>> good morning. explosion in the sky. the search is on this morning for three people who were aboard a hot air balloon when it caught fire and crashed into the ground in virginia. we're live with the latest on the investigation as to what may have gone wrong. close call wiechlt a jetliner with more than 100 people on board was forced to make a hasty return right after takeoff. >> we had a bird strike on our left engine. we would like to return to laguardia. >> nerve-racking moments tore passengers and crew when the plane with a crippled engine made an emergency landing. and powerful plea. >> in these girls, barack and i see our own daughters. these girls embody the best hope for the future of our world. >> unprecedented move by the

obama white house. presidential address by the first lady to talk about the plight of the kidnapped nigerian school girls as the world tries to find them "today," saturday, m may 10th, 2014. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with lester holt and erica hill live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a saturday. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm erica hill, alongside jenna wolfe and dylan dreyer. we do want to get to today's top stories for you. that is the search this morning for the three people inside a hot air balloon that crashed in rural virginia. witnesses and police describe frantic moments when that balloon caught fire. luke russert is on the scene for us this morning.

luke, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. virginia state police say three people are still unaccounted for after a tragic accident last night. a hot air balloon went up as part of the beginning of the three-day festival here. around 8:00 pm, the basket became separate from a balloon itself. this was a pilot's attempt to land. there were two explosions. eyewitnesses tell our local affiliate upon the second explosion, words heard from one eyewitness hearing one of the passengers in that basket saying oh, god i'm going to die. another eyewitness seeing a body actually fall to the ground. right now, we cannot confirm as the crash site has not been found of any of the bodies. there are two separate crash sites, one where the actual balloon went. it drifted off and burned and the one where the actual basket fell. we'll know a lot more at 8:00 am when the next press conference is to occur. the three-day balloon festival

has been canceled due to the incident. this was the first time the festival was going to take place, obviously, started in a way which led to tragedy. guys? >> just a terrible, terrible, terrible time for them. luke russert, thank you. want to turn now to a scare in the sky here in new york. us airways flight forced to return to laguardia airport after hitting a flock of birds. jenna is following this for us. >> good morning. u.s. flight 2191 was headed to washington. shortly after takeoff, the pilots contacted air traffic control to report an emergency. >> we had a bird strike on our left engine. we would like to return to laguardia. >> 2191, the engine still functional? >> yes, we have a loud vibration. >> more than 100 people are on the plane, passengers and crew. the pilot was successfully able

to turn the plane around and get back to the airport safely despite losing one engine. no one was hurt and all the passengers were put on another plane, eventually making it to washington. this is the second bird strike at laguardia just this week alone. happening more often than we're hearing about, lester. >> just like the miracle on the hudson a couple of years back. terror in nigeria, forces are on the ground in the efforts to help to find them. this morning for the first time ever first lady michelle obama gave the presidential weekly address solo for the powerful plea of their return. >> people across the globe, my husband and i are outraged and heart broken over the kidnapping of more than 200 nigerian girls from their school's dormitory in the middle of the night. >> stephanie gosk is in the capital of neighboring cameroon

this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. these girls have been split up, making them even harder to be found. the border they are concerned about is more than 200 miles long, over 100 miles longer than the u.s./mexico border. in certain parts, like the northern part of this country, it is increasingly violent. a father of two of the abducted school girls recounts the terror from the day the school was attacked. >> i heard the cry or the shouts of the students because i'm very close to the school. >> reporter: he says the islamic radical group boko haram held the girls nearby but no one came to help. >> for a good 11 days. >> the slow response has been replaced by international

outcry. personnel arrived in nigeria saturday. >> to allow them. >> criticism of the nigerian government from all sides. the military had at least four hours of advanced warning. >> they had warning that this school was under threat and nothing was done to save these girls. >> the government says it is doing all it can, but worries the girls are being used as human shields. >> we have to be very careful. if a group is holding 200 children -- >> even the nigerian government admits it struggles to control what happens become an emboldened insurgency. boko haram is not just nigeria's problem but cameroon's as well. they believe a number of fighters from boko haram were

released from a police station and a border crossing at a bridge more than 20 people were killed. erica? >> stephanie gosk, thanks. va's health care system woes, this as more whistle blowers come forward, detailing the lengths some officials went to cover up a lengthy waiting list for veterans to get treatment. kelly he donl is covering it all from phoenix this morning. kel kelly, good morning. >> good morning, lester. that pressure is building on secretary shinseki as he heads to capitol hill. secret documents to show that the waiting times were shorter. it did begin here in phoenix, but now there are accusations of similar conduct spreading across the country. >> are you going to do what's right for the veterans, sir? >> reporter: veterans and their families are demanding answers and accountability.

>> it took months for them to see him. they wouldn't call us back. >> reporter: this widening scandal first surfaced at the phoenix veterans affair hospital with allegations that records were secretly altered to show shorter waiting times for patient appointments to meet va standards. >> we were betrayed. myself, other veterans. >> senator john mccain, who held a town hall meeting on the controversy friday said this could lead to criminal charges. >> this is the first time i've ever seen an outright, apparently, allegedly is an outright cover-up. >> reporter: going beyond arizona, a texas va medical clerk, brian turner, tells nbc news that san antonio and austin offices were coached to change numbers and dates and erase wait times to weeks or months. >> if you had a longer than 14-day window you would receive a report and they would tell you, you need to change this.

>> va officials said turner's claims were not substantiated, turning to wyoming. nbc news obtained an e-mail where a va staffer described the practice of altering dates writing, yes, it is gaming the system a bit. but you have to know the rules of the game you are playing, adding the front office gets very upset when wait times go past 14 days. veterans affairs secretary eric shinseki ordered an investigation of the wyoming office and put an employee on leave. >> i'm very disappointed in the evidence that we have so far. it's tragic and it's unacceptable. >> secretary of state shenseki also called senator mccain to say we will get to the bottom of this and it is unacceptable. they'll hold another forum next week to give veterans and their families a chance to vent their

feelings and try to get some answers. lester? >> kelly o'donnell, thank you. retired colonel jack jacobs is an nbc analyst, also a recipient of honor and two purple hearts during his service. good morning. >> good morning, lester. >> gaming the system, that is a symptom of something much larger. what's wrong? >> you're absolutely right. it is a symptom. the problem is that the veterans administration is an enormous bureaucracy and bureaucracies only do one thing very well. that is, they do routine things. and any doctor will tell you, medicine is not routine. it's not capable of doing the kinds of things we want. and that is to deliver timely, quality health care to our veterans. it doesn't matter who you put in charge, how much money you throw at the system. it will never, ever be able to do what we want it to do. >> this country has seen two major wars in the last ten years, how has that affected the demand at va hospitals?

