good morning. slow and steady progress. california firefighters working round the clock to control a fire that has destroyed thousands of acres and homes. a little girl, out playing with her friends, is hit by an out-of-control car and survives. >> i fell and flew in the air and landed on my head. >> the terrifying moment caught on tape as one dad reminds parents to never let their kids get too far away. california dreaming, kentucky derby winner california chrome preparing for the race of his life with the preakness

hours away, horse racing fans watching to see if he can take the next step to the elusive triple crown. "today," saturday, may 17th, 2014. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with lester holt and erica hill live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning and welcome to "today" on a saturday morning. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm erica hill alongside jenna wolfe, dylan dreyer and all eyes on the horses today. >> did i just say horse facing fans a moment ago? >> i think you might have said horse facing. >> i love horse faces. big fan. >> i often don't listen to the words coming out of my mouth but i thought i said horse facing. >> horse walks into a bar. why the long face? there we go. i'll be here all morning. >> anyway, we've got -- >> on that note, should we get to the top story of the day? >> let's get to the news of the day. >> let's do that. on a more serious note, nonstop

efforts to get the upper hand on those southern california wildfires, firefighters continuing to attack them from the sky and also on the ground. today, a change in the weather should help them in that battle. joe friar is on the scene in san marcos, california. joe, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. firefighters still at work. they'll continue to assess the massive amounts of damage left behind. weather conditions are expected to improve. that will make a big difference, especially to the north of here. the camp pendleton fire still raging, more than 20,000 acres burned with more evacuations. here in san marcos, the cocos fire remains a top priority. eight homes destroyed in this fire. that number should grow. nbc news crews have spotted a couple dozen burned structures in this area. 11 significant brush fires north of san diego this week, the cause of all 11 still under investigation. it's unclear if any of them were

intentionally set. three people have been arrested, though, for arson. two teens accused of setting a couple of smaller fires that were quickly put out and a third man is accused of adding brush to a fire that was already burning. we'll also get a look at incredible video that was taken on wednesday in carlsbad during the heart of this fire. a giant wall of flames came just within a few feet of cars that were trying to escape as quickly as possible. this fire in carlsbad is now under control. all of those who were evacuated have been allowed to return home. this weekend, we are expecting a significant drop in the temperatures and those dry, warm, hot santa ana winds that have been fueling these fires have died down. and that should give firefighters the upper hand as they try to put all of these fires to rest. erica? >> hope so. we know they're working hard. joe friar, thanks. big trouble for auto giant general motors. the federal government hit gm with a $35 million fine on

friday, the maximum the government can impose, for failing to notify customers or the government about serious safety defects in millions of its vehicles. tom costello has more. >> reporter: it's the safety culture at gm that federal regulators say has been broken for years. the clearest evidence, the 2.6 million cars under recall for faulty ignition switches and air bag that is failed to deploy. >> what we will never accept is a person or company that knows danger exists and says nothing. >> reporter: government investigators say in 2009 gm was told by its supplier the defects were related, the ignition switch defect could prevent the air bags from deploying. >> it makes me sick. i don't understand how they could hide this and not tell. >> reporter: marie buzzard's sister and grandmother died after their chevy cobalt lost power and steering seconds

before they were hit by a drunk driver. 12-month-old trenton in the backseat was paralyzed. today, 6 years old, he must use a wheelchair. >> he will never be able to be that football star or that, you know, baseball player or, you know, anything like that. his life is changed forever. >> reporter: so far, gm acknowledges 31 crashes and 13 deaths associated with the defects. in a statement, ceo mary barra said we have learned a great deal from this recall. we will now focus on the goal of becoming an industry leader in safety. many victims' advocates believe general motors has only been hit with a slap on the wrist. >> it will not make gm think twice again. they can make that $35 million back before the end of today's business. >> federal regulators are asking congress to eventually raise the maximum fine it can levy from $35 million to $300 million. gm is also paying a $700,000 a day penalty for failing to provide all of the documents the

government has demanded. meanwhile, it's facing mounting lawsuits and a justice department criminal investigation. for "today," tom costello, nbc news, washington. there is more fallout this morning in a growing scandal over health care for veterans. friday, undersecretary for health, robert petzel resigned from his post at the va under the request of secretary eric shinseki. >> reporter: the center of the va controversy is arizona where the phoenix medical director sharon helman has been put on leave. at the illinois va, former social worker, now union rep tells nbc news that back in 2011, at least three years before the current scandal surfaced when helmann was in

charge there, records were falsified to make wait times appear shorter. >> this all started here. we're not surprised. it continued when she went to arizona. >> reporter: she says employees were too afraid to speak up. >> there's a culture of fear, retaliation. employees don't speak up. they're very afraid. >> reporter: in washington state at the walla walla va when she was director there, a psychiatric nurse filed and then settled a whistleblower retaliation complaint over wrongful termination. >> the level of intimidation among the staff was unbelievable. retaliation and intimidation was the name of the game. >> reporter: in phoenix, nbc news attempted to reach helmann, but was turned away. she has declined wrongdoing and refused to be interviewed. a whistleblower who says

helmann's personal ambition, falsifying documents to look good for higher ups in washington. >> i think it was career advancement for sharon helmann, our director. she was looking to get a promotion, i believe. >> reporter: veterans affairs has declined to comment publicly, pending the outcome of the inspector general's investigation. kelly o'donnell, nbc news, phoenix. let's get you caught up now on some of the morning's other stories. >> jenna is here with that. good morning. >> hey, guys, good morning. in turkey anger is sweeping the country following that deadly mine disaster as the death toll climbs and a fire hinders rescue efforts. richard engel joins us with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, jenna. turkish officials say they've recovered about 300 bodies from the mine. they don't believe there are many bodies down in the shaft and certainly no survivors, they say. the recovery efforts are hampered because, once again, a fire has broken out inside the mine. there is still a lot of anger in

this community. and for the second day in so much in the miner's hometown, gas and water canons. people had taken to the streets to protest the government's response. many here believe that the government has been insensitive and callus to this mining tragedy and also angry because of a video that's gain aid lot of attention in this country that appears to show the prime minister slapping a man while the prime minister was mobbed by a crowd during one of those demonstrations. the turkish newspaper today is quoting the prime minister as saying during that altercation, quote, you boo the prime minister, you get slapped. many miners believe that instead of sensitivity, the government here is sending in the riot police and physically assaulting the miners and their families. the prime minister says there's no evidence to show that he slapped anyone. >> all right. richard engel.

