good morning. danger zone. millions of people in the path of severe weather today which could likely include dangerous tornadoes. all this just a day after more than a dozen twisters toppled trees and ripped apart homes. dylan is watching it all. remembering the victims. a university in mourning after learning two of its staff members were on that hot air balloon when it fell from the sky. this morning, what we're learning about that accident and the ominous message one victim sent just hours before the crash. game changer. the st. louis rams draft michael sam, making him the first openly gay player ever to be selected. an emotional moment for the college football star. and happy mother's day. an incredible morning ahead full of celebration as we say thank you to the special women in our

lives who do so much. today, sunday, may 11th, 2014. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with lester holt and erica hill. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. welcome to "today" on this sunday morning. i'm erica hill. >> i'm lester holt alongside jenna wolfe and dylan dreyer. i want to say happy mother's day to you two, my wife, my mom, all the mothers out there. >> happy first mother's day to you. >> thank you very much. >> very exciting. you've had a couple. any advice? >> take full advantage of people wanting you to take a break. >> you are wearing a gift from -- >> yes. my older son weston made this for me last year. this year he made me this beautiful bracelet. and another pin which you'll see

later. so thank you. >> very nice. we've got a big day planned for moms. >> we do. we have quite a morning out on our plaza. pampering. you're seeing it happening right now. so we've got manis, massages. we even have a brunch planned for moms joining us on the plaza a little bit later. a big celebration to come. before we get to that we do have serious news to start off with. that nasty weather system that could spawn a number of strong tornadoes later today. kansas and missouri got hit on saturday when at least 14 tornadoes touched down. luckily there are no reports of any serious injuries. as we said, there's more severe weather expected ahead. dylan is keeping an eye on it for us. dylan? >> lester, it is going to be a very active day today. even more so than yesterday. and today's biggest threat with the tornadoes that are likely in the iowa area, especially around des moines, it's the long lasting tornadoes. the ones that stay on the ground for an extended period of time. and they cause the most damage. we could see ef-3 or higher tornadoes develop. that means winds could be

greater than 136 miles per hour. it's an area in parts of iowa where we are already going to see these storms continue to spread eastward. you can see some heavy thunderstorms developing right now. this yellow box here, that's your severe thunderstorm watch box. these will continue to move up to the north and east and redevelop later on this afternoon. from des moines right over into sali salina. that's where we're going to see our strongest threat of isolated tornadoes developing today. besides that from san angelo, texas, southwestern michigan and into indiana, we still could see strong storms that produce straight line wind damage, hail and torrential downpours. but it's right in through here, including parts of nebraska, into kansas and into iowa where we could see some of those long track tornadoes develop. that's something we'll certainly be keeping an eye on later on today. eri erica? >> dylan, thanks. history was made in the nfl draft last night when michael sam was picked by the st. louis rams. in that moment he became the first openly gay player to be

drafted into the league. you see him there receiving the news. here's miguel almaguer with more. >> reporter: he waited three days and nearly seven rounds. the nfl draft almost over when history was made. >> with the 249th pick of the 2014 nfl draft, the st. louis rams select michael sam, defensive end, missouri. >> reporter: sam received the news over the phone. the emotions, the weight of the moment, nearly too much to handle. surrounded by loved ones, sam, who came up publicly in february, is the nfl's first openly gay player to be drafted. late saturday, sam spoke to nbc affiliate ksdk in st. louis. >> i'm proud to give everything i got for st. louis. so many people are proud of the st. louis organization for being the one to make history. >> reporter: at missouri, sam was a southeastern conference defensive player of the year.

an all-american standout. but he performed poorly at the nfl combine where teams view prospective players. sam's stock appeared to drop. while many questioned whether a pro team would select an openly gay players. others wondered how he'd match up in the nfl system. >> with michael sam, the issue is where where does he fit in the nfl. there are questions that there isn't a clear position for him at the nfl level. i think that hurt him more than anything else. >> reporter: but sam has p persevered before. today welcomed by new teammates and celebrated by those who call him a pioneer. >> we're going to rock it. next season and all the seasons to come, we're going to be rocking in st. louis. >> reporter: he's made history. and now he's ready to play ball. for "today," miguel almaguer, nbc news. now to new details on that deadly hot air balloon accident in rural virginia. this morning we know what caused it to catch fire and explode in the middle of the sky. as we learn more about the victims onboard, luke russert