>> it's gone up dramatically. it's not nearly as big as when it was first put together. what's happened is that the bureaucracy has grown. and has become inertia driven. secretary of state shinseki said we want to be able to treat everybody with pts and treat everybody who has been exposed to agent orange in vietnam. so, please come and register and get us to treat you. his heart was in the rate place, but his organization was not in any way capable of handling that workload and it will never be capable of handling that workload. >> if his head rolls, will that change anything? >> no, not at all. general shinseki is a top guy. you can get a junkyard dog, doesn't matter who you get. these inherent organizational problems will still exist. the best argument of how to treat our veterans is to abandon the veterans administration t's

attempt to do it. it's much better for veterans if they go to their doctor, they get treated and the doctor sends a bill to the government. >> among service members, what's the word on the street? has it been widely known that this is not a great place to get timely treatment? >> sure. people who want to get timely treatment try to avoid it if they can. not everybody can. the deal is that you're supposed to be able to get an appointment within two weeks. at the most, within four weeks. in a lot of places, that's exactly what happens and the care is spectacular, but others it takes a long time to get an appointment. years ago i remember i had to get an appointment to get an appointment. that is not the way it's supposed to be. >> you will agree that they deserve better, our veterans? >> i certainly will. >> colonel jack jacobs, thank you. let's take a look at the rest of the morning's top overnight stories. jenna has a roundup for us. good morning, jenna. >> lester, good morning to you.

we begin in eastern ukraine where a referendum is planned to be held sunday seeking independence from ukraine. richard engel is in ukraine with the very latest. richard, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, jenna. violence is continuing, mostly in the southern city of mariopo. ukrainian forces yesterday moved in there to drive out pro-russian separatists who had taken over a police station. ukrainian soldiers moved in heavy with rocket-propelled grenades. they managed to push out these separatists. in the process they killed at least seven people and turned downtown into a war zone. violence is still continuing there today with gunshots heard. and it is in this environment that people here in eastern ukraine will vote over the weekend to decide if they want to break away and effectively join up with russia or stay part

of ukraine. >> richard engel, thank you. new details this morning about the gruesome discovery made inside a mansion leased out by tennis star james blake. four people were found inside the home and now police are calling it a murder/suicide. a man shot his wife, two teenage children in the heads and set the house on fire and then killed himself. no motive has been determined. american tragedy that took place 70 years ago, now in the hands of the ocean county new jersey historic society, never-before-seen angle of the explosion which took place may 6, 1937. it burst into flames over the air field, killing 36 people. >> the first american to be diagnosed with a virus common in the middle east is out of the hospital. officials in the hospital in indiana, a health care worker in his 60s, who has not been named,

has tested negative for mers and poses no thereto to the community. arkansas same-sex couples may be able to get a marriage license as early as monday, a judge struck down the ban saying it has no rational reason to prevent gay couples from getting married. as soon as county clerk's offices open, couples can begin tying the knot. >> finally this morning, while new sneakers, flowers, breakfast in bed and a pair of beats headphones all make good mother's day gifts -- i've always been a bad winker -- this doesn't also stink. 13.22 carat biggest ever flawless blue diamond. chris christy's auction house is selling it. the diamond is expected -- i got all verklempt.

it's such a big diamond. just to recap, get your loved one that or the sneakers, breakfast in bed, beats headphones. >> i think carol is going to love that ring, lester. >> one more time on the wink. >> the wink? i know. >> not great. >> that or i could do this. >> hey. >> impressive. >> yeah. >> you're just showing us your ears? >> i'm just showing you my ears. >> what do you have for us as far as tricks? >> i don't have any. >> yesterday was a very active day across the midwest. in evansville, indiana, flooding rains and trees down on homes. we had no reported tornadoes but we did have a lot of wind damage and hail. residents are picking up the pieces. at some point yesterday, 50,000

people were without power. today we are looking at another round of storms. we have a very active pattern. this map looks busy, because it is. we have these areas of low pressure and the jet stream helping to fuel these fronts to go around this low. we've got snow on the backside. we could see a significant snow storm in the denver area by sunday night. and out ahead of this system, we are looking at showers and storms to develop with the most severe storms possible on sunday. today, though, we are looking at a slight risk of storms through oklahoma city over into st. louis and even western illinois. tornados are possible, but it's more the hail and the damaging wind gusts. and then tomorrow we are looking from chicago to wisconsin, right into parts of texas. a huge area where we could see very strong storms and possible and we're looking at partly cloudy skies, 40s and 50s outside right now and we're going to see the winds picking up as we head into the afternoon. wind speed close to 15 miles per hour in san francisco, but looking at 20 to

30-mile-per-hour winds today coming in off the ocean for now it should keep our temperatures fairly mild, mostly upper 60s and low 70s around the bay area. get ready for a big time warmup as we head towards sunday into monday. you have the temperatures for mark dan mother's day inland, 90s middle part of the week. 30 degrees between warming between today and wednesday. r latest forecast. >> dylan, thanks. now turning to the fight to stop smart phone theft. it's an epidemic growing by the month. now proposing a unique way to make the gadgets less attractive to thieves. here is miguel almaguer. >> brazen cell phone robberies are an epidemic, often carried out in daylight. 3.1 million americans had their smart phone stolen last year alone. one out of every ten of us. 23-year-old megan boken was talking to her mom on her cell phone when it was stole sben she was shot to death.

boken's family wants all cell phones to have a so-called kill switch which they believe could have saved megan's life. >> literally a brick and does not work anymore, it's not very appealing to steal it. >> reporter: in california, the senate just approved a measure requiring new smart phones to have a kill switch by next year. software allowing consumers to disable a device remotely, rendering it useless. >> the only way we'll put a stop to this is when we get to the point where most devices have a kill switch. >> reporter: the bill has its critics. the trade group that represents mobile carriers who make billions on cell phone insurance says safety is their top priority. but are against a kill switch law. state-by-state technology mandates stifle innovation to the ultimate detriment to the consumer. cell phone theft is a crime of opportunity. statistics show it happens most

often during the middle of the day, often in a restaurant. the study shows three out of four people would put themselves in danger just to get their cell back. >> it has like all of my stuff on it. my pictures, my text messages. >> reporter: sarah mcguire was desperate when her cell phone was stolen. she did what police say you should never do. chase after the thief. >> we had one individual whose throat was slashed. we have people that have been punched. >> reporter: a dangerous trend on the rise and now a proposed law, a kill switch many believe could save lives. for "today," miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. >> would you go to battle for your phone? >> i don't think so. >> mine is more because of the pictures. i don't want to lose the picture. >> back it up on to a computer. >> i'm very lazy when it comes to that. are you going to back it up for me? >> i'll back it up for you. >> just show everyone the pictures so we already know what they are. >> i would fight for those.

>> as we get a look at dylan's pictures, still to come, procrastinators, take note what moms really want for mother's day tomorrow. >> diamonds. [ wind howling ]

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in a convenient two bar pack. this is nature valley... delicious granola bars made with the best ingredients in nature. nature valley. nature at its most delicious. the clock may be ticking for those of you who have not picked out the perfect gift for mom. if you're not sure what to buy or make, we're here to help. >> we're just here to provide everything for you. we would love to spend your money. jenna, who will celebrate her first mother's day this year, is over in the orange room with a look at what moms say they really want this year. >> hello, other mom. kids, dads, other moms, i'm talking to you. do you know the importance of the perfect gift? we asked mothers to weigh in on our facebook page, telling us what they really want tomorrow. what do you really want tomorrow? check this out. here is what moms really want.

76%, an overwhelming number of you wanted a clean house, followed by more alone time, breakfast in bed. although, the whole clean house kind of battles. flowers and then coming in at only 2%, store-bought gifts. we also got a couple of funny comments as well. if stacey's family is watching, sorry i botched your last name. all she wants is the remote for her tv. speaking of mother's day, if you have nice pictures of you with your moms, please send them our way, using the #orangeroom. you might just see them on the show tomorrow. think about what you want and make sure you get it. we're talking to anyone who might be getting me a present. i don't know. i'm just kidding. >> i got my mom flowers. i hope she's that 3% that want flowers. >> guys will never gv up the remote control. that's not going to happen. >> sorry, stacey. maybe next year. >> maybe we'll clean the house. >> send everybody away for mother's day next year and then she could have the remote control, and alone time.

more and more home buyers are paying for the purchase with all cash. what if you don't have hundreds of thousands of dollars lying .