richard, thank you very much. details are trickling in about a tragic plane crash near vietnam that involved senior officials from the southeast nation of laos, several people were killed including the defense minister. getting a hero's welcome on the streets of new delhi and also an invite to washington. modi's victory friday marks the first time in 30 years voters backed a single party. president obama called to congratulate modi and invite him to the white house. he was denied a visa years back because of violence in the country at the time. can't we all just get along? motorola mobility unit have agreed to drop lawsuits against one another and say they will work together to reform patent law. this is separate from microsoft

products that use google software. you got all that, right? the driver behind this semi can't believe his eyes as the truck nearly overturns on an unbelievably windy highway. look at that. we don't know if it was luck or skill behind the wheel. maybe a little of both, but it did make for some -- this is where you want to look, right where the truck is right there. crazy. but thankfully, everyone was all right. finally, babe ruth's daughter, now 97 years old, still a huge baseball fan, but a very specific baseball fan. julia ruth stevens threw out the ceremonial first pitch in chicago as part of the cubs year-long celebration commemorating the 100th year anniversary. she also performed "take me out to the ball game" with her son during the seventh inning stretch. who is her favorite team? not the cubs, the boston red sox. that's where her father started

his career. once a fan, always a fan. >> you're a cubs fan and eric and i will just be spectators. >> we'll get the beer and hot dogs. >> you spec at a time so well. as for the weather, moving on, we will see heavy rain. speaking of boston, up through new england right now. it is pouring. you can see right out ahead of this cold front, this is where we have our heaviest rain. it's not going to get that cold once this cold front passes through. it's going to race through. the rain will last for another hour or two in new england. and then we'll start to see a good amount of sunshine. looks nice as you go throughout the entire weekend up and down the east coast where some areas had already picked up three to six inches of rain. down in baltimore, it was pouring yesterday. they picked up about two inches of rain. the track will still be a little sloppy. weatherwise today looks fantastic, 70, 73 degrees similar to what the weather was in louisville for the derby a couple of weeks ago.

no severe weather in the forecast. just spotty showers, isolated thunderstorms and out west we are starting to notice temperatures cool down finally. >> and we're seeing some low clouds back thanks stronger sea breeze. 40s and 50s outside route now. first pitch weather for the grind, 62 degrees. game time just after 6:00. we will see low clouds moving in and there you see the winds coming onshore once again. that's going to keep our temperatures nice and comfortable as we go through the weekend. upper 70s around san jose, some low 80s inland around saratoga. the north bay, highs in the 70s and also 70s towards the tri-valley. and that's your latest forecast. lester? >> dylan, thank you. nearly a year ago when edward snowden ignited a worldwide firestorm. glenn greenwald has a new

disclosure, revealing the story of how those intelligence files ended up in his hands in a new book called "no place to hide." nbc news has a collaboration agreement with first look media where glenn greenwald works as a contributor. good morning. thanks for coming on. >> good morning. thanks for having me. >> fascinating read. i was particularly struck. you have these governments, go to hong kong to meet this guy. you never met him. he's not at all what you expect. he talks about his love of video games, how it shaped his identity. did you have reservations when you met him that, a, he was the real deal and, b, he knew what he was getting into? zblsk. >> of course. i had serious reservations of both when it was revealed what he was willing to expose. i knew the story would inch upon our ability, were the reasons he said what he did the real ones?

he was a very truthful source on whom we could rely. >> nsa contractor with the express purpose of getting these classified documents so a lot of people think that kind of compromises his -- some see him as a hero, but others look at that and go well, you planned this. not like you were working and found this stuff and decided to share with it the world. a, does that matter? and b, how does he feel about those that look in as a traitor? >> that narrative and isn't quite accurate. he had been at nsa and over the course of time come to see the capabilities of the spying apparatus pointed at fellow citizens and there were last minute documents that he thought the world should see that he could om get getting this other job but he had been working at nsa several years when he became a whistle-blower. being accused of a traitor his hero leaked the pentagon papers. he was accused of being a

traitor and we think as a country come to now regard him as someone who did the right thing. >> the cry from washington this is going to damage national security. you don't believe that. is it too early to say? and will we ever know if national security was damaged by these releases? >> federal court in washington, a presidential advisory panel appointed by president obama and numerous members of the senate said there is no evidence that these programs even help or are about stopping terrorism. every time you have a whistle-blower bring transparency to people they make the same accusations without evidence including in this case we were extremely careful with what we disclosed and zero reason to believe that happened. >> there is more coming out. going by the same standards of whether you think this will cause damage or not? >> we have tens of thousands of documents i think everybody knows we published a small percentage in the last year because we've been careful about what we're publishing and that will continue to be the case.

>> glenn greenwald, great to have you. the book "no place to hide." again here is erica. >> thank. 60 years ago today the supreme court outlawed segregated public schools. michelle obama spoke about that to students reminding them that they are the future. >> every day you have the power to choose our better history, by opening your hearts and minds, by speaking up for what you know is right, by sharing the lessons of brown versus board of education, the lessons you all learned right here in topeka, wherever you go, for the rest of your lives. >> six decades after that ruling chief education correspondent look at how some things haven't changed. >> here at middle school in greenville, mississippi

expectations are high. >> nothing but a's and b's. >> test scores are not. this public school has an f rating by state standards. it sits in the heart of the mississippi delta where cotton once was king, now it's the poorest region in the poorest state in the nation. 95% of these students are eligible for free and reduced price lunch, nearly all of them are black. whites are only 2% of the city's public schools, even though they make up more than 20% of greenville's population. this 60 years after a ruling that declared segregated public schools in america were unequal and illegal. >> willie, does it look like brown versus board of education happened? >> no. you see a school with all blacks and no whites, then you see a private school where most are white and a few blacks. >> you think this is the way it's supposed to be? >> no. >> those private schools are

open to students of any race, but most black families can't afford the tuition. mayor john cox says it's not totally a race issue and race relations have been improving here. >> socio-economic factors are some of the biggest contributors to the poor school grades. >> would you send your children to the public school? >> no. and they both went to the private schools. the quality of education was not up to what i felt that they needed to have. >> some parents want the government to do more to level the playing field. >> the parents have to fight for equality education for our children. we shouldn't have to fight. rally for a quality education for our children and for our teachers. >> listen up. >> no matter the challenges, the assistant principal dave miller believes the sky is the limit for his students. >> they are smart, they have

passion, they are amazing people who have amazings potential. >> the principal diane is a delta native and alumni. >> these children i treat them the way i would want my child treated. i have to explain i did have a lot growing up. >> i grew up with my moma driving a bus, a head start bus and stopping after she finished the head start bus to pick cotton. as children we went with her. no matter what goes on in your home in this day, you determine what you will be in life. it starts right here you guys. >> the students get her message. >> thought for the future? >> i want to be a pediatrician. >> i would like to become an obstetrician or a lawyer. >> i would like to become a lawyer or a teacher. >> teachers committed to helping students bridge the past and the present to create a better future.

still to come on "today" what really ticks you off when you're behind the wheel? your biggest pet peeves on the road. this is "today" on nbc.

millions of americans will be hitting the road next weekend for memorial day. maybe you're one of them. >> it's annoying enough when you're driving. it turns out there's a lot of other things that could give people a potential case of road rage. jenna is in the orange room to explain. >> this is based off the results of expedia's 2012 road rage report. after interviewing 100 million americans, the most annoying or offensive driving behaviors.

number six, the swerver. number five, the crawler, who drives well below the speed limit. number four, the drifter, someone who straddles two lanes or weaves between them. show me three, the multitasker. kind of self explanatory. the tailgater. comes in at number two. and taking the top spot, 1,001 people surveyed, i say texter. show me texter. bing bong. there you go. it's also dangerous. nearly seven in ten report having been flipped off by a fellow motorist. i think you feel like you know where i'm going with it. 70% have admitted to doing it themselves. the four of us aren't part of it. what irritates you? weigh in using #orangeroom. we've all been part of those.