continues to follow the story for us. luke, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. while two of the victims have been found, all three have been identified. this as we begin to learn more details about just what went wrong on that hot air balloon flight. officials say the balloon was coming in for a landing when it hit a live wire, sparking a fire that set the balloon back up into the air. >> the fire spread quickly. >> reporter: with the flames cutting the balloon off from its basket, leaving its three passengers to a horrific fate. >> we have had reports, we've also seen video that people have provided us, that does appear to have two individuals who possibly leaped or possibly fell from the basket. >> reporter: carrie hager-bradley saw the balloon engulfed in flames. >> they were just screaming for anybody to help them. help me, help me, sweet jesus, help me, i'm going to die, oh, my god, i'm going to die. >> one killed was pilot dan kirk, the owner of the balloon.

seen here in a videoposted on his company's website. the other two onboard were part of the staff of the women's basketball team at the university of richmond. with the university saying it extends its prayers and thoughts to the families of ginny doyle and natalie lewis. seen here together on doyle's instagram account. before the flight in another photo posted on instagram, doyle wrote, quote, getting ready to go up in a hot air balloon today. tried at 6:30 a.m. but it was too foggy. we'll go up this evening. #anxiety. crews are still searching for lewis with her family saying in a statement, we remain hopeful and ask for your continued prayers. meanwhile, as for the investigation -- >> we will examine the man, the machine and the environment. >> reporter: now, lester, while hot air balloon accidents remain rare in the united states and the cause of this one is still unknown, interestingly enough, earlier in april the ntsb sent a letter to the faa recommending

more oversight of the industry. saying, quote, accidents highlight operational deficiencies in commercial air tour balloon operations. such as operating in unfavorable wind conditions and failure to follow flight manual procedures. something to keep an eye on as we move forward. >> luke russert, thanks very much. we go overseas now where extremist violence rages on in nigeria as the search for those kidnapped schoolgirls intensifies. rallies of support have continued throughout the weekend for the girls both here in the united states and across the globe. stephanie gosk is in nigeria near the capital of cameroon. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. the nigerian government continues to be criticized for its response to this kidnapping. rallies are still being staged in the u.s. and europe and in nigeria. in an effort to deflect some of that criticism, the defense ministry, a spokesman for the defense ministry, came out and said they are moving to battalions of troops into the

northern part of the country. the same region where that radical group, boko haram kidnapped theekidnap ed these girls nearly a month ago. the spokesman also said they've thrown 250 air force over the region. he didn't have any knowledge of the whereabouts. violence continues. in militant attacks a key bridge in that area, there was an hours' long battle and gunfight over the bridge in an attempt, it seems, to prevent the military from following them into a nearby forest. there was also an attack on the families of a police officer in cameroon in the north. they abducted that family. and consider this fact. the international rescue committee says that hundreds of refugees are fleeing nigeria on a daily basis into neighboring niger. of those, 80% are women. 80%. erica? >> scary, scary picture. stephanie gosk for us this morning, thanks. pope francis is the latest international figure to add his

voice to the growing plea to bring back our girls. he tweeted on saturday, let us all join in prayer for the immediate release of the schoolgirls kidnapped in nigeria. social media continues to play a pivotal role in spreading information about the crisis. but can a twitter campaign actually get results? kristen welker takes a look for us. >> reporter: the hashtag bring back our girls has gone viral. with more than a million retweets, it's now an international rallying cry for helping the missing girls in my jeer ya. but critics like conservative radio host rush limbaugh say it won't accomplish a thing. >> the sad thing here is the low information crowd that's puddling around out there on twitter is going to think we're actually doing something about it. >> reporter: nigerian-american writer teju cole is equally skeptical. tweeting your new interest simplifies nothing. solves nothing. but journalist and author sally armstrong disagrees. armstrong points to the fact that in the days after bring back our girls began trending,

nigeria accepted offers for help from the international community. >> this is working. bring back our girls. you have now equipment in nigeria that they never had before. they didn't have drones. they didn't have the kind of strategies that the uk are bringing in. >> reporter: this isn't the first social media campaign for justice. #kony 2012 was tweeted more than 2 million times after a documentary was posted about war criminal joseph kony. the campaign eventually fizzled and kony is still at large. >> the problem with maybe a cam p pain like this, while it gets action now, the point of hashtags is what's trending, what's hot with the media. >> reporter: one thing is not up for debate. social media can give a voice to people who are otherwise deprived of one. in fact the bring back our girls campaign back in nigeria. cries for help that quickly went all the way to the white house. for "today," kristen welker, nbc news, the white house. time for a look at the rest of the morning's top stories. >> jenna has those for us. good morning again. >> hey, guys.