good morning. it's saturday. i hope that you don't have a lot planned for this beautiful start to the saturday morning. thank you so much for joining us. i'm kris sanchez along with meteorologist rob mayeda. those were clouds in the south bay. how are we looking? >> actually not too bad. san francisco fairly clear but breezy to start off your saturday morning. 40s and 50s right now and we're going to see the winds picking up, actually as we head towards the afternoon, wind speeds will be increasing as an area of low pressure tracks by towards the east. northwest winds today will make things feel fairly blustery. tomorrow through the next few days we'll see high pressure building in. so temperatures will be climbing up for the second half of your weekend forecast. today near 70 in san jose. we'll see upper 60s and mid 60s closer to san francisco and

north bay valleys highs in the mid 70s around santa rosa, low 70s towards the tri-valley, the trend over the next five days looks hotter for the bay area. 80s inland for mother's day, toasty by the middle part of the week. san jose temperatures upper 90s, san francisco could see mid to upper 80s towards the middle of next week. a dangerous situation on the streets of berkeley as a large crowd of students turned rowdy. police say this is the seconds week in a row where hundreds of high school students broke into fights on city streets. these are pictures people posted on twitter. see hundreds of high school students crowding the sidewalks. berkeley police say the students are from berkeley high, berkeley tech, and oakland tech. witnesses say some of the stunss were threatening people. others just fighting with each other. police were doing their best to keep the peace. a video also posted on youtube where a witness says there were multiple fights and a wild mob played cat and mouse

with police for hours. in the the end, three people were arrested. an east bay teacher accused of slapping an elementary school student will not be headed back to class after all. the police have now stepped in. the teacher was due back in class yesterday which is why there were protesters outside of patterson el plenty school. the student's father gathered with other people outside patterson in fremont. the attorney who represents the family of julienne rivera says the teacher slapped the 9-year-old for incorrectly answering a math question last week. school officials say the teacher admits to tapping the boy's face, but refutes he slapped him. the fremont unified school district says he will remain on administrative leave while police investigate. a uc berkeley football player is suspended from the team now accused of assault. police say damariay drew attacked a man near the cal campus on tuesday. drew allegedly got into an argument with the victim and then started punching him in the

face and kicking his dog. drew's bail has been set at $100,000. he's due back in court on monday. coming up this morning on "today in the bay," he made history when he announced that he was gay, but now some wonder if that cost an american college football player a chance to fulfill his nfl dreams. we have all the day's news coming up for you at 7:00. more local news in just 30 minutes. enjoy your morning.

we are back on a saturday morning. it is may 10th, 2014. you know, the sky may be a little gloomy outside, but not much gloom on our plaza. lot of folks stopping by this morning. happy to have them out there, bringing a little sunshine. we hope they bring it to you at home, too, as we see them. just ahead this half hour if you woke up this morning with a sore back, maybe it's time for a new mattress. aren't you in luck? turns out may is the best month to buy one. and you can actually haggle your way to a better price for that. we'll have the advice for you to do that. >> do you know what a vesin is? fans of "grimm" know exactly

what it is. i'll take you to the set of "grimm" in portland, oregon. upping its cool factor by buying dr. dre's beat company. right? that deal could be worth billions of dollars. what could it mean for apple and the man who could soon be even richer music mogul? >> let's begin this half hour with another intense week of testimony in the oscar pistorius murder trial. it's in the final stretch. this week wrapped up with the defense's ballistic expert on the stand. national investigative correspondent jeff rossen. >> reporter: oscar pistorius can't stand to listen, even to his own defense team, as they replay the painful final moments of reeva steenkamp's life. his neighbor heard screams that night, convinced it was pistorius himself. >> it was basically, no, please, please, no. >> reporter: pistorius' emotions

taking center stage. are his tears real or fake? social worker taking the stand saying it's genuine. >> he cried. he was in mourning. he suffered emotionally. he was very sorry about the loss, especially for her parents. >> reporter: but late this week, it all came down to ballistics. prosecutors say when pistorius shot reeva, she was screaming for help. the defense testify ied that sh was too hurt to scream. on cross examination, the prosecutor made a surprise request. >> may i invite the court to observe it closer? >> reporter: for the first time a judge left the bench with a security guard holding her hand making her way to the bathroom set up in court, spraying this

chemical to illuminate the laser beams tracking the trajectory. how important was that ballistics expert? >> the defense witnesses weren't great this week, jeff. and it didn't contribute to oscar's version of self-defense. >> which is what he needs? >> exactly. >> reporter: now we're entering what could be the final week of this case, the defense down to their final witnesses. question is, will there be any surprises? for "today," jeff rossen, nbc news, pretoria, south africa. let's go back out to the plaza for another check of weather from dylasm n. >> i couldn't help but notice this crowd walking across the street in pink shirts. what are you here for? >> school trip. >> national junior honor society school trip? >> yes. >> and you're the president? >> yeah. >> southwest wind also help to warm us into the '80s today.

that should be 10 to 15 degrees above average. in the middle of the country, it's even hotter. wichita, kansas shall the heat continues. 92 degrees for the high. that's 18 degrees above normal. we have to cope an eye out. extreme western illinois, including parts of southeastern nebraska and southern iowa. that's where we could see some of our strongest storms. the biggest threat, as we saw yesterday and also some hail, any tornadoes would be isolated. we are looking at showers in the rockies with snow starting to mix in, especially by sunday, as the temperatures do start to drop out that way. we are going to keep an eye on that area in the middle of the country. it only spreads eastward just a little bit for mother's day. and mother's day weekend will start off breezy and cool today. winds out of the northwest, but by the end of the weekend and just in time for mother's day high pressure will build in. bit warmer tomorrow and hot towards the middle part of next week. today near 70 in san jose,

breezy for the afternoon, 60s closer to san francisco and accommodation of low 70s out towards the north bay and out towards the tri-valley and then temperatures for sunday should be in the 80s inland including san jose and mid to upper 90s for the valleys by midweek. and for today's top spot, we are headed to new orleans and our affiliate wdsu. crawfish broil. huge celebration as the popular seasoning zatarain's celebrats.s all proceeds go to the hunger fighting organization second harvest. lester and erica? >> 25,000 pounds? >> i don't think i've ever had a crawfish. have you? >> i have. i haven't been to a crawfish boil. >> how could i have been to new orleans and never highway

crawfish? >> i think we need to have one on the plaza. graduate from high school and college in the same week. cash is king. if you're trying to buy a home, how you can still compete even if you're trying to buy a home, when folks think aboutete even what they get from alaska, they think salmon and energy. but the energy bp produces up here creates something else as well: jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety systems & technology. shipping and manufacturing. across the united states, bp supports more than a quarter million jobs. when we set up operation in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. that's not a coincidence. it's one more part of our commitment to america. we cannot let the fans down. don't worry! the united states postal service will get it there on time with priority mail flat rate shipping.

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>> this morning on "today" owes real estate, show me the money. check out this map we have for you. memphis, detroit, new york city, atlanta, more than half of all home sales are now all cash deals. so, how do you get in on the game if you're not one of those people rolling in dough? sharon epperson is a correspondent for cnbc. always nice to have you with us. >> good to be here. >> this is disconcerting for buyers. if you can't come to the table with all cash, it's hard. this can be empty nesters, people who are retiring. >> a lot of people in this period who are able to pay all cash for property. a lot of them may be individual investors who did well on the stock market, some of them are

baby boomers and able to sell their home and take that equity and buy a smaller home and a lot of foreign buyers as well. >> we're hearing a lot of that, especially in new york city and miami, those foreign buyers. if you can't bring all that cash to the table -- a lot of people just coming up with 20% for the down payment is a lot of money. >> that's a lot of money. >> do you still have any play here or are you out of the game? >> you have to make yourself very competitive. the way you do that, make sure the seller knows you're a well-qualified buyer. have some extra financial information, maybe you take your name off your credit report but let them see it and see that your credit is good. make sure that you also get preapproved by a lender as early as possible. in terms of some of those contingencies that people have, you want to make those very low. that means you want to get your inspection done quickly, the appraisal done fast and this is a great one, which is just write a love letter to the seller. i love this home. this is why it's perfect for me, perfect for my family.

