. the whole thing was a disaster for her career. can she bounce back? we take a look. >> here we go. >> reporter: the lawsuit brought by a former restaurant manager singed the queen of cooking. allegations of sexual harassment and racial discrimination. it left paula deen in the clear. she said i am pleased the judge dismissed the race claim and i am looking forward to getting this behind me now that the remaining claims have been resolved. now the question of what's next for deen. her $17 million empire unraveled after details of her deposition were released where she made racial slurs and denying the claims in the lawsuit. >> i'm sure the attorneys and

paula didn't understand how damaging it would become based on her depositions which were a disaster for paula deen. >> she spoke in an interview on "today" and followed up with a series of taped apologies. >> i beg for your forgiveness. >> she did appear on "today" in an emotional interview. >> i have never, with any intention hurt anybody on purpose. i never would. >> reporter: her big name sponsors and endorsement deals melted away. brand experts say with her loyal following she's able to make a comeback. >> at the end of the day, a loyal customer base, a loyal audience, the key thing to economic success, she can come back and be a strong brand again. >> reporter: the former manager who filed the suit issued a statement saying she since learned her initial complaints never reached her boss adding the paula deen i have known for

more than eight years is a woman of compassion and kindness and will never tolerate discrimination of racism of any kind toward anyone. for "today," michelle franzen, nbc news new york. still to come, we are going to talk baby panda right after these messages. the boys used double miles from their capital one venture card to fly home for the big family reunion. you must be garth's father? hello. mother. mother! traveling is easy with the venture card because you can fly any airline anytime. two words. double miles! this guy can act. wanna play dodge rock? oh, you guys! and with double miles you can actually use, you never miss the fun. beard growing contest and go! ♪ i win! what's in your wallet? so do tire swings! this is our ocean spray cran-lemonade. it's good, old-fashioned lemonade. only better!

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break to watch the birth thanks to the panda cam. we have the senior curator from the zoo. i don't know if you got a lot of sleep last night. how are mom and baby doing? >> hi, good morning. mom and baby are doing well. we hear the cub vocalize quite a bit. mom tends to it right away. >> i know there was a waiting period after the birth thinking maybe it would be twins. are we past the waiting period and it's only a solo? >> we are. there's a chance we could have a twin is very likely it won't happen. midnight last night, we realized we were past that period. we focused on mom and this one cub. >> one thing we don't know, well a few things, one of the things who the baby daddy is. >> well, we have a mystery this

year. we actually used sperm from two males. one from our male here and the male from san diego. when we do our cub exam today, we are going to try to get biological samples to do testing to determine the father as quickly as possible. >> i'm sure they are anxiously awaiting the news. >> it's difficult to tell when a panda is pregnant. at what point were you convinced there was a baby? >> you know, her behaviors have been so strong this year, keepers were betting it was a real pregnancy. about noon yesterday, she just became really restless, pawing at walls. she couldn't get comfortable. we were just focused on her starting add noon yesterday. we were thinking this is a panda in labor. >> we are loving the pictures. we are thrilled for owl of you. we appreciate you coming on and

talking about this. >> thank you so much. we are so excited here. >> all right. we'll be right back. first this is "today" on nbc.

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good morning. i'm kris sanchez and breaking news to start with "today in the bay." and how a stabbing led police to fire on a suspect. and a fire triggers a state of emergency for the city of san francisco and how it could affect the water supply. this is not how a day of jet skiing was supposed to end. this story and the rest of the day's news coming up. "today in the bay" starting in two minutes.

from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay". good morning to you, and looking live at a pretty shot at the golden gate bridge looking the way that a lot of folks expect it to look. a little bit of fog and still the bridge in distance. thank you for joining us. i'm kris sanchez and joining meteorologist anthony slaughter, and how long will that fog stick around causing major delays? >> well, just breaking news the sfo area is starting to see some minor delays bau of the low clouds, but nothing like typical you