good morning. we begin in eastern ukraine today where voting is under way on a referendum that would split part of the region from the rest of the country. chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in ukraine this morning. richard, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the ukrainian government calls this referendum illegal. washington has already said it won't recognize the results. that has not stopped people from coming and casting their ballots. here in the city of mariupol we've seen thousands voting. they want to break away from ukraine. many want to join up with russia. this is the pro-russian community in ukraine. they say the governments in kiev, the ukrainian government no longer represents them and is, in fact, openly hostile to them. there's been a lot of violence in this city. just a few days ago ukrainian soldiers moved in and tried to drive out pro-russian separatists. in the process they killed many civilians here. that antagonized a lot of the people driving them to cast this

ballot today to separate from ukraine. the results are expected in a few days. but this entire process shows just how divided this country is right now. jenna? >> richard engel. thank you very much. six months after a shooting at one of new jersey's biggest malls, shoppers there are rattled again. a car fire in the parking lot of garden state plaza mall was mistaken for gunshots saturday night. the scare caused police and federal agents to swarm the area and force people to evacuate. officials say the car's battery or fuel tank caught fire and caused a small explosion. thousands of pieces of unidentified human remains from the september 11th terror attacks are now sitting in the space below ground zero. draped in american flags, cases filled with remains were transferred saturday from the medical examiner's office in manhattan to the same building that houses the 9/11 memorial museum. that museum is opening later this month. history is made at the u.s. naval academy. the academy held its first ever same-sex wedding saturday for

one of its graduates and his partner. the couple tied the knot in front of their two children. and about 100 guests. but first, she had to take a selfie. don't we all? first lady michelle obama delivered the commencement speech at dillard university in new orleans. the school's class president introduced miss obama to the crowd and then -- oh, she did. she snapped a selfie with her. why? because she can. the first lady told the students to stay hungry for education. and breakfast. i added that last part. i'm sure breakfast was important as well. finally this morning barbara walters got a little revenge on "saturday night live." after years of listening to jabs about her distinctive tv voice the veteran journalist, set to retire later this week, appeared on "snl's" weekend update to get the last laugh. here's her number one tip for finding success in the news business. >> develop a signature voice that no one will forget. >> wait. is that not your real voice?

>> no. this is my real voice. hello, i'm bawa wawa. >> and, with that, she gained a lot of laughter. probably a lot of popularity. >> good for her. that was great. >> it's really great when people can come on, play around, make fun of themselves a little bit. >> what we do here sometimes. >> every day. dylan is back with a check for the rest of the country's mother's day forecast. >> besides severe weather in the middle of the country we have snow in denver. could be up to seven inches of snow in the metro area. aspen could get 10 to 12 inches of snow. how is that for a mother's day forecast? again, the biggest area of concern, parts of eastern kansas, nebraska into iowa. that's where we could see our strongest storms today including long track tornadoes. so something we certain

>> and that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thanks. up next on "today," pandas. need we say anymore? we need to look at them every few months. time again. we've got some popular animals about to embark on a very big journey. aren't they fun to look at? >> my day is complete now. mine was earned in korea in 1953. afghanistan, in 2009. orbiting the moon in 1971. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation.

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back on a sunday morning. a big journey for a few pandas in atlanta headed halfway around the world. for that story we turn to gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: in the adorable world of giant pandas -- >> so cute! >> reporter: it's rarely easy to say good-bye. >> we know in the back of our mind it's bound to happen. when it gets to that point it's going to be tough.

>> reporter: for keeper shanna dansburg and the rest of zoo atlanta, that moment is here. that moment is here for 5-year-old x e long and 3-year-old po. >> the boys are going to china to breed. >> reporter: giant pandas nearly died out in the wild. to reverse the status, china loans out many of its pandas to foreign zoos. they and cubs they produce much return eventually. >> the captive population of pandas is doing well. >> reporter: their older brother made this trip to china four years ago. on a fedex panda plane. panda express, if you will. the pair was scheduled to join them last year. but the zoo wanted to fatten them up before sending them home. >> reporter: for months it's been pandamonium at the zoo. >> it's not a sin to adore cute.