>> i'm shocked. i thought when they were holding up their finger they were saying i was number one. who knew?

good saturday morning to you. looking live at a pretty picture of san jose and it looks nice. just about all the way around the bay. thanks so much for joining us. i'm kris sanchez. along with meteorologist rob mayeda who has a look at the all-important weekend forecast. >> the weekend forecast, kris, enjoying the cool down we saw kick in for inland locations as the onshore winds have picked up. this is going to keep things cool for the evening start to the giants game coming up. we'll see just after 6:00, temperatures dropping into the low 60s around first pitch time and then 50s as that game goes on. hour by hour today we'll see areas of low clouds this morning, 60s and 70s for highs today with a few spots like pleasonton getting close to 80 and by the evening we'll see the onshore winds pick up and high

clouds coming in at times as we head towards the afternoon. san jose today, near 77 degrees. saratoga, one of the spots that could creep into the low 80s. 60s closer to san francisco and to the north bay. highs mostly in the 70s and there you see livermore 79, and oakland pretty nice today, partly cloudy skies, 72 degrees. kris. >> thanks. fire crews are standing by watching for any flare-ups after this brush fire in the santa cruz mountains west of gilroy and morgan hill. five acres were burned near mount madonna. it is fully contained. it started just before 4:00 yesterday afternoon off summit road. this is along the border of santa cruz and santa clara counties. a remote rugged area far from homes but there was a greenhouse type structure that caught fire. no one was injured and no word on what cause was. there was a vigil for a 3-year-old san francisco boy and his mother last night who died in a fire a month ago. yesterday, the family -- rather a month ago yesterday the family

still desperate for answers. the vigil held on brookdale avenue right in front of the apartment where 3-year-old santana williams and his mother died in a fire on april 16th. a preliminary report released last week said the fire started in the living room of their two-story apartment. mother and son were found in a bathroom on the second floor. the report also said smoke detectors were not working and fire crews did not find a fire extinguisher in that apartment. expect delays all summer long. construction at the bay area's busiest airport is expected to throw a wrench in the summer travel season. started today, sfo is closing two of its runway. all arriving and departing flights will share the same two runways. an airport spokesperson says departing travelers will be most impacted, waiting longer to take off, officials say they will also have fewer flights to choose from.

airlines have voluntarily reduced flight numbers to minimize delays. takeoff patterns will change spending more -- sending more planes over south san francisco, san bruno and pacifica. coming up on "today in the bay," hollywood star and palo alto native hit the big screen last night. why many people left the theater saying it didn't do their city justice. that and all the days news at 7:00. here's of the "today" shshow. ♪ ♪ [ barks ] whoo! mmm! ♪ ♪ oh, yeah [ whistling ] [ male announcer ] discover your new orleans. start exploring at followyournola.com.

[ woman ] and i love new orleans! welcome back on a saturday morning, may 17th, 2014. recognize that face? it is california chrome, just peeking out, seeing what's going on. there's a live shot there from pimlico. the preakness tomorrow. why am i saying tomorrow? it is later today. we'll see if he could win the preakness, he could be en route to the triple crown. great crowd on the plaza this morning. thanks for get iting up early a spending time with us today. just ahead in this half hour you've probably been mesmerized by these late-night

infomercials, right? do you ever find yourself ordering the products? >> you're hilarious. >> i do. even if you don't buy them, if you just watch them, like jenna does, we'll look at how those products go from being just a dream to a reality. >> and they really, really work. order now. >> but wait, hold on. there's more. >> then a huge sendoff for barbara walters friday as the tv news legend retired after more than six decades on tv. we'll look back at how she changed the face of television. coming up a bit later, when you fly with your pet, you know there's a lot that is involved to make sure your dog and cat will be comfortable to be safe on the flight. imagine the kind of prep that goes into, say, flying a frog, alpacas, fish, lion cub, a horse. i'll take you inside one of the largest animal cargo centers in the world to show you how they do it. let's start with a terrifying video with a little

girl getting hit outside her home. a warning, you may find this tough to watch. there is good news. after the scary incident, she's doing fine and speaking out about the ordeal. here is ron allen. >> reporter: typical evening, kids playing outside the house when, without any warning, a car crashes into a little girl riding her scooter, sending her tumbling down the street. that little girl is 8-year-old cassidy wahl. >> i fell and flew into the wall and hit my head. every time i thought about it, i started crying, because it hurted my feelings and i didn't like what i saw. >> reporter: a security camera happened to capture the horrifying moment. driver and passenger were fleeing police, unclear why, when they hit a parked car that crashed into little cassidy. look closer there on the steps. cassidy's kid zifrt just got out of the way in time, saw what happened to her sister. >> and then she got hit and she

flew all the way up in the sky and fell on her head. >> reporter: miraculously, the girls escaped with el relatively minor injuries, cassidy suffering a concussion, and her sister just minor bumps and bruises. >> i was terrified, still am terrified. as a father you don't want that to happen to your children. it's crazy, you know. >> reporter: two men have been charged in connection with the crash. while the girls seem just fine now, cassidy admits she's still worried. >> now i'm scared of cars, of what just happened to me friday night. >> it could have happened to anybody's kids. you know what i'm saying? it could have been worse. all i can tell people is watch your kids. >> totally random accident out of nowhere, families feeling very fortunate it wasn't all much worse. for "today," ron allen, nbc news. >> so glad she's okay. dylan has made her way outside for another check of the forecast. dylan? >> okay. okay. an awesome crowd out here.

i'm a little distracted. future meteorologist. do you know what the weather is going to be like today? >> i heard it was suppose tobd really sunny with about 70 degrees. rain. that's where we're looking at an updated drought monitor. you see the darkest shade of red, that's where we have exceptional droughts in central california and parts of texas and oklahoma. temperatures today will start to cool down in the southwest. but interior areas will still be in the 90s, up around 100 degrees. 80s around the gulf coast and 50s and 60s around the great lakes. very much below average in the great lakes region. as for rain, no severe weather in the forecast today, but we will still see some run-of-the-mill thunderstorms through the rockies and arkansas and parts of tennessee. the northeast, though, in new england, where it's pouring right now, i promise you that rain will move away and it will

we're seeing a return of some low clouds and a few spots including around the tri-valley this morning thanks to the onshore winds which are getting into fairfield and livermore for the morning and they're going to pick up as we go through the afternoon. our temperatures today will be running a continued cooling trend under way yesterday. you'll also see some high clouds passing by today, nothing to bring us any rain, but partly cloudy skies, 77 degrees in san jose, low 70s around palo alto, 60s closer to san francisco and 70s across the north bay and near 80 in pleasonton. and we're going to kentucky for today's top spot. 34th annual little river days festival, also home to affiliate wsmv. filled with lots of rides, food and drinks. you can even get active with the eagle fitness challenge tour 5k run and little river cycling tour. very active day on a beautiful, sunny day as well. lester and erica?

>> dylan, thanks. just ahead, he is ready for round two. will kentucky derby winner california chrome continue his run to the triple crown? it's not too late to plan a memorial day getaway. you may make out better because you waited. you may make out better because you waited. we'll show basic moisturization isn't enough. you need healing. the only lotion with healing micro-droplets of vaseline jelly, new vaseline intensive care deeply moisturizes dry skin from the first application and keeps it healed for 3 weeks. ♪ healing that lasts for 3 weeks. that's the healing power of vaseline.