that can go a long way to let them know what type of person you are and how you're going to take care of that home and you may have to be extra competitive with your bid, above asking, if you can afford it. >> and you're comfortable with it. are there things we need to think about moving forward? it seems like it's a seller's market. >> it's a tough market for a lot of young buyers in these all-cash deals and trying to compete there, this he don't have that money. there's nothing wrong with waiting until you can really afford to purchase. if you have to rent a few more years to make sure you have that down payment and that your credit is solid, that's okay. when you do get that mortgage, if rates continue to be low -- they're still at historical lows, you are going to be able to take advantage of that and get great tax breaks, too. >> it's also not a bad thing to have to get a mortgage. >> no. >> as you mentioned there are those tax breaks. >> absolutely right. a lot of people who may be able to make an all-cash offer will decide not to because they'll take out a small mortgage,

perhaps, just so they can get those breaks. >> i thank you for giving hope to all of us. >> exactly. >> sharon, nice to see you, as always. thanks again. up next, if you're tired of sleepless nights, maybe it's time for a new mattress. now is the time [ buzzer! door knock! ] isabella... vincent...sharon? did you say bounty is obviously the best brand? ...exclamation point... happy smiley face? yes, i did! did you know that more people prefer viva® vantage over bounty? no... i'm gonna show you why. it stretches... stretch...stretch. it has a stretch. it stretches! oh, i wish my jeans had that kind of stretch. [ laughs ] you use that stretch to get the scrubbing power. i think that's the cleanest spot on my table now. can you do the rest of it? wow, that's awesome. right? yeah! [ abbey ] new viva® vantage. the towel more people prefer. it just wouldn't go away. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain.

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with kellogg's raisin bran®. [ male announcer ] invest in your heart health from the big screen to small screens near and far twizzlerize your entertainment every day with twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. this morning on "the best time to buy," why now may be the best time to buy a new mattress. janice lieberman has some ideas on how to get the best mattress. >> you really want to make sure you get your money's worth since you get one every ten years or so. what's worth paying for and what's not. >> a new mattress! ♪ dream dream, dream, dream ♪ >> reporter: buying the right mattress can be a nightmare.

so many choices. so many prices. what's in that stuffing that makes one different from the other? so to take a look, we visited the factory of america's oldest mattress brand, s techlt arnes & foster. why so many different kinds of foam? >> first will be the thickness but other is the feel, adding more foam and higher durability foam. that's when you see the price start going up. >> reporter: industry experts say you should replace your mattress every eight to ten years. inventory surplus paird with graduations, weddings and spring-time moving means major savings for the consumer during the month of may. >> it's a great time to buy a mattress. you can see deals 30, 40, even 50% off or more. >> reporter: here is an inside tip. start shopping in the back of the store for the lower priced ones. you could practically lose a night's sleep trying to shop for a mattress. comparison pricing is almost

impossible. so do your homework and know what's inside the mattress to get the best price. >> it's really hard to comparison shop. manufacturers may give retailers the same model but they may have different names or quilting patterns. >> reporter: after all, this isn't a purchase you want to make lying down. or is it? >> it's important for the customer to try the bed out for at least seven minutes in your natural sleep position. >> retailers build in a cushion when it comes to pricing be, like a car. don't be afraid to negotiate. replace your mattress and box springs together. not doing so could void your warranty. >> take a step back, check out the status of your current sleep set you have. if they're lumping or sagging, waking up with aches and pains or overall low productivity, it's time to replace your bed. >> shop smart and sleep well, knowing you've made the right decision. also don't be afraid to bring your own pillow and your partner

and dress for the occasion. you can't be embarrassed. you really kind of have to roll around. >> that's where i have the issues in a store laying on a mattress. you need time. >> i know. but that's the only way you'll be able to test them out. >> haggling, a category of things i didn't know you could haggle for. 50, $60 off? >> no, we're talking hundreds. you have to ask. you don't ask, you don't get. they work on xhis. they watch their sale. the trick also is to ask them quietly and privately and not have the rest of the store hear you haggling. i assure you, they're going to come down or walk out and let them run after you. >> can you now -- how about disposal of your old mattress, is that potentially a bargaining chip? >> you need the total number. that includes getting rid of your mattress, picking up your old one, setting up the new one. you want to know, is that included? that could be, $50, $75, $200 that they add on at the end that you didn't factor into the

price. >> if i flip the mattress, can do i get more life out of it? >> no. you can do head to toe, but no more flipping over. they don't make mattresses like that. dylan is in the orange room with plaza fan of the day. >> found some bruins fans on the plaza. this is john maran and jesse hart. clearly, take it away. still to come on "today," billions of dollars for beats. are those popular headphones on their way to becoming an apple product? but first this is "today" on nbc! dog's fleas and ticksg your is staring you right in the face. nexgard from the makers of frontline® plus it's the only chew that kills both fleas and american dog ticks. vets recommend it, and dogs, well they're begging for it. nexgard is for dogs only and hasn't been evaluated for use

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still to come on "today," a new man at the helm of the los angeles clippers. what does this mean for the team's future? plus the 16-year-old who can already call herself a college graduate. how did she do it? we'll tell you after these

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good morning to you. looking live at a pretty picture from our emeryville camera toward the city and the bay bridge as well. thanks so much for joining us. i'm kris sanchez with meteorologist rob mayeda who has a pleasant weekend for mother's day but then a scorcher for the midweek. >> the temperatures are going to climb up. today we have partly cloudy skies in san jose and mainly clear skies right now around oakland. looking out over the east bay, 10-mile-per-hour winds there. if you're going to head out to the ball game, a's versus nationals in town, low 60s, breezy and cool today. things will change up through the second half of the weekend. trough of low pressure heading down to the east of the sierra could see showers there and maybe some of the hills to the north of santa rosa towards the sierra today. but this pattern is going to

kick up those northwesterly winds through the afternoon. wind speeds 15 to 30 miles per hour today. winds mainly coming in from the north over the water will keep us cool but then the pattern begins to reverse tomorrow as high pressure builds in. this will set the stage for hotter and drier weather each of the next few days as we approach wednesday of next week. today near 70 in san jose, 60s near san francisco, low 70s around the north bay, mid 70s around the tri-valley and the temperatures climbing up the next five days. san jose climbing up into the upper 90s by wednesday. kris? >> all right. brace myself. thank you, rob. a dangerous situation on the streets of berkeley as a large crowd of students turned rowdy once again police say this is the second week in a row where hundreds of high school students broke into fights on the street. these are pictures people posted on twitter and you can see hundreds of high school students crowding the sidewalks. berkeley police say the students are from berkeley high, berkeley ch and oakland tech. witnesses say some of the students were threatening

people. others were just fighting with each other. police were doing their best to keep the peace, but in this video posted on youtube you can see there were several fights and a wild mob playing cat and mouse with police for hours. in the end, though, three people were arrested. an east bay teacher accused of slapping an elementary school student will not head back to class after all because the police have stepped in. the teacher was due back in class yesterday which is why there were protesters outside, including the student's father. they were outside patterson elementary school in fremont. the attorney who represents the family of julienne rivera says the teacher slapped the 9-year-old boy for incorrectly answering a math question last week. school officials say the teacher admits to tapping the boy's face but refutes the slap. the fremont unified school district says he will remain on administrative leave while police investigate. a uc berkeley football player is suspended from the team and now accused of assault.

police say damariay drew attacked a man during -- on the cal campus on tuesday. he allegedly got into an argument with the victim and then started punching the victim in the face, kicking his dog. his bail has been set at $100,000. he's due back in court on monday. coming up this morning on "today in the bay," he admitted that he was gay and announced it to the world. some wonder if that honesty cost this college football player a chance to fulfill his nfl dreams. we have all the day's news coming up for you at 7:00. more local news in 30 minutes.