>> reporter: abigail came decked out in her panda hoodie. even panda earrings. >> i adore pandas. i have a huge collection at home. >> reporter: but there will be no shortage of pandas here. not going anywhere, their mom, who drew a lot of attention last year when she gave birth to twins. they're sticking around, too. for now. >> we're going to have to say good-bye to x elon and po. how excited are we to have these twins? first twin giant pandas to survive in the united states ever. >> reporter: you can see cuteness runs in the family. for today, gabe gutierrez, nbc news, atlanta. still to come on a sunday "today," the kindness of strangers and how it changed one homeless man's life. that story still ahead. up next, we'll check in on our lucky moms out there on the plaza who are spending the morning with us getting pampered, as they should be. that's right after this. you can hide uneven skin tone from here. and here.

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we're back on this mother's day. we are treating a group of moms to a morning of spa treatments right here at 30 rock. >> that's right. the spa at the peninsula hotel has transformed our plaza into the ultimate relaxation zone. jenna is outside with some of those deserving moms. jenna, how is it going? >> i tried to work myself in. everybody's extremely busy with all the reflexology. what did i just call this right now? the i -- >> the ipn?

>> what's that stand for? >> i forgot. >> i'm glad we practiced that. isn't this nice, right, ladies? all i care about is are you enjoying yourself? >> it's absolutely wonderful. >> are you appreciating mother's day? >> yes, i am. >> let's walk over here. you look extremely well rested. are you? >> absolutely. >> even though it's early. >> yes. absolutely. >> you're a mom, right? >> who isn't rested with an 8-month-old? >> oh. is it feeling good, though? are you happy you came out? >> extremely. thank you. >> do you want this to never end. >> no, never. >> okay. i'm going to spend some time with these guys out here. we're doing really important work. we'll send it back inside. >> jenna, thanks. we hope jenna can get a chair. don't go too far. our mother's day extravaganza is only beginning. >> as we head into the break, another look at the pictures >> as we head into the break, another look at the pictures you've been sending us thit's not the "limit yoursh hard earned cash back" card . it's not the "confused by rotating categories" card.

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crystal geyser alpine spring water? toucé. crystal geyser. always bottled right at the mountain source. good sunday morning. and happy mother's day to you. we're looking live at the eastern span of the bay and the port of oakland. i'm kris sanchez along with rob mayeda. you see a camera bounce around. >> a little bit, but notice the temperature there. 60 in san francisco. the winds are now starting to pick up out of the north and turning offshore, which means a warmer day today. unlike the ocean air conditioning on overdrive we saw through the afternoon yesterday. those winds begin to change direction, we'll see our temperatures warm up about 5 to 10 degrees versus the high temperatures we saw yesterday. despite the chilly start, a few spots in the valley, we'll be in the 80s for the afternoon, and

the winds will pick up as we head to sunset tonight. these will be north winds, which means the temperatures outside looking warmer. we're talking 80s around sarah toga and morgan hills. 70s today in san francisco. if you head to the north bay and trivalley, two locations in the 80s today that could be approaching 90 tomorrow and upper 90s, by the way, in the forecast as we approach wednesday. >> thanks, rob. new this morning, san jose police shot a teenage suspect who officers say tried to ram into them with a stolen car. police say the juvenile was driving a car that was reported stolen when he was spotted near story road and mccreary avenue just before midnight. officers say when they tried to pull the suspect over, the driver ran the sedan into the patrol car. one of the officers fired her gun at the suspect, hitting him at least once. the teen was taken to a nearby hospital. a teenage girl who was a passenger in the suspect's car at the time was not injured but

was also taken into custody. police have not released the suspect's condition. the wife of a man who police say was shot and kill because of road rage is speaking out this weekend. fuclam was shot several times. he and another driver nearly collided before lam got out of the car to talk to the other driver and that's when the passenger in the suspect's vehicle fatally shot him. her husband, who would have turned 38 this week, was the sole bread winner of the family and she doesn't know how she's going to be able to support two children, including one who has severe autism. san jose officers wanted to help support the family. we have a link to that page on our website. just go there and do a search for donation. this morning, we're hearing from the chp officer who rescued a tiny dog from the middle of a busy freeway in the east bay.