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the just crafted, just baked meals you'll find in your freezer aisle. take a fresh look at frozen. it's how delicious stays delicious. frozen. how fresh stays fresh. hungry for more? go to howfreshstaysfresh.com . this morning in "today's" travel, it's not too late to plan a last-minute memorial day get away. just a week until the holiday, there are deals for you. travel & leisure correspondent sarah spignello has the deals for us. you have the country covered. these are all places you can get to, no matter where you live. the first one, solvang, california. i thought of the movie

"sideways." >> that's where most people remember it, windmills and incredible wine. hamlet inn, $180 over memorial day weekend and throw in complimentary breakfast, two for one passes at the local wineries, interiors are done up with fun danish-inspired, wing back chairs. that's my photo. i took a photo from samasama kitchen in santa barbara. the same owners own this restaurant as they do the property. they pay plenty of attention to their food. >> free bikes there and also i hear it's craft beer month. >> that is true. >> jackson hole, wyoming, not just for wintertime. >> wintertime destinations are fantastic in the summer. often times you pay so much less. at the hotel terra, rates are $127 a night over the memorial day weekend. floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the grand tetons.

great outdoor activities, camping, white water rafting down the snake river. fantastic weather. you can be outside and take it all in. >> sign me up. for folks in the midwest, chicago could be a great, easy destination. you found a good deal there as well. >> acme hotel company opened in may 2012. it's in the river north neighborhood, a residential neighborhood with easy access to millennium park and fantastic shop i shopping opportunities and the neighborhood has the most outdoor bars. so really so much fun. the property itself is artistic, fits in with the design district and fantastic murals and other touches. >> pictures were beautiful. if you want to head to new england, lake champlain, vermont, beautiful area. this is a neat property you found. >> basin harbor club. it's a throwback summertime experience with lawn games like giant chess. there's also paddle boating, a

>> cape coral resort. >> the kids will love it. there's complimentary bike rentals and kayaks here as well. great memorial day escape there. also a memorial day barbecue. lots of fun to keep everybody occupied. >> three pools, perfect for any family. >> exactly. >> thank you for coming in this morning. we'll send it over to jenna in the orange room with our plaza fan of the day. >> we've got a good one. stacey simmons from northern virginia. whole to-do list. number one was battle the rain. you did that last night? >> yes. we did. yes. >> you got that out of the way. >> yes. >> are you having fun? >> yes, we are. >> are you having fun right now? >> yes, i am. >> do you want to read the teleprompter? >> i do. i do. here we go. still to come on "today," as seen on tv, how do those infomercial products make it from an idea to your tv set?

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channels and all of a sudden you realize you've been watching an infomercial for half an hour. janice lieberman has more on some of the products that are hoping to draw us all in. good morning. >> good morning. very is excited from the george foreman grill to the snuggie, as seen on tv products. the latest and greatest at the expo in san diego. >> now with this hook, this clothes changing event is quickly going to turn into a multi-purpose backpack. >> here we have a box, opens like a mailbox and folds out flat. >> it becomes like a medicine ball so you can do this kind of workout with it. >> it's a $300 billion a year business. >> keypad organizer opens up beautifully to make a nice place to bring your things. >> reporter: each of these items is hoping to be the next run-away hit. once a year the newest items are on display here at the direct

response expo. where inventors can show off their quirky products. >> just wrap it, snap it and slide your hands into the arm rest pockets. >> reporter: the publisher of "response" magazine gave us the inside scoop. >> we have 500 products here today, maybe, maybe 20 of them have something to stand on. of those 20 maybe one of them will hit a home run. >> oh, my gosh, this is so cute. what is this? >> hello. >> suzanne? >> actress suzanne somers is no stranger to selling on tv. >> great legs. >> thank you. >> reporter: she squeezed her way into infomercial infamy and over $100 million in sales with the thigh master and hopes to do it again with her latest product, the three-way upponcho >> it's my problem solver. you can wear it like this, like this if you're a soccer mom or if you want to walk the red

carpet and look really hot, you can do that. you need a good idea. we keep failing in between. and then you come up with another one. and then you always know you have one that's going to click. >> now it's my time to get my hands dirty. pitch extraordinaire showed me products for the house. i hate chopping onions. >> go ahead, chop a whole onion in one second. >> do i need your muscles? >> nope. boom. >> boom. one second. >> one second. >> first we have to make a mess. >> it does all the hard work for you. >> keep going. >> oh, come on! >> this is going to hold ten times its weight in liquid. once you're done mopping, tea, juice, coffee, it will hold on to that mess. >> pedal to the metal. >> can i put this over your head now? >> please. let's do it. >> nothing! >> well, the inventors and presenters at the show can only

hope a company likes their product. if it hits, everyone makes money. if it doesn't, eh. >> you go on to the next one. like suzanne said, you keep trying. >> you keep trying. >> what most excited you of what you saw? >> this is a blanket, people are calling it the next snuggie possibly. they have outdoor gear that some of them are going to come with. >> basically velcro, you can snap on a rain poncho? >> lester, i wonder, what would it look like if someone was wearing one? >> look. >> they're fashionable. >> it's obe wan kanobe. >> i don't think it's hard to hug. it's easy to hug. >> they're aesthetical lly pleasing. >> i'm sweating right now. >> nice and warm for a football game. >> i could go star wars on you, you're right. >> party handle. prototype stage.

it could do three different things. >> what does this do? >> soda bottles, water bottles get too heavy and unwieldy. >> it opens and holds it? >> yeah and you can even take your water bottle and hang it. >> oh, sorry. >> hoping to make it. what do you think of it? >> what would it retail for, did he tell you? >> not yet. it has to be made, priced out. if you have an invention and thinking what's the next great idea? you need to get to a company like invention home or other companies that will protect you. you don't want this out without a patent, without information. >> you want to make sure you hold on to your idea. >> you want to make sure you hold on to your idea. >> not before you talk to your attorney. >> and my co-host. >> janice, thanks. honoring a trailblazer. a look back at barbara walters' career a day after she said fa

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. good morning. looking live at the golden gate bridge. and a very pretty start to the day there. thanks for joining us this morning. i'm kris sanchez with meteorologist rob mayeda. and rob, i covered weather reporting a couple times this week. i wish i was doing it this weekend instead. >> yes. earlier this week temperatures approaching close to 100 degrees. now about almost 30 degrees cooler because we got the sea breeze back again this morning. you see the winds onshore and to livermore and fairfield this morning and this should ensure a cooler day for today. continuing the cool down that really kicked in for inland spots yesterday. if you notice the san francisco camera, high clouds are coming from the north. patches of low clouds mixed with some high clouds today and an all day sea breeze to keep your temperatures running much more comfortable to be outside.