it's saturday, may 10th, 2014. explosion in the sky, terrible tragedy over virginia. witnesses looked on in terror as a balloon plummeted to the ground. the massive search effort going on right now to find the balloon and the passengers inside. close call. we'll tell you what happened at laguardia airport. a us airways flight bound for washington had to turn around after takeoff. we'll tell you what the flight emergency was that forced the pilot to quickly come back to the airport. and powerful plea. rare appearance from first lady michelle obama in the president's weekly address, urging the safe return of hundreds of nigerian school girls kidnapped by terrorists. the unprecedented move by the

white house, part of a worldwide effort to bring the young girls home. good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a saturday morning. nice to have you here with us. >> also ahead for you this morning, the latest on the future for the los angeles clippers, nba naming a new ceo for the team. as a new recording that is believed to be of the voice of owner donald sterling comes out. we'll bring you the very latest on that. we want to begin this hour with a desperate search for the hot air balloon and the three people inside it when it crashed. witnesses have described seeing a fire in the sky and hearing frantic screams for help. our luke russert is near the scene there in virginia. luke, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning, lester. it's supposed to be a relaxing takeoff to a three-day festival, celebrating hot air balloons. enthusiasts from all around the region came here to roswell, virginia. instead, it was the beginning of a tragedy. terrifying start to a weekend hot air balloon festival with

images of balloons engulfed in flames hundreds of feet in the air. this dramatic cell phone video showing the burning balloon, hit a power line while attempting to land with the heat from the fire then sending it back up into the air. >> witnesses tell us they heard two explosions from the hot air balloon and at one point the gondola and the balloon separated. >> reporter: people on the ground posted images on social media one writing "don't know what to say. just saw a hot air balloon on fire in the air, the balloon collapsing mid air." another "still am in shock that we just watched a horrible accide accident. i saw that balloon take off with three people. praying." >> obviously, the balloon was fully engulfed in flames and there's no way these people were coming out of that. >> reporter: 20 balloons were set to take part in the festivities over the weekend. "the midatlantic balloon festival regrets there was a safety incident involving one of

the balloons on the evening of may 9th" adding "the remainder of the event has been canceled." terrain, heavy wood and darkness is working against us right now in trying to locate these. >> reporter: from where we are right now, the three people on that hot air balloon remain unaccounted for. we expect an update from virginia state officials soon. however, we do know that the families on those on board have been notified that they are, in fact, missing. obviously, more as we get it. lester? >> those pictures just awful. luke russert, thank you very much. erica? a growing crisis in nigeria and the search for the hundreds of missing school girls. this morning, the obama administration making a rare move. first lady michelle obama gives the weekly presidential address today to add her voice to the growing pleas for the girls' safe return. kristen welker is at the white house this morning. good morning. >> reporter: erica, good morning to you. that's right, for the first time ever, in fact, the first lady is

delivering the weekly address alone, adding fresh urgency to the crisis in nigeria, only the second first lady in recent history to deliver a solo address, laura bush being the first in 2001. >> in these girls, barack and i see our own daughters. >> reporter: first lady michelle obama usually stays away from foreign policy. but the missing nigerian girls are sparking international outrage and today she is also speaking out, delivering the weekly address solo, for the first time. >> these girls embody the best hope for the future of our world. and we are committed to standing up for them, not just in times of tragedy or crisis, but for the long haul. >> reporter: the powerful plea comes against the backdrop of new criticism of the obama administration. in 2011, then secretary of state hillary clinton resisted calls from the cia and fbi to

designate boko haram, the group behind the nigerian kidnappings, as a terrorist organization, which could have directed resources toward combating their operations. >> the u.s. was a bit slow to designate boko haram as a terrorist organization. in the counterterrorism business we've seen very troubling signs of radicalization in nigeria for several years. >> reporter: current secretary of state john kerry did grant the designation two years later and u.s. officials say they've worked with the nigerian government to combat boko haram long before that. >> and we will continue to do that. >> reporter: meanwhile, there is still no sign of the girls and hope is fading. on friday, nbc's ann curry tweeted a question to secretary kerry, asking if he has confidence the girls will be found. his response? too early to conclude. republicans are signaling they will use this latest issue as

one more peg to question clinton's record as secretary of state if she decides to run for president. mitt romney called her record, quote, a liability. no response to this latest criticism yet. >> kristen welker, thank you. jenna is here with the rest of the morning's headlines. >> we'll start with the scare in the skies in new york. a us airways flight was forced to return. shortly after takeoff, the pilot contacted air control to report an emergency. we had a bird strike on our left engine. we would like to return to laguardia. >> 2191, is the engine still function? >> yes. we have a vibration. what altitude should we go to? >> more than 100 people were aboard the flight. no one was hurt. this is the second bird strike at laguardia this week. ford and chrysler are

joining the list of those issuing recalls this year, ford recalling more than 750,000 of its 2013 and 2014 escape and sea max vehicles for two separate issues. the first side air bags and the second involves the handles but only on the escapes. chrysler is recalling 780,000 of its minivans saying power window switches could overheat on some of its 2010 to 2014 grand caravans, also on their town and country model. an investigation is under way after six tankers carrying crude oil derailed friday in colorado 35 miles north of denver. officials say one of the cars leaked oil. hazmat crews were called in to clean up the spills. nobody was hurt. chris brown admitting friday that he violated his probation, sentenced to an additional year in jail. his attorney says he could be out much sooner than that. the judge gave him credit for time he spent in rehab and jail.

he has been under court supervision after pleading guilty in 2009 to beating his girlfriend at the time, rihanna. know what you're about to see -- actually, yes, it is upside down. it is not that early in the morning. your eyes are not playing tricks on you. that house is actually, now that i look at it, upside down. this is the crazy house, as it's being called, one of the newest tourist attractions in germany. it took six weeks to build, cost 200,000 euros, about 275,000. tourists had to get a bit creative to take pictures for a number of reasons. among them, you can't really stand upright. and standing upside down on the tour would just be awkward. that is the -- >> what? >> you want to do that. >> kind of like that. >> my head ended up in your lap and that was awkward. >> jenna, thank you very much. dylan's on the plaza. >> just send it outside. celebrating an 8th birthday

and 40th birthday. you must be the one turning 8, right? >> right. >> what's your name? >> rose. >> i love that name. my niece's name is rose, too. we are looking at the chance of severe storms today across the middle of the country. there you see in red, oklahoma city, including wichita, kansas, st. louis all under the gun today. strong, gusty winds and hail. watch what happens on sunday. the threat still includes all those same cities but spreads also to chicago and down into san angelo, texas. we could see strong tornadoes tomorrow. that is an area we have to keep an eye on. on the flip side of this storm system, it's cold enough for snow. denver could end up with three to six inches of snow in the higher elevations, as much as a foot of snow possible. as for rain, we could see two to three inches across iowa and moving into illinois. that is certainly going to be a major concern and we're seeing partly cloudy skies closer to san jose, but clear skies, little breezy looking across the east bay and

over towards oakland this morning. we have a wind at 10-mile-per-hour and more wind as we head towards the afternoon thanks to an area of low pressure which will toss showers towards the sierra and perhaps a slight chance of a late shower in the hilltops. it's going to help to crank up the northwest winds for the afternoon. temperatures fairly cool and breezy, 70 in san jose, 60s around san francisco, low 70s inland and 80s for our valleys tomorrow. >> and that is your latest forecast. lester? >> dylan, thanks. latest developments in the los angeles clippers, a new man leading the charge. that move comes more than a week after donald sterl was banned from the nba for his rant. more on the clippers new ceo. >> reporter: in los angeles late friday night, a loss to the clippers, while off the court comes a change in the front office. dick parson, the former chairman of both citigroup and time