they tweeted this photo of the officer and the chihuahua on interstate 680 in walnut creek on friday. they surrounded the dog so he didn't get away and get hurt. the dog is now safe at the contra costa animal shelter, ready for a forever home and plenty of people lined up to adopt it. coming up, from joe cool to joe tech. a new team and a new challenge for 49ers legend joe montana. all the day's news coming up for you right here at 7:00.

to all the moms out there, have a wonderful mother's day! >> thanks to my mom, carry, for being the best mom ever. and my wife, i love you so much for all you do for our kids. >> you rock, mom! >> mama told me there'd be days like this. she never said they'd be this good. >> my mom told me to fight for anything i want. i want to be on the "today" show and i'm here. >> happy mother's day! >> i think we're missing a party outside. >> i know, we are. >> we're back on a sunday morning. it is mother's day, may 11th, 2014. what a gorgeous day we have here in new york. >> perfect day. >> we've got moms on our plaza. we've got the crowd starting the celebrations off. we're going to head outside to see them in just a little bit. we're really thrilled

everybody's come down. >> it worked out really well. >> we're going to pamper a lot of these moms. first the morning's top headlines. a serious storm threat today with the possibility of dangerous tornadoes across this country's midsection. this just one day after more than a dozen touched down in kansas and missouri. tornadoes, that is. officials say a live wire is to blame for that hot air balloon explosion and crash in virginia. the balloon hit the wires as it was coming down for a landing. michael sam becomes the first openly gay player to be drafted in the nfl. he was selected late saturday by the st. louis rams. still to come in this half hour, dylan's turn to spend some quality time with one of her biggest fans. >> we had such an incredible day on the golf course. i'm not saying we had an incredible round of golf. no. we had an incredible time. brian and i had a blast. i can't wait to share this whole story with you. they are such an amazing couple. it was such a fun day. >> it's fun, isn't it?

>> it's really great. a good time. our mother's day would not be complete without a brunch just for moms. celebrity chef danielle fonder is whipping up lobster and shrimp. and a champagne cocktail. some of our moms from the plaza are going to join in on the fun. plus, the man handing out roses. you may have seen mark rivera. he's billy joel's saxophonist. we're going to get a live performance from him coming up in a little bit. >> we got to hear a little preview earlier this morning. fantastic. you're really in for a treat. we begin this half hour with a story that is sure to put a smile on your face. a man who was homeless for 20 years waking up now in a place of his own. thanks so an internet frankster a -- prankster and a bunch of people who wanted to do something good for somebody else. >> reporter: lucky wasn't always a word you would use to describe eric orsby. just a few weeks ago he was homeless. and could never have dreamed of

this. >> this is yours. >> you've got to be kidding me. >> reporter: a new house. and over 7 million youtube views. thanks to a story that has touched hearts around the world. magician prankster rohad hossain. usually known for pranking through-throughs with a driverless car. or seen walking on water. picked eric for a new kind of prank. >> i'm going to give him this supposed winning lottery ticket. >> $1,000. >> $1,000? you're kidding me, right? >> reporter: but eric soon had a surprise for the prankster. perhaps it was that moment that inspired generosity in others. >> here. >> as soon as i uploaded that video, i started getting e-mails and messages asking, oh, where is his fundraiser page? hey, how can i donate to him? >> hossain set up a fundraiser online and collected more than $44,000 for another surprise. >> this is eric's new house.

>> reporter: he rented a house for a year. f furnished it. and gave eric another shock. >> to everybody that's helped me out, i thank you from the bottom of my heart. >> reporter: he now has a place of his own. and money in the bank. but the same great attitude. >> this is just an overwhelming thing to know that i have somewhere to lay my head because of good people. >> reporter: he also now has a friend for life. the magician who inspired millions, simply by giving one man a chance. for "today," kristen dahlgren, nbc news, new york. >> such a great story. let's head outside now for a final check of the weather from dylan. and dylan, i know you have a special guest with you this morning for that upcoming forecast. >> oh, yes. a very special guest. you know, sometimes making the forecast by myself is too hard. this is brian cramer. i can't wait to show you the golf story we had together. we are going to show you that in a second. you are going to love it, too.