77 closer to san jose, 82 in saratoga. the warmest places having a chance to get to 80s. 60s closer to san francisco and to the north bay highs mainly in the 70s and near the tri-valley temperatures close to 80 in pleasanton, upper 70s in livermore and the temperatures trending cooler, what you see there in the seven-day forecast as we head into the beginning of next week. kris. >> thanks, rob. this morning fire crews are on standby in the santa cruz mountains watching for flare-ups after the brush fire burned west of gilroy and morgan hill. the fire is fully contained. it wasn't big. about five acres near mount madonna. given our extreme fire danger in the bay area and the wildfires burning in southern california it was unnerving. it started before 4:00 yesterday afternoon off summit road along the border of santa cruz and santa clara countieses. it's a remote rugged area far from homes but there was a greenhouse type of structure that caught fire. fortunately no one was injured and no word on the cause of that fire.

there was a vigil for a 3-year-old san francisco boy and his mother last night who died in a fire a month ago yesterday. and the family still desperate for answers. the vigil was held on brookdale avenue in front of the apartment where 3-year-old santana williams and his mother died in a fire on april 16th. a preliminary report released last week said that fire started in the living room of their two stor apartment. mother and son were found in the bathroom on the second floor. the report said that smoke detectors were not working in that apartment and the crews did to the find a fire extinguisher in the home. expect delays all summer long. construction at the bay area's busiest airport is expected to throw quite a wrench into the summer travel season. starting today sfo is expected to close two of its four runways to make federally mandated safety improvements. all arriving and departing flights will share the two same runways. an airport spokesperson says departing travelers will be most

impacted waiting longer to take off. officials say there will be fewer flights to choose from. airlines have voluntarily reduced flight numbers to try to minimize dallas. take off patterns will also change sending more planes over south san francisco, san bruno and pacifica. coming up on "today in the bay," hollywood star and palo alto native james franco's new movie hit the big screen last night. we'll show you why many people say it didn't do the city justice. that and all the rest of the day's news coming up.

good morning. it's saturday, may 17th, 2014. slow and steady progress. firefighters in california are hoping cooler temperatures will finally allow them to get the upper hand on several wildfires burning out of control in san diego. families across the region have been forced to scramble to safety. we'll take you live to the scene. outrage, police commissioner under fire for a racial slur he used when talking about president obama. this morning, as the calls for him to resign grow louder, he says he will not apologize for what he said. and california dreamin', all eyes on california chrome, the winner of the kentucky derby as he gets ready for the second leg of the triple crown, will he be

able to reign supreme at today's preakness stakes? welcome again on a saturday morning. great to have you here. also this morning, a message of hope and perseverance one year after a tornado tore apart moore, oklahoma. the community there has been rebuilding since that day. a new documentary airing this weekend shows how they've been coping over the last year. let's begin with the latest in the wildfires in the west. firefighters have been on the scene for days now, battling the fires from the air and on the ground. right now, at least one person is under arrest and charged with arson in connection with one of the fires. joe friar remains on the front lines in southern california. joe, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. the breezes are definitely cooler this morning. overall, crews are gaining the upper hand on most of these fires, including the one that caused so much damage here, the cocos fire, now 50% contained.

the number one priority has been the right now the wind is in our favor. >> reporter: the santa ana winds that fueled these fires are fading away. >> go down 100 feet. >> reporter: as military aircraft like these helicopters attack the flames from above. >> dropping. dropping. >> reporter: officials say the cocos fire has claimed at least eight homes so far, including several at a spiritual retreat in a neighborhood called harmony grove. >> last video i can shoot. >> reporter: images of the fire rapidly approaching that community. >> wow, there it is right there. there it is, right there! >> reporter: more dramatic pictures from the fire that tore through the city of carlsbad. >> that's where the flames were right there. >> reporter: they were trying to escape when they saw this and hit record. >> oh, my god!

>> reporter: we were essentially driving through a fireball. i couldn't see anything. i was just triedriving through black wall of smoke. >> i can't get the sound out of my head. roars like a lion. >> reporter: three people have been arrested for arson, including a man who is accused of adding brush to one of the smaller wildfires. what could make things better, a dramatic drop in the temperature, which is expected this weekend. >> i don't want to say we're completely out of the woods but i do feel confident we're getting a handle on these fires. >> reporter: in all, we've seen 11 significant brush fires this week. the causes for all of them, still under investigation. despite those arson arrests, no one has been accused of actually starting one of the 11 major fires. lester? >> joe friar, thanks very much. >> and joe mentioned those cooler temperatures that are expected. dylan is keeping her eye on the conditions out west.

good news, i hope? >> yes. you need that onshore flow. recently we've had the dry wind that comes over land. here are the wind barbs, out over the ocean. they are pulling in that onshore flow, that cooler air and adding a little more moisture to the atmosphere as well. now, we are still going to see gusty winds. so, any fire that is still burning, that's going to help fuel the flames. mountain gusts 40 miles per hour. in the valleys, we should be gusting 30 miles per hour. it's all where this wind originates. because it is moving in off the coast, you can see from lncht a. to anaheim down into san diego, we do not have that critical fire danger. instead it's an elevated fire danger a little further inland. temperatures will be significantly cooler. l.a., about 75 degrees today instead of being up around 100. irvine, 79 degrees. we will see improvements with those cooler temperatures. inland, it is still a little warm. we will see improvements and humidity is up around 25 to

nearly 50%, huge improvement from where it's been lately. erica? >> we'll take it, did. ylan. thank you. we'll have dylan's full forecast in a few moments. time now for the rest of the morning's top stories. jenna is here with that. >> thank you. the embattled oughto maker will pay the full maximum fine over gm's delay in recalling cars with the deadly ignition switch defect. state inspectors in boston are trying to figure out how a 22-year-old woman fell down an elevator shaft at fenway park friday night. firefighters were called to the ballpark after the red sox/tigers game. somehow the woman fell into the shaft and landed on the roof of the elevator. she was taken be to a nearby hospital. her condition is unknown this morning. states of emergency have been declared in parts of bosnia and serbia in the wake of record flooding that's killed 20 people. rivers are overflowing across

bosnia, including the capital of sarejevo. army helicopters have been sent in to help with evacuations. it's been a whirlwind week for rams rookie michael sam. now his planned reality show is being postponed. days after the oprah winfrey network announced its deal with sam, the docu series was placed on hold. sam, the first openly gay player to be drafted into the nfl faced criticism over his tv decision, with some saying it would distract him from football. so, if i understand this right, he took a year off from competing. he put on about 30 pounds, so he says. he watched a lot of television and now he's probably olympic bound. michael phelps is back on the winner's podium. not exactly your perfect combination for that. but look at this guy. for the first time since the 2012 london olympics, phelps cruised to victory friday night in the 100 meter butterfly at the charlotte grand prix.

earlier in the day the most decorated olympian qualified in the 200 meter free style. phelps has been pretty vague about the 2016 olympics in rio de janeiro but his practice cap said rio 2016. i don't read into things. that's not what i do. i'm just telling you, it said 2016. so i'm thinking maybe. lester, what do you think? >> he's putting it out there. >> a little bit. >> putting it out there. jenna, thanks. police commissioner in a small town in new hampshire is coming under fire for a racial slur he made in reference to president obama. kristen dahlgren has more on why he's refusing to apologize. kristen? >> lester, good morning. widespread backlash from this, reaching beyond that small town of new hampshire. people are threatening to cancel vacations to the state of new hampshire. they are so upset over what this police commissioner said and how he's handled himself since.

wolfboro, new hampshire police commissioner robert copeland sat with his arms cross eed as resident after resident -- >> i feel less safe in this community. >> if you do not have the decency to resign, prepare yourself, because we will institute recall! >> reporter: jane o'toole says she overheard copeland a few weeks ago in a local diner using a racial slur to reference barack obama. >> comments like these, especially coming from an elected public official are not only inexcusable, terribly, unfortunately reflects poorly on our town. >> reporter: but the 82-year-old co copeland remains defiant, saying not only will he not resign, an e-mail o'toole says copeland wrote reads i believe i did use the "n" word in reference to the current occupant of the white house. for this i do not apologize.