warner will now take over as ceo of the team. >> from everyone who knows him and from talking to him today, i think it's a very good hire for us. >> reporter: put in place by the nba, parsons brings new leadership for a team that can't escape a controversy now two weeks old. >> who thinks anybody's going to tape something? what the hell? i'm talking to a girl. >> reporter: according to website radar online, donald sterling is breaking his silence again. in another privately recorded phone conversation with a confidant. >> i know i'm wrong. what i said was wrong. >> reporter: nbc news cannot authenticate the voice of the tape is that of the 80-year-old, accused of making racist comments to his assistant. >> the girl is black. i like her. i'm jealous that she's with other black guys. >> reporter: with sterling banned for life from the nba, he remains adamant he won't sell the team. but as the nba tries to force him out, sterling's estranged

wife, shelly, a co-owner, says through her attorney she won't sell either. >> no major sports league has ever gone forward with their procedure to forcibly exclude and seize the team. and i surely hope that doesn't happen here. but if it does, mrs. sterling will fight to the death to protect her property rights. >> reporter: today, the playoffs are far from over and so is the fight for the team. for "today," miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. lot of speculation about whether apple may be trying to up its cool factor. and shelling out big bucks to do it. >> word on the street, the company is working on a $3 billion deal to acquire beats by dre. jenna is here with more on that. >> this would be the biggest deal in apple's history. it's not just the headphones you see everywhere that they would be getting, but also their streaming music service and a handful of those sound producs.s

they were always the coolest kids in the tech place. for years, apple was at the forefront of hip, modern and functional. and when it came to headphones, they never really had an identity crisis. if it was white, it was apple. but this week, news that apple is perhaps outsourcing its cool with word that it may acquire beats. the mother of all headphones, for a reported $3.2 billion. >> apple is opening up and shifting strategies before we've seen the company internally create its own product and push them out to market. >> started in 2008 as a side project for rapper dr. dre and record chairman jimmy ivine, from hoops to hollywood, beats are seen as a must-have acce accesso accessory. and they're not cheap.

the average pair, $200. the thing with beats is they have become as much as a fashion statement as anything else. i'm not even listening to music. plus they match my outfit. >> there's a cool factor there and i think apple is targeting that cool factor. it doesn't necessarily mean that the company itself has lost its mojo but is recognizing another company that could potentially bring something to the table. >> while the deal is not official, dr. dre was seen celebrating the news on a video. >> billionaire boys club for real, homie. >> if this does go through, the deal would be apple's largest-ever acquisition, proving once again that only the cool kids stick together. the deal would definitely be a departure from apple's normal way of doing business, creating new products on their own within the company. stay tuned. we'll see what happens. >> i thought you would have purple ones on right now to match your outfit.

>> that's how i roll. i'm just a fashionista to the core. jeans and t-shirt is about as far as i get. erica picked out my outfit ♪ [ male announcer ] sun ripened strawberries... fresh local milk... real cream... and no artificial flavors. now you know why nothing else tastes like philadelphia® strawberry. rich, creamy, and delicious. ♪ now with even more sweet strawberries. only philadelphia®.

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the bhershey's s'mores, together is hothe unmistakable taste that reminds us that life is delicious. a dayou owe me this causetial for i clean your tushy.pirit. but i'll settle for a toddler yogurt facial any day. all done, mommy. hey, love that yogurt. it's good stuff. you uh, you got a little something... hmm, it happens. yogurt is number 14 of my 20. the new amex everyday credit card with no annual fee. still good. make 20 or more purchases in a monthly billing period, and earn 20% more rewards. it's membership that rewards you for the things you already buy, everyday. what's your 20? so tomorrow, in case you've been living under a rock, is mother's day. >> and most moms, myself included, really care more about

the thought than the gift itself. >> right. spoke to a group of elementary school kids as they made great presents for their moms. >> my name is eli. >> my name is. >> i'm maddie. >> and this is alex h. >> i don't know my whole name. >> reporter: alex is working on that. but for now, he and his kindergarten classmates have a bigger task at hand. is this your card? can we see your card? they've got cards to make as special as their moms. >> when i think about my mom, i think about chocolate cake. >> when i think about my mom, it makes me happy and warm inside. >> reporter: my mom is very nice and loveable. >> i like her face when she puts lipstick on, and makeup. >> reporter: they also have plans to arrange. >> we would make breakfast for her and we would bring it in to

her bed. >> wash the dishes for her. i love washing dishes. >> i am going to make my mom a special dinner. >> reporter: somehow the card making turned into something silly. imagine that, with 6-year-olds. i can get lost in a sea of children. this is the best part about a mother's day, when you get smothered by children. right? in the end, every card, beautiful, unique and full of gratitude. >> thank you for always getting me breakfast. >> for letting me watch movies a lot. >> for cooking dinner. >> for cuddling. >> for always making my lunch. >> for loving me. >> i love you.

>> i love you. >> i love you. >> i love you. >> happy mother's day! >> reporter: for today, raheehe ellis, nbc news. >> i love them all. that was so cute. >> that is the sweetest thing i've ever seen. so sweet. thank you for loving me. >> best thing ever. wait 6 years. it will be mazing. >> it's going to be that long? we are having a mother's day extravaganza on the plaza. we want all the mothers to come down and take part for a day of pampering. how about that? a 16-year-old who picked up her bachelor's degree before her high school diploma. how is that even possible? you'll find out from her. first this is "today" on nbc.

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through a revolutionary approach that replaces the tissues back where they came from. >> for a complimentary consultation call or log on now. good morning, oakland. one of the clear spots around the bay area. some clouds down in the south bay. what does it all mean? thanks for joining us. i'm kris sanchez with meteorologist rob mayeda. who has a beautiful forecast for the mother's day weekend. >> the weather is going to deliver today. the winds pick up 5, 3 at the ballpark at at&t park in san francisco, patchy low cloud cover in san francisco right now. through the afternoon, a system dropping down on the east side of the sierra which will produce snow showers above 6,000 feet. if you're going to head to the high country today. perhaps a stray shower or two for the hilltops north of santa rosa. what the system will do for the bay area will be bringing up the gusty winds, winds from 15 to 30

miles per hour for the afternoon and because they're coming off the ocean today still fairly cool but the pattern begins to change for mother's day and beyond. high pressure building in, winds turning offshore and our temperatures are going to climb up towards the middle part of next week. today near 70 in san jose, 60s closer to san francisco, 70s around the north bay towards the tri-valley and tomorrow that's when we'll see the high temperatures hitting the 80s inland and on our way to the 90s beginning tuesday through the middle part of the week. kris? >> thanks, rob. we begin with the downside to the hot weather that rob mentioned and a wildfire season that firefighters say seems like never ended. tomorrow the san jose fire department will start seasonal brush fire patrols and cal fire began peak staffing for the season that officially started a few days ago. already california has seen more fires this year than expected. one of them just yesterday as many people were driving home from work along 280. there are more than 400 fires already recorded this year. half a dozen san jose fire

stations like sayings 19 will have crews ready 24 hours a day to respond to wildfires and brush fires. an east bay teacher accused of slapping an elementary school student will not head back to school after all. the police are returning to the investigation. the teacher was due back in class yesterday which is why protesters, including the student's father, gathered outside patterson elementary school in fremont. the attorney who represents the family of julienne rivera says the teacher slapped the 9-year-old for incorrectly answering a math question last week. officials say the teacher admits to tapping the boy's face but refutes the slap. the fremont unified school district says he will remain on administrative leave while police investigate. a uc berkeley football player is suspended from the team and accused of assault. police say damariay drew attacked a man near the cal campus on tuesday. drew allegedly got into an argument with the victim and then started punching him and kicking his dog.

drew's bail is set at $100,000. he is due back in court on monday. he came to cal after graduating from livermore high school. coming up this morning on "today in the bay," this athlete made history when he anouned he was guy. some wonder if that may have cost the college football player a chance to fulfill his life-long dream of being drafted by an nfl team. we'll hear what some local experts have to say about michael sam. that story and all the rest of the day's news coming up here at 7:00.