even though we had a terrible round of golf. that's beside the point. let's take a look at your forecast. we do have to keep an eye out for stronger storms, especially as we go into this afternoon. right across parts of iowa and into nebraska and kansas where we could see some of our strongest storms. that's where we could end up with long track tornadoes, ef-3 or higher. it could be very active in that zone later on today. we'll focus on that. in red from texas into parts of michigan we still could see strong storms, straight line wind gusts and also the chance of some hail. and in denver we're talking about snow. perhaps up to seven inches in the city of denver itself. the east coast, though, will enjoy a really nice day for mother's day. temperatures look nice and mild in the 70s. stays warm tomorrow. still almost in that same general area we are still going to see the chance of some very strong storms. now, brian, it's your turn.

>> you did so well. i'm just going to let you finish. head on over to erica? >> yeah. that's your local weather. let's head on over to erica. >> thank you very much. just ahead, we're going to take a look at how that day of golfing went for dylan and her biggest fan, brian, right after these messages. hey, what's that?

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we kicked it off ralast wee. we continue with dylan's turn. >> this is brian cramer and his wife, cindy. you guys are incredible people. i was excited to spend the day golfing with brian at the desert willow golf course in palm desert, california. we had some highs, we had some lows. and we had a lot of laughs. >> i thought because we're doing a big ad campaign for my high school, what the hell is going on? the camera person is there just to do some footage. and dylan came on the screen. >> hi, brian. your wife cindy wrote in to tell us how amazing you are. she also mentioned that you're obsessed with golf. like myself. so pack your bags. and join me in sunny california. >> i nominated my husband as dylan's biggest fan. >> she's real. she just seems like somebody you could sit down and chat with and have fun with. we lost our house during a major

flood three years ago. got back in november. and cindy was diagnosed in december. >> three battles with cancer. he'd been there with me through everything. >> we started golfing as a bit of a relief and a way to get our mind off of treatments and the illness. >> you made me think positively. knowing that it was going to be okay. >> reporter: cindy had gone through such a challenge. and there was just something so unselfish about her wanting to give back and say thank you to her husband. >> i love golf, regardless of how bad i am. i'm going golfing with dylan. >> reporter: okay. finally going to meet brian. hey, brian! >> hi, dylan! >> reporter: it's about time. >> yeah. >> reporter: finally get to meet you. >> nice to meet you. >> reporter: how you doing? >> great. here. >> reporter: for me. >> gift from cindy and i.

>> reporter: thank you so much. ready to go? >> yes. >> reporter: all right. here we go. >> this is going to be excellent. >> reporter: hole number one. wow. >> that's the best drive i have ever had. >> reporter: all right. no pressure now. because that was unreal. well, i got it on the fairway. so we just teed off. didn't have to drive too far to get to my ball. all right. it moved. >> uh-oh. uh-oh. >> reporter: my husband is sending me tips right now. >> what does he say for in the sand behind a cactus? >> reporter: the rabbit doesn't seem too concerned. aw, shoot. >> gosh darn it. yay. >> reporter: oh, shoot. >> oh, brother. yep. >> reporter: go! >> did you get that?

>> reporter: guess what? we didn't lose a ball. >> no. i got the same ball. it'll be dark soon. and i suppose we should get to hole 2. ♪ >> now we got in our groove. >> reporter: yeah. we found our groove. >> cheers. >> cheers to three good ones. being in a course like this and in this environment is just once in a lifetime. despite the tough shots, it was a ton of fun. >> reporter: now we're wbuddies. we've been driving around for the last three, four hours. >> has it been that long? >> reporter: that's how much fun you were having. >> it's gone fast. it was a lot of fun. >> that was gorgeous. >> it was beautiful. >> we did get better. that was the first hole. >> i love watching the sunset throughout -- >> we lost a lot of daylight while we were playing. but did you have fun? >> i had a blast.

i really had a lot of fun just sitting down and having lunch and getting to meet and talk to you. obviously, my first shot on hole 1 was the highlight for me. >> he started out real strong. >> yeah. then your long pitch on 9. went right at the pin. >> that was good. it didn't make it on camera. >> but the word "shoot" is apparently a part of golf. >> sometimes it was "shoot." sometimes it was something more foul. >> cindy, i was certainly touched by your story. how you feeling? >> i'm doing well. >> you have some good news recently. >> we got good news this week. had a p.e.t. scan and blood work and my blood work shows that i am cancer free. >> that's fantastic. >> so nice to have you guys for this morning. you were right. exactly what you said. why you wanted to hang out with dylan. she is so real and she's so fun. we're so lucky to hang out with her every weekend. >> i was the lucky one in this story. it was such an honor for me. >> welcome to our "today" family. now you're stuck with us. we're not done this morning.