he meets and exceeds my criteria for such. one of three elected police commissioners in the town of 6,300. his fellow commissioners have done nothing to discipline their colleague, saying only the three would meet in private to resolve the matter. >> i suspect he has serious thinking to do. >> reporter: while some in town did support copeland. >> freedom of speech. >> reporter: i am embarrassed that copeland used the "n" word to describe my president and more from across the country. not another 82-year-old racist white guy. i mean, how many could there be? #donaldsterling. that, obviously, a reference to donald sterling of the clippers who has had his own problems with racist comments lately. the town of wolfboro did release a statement, saying it's appalled business his statements and his comments are in no way representative of the board.

however they have no jurisdiction over an elected police commissioner and urge him to resign on his own. lester? >> kristen, thank you so much. let's get a check of the country's forecast from dylan. >> i've heard of baby shower. i've heard of bridal shower. i've heard of rain shower. i never heard of college shower. >> a college shower is an event that gives girls going away to college the necessary things like laptops, comforters, good studying tips. >> snacks and all that kind of stuff? that's awesome. thank you so much for being here. such a great idea. and we are looking at some very cold temperatures. look how chilly it is across the upper midwest, temperatures only in the 30s and 40s. spoke to someone from minneapolis, who said his cherry blossoms have yet to bloom. it's late in the season and temperatures will remain 15 to 20 degrees below average. highs only in the 50s today. we will see some improvements tomorrow. we should at least get into the 60s. it is still about 5 to 10

degrees below average this time of year. elsewhere across the country, a couple of showers, isolated thunderstorms, nothing severe expected today across arkansas . d into parts and we're waking up to cloudy skies, patches of low clouds and high clouds, 40s and 50s out right now and we got the sea breeze firing up from 5 to 15 miles per hour should ensure that our afternoon temperatures will be running mild across the bay area with high clouds moving from north to south into the afternoon. we'll see temperatures near the upper 70s in san jose, low 80s out near saratoga, 60s closer to san francisco and 70s into the north bay and tri-valley. low 70s in oakland. turning a few degrees cooler for tomorrow. >> and that is your latest forecast. erica? >> dylan, thanks. turning now to the big day for california chrome. the kentucky derby winner is the favorite to cross the finish

line later today at the preakness. carolyn joins us. good morning. >> reporter: erica, good morning to you. the preakness stakes is often referred to as the people's race. horse racing fans haven't been able to celebrate a triple crown in 36 years. it's a feat that require ace horse to complete three of the biggest races in the sport and win them in just over a month. as many people can attest, the preakness remains a significant hurdle on the road to the triple crown. if the triple crown is won thi if thes triple crown is won it will be on the saddle of california chrome, the first california bred in more than 50 years to win the kentucky derby. >> california chrome shines bright. >> though his west coast roots made him an unconventional derby winner it is the back story of the connection that has made california chrome a favorite

heading into the preakness. two blue collared guys who parlayed $10,000 and a handshake into a pursuit of the ultimate american dream, a dream they value more than the multimillion dollar offs they received and rejected for the horse. a stable hand in 1955 for the derby winner, swath, and now at 77 years old, the oldest trainer to win the run for the roses. the jockey, victor espinosa for whom the donkey on his silk is not just a humorous symbol but a personal reminder of his beginning in mexico. a tough field awaits california chrome in baltimore including faces that weren't seen in the kentucky derby. they are called new shooters.

aboard one of them, byron. she looks for her first preakness win. she teams up with bob bafford. and a filly in the race for the first time since 2009. she will have hall of fame jockey calvin burr elaboard. california chrome and his blue collared connections will be the favorite to end the day in the winner's circle. it is the people's horse in the people's race with a shot at history. and while california chrome is the favorite, he is in new territory in terms of tight turn around. in his last five races he has had 28 days of rest in between each race. that won't be the case this time around. he is also dealing with a blister in his throat.

>> we will be watching and we have complete coverage of the preakness later today. our coverage begins at 1:00 eastern on nbc sports network and continues with the preakness stakes on nbc. barbara walters said farewell to television. we will look at the career that paved the way for so many women in tv news right after this. of. i am totally blind. i've been blind since birth. i lost my sight to eye disease. i lost my sight in afghanistan. and it doesn't hold me back. but my blindness can affect my sleep patterns. i go through periods where it's hard to sleep at night, and stay awake during the day. but i learned that my struggle was with non-24. non-24 is a circadian rhythm disorder that affects up to 70% of people who are totally blind and can't perceive light.

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we're back now on a saturday morni morning. barbara walters, who broke the mold. >> a number of journalists stopped by "the view" to honor and say good-bye. >> reporter: barbara walters appearing on "the view" one last time. a television legend.

>> please welcome. >> reporter: getting a final sendoff from the women who followed in her footsteps. >> savannah guthrie. >> and advice from hillary clinton. >> take some time off. >> you're in no position to tell me. >> it all began here when she started as a "today" show writer and stayed for 15 years, then went on to cover women's stories. john f. kennedy was president. barbara's first report on paris fashion. >> if you're very chic and very rich you have one for each finger. >> she was even called a today girl, only allowed to ask questions after the men asked their questions, but she had true grit, becoming the first woman co-host. >> if you're going to fail i would rather fail on my own terms. >> to princess grace. >> i must ask you the question that most americans want to know about you. are you happy? >> and richard nixon.

>> what has mrs. nixon contributed to your life? >> harry reasoner was reportedly unhappy. she was slammed for a million dollar salary, a network first, parodied as barbara wawa on "snl." >> the barbara wawa used to bother me. >> biggest interviews, fidel castro, all the american presidents. her biggest success turned out to be "the view," the midday coffee. >> she's a trailblazer. she literally led the way. all the women in news right now probably watched her as kids and said that's what i want to do. >> this is my legacy. >> a true pro to the end. signing off for good but we don't want to believe it.

>> maybe instead of good-bye i should say abiento, which in french means i'll see you later. >> such a nice sendoff. >> it was. it was beautifully done. >> she doesn't strike me as the kind of person that's going to retire, though. >> i don't think so, no. >> we'll continue to see her big interviews. >> she may have her own version of retirement. >> still ahead, two of barbara walters most fascinating people last year, kim and kanye. are they getting closer to tying the knot? and where will it

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good morning. take a live look at the golden gate bridge. we see blue sky there, even though there are some clouds there in the distance. thanks so much for joining us. i'm kris sanchez with meteorologist rob mayeda who has a forecast for whatever you're doing this weekend. >> looks comfortable to be outside unlike what we saw three days ago with the 90 degree temperatures across the bay. areas of low clouds and high clouds. san jose, pretty view of the sunrise with partly cloudy conditions and the sea breeze is definitely back for you this morning. that will strengthen as we head into the afternoon. short term, we're going to see a cooler weekend. as we take a look at the outlook over the next search seven days, a slight chance of showers on tuesday and for the second half of the week ahead we'll see high

pressure building in which leads to the changes on the seven-day forecast. temperatures will be climbing by the time we head towards next thursday and friday. for the start of your weekend, 70s to low 80s around the south bay, 60s closer to san francisco, 70s to the north bay today with high clouds at times and temperatures around the tri-valley mostly in the upper 70s to near 80 degrees today in pleasanton and 9 degrees with some breezy conditions in livermore through the afternoon. kris? >> thank you very much, rob. this morning fire crews getting a break from the heat standing by the santa cruz mountains watching for any flare-ups after this brush fire burned west of gilroy and morgan hill. that fire is now fully contained and it wasn't too big, just about five acres near mount madonna. given our extreme fire danger here in the bay area and the wildfires burning in southern california it certainly was unnerving. it started before 4:00 yesterday afternoon off summit road along the border of santa cruz and santa clara counties. it is a remote rugged area far from homes but there was a greenhouse structure that caught

