fford to dream gig. comcast, building america's largest gig-speed network. "nbc 11 news". okay. the good morning breaking over night, strike on syria. the united states along with france and great britain launching in retaliation of chemical weapons against their own people. >> these are not the actions of a man, they are crimes of a monster instead. syria's president basharal asaid defiant this morning saying the west lost control. the over night attack, the second time in over years that the u.s. taken aim at sir yanchts the assad regime did not

get the message last year. >> sending the direct message to the ally, russia. what kind of a nation wants to be associated with a mass murder of innocent men, women and children? >> russian president, vladimir putin denouncing the attacks calling them an act of aggression. the u.s. and its allies assess the damage. will there be a response, are more strikes coming and how fafr will it go stopping the atrocities in syria. we are following the story, across the groeb in syria. 2018. >> from nbc news this is a special condition of strie on syria. live from studio 1 a in rock

fella plaza. let's get you caught up on the air strielks. >> started at 9 eastern last night the uk and france involved with the strike that fired more than 100 missiles, the goal to wipe out. >> a one time shot for now, but said that could change depending on how president bashar al-assad reacts. hailing the strikes are a success. hit a specific and limited targets in syria. >> last week suspected chemical attack in duma where dozens are killed. our team has been covering this throughout the night and we have it covered from every angle this morning. >> chief global correspondent

near. good morning to you. >> good morning. examining the damage are last night' attack. limited air strikes now calling a success. air strikes that russia are acts of aggression. there are certain air strikes that presidents outside of damascus would have heard. loud and clear. the missiles came from ships and planes in the night. american british and east french w warplanes firing over at three main targets at syria. >> syria tried to shoot them down hitting 13. massive explosions lighting up the night sky. as they fell, the president addressed the nation. >> the purpose of our actions

tonight is to establish a strong deterrent against the production, spread and use of chemical weapons. >> he called them precision strikes. syria confirming damage to a missile research center in damascus and two chemical weapons states. within an hour, it was over. >> this is a one time shot and i believe it has sent a strong message to deter him from doing this again. >> u.s. defense officials said care had been taken to avoid russian and civilian casualties. this morning a defiant walk to work. loyal protesters protesting outside as russian and iran condemn the attack it is. >> britain defending them. >> this was not about interfering in civil war or

regime change. >> this attacks came before chemical woman inspectors were to begin where the attacks took place. >> no additional air strikes are plan. no u.s. or ally losses reported. >> well, russia said didn't use its air defenses. the u.s. saying it didn't target russia so both sides trying to deescalate the conflict. syrian air forces were not targeted. so bashar al-assad can still use warplanes to kill people. the french are warning this morning, if he uses chemical weapons again, there will be more military strikes. >> thank you. >> bill just mentioned, defense secretary mattis was a one time shot and it depends on how

serious the president responds and if he stops the use of chemical weapons. >> they were a direct response to his use of chemical weapons last weekend. the word he use was we struck harder than the same as similar strike they did last year. officials are stressing that they wanted to make sure they didn't have conflicts with the russians. so they spoke to the russian counterpart. they didn't give them targets information but let them know where they would be in terms of air space. we heard a legal justification. the intent was clear. deterrence. at this stage we are waiting for response from syria.

a question of where we are on the escalation latter, will syria respond? i pressed about this in the press conference and saying there is 2,000 u.s. troops in eastern syria and increase the force protection just to be certain. >> at the pentagon, thank you. >> these strikes on syria comes days after president trump warned on twitter that missiles were coming. let's get more from nbc white house correspondent good morning. >> the president is making a significant military move just a couple of weeks after openly expressing reluctance. talking and maintaining a military presence by the top advisers. the timing of the strike over night was held at the white

house even though the president i'm sorry con fermed there would be some kind of military action in the week. the tweet in which he told russia to get ready missiles will be coming nice and new and smart. tougher options, and had to be brought back from the edge from that by defense secretary, jim mattis, anything more or tougher will have conflict with iran and russia. did notify key members of congress. the vice president traveling in south