just ahead, we'll continue to celebrate mom with a special brunch. first here are more picturing you sent in for this mother's day. we are back after this. number 1 of my 20 is for chacne. you know, chin acne. uh-huh. not to brag, but i have the chin of a teenager. here you go. dinges for everyone! when i get hangry anything within arm's reach could be part of my number 20. hm, this is potpourri. mmmm. the new amex everyday credit card, with no annual fee. it's not food. make 20 or more purchases in a monthly billing period, and earn 20% more rewards. and a coat. it's membership that rewards you for the things you already buy, everyday. what's your 20?

♪ she walked into the room, stumbled on the stairs ♪ ♪ so i looked >> we're back on this mother's day. you are listening to mark rivera. he's the saxophonist for billy joel. now he's breaking out on his own. we're going to have a performance from him in just a few minutes. enjoying a little preview there. first it's time for a mother's day brunch. we brought some of our moms from the plaza inside here to share this meal with us. it's all coming from celebrity chef danielle saunders. dani danielle is a winner of food network's chopped and chopped champions. she's also mary j. blige's personal chef. >> thank you so much for having me. >> you have an appreciative crowd already. i don't think they even started digging in. go ahead and dig in. >> feel free.

>> eat. >> your style is called soul fusion. a modern and healthy take on traditional soul food, right? >> yes, it is. >> tell me what's on the menu. >> first a southern inspired dish. a lobster shrimp and grits. a take on a southern classic. i do it my way. it's a little elevated. there's no butter. we use coconut oil instead. highlighting ingredients that elevate it but don't alter the taste of the dish. no cream. again, no cream, no butter. just an elevated way to serve this southern classic. >> what are they drinking? >> they're drinking a fresh press juiced cocktail. made of ruby red beets. ginger, mint, green apple and carrot. fresh pressed. we top it off with a champagne. really good champagne, i should say. >> we see erica partaking. >> ingredients, dried nuts, dried fruit. the highlight, again, there's no

butter. there's no sugar. well, there is sugar but it's a better version of sugar. coconut palm sugar. coconut oil which speeds up your metabolism. full of vitamin c so it's really, really good for you. these are sugar and oil alternatives. >> that will help make the granola? >> absolutely. mix these ingredients together. pop it on a sheet pan with par shment. put it in the oven at 250 degrees for 45 minutes. that's the finished product. >> we have our granola. >> we're going to start here first. lester, would you mind helping me -- you can zest or squeeze a little fresh lemon in here. i'll zest. they told me you were lester the zester. >> i love that. >> would you mix that up for me, please? >> sure will. >> dylan, i need you over here if you don't helping me here first. >> put a little coconut palm sugar in there? >> just a little bit.

sparingly. >> can we dig into the main courses? >> absolutely. feel free. >> it's so good! >> happy mother's day, lester. >> thanks. >> happy mother's day, lester. >> both of these for sweetness. a little lemon juice. >> all of that? >> no. that's good. and a pinch of mint. of the minced mint. >> oh, this is minced mint. that adds such a nice pop of flavor. >> it does. it makes it really light and refreshing. fold this in for me. fold this with a little bit of love. so we don't break it up. show the food some love. it's mother's day. come on. >> you feel the love? >> i feel it. i feel it. absolutely. all right. we're going to move down here. you've already started. lester, why don't you come around me so that you can start to put this together. you can actually follow the example, if you like. it's however you like it. >> we can drop in? >> you can drop some in. you can use a spoon. >> i don't know if that's love. >> it's all right. >> good way to do one particular