fire. no one was injured and no word on the cause. there was a vigil yesterday for a 3-year-old san francisco boy and his mother who died in a fire a month ago yesterday. the family still desperate for answers. the vigil was held on brookdale avenue in front of the apartment where 3-year-old santana williams and his mother esther loane died in a fire. a preliminary report said the fire started in the living room of their apartment. mother and son were found in the bathroom on the second floor. the report also said smoke detectors were not working and fire crews did not find a fire extinguisher in the home. expect delays all summer long because construction at the bay area's busiest airport is expected to throw a wrench into the summer travel season. starting today, sfo is expected to close two of its four runways to make federally mandated safety improvements. all arriving and departing flights will share the same two

runways. an airport spokesperson says that departing travelers will be most impacted waiting longer to take off. officials also say that there will be fewer flights to choose from as airlines have voluntarily reduced flight numbers to try to minimize delays. take offp takeoff patterns will change sending flights over san francisco and san bruno and pacifica. coming up hollywood star and palo alto native james franco movie hit the big screen last night. why many people say it doesn't do palo alto justice. that and all the rest of the day's news coming up here at 7:00.

♪ >> hi "today" show. ♪ i can't help myself i love you and nobody else ♪ >> we just got our "today" show badge. >> we're here for a bachelorette party but the bride's in bed. >> hi, mom and dad. >> hi, we're from michigan. i'm celebrating my 50th birthday. >> it's our birthday too. >> i'm having a girls weekend! we have quite the crowd out there on this saturday morning. it is may 17th, 2014. you never would know there was a massive rain shower overnight here in new york city. it's dried out. the crowd is here. they are fired up. you all have a lot of energy

this morning. >> just the way we like it. still to come in this half hour of "today," a popular documentary about how one town is coming together a year after a tornado ripped it apart. back with an all-new cast. will this latest version of "godzilla" be as good as the snorge we'll find out. did you ever wonder how animals, maybe not godzilla, but other animals get into zoos across the world? >> i wondered the same thing. we went to find out and it's a fascinating operation in frankfurt, germany. any animal you can imagine goes from point a to point b, the folks there help it all happen with their animal cargo lounge. >> be careful opening those overhead bins. you never know what will leap out at you. first, this half hour we begin with a private custody

battle that's playing out very publicly. it's about a 9-year-old girl who spent the last eight years being raised by a tennessee family while her father was behind bars. now he is out of prison and a judge recently ruled she belongs with him. >> real proud of her room and the colors and she picked it all out. >> reporter: reminders of 9-year-old sonya are everywhere around kim and dave hodges' tennessee home. >> we love her very much, more than life herself. >> reporter: they haven't seen sonya in months, caught in the middle of a complex custody fight. they became her foster parents in 2006. months later her biological father, john mccall was sent to 15 years in prison under a firearms charge, clearing the way for hodges to adopt the little girl. when his sentence was later

reduced the adoption was overturned. a judge earlier this year ordered that sonya be returned immediately to mccall who lives in nebraska. >> packed her three du if. fel bags of clothes and toothpaste and all the stuff that little girls need. you knew she was gone. >> reporter: the case is now playing out online launching facebook pages andrecording a pe call. >> there's dirt all over and it's inside. it's so nasty. there's cigarettes everywhere. >> cigarettes everywhere? okay, sweetheart, calm -- i want you to calm down. i want you to calm down. is he being nice to you? >> yeah. >> john mccall and his family declined to speak to nbc news, siting the confidentiality of the juvenile court system. the judge ruled she'll stay in nebraska for now. officials in tennessee say she is checked on regularly, doing

well in school and is seeing a therapist. and their view on mccall? >> he has fought for his daughter. doesn't have a perfect record. he is not a boy scout. but he's done everything the state of tennessee has asked. >> reporter: two families engaged in a bitter battle. fueled by their love of a little girl. for "today," sarah dullop, nbc news. dylan has a final check of the weather this morning. hey, dylan. >> hey, lester. yeah, i do. it's drying out, even across new england. we'll see some improvements, despite heavier rain this morning. as we go through the afternoon, though, a couple of more showers will start to move into tennessee and the southeast. most of the country, we're not going to see any severe weather, even tomorrow, too. just run-of-the mill showers and storms. temperatures chilly in the great lakes this weekend. in the northeast we'll warm back into the 70s and it won't be as hot in places like l.a. instead of up

and we're seeing mostly 50s outside except few upper 40s around the north bay and game time coming up at 6:05 for the giants should be in the low 60s dropping to the upper 50s as the game goes on. waking up to these patches of some low clouds for the morning. sunshine for the afternoon. but the all day sea breeze keeping our temperatures in the 60s and 70s and breezy and mild conditions as we approach the evening. temperatures near 77 in san jose, 60s closer to san francisco and in the north bay highs in the 70s, 77 degrees today in danville. now if you love harry potter, you are going to love this. universal orlando's resort new traction, the wizarding world of harry potter diagon alley is opening this summer. travel on the hogwart's express.

gringot bank. passes to all three parks and hotel accommodations at the cab ana bay beach resort all week long, al has been revealing clues for a special sweepstakes. without further ado, here is clue number five. >> hogwarts school of witch craft and wizardry is divided into four houses, griffindor, huffle puff, ravenclaw and what other house? >> said like only al can say it. to read the official rules go to our website. and enter for a chance to win. nearly a year ago a massive tornado swept through moore, oklahoma, killing 25 people and destroying the town. now as that community works to rebuild an emotional documentary has premiered, showing how the town is coming together after tragedy. here is gabe gutierrez.

>> over here is actually where our house used to stand. >> reporter: for the newby family it's hard to believe it's almost been a year since that awful day. >> i was panicking. my heart was totally breaking, because i had so much guilt for leaving my son at the school. >> reporter: their son, liam, was inside plaza towers elementary when that ef-5 tornado tore through moore. his teacher used her body it shield him. a documentary with a universal message. >> even in the darkest moments of whatever you're going through, there's always hope. >> recovery is going really well. >> reporter: steven irp is the film's producer and local pastor who has lived in moore all his life. >> it's really surreal to drive through neighborhoods where i used to ride my bike and schools where friends and teachers, and

realize that the entire landscape has changed. >> a filmmaker approached him with an idea, to tell moore's deeper story, one of hope, resilience and faith. a project funded entirely by donations, with a provocative title. "where was god?" stories so powerful it was only fitting that the film would be shown in one of the buildings the tornado ravaged, a newly rebuilt warren theater. after a private screening earlier this week, the film premiered friday night. and a year's worth of memories burst into the theater. >> i like how everybody came together. >> reporter: micah moody pulled children from the plaza towers. also featured in the film, she says sharing her story helped her heal. >> tragedy has just shown me the beauty of humanity. >> reporter: for "today," gabe

gutierrez, nbc news, moore, oklahoma. up next, we are talking godzilla. could this movie really take care of the competition this weekend in the box office? we'll look at that and more in hollywood headlines. first these messages. [ male announcer ] mcdonald's dollar menu & more is all about getting more.