. ♪ >> from st. louis to the "today" show, yeah, baby. >> hi to my teacher in maine. >> i love my second home in dayton, ohio. >> it's my birthday today. >> in new york city! >> and we are back on this saturday morning. there we go. welcome back to "today," may 10th, 2014. looking dreary if you look out the window. it's not dreary right here on

the plaza. and we're told that could be clearing up. hopefully, it will be a beautiful mother's day tomorrow here on the plaza. if you are in town, you're a mom, come down. we want to help celebrate you and all things mom. we've got very special things planned on the plaza for tomorrow. put that on your calendar for now our crowd is doing an excellent job of setting the mood. nice to have all of you guys with us this morning. >> if you're a childative mom, you're welcome to come down tomorrow, too. >> if you know a mom, if there's an m in your name, just come on down. >> we don't discriminate. >> we'll take you, happily. some of the tv's most popular shows will not be coming back in the fall. hopefully, we'll let you down gently and know what's happening in hollywood. one show that was quickly renewed was "grimm." i went to meet the cast as they taped this season's final shows in portland. remember the song "call me

maybe" now the voice behind that song, carly rae jepsen, the lead on the broadway musical "cinderella." we'll wrap up our week from a live performance of sirndella and her prince. >> we were listening to them rehearse. it was quite a nice treat. >> jenna, i was nice enough to lend you my jacket. she took off my jacket and gave it away into the crowd. >> i'll take it. i'll hold your phone, whatever you want. >> i'm glad we kept that between us. that worked out really well. >> thank you. >> it's warm enough out here. you don't really need a jacket. we're looking at pretty decent temperatures across the country. it is going to warm up nicely. and tomorrow for our big celebration on the plaza, it is going to be nice, sunny and much warmer. a slight risk of strong storms in the midwest and plains today, that area in red. large hail and strong guchty winds. you could see a few spotty

showers. it's not a washout. for all you moms on mother's day, a bigger chance of severe storms from wisconsin to texas and we could again see the possibility of large hail and also a chance of a few tornadoes. we'll see rain change over to snow in denver in some of the higher elevations in the rockies could end up with six to 12 inches of snow by the time we get into sunday night and into . nday and we're waking up to clearing skies, temperatures in the 50s right now, as the weather system drops by to the east of the sierra today. could have some high elevation snow above 6,000 feet, going to head up to the high country today, also breezy conditions around the rest of the bay area. the winds picking up as we head through the afternoon, 15 to 30-mile-per-hour winds which will keep things feeling blustery and cool at least for today as high temperatures will be near 0 in san jose, low to mid 60s in san francisco, low 70s across the north bay and then our valleys climbing into the 80s starting. latest forecast.

lester? >> dylan, thanks. inkred icredibly smart teen who graduated from high school at the age of 16. believe it or not, she's a college graduate, too. from here her future will only get brighter. mark potter has her story. >> reporter: at a very young age, grace bush has already proved to be most remarkable. >> i'm 16 years old and i have my bachelors in criminal justice. >> reporter: in just three years, she earned a college degree with honors at a florida university in boca raton, making her the youngest there to ever do that. >> it was a lot of late nights and early mornings. >> reporter: she enrolled in a special program that allowed her to take college-level courses for which she also got high school credit. so at a graduation ceremony friday night, she got her high school diploma. >> grace bush, magna cum laude. >> reporter: and the week before at another ceremony, she got her

college diploma. >> you're an amazing young woman. >> reporter: her mother was not surprised. she comes from a family of nine children ages 11 months to 19 years. home schooled by her mother. >> parents take control of her education and don't cowher. >> reporter: don't take any stuff? >> not from the kids. >> reporter: masters degree and then plans to go to law school. after that, she has even bigger plans. >> i'm planning on becoming chief criminal justice of the united states. >> the chief justice? >> yeah. >> not just any old justice? >> yeah. >> reporter: her english professor, most impressed with her, says she just might do it. >> more power to her. if she gets there, it won't surprise me. >> reporter: grace insists she's just another teenager. >> i'm a normal kid. i still like to goof around. >> reporter: just like everyone else, except for those college and high school diplomas at age

16. for "today," mark potter, nbc news, boca raton, florida. still to come from "call me maybe" to "cinderella," the stars of one of broadway's ♪ [ male announcer ] your eyes. even at a distance of 10 miles... the length of 146 football fields... they can see the light of a single candle. your eyes are amazing. look after them with centrum silver. multivitamins with lutein and vitamins a, c, and e to support healthy eyes and packed with key nutrients to support your heart and brain, too. centrum silver. for the most amazing parts of you. centrum silver. hi. what did you do thin mints flavor coffee-mate? it's only one of the most delicious girl scout cookie flavors ever. i changed the printer ink. try coffee-mate girl scout cookie flavors.

you see the "mini" ion my chest? funny, yes? no. i'm huge. flavor? i'm bursting with it. creamy? i ooze it. rich. creamy. and 100% natural cheese. mini babybel. snack a little bigger. this is one way to prevent your kids from watching shows that aren't appropriate for their age. but not very practical. use parental controls and the tv parental ratings guidelines to determine what shows to block. the more you know. this morning in "today's" "hollywood headlines" a replacement for stephen colbert.

>> and fans who just learned that their favorite shows are being canceled. alicia quarles. >> larry willmore will replace stephen colbert on comedy central, since 2006 as the senior black correspondent. >> that's the title? >> that's really the title. his show will be called "the minority report." >> do we know any details about the show, will it change or hasn't that come out yet? >> he is relocating from los angeles to new york. he is supposed to be the show runner on it called blackish, written for the fresh prince of bel-air. first person of color to have a late-night show on comedy central. >> unveiling their fall lineups and also which shows aren't coming back, some on the bubble. "community" on nbc. >> "community." >> not a huge audience but a

very loyal audience? >> faithful audience. going into its sixth season. it won't make it. not in the lineup. fans have saved this show before. my husband signed the petition to get it back on. full disclosure. a lot of people are saying this show could go to hulu, netflix. >> you can live beyond network tv now. >> you can. and not a huge amount of fans but very faithful. >> chuck todd tweeting about it yesterday, not speaking for my parent company. >> mila kunis sitting down with ellen, talking about her impending motherhood. >> not using any sort of medicine. she said i did this to myself i want to have a natural childbirth. giselle famously did it, jessica albaa and she joins a long list.

>> just bite the bullet, right? >> god bless them. more power to erica. were you all natural? >> i had a birthing plan, birthing ball and dula. you come in, you have those three, we know you're having a c-section. and i did. so you never know what's going to happen. >> i was wondering where that was going. >> it wasn't a choice. >> let's talk about "star wars." carrie fisher is coming back. >> 40 pounds down. they sent her a trainer. lost 40 pounds to gear up to play princess lela once again. she lost 50 pounds in 2011. this time she said she's ready to do this full force, they're beginning to film the movie with harrison ford. >> and breaking another barrier -- >> she might be playing god. it's not confirmed yet. we'll have to find out.

usually, you have men playing god. >> morgan freeman. >> always. will farrell, but oprah might be the first one. leave oprah to break barriers. i'll have updates for you. >> if anyone is going to do it -- >> it's oprah. >> she's the girl for the job. >> that's right. that's right. >> alicia, thanks for coming by. always good to see you. you can catch e! news at 6:00, 7:00 central. lester goes behind the popular tv series "grimm." first th

if you are a fan of the nbc hit show "grimm," you know you can forget about those tradit n traditional grimm fairy tales as a child. >> instead they use them as a warning of the monsters that live among us. as it wraps up its third season i got a chance to head to portland to catch up with the cast and creatures that inhabit the grimm universe.