layer of -- >> you should do. you can take the other one. you can dig in as well. doesn't matter the order. >> excuse me. >> again, as long as it's made with love, that's all it is. we're feeling the love on this. >> this is really healthy. >> really, really healthy. again made with coconut oil. coconut palm sugar. a little agave nectar. no white sugar whatsoever. >> that is greek yogurt. >> low fat greek yogurt. it doesn't -- you feel not guilty cheating. you know what i mean? >> our moms are chowing down and enjoying it. >> grits and bacon, you need this. it's amazing. >> chef danielle, great. thank you so much. really appreciate it. >> thank you. it's been a pleasure. >> ladies, enjoy your brunch. thanks to the spa at the peninsula here in new york for making our spa day on the plaza possible. and to brooklyn dogwood for the

beautiful flowers. we're not done. coming up a special sunday morning performance from mark coming up a special sunday morning performance from mark rivera soof our new bush's bakednk beans video game? i think i'm getting the hang of it. okay, now pick up the specially cured bacon! hit it with the brown sugar! now roll that beautiful bean footage! yes! bush's baked beans are slow-cooked according to our secret family recipe for a big flavor. high score! you get to put your name on the wall of fame! whoa! game over . . . aww, you're no fun. enjoy bush's baked beans. still made from our secret family recipe. ♪ [ male announcer ] celebrate mother's day with a 4-piece patio set. now just $248 at lowe's.

back now on a sunday morning with some great pictures you've been sending us. we love seeing you and your moms and your children. keep sending them in. >> you tweeted out a great one of you and your mom earlier this morning. check out lester's twitter feed for that one. our next guest, mark rivera got his start in the professional music world playing backup saxophonist for the band foreigner. these days you'll find him on stage with billy joel. also a little bit on the side. he's venturing out with his first solo cd. "common bond." mark joins us this morning along

with a couple of friends. >> great to have you guys here. >> thank you for having us. happy mother i's day. >> 32 years with billy joel. what's that been like? >> unbelievable, to say the least. it's a great ride. i'm very blessed. >> you guys have been really busy lately. >> we've been very busy. he's in a great place right now. it's a very special time. >> good for you. but you are sort of branching out now. now you've got your own cd. >> yes, i do. >> which is pretty exciting. what made you decide now is the time for that? >> it's been in the works for a long time. it's not like, oh, now is the time. a couple of the songs were written quite a while ago. the most important thing, it felt like this is the music part of my life. that's where the common bond is like all the inspirations that i've had throughout the years, throughout the decades. >> we're totally thrilled to have you here. we're going to let you guys take it away. you're going to play "lorraine." >> "lorraine." >> mark rivera. ♪

♪ lorraine, where you gone now, my imagination's running wild ♪ ♪ i'll say what you want to hear, darling if you lay your body down ♪ ♪ take the highs, take the lows, just take me home ♪ ♪ i'll take all your pain and lies, if only you will let me make you smile ♪ ♪ because love is only true when i'm making love to you ♪ ♪ and love is only true in your blue eyes ♪ ♪ i'll take the highs, i'll take the lows, just take me home ♪

♪ i'll make your misery my own, sweet lorraine ♪ ♪ sweet lorraine ♪ come on down and put that record on ♪ ♪ sweet lorraine ♪ ooh, sweet lorraine, yeah ♪ you got to take me high, got to take me low, lorraine you got to bring me, only you can take me home now ♪ ♪ sweet lorraine ♪ my sweet lorraine ♪ put your records on

>> mark rivera. >> that was fantastic. >> so great. were you at all nervous coming out as your own solo artist? >> absolutely. a little bit, yeah. but i was actually pretty geared up for it. i waited long enough. i figured may as well give it a shot. >> awesome. such a thrill to have you here. i think our moms certainly appreciate it. they're enjoying their brunch. we have great music here on a sunday morning. we're thrilled you came by, guys. >> were you guys nervous? >> i play three songs. >> oh, thank you! >> thank you, my love. my 7-year-old son weston came to help out this morning. thank you. >> great to have you here, weston. >> thank you so much. we really appreciate it. >> that's going to do it for us on a sunday morning. thanks, everybody, for watching. happy mother's day. have a great day, everyone.

good morning. i'm kris sanchez. today in the bay off to an early start this morning. we have overnight news out of san jose where a police officer shot a teenager who tried to ram officers with a car. plus, how san jose police are also trying to help a san jose mother as they search for her husband's killer. the road rage incident that moved officers to not just fight crime but to raise funds as well. and we hear from the football player who made nfl history off the field. michael sam's draft moments and his reaction. this is today in the bay. and we look live this sunday morning at south beach harbor outside of