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we can't keep them on the shelves. 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, more details about what may have sparked that fight between jay-z and his sister-in-law, beyonce's sister, solange. "godzilla" is getting rave reviews, but will it be as good as the original?

alicia quarles will take us through it all. >> you should see it. our reviews are very good. stars brian cranston, of course, of "breaking bad." he wanted to do something different, taken seriously. this is about character development. and the option to see it in 3-d. >> this is just the latest in the long line of remakes. people can be divided. dylan is in the orange room with other classic movies that our viewers said they would like to see remade. >> we brought the question to facebook, what other movies would you like to see remade? linda said "the neverending story." i think it's genius, time to bring it back. james says "ghostbusters," which would also be fantastic. but deb is not a fan of the remake. remakes are never as good as the originals. after seeing some of them, you could kind of agree with that. guys? >> there you go. dylan, thanks. >> top gun.

>> you want to see it remade? >> no, i don't want to see a sequel. i want to see it remade. >> i'm like, don't mess with tom. >> put on the brakes. we'll fly right back. >> lester! >> i'm sorry. >> i love it, i love it. i love it. >> starring in the remake of top gun -- don't worry, tom cruise. we don't need you. it's okay. >> we still need tom. >> we need tom. in other news, there may be a wedding coming up, may not be a wedding coming up. it may or may not be in europe. kim, kanye. >> what's really going on? reportedly on may 24th. now we're hearing it will be in france. guests know to fly to paris and from there, they don't know where they're going. we're hearing versailles, less than 100 people. kanye also recently talked about florence, where their child, north, was conceived. >> great. thanks for the detail. >> so kim is really letting kanye plan this one.

she's done it before, had the wedding before. there she is at the met gala. so we'll see what happens. >> finally before you get in somebody's face in the elevator, know there are cameras in those elevators. >> there are cameras -- very good advice. the video that the world has seen. solange snknowles, jay-z. a person who shall go unnamed was flirting with jay-z. that's the after party. >> that's the after party. >> after party, after party. some things went down that solange -- they got in the elevator and basically went off, attacked her brother-in-law. they put out a joint, family statement saying solange, jay-z accept their parts in this. their family and they're moving on. solange is back in new orleans, raising her kids. that's where she lives now. beyonce was seen down there. they're going on tour together. they have to keep it tight. >> i'm glad there was no audio associated with that.

it went on for a while. >> it went on for a while. the person that leaked the video, sold the video has since been fired. it always goes to show, you have to watch what you do no matter who you are. >> true. there's always a camera watching. >> alicia, thank you very much. good seeing you. >> top gun. >> i could quote those lines all day. you know that? alicia, thanks. you can watch e! "newsweek"nights at 6:00, 7:00 central. millions of fish, lions, hippos and more. first this is "today" on nbc.

at how millions of animals get transported around the world. >> yes. chances are, maybe like me, you never really stop to think about how zoo animals, for example, are shipped across the world. then we got to thinking about it and investigated the business of

animal cargo, which took us to frankfurt, germany, and one of the largest operations of its kind. among the precious cargo arriving at frankfurt's airport on a thursday morning, 17 polo horse horses from south america. some of the more than 2,000 horses that will pass through the animal cargo lounge this year. >> we carry right around 110, 150 million animals per year. more passengers here than in the terminal at frankfurt. >> it's a lot more, nearly double the number of human passengers. this dog on its way to singapore is one of more than 15,000 dogs and cats who pass through the frankfurt animal lounge every year. the facility can handle any living creature, like hippos, alpacas, lion cubs and this

opakey. the so-called fish savior makes sure they're ready for the journey. he waters and fresh oxygen. >> they can stay 15 to 20 hours. >> also responsible for the reptiles here. >> i use that tool to have a long arm. to carefully look underneath. now we can see. >> oh, frogs. >> luckily, escape artists are rare. >> this one is for you, lester. we got you a present. latonza moves animals all over the world. the day we visited they were shipping to asia. not the only thing that's in the cargo hold the next time you fly. there's no limit to animals in the cargo hole. there are safety restrictions.

>> wouldn't load natural enemies together because then the animals might get nervous and that's something we want to try to avoid. >> just like people, pets need a passport to enter the european union. in this case it's an i.d. chip which holds important vaccine information. healthy enough to travel while a team of 14 caretakers keep the animals comfortable during their stay. are you ever concerned? this can be stressful on an animal. >> yes. >> when they're traveling. >> strange place, strange people. we're real careful. you have to stay calm, try to be nice, extra nice. >> making their time in frankfurt as stress free as possible. we have a few horses here. how long will they stay here? >> they will be staying here only a couple of hours, four or five hours. >> reporter: just enough time to stretch their legs and get a bite to eat. before moving on by truck or, in

the case of our canine friend, settling in for a late-night flight as the lounge prepares for the next wave of passengers. while the airline tells me it is licensed to carry anything, there are a few things they don't handle including large marine animals like dolphins and whales. part of that is because of the amount of water that's required can really shift the weight in the plane and be dangerous. >> plus they necan swim whereve they need to go. >> they go in the belly? below us? >> below you, you can have cats, dogs, all kinds of things. these are the containers literally that these reptiles were shipped in. they take sort of old fruit containers and would have little bugs and everything. you would have loved it. >> who is sending bugs? >> a lot of them come from south america and they get shipped to

pet stores. >> does their stomach drop like during turbulence? >> i asked them but all i heard was woof, woof, woof. i don't really know. >> did you practice this act? >> we're good. >> we should take it on a road. >> on a cargo jet. >> part on the road. we're back after this. 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. our priority has always been saving the day. because our priority... amazing! ...is you! the amazing spider-man 2 delivered by the united states postal service. this season we're taking back let's mix, let's match. and let's grab these guys,

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i'm glad we got her on. >> that will do it for us today. tomorrow you're meeting your biggest fan. >> a man who found hope and faith on some of his darkest days. i'll share his story and our jam session. see y

solange. good morning. i'm kris sanchez. coming up on "today in the bay," a somber vigil for a mother and her little boy. the family is still grieving and looking for answers this morning. it could throw a wrinkle into your summer vacation plans. big change coming to a bay area airport and will impact more than airline passengers. why a movie bearing a name of the city on the peninsula is ruffling some feathers in the bay area.

from nbc bay area this is "today in the bay." good morning. how's this for a rosy way to start the day? we're looking live at the rose garden at emerald glen park in dublin and it's a beautiful start to the day. thanks so much for joining us. i'm kris sanchez along with meteorologist rob mayeda. nice and cool to start the day and pretty nice for the rest of your plans. >> in fact, we're seeing those temperatures cool thanks to the sea breeze which is reaching solano county and inland towards

the tri-valley this morning with areas of low clouds for the morning. as we head towards the afternoon patches of low clouds near the coast and high clouds coming in. temperatures today in the 60s and 70s. and those onshore winds will be picking up as we approach the evening. now the source of the two types of clouds we got the fog on the coast, also some high clouds dropping in from north to south. we'll see that during the day today. so our temperatures outside this morning, you may still need a jacket through about 10:00 or so. we have upper 40s and low 50s outside and as we head into the afternoon, highs in the upper 70s in san jose, east bay temperatures upper 70s to near 80 before things turn cooler as we finish off the weekend, plus a slight chance of showers showing up in your seven-day forecast. a closer look coming up in a few minutes. >> thanks, rob. this morning, fire crews are standing by in the santa cruz mountains watching for any flare-ups after this brush fire burned west of gilroy and morgan hill. the fire is now fully contained and it wasn't big, just about five acres, near mount madonna, but given the extreme fire danger in the baya