>> all right. and let's roll, please. >> reporter: in a former rubber factory turned tv sound stage, make believe detectives sort out the grimm underworld of portland. but, be warned, in nbc's grimm few, including the police captain, played by sasha roiz, are what they appear to be. >> are you a good guy, a bad guy? >> i'm still trying to figure that out myself. >> reporter: in this portland, oregon, hiding behind every face may be the face of a wesen, a beast capable of unspeakable violence. their nemesis, nick burkhardt, a portland police detective with the ability to see the wesen, and the tools to battle them. >> this weapons closet has been growing. new tenants here. >> reporter: very little of that fake hollywood stuff in actor

david giuntoli's arsenal. what the heck is that thing? >> lester, please, be very careful with it. that can really do damage here. >> we should point out, this is very real. this is not movie prop stuff. >> this would kill a human or a wese wesen. >> the wesen transformations on the show come from a combination of makeup, prosthetics and ground-breaking computer-generated effects and not all wesen are evil. >> lighten up, i'm just making a a. >> as only a wesen can, monroe guides him through the wesen world. >> do i need silver bullets? >> what, are you an idiot? >> it's sort of like an alley cat. >> who better to guide me to the various wesen than a wesen

himself? >> this is old, way back. >> this is from season one. >> it is. boy, you're good, man. you've done your homework. >> as we near the end of season three, most of the main characters are privy to the grimm universe and work together to solve mysteries, known affect atly as fans by the scoobies. >> i don't know who started it or where it came from. >> you put your heads together and figure out what you're up against and how to solve it. >> i have all the ingredients. i just have to mix it. >> this is where your character works. >> yes. >> this is the spice shop? >> this is the spice shop. >> rosalee is the resident expert on spells and potion. >> this is where all the magic happens. >> you know what all these are and what they do? >> yeah. i know every single bottle, every single one. >> she's also monroe's fiance. >> i now pronounce you husband and wife. >> their wedding scene is the

one of many big developments as the season wraps up, including the dark twist for the show's villain, adelind. >> they come up with the most insane -- like thing that is i just could never have thought of in the darkest depths of my mind. >> one natural enemy. >> the hexenbeast. >> look at you hitting the books. >> reporter: if all this sounds complicated, never fear. little browsing on the many fan sites or the wiki page, you could be sucked in in no time. >> this is a show i would be watching. >> you're a sci-fi type person? >> yeah. i like this stuff. it's fun. >> a lot of things are coming to a head this season. will it leave us with a very long summer? >> yeah, i think so. it's quite a cliff hanger. they know how to do it. they know how to keep the audiences coming back. >> i got her back. >> really nice cast. i enjoyed my visit to portland

and with the cast of "grimm." you can watch the season finale next friday 9:00, 8:00 central on nbc. >> and then prepare for that long summer of waiting. >> yes, for what happens next. live performance for you, stars sfx: car unlock beep. vo: david's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. ♪ [ male announcer ] celebrate mother's day with a 4-piece patio set. now just $248 at lowe's. there's she's-got-all-the-answers mom, always-puts-herself-last mom... don't-mess-with-my-mom mom...

liking-everything-i-share- on-facebook mom... had-me-young-but-made-it-work mom... reminds-you-she-wants- to-be-a-grandma mom... two-moms-are-better-than-one mom... not-your-mom-but-like-a-mom. whatever type of mom you have, she deserves to hear i love you more often. bring her into starbucks this mother's day for a special treat. when you try my new teavana® oprah chai tea latte, we'll give your mom one too. plus a donation from each cup purchased goes towards educational opportunities for young people. together, we can make a big difference. see you on mother's day and bring your mom! >> announcer: the toyota concert

series on "today" brought to you by toyota. this morning on the best of broadway, we're wrapping up a week of amazing performances with the stars of roger hammerstein's "cinderella." >> the voice of "call me maybe" plays cinder ella. >> carly, this is something you always wanted to do, be on broadway, right? >> since i was a little girl, it's been a dream of mine. it's fun to play out this romantic fantasy. especially this early in the morning, i must say. this is a whole new world for us. >> you performed last night, right? >> yes. >> an extra special thank you for getting up early for us. this show has been updated a little bit for 2014. what's changed ? >> they've updated the book, the play of the musical. and, you know, my favorite part is the prince is usually an

uptight sort of classic prince. in this version he is completely clueless and at times -- >> not completely clueless. >> pretty clueless. >> he needs some help. >> don't all men, though? >> exactly. little bit of a fixer upper. >> evil stepsisters aren't that evil. >> we have some nice -- well, two sisters. one of them is quite nice. the other one is working on it. getting there. >> a few fixer uppers in the show. >> yeah. >> you two are really not fixer uppers. >> thank you. >> take it away, guys. ♪ ten minutes ago i saw you i looked up when you came through the door my head started reeling

you gave me the feeling the room had no ceiling or floor ♪ ♪ ten minutes ago i met you and we murmured our how do you dos i wanted to ring out the bells and cling out my arms and to sing out the news ♪ ♪ i have found her she's an angel with the dust of the stars in her eyes ♪ ♪ we are dancing we are flying and she's taking me back to the skies ♪ ♪ in the arms of my love i am flying over mountain and meadow and glenn and i like it so well that for all i can tell i may never come

down again ♪ ♪ i may never come down to earth again ♪ ♪ ten minutes ago i met you and we murmured our how do you dos i wanted to ring out the bells and fling out my arms and to sing out the news ♪ ♪ i have found him i have found him ♪ ♪ we are dancing we are flying and she's taking me back to the skies ♪ ♪ in the arms of my love ♪ in the arms of my love ♪ i'm flying

♪ i'm flying ♪ over meadow and glenn and i like it so well and i like it so well ♪ ♪ that for all i can tell ♪ i like it so well ♪ i like it so well that for all i can tell i may never come down again ♪ ♪ i may never come down to earth again ♪ >> wonderful! >> thank you so much. carly rae jepsen and joe carroll, you can see them playing on broadway here in new york. that tour kicks off in providence, rhode island, october 10th. >> what a great way to end the show. tomorrow on "today," our special

tribute to moms. we would love to have you all spend the day with us on the plaza for a day of pampering with mas

good morning. i'm kris sanchez. coming up next on "today in the bay," fire season is now upon us. we'll show you how south bay firefighters are preparing to combat potential blazes. plus, punching a man and kicking his dog, the cal football player now accused of that attack an what the school is saying about it. and it could be a defining moment in pro sports. but will the nfl actually draft its first openly gay player? [ wind howling ]

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good morning to you. looking live at some of the sculptures in downtown san jose and some clear skies, at least for now. let's find out what's in the forecast. i'm kris sanchez along with meteorologist rob mayeda. we say good morning to you and rob. >> good morning. we're seeing some clearing skies around san jose and a lot of shoib actually out towards san francisco, 53 degrees in san francisco, oakland 56, looking back towards san francisco, and still a few patches of low

clouds off to the east of san jose, 53 right now. but as we head through the afternoon today, we'll have a weather system passing by mainly to the east of the bay area that will toss some showers and maybe thunder toward the high country. so watch out for that if you're going to head to lake tahoe. we could see a stray shower up there. north of santa rosa with winds picking up at times out of the northwest from 15 to 30 miles per hour. the mother's day weekend warmup kicks in for tomorrow just in time for mom's day. you'll see the numbers in the valleys starting to get into 80s around the south bay and mid-70s for san francisco and after that lots of 90s in the long range forecast. a full look at that and the complete forecast coming up in a few minutes. kris? >> thank you very much. we begin with the downside of the hot weather and what firefighters say seems like it never ended. the fire department will start seasonal brush fire patrols and cal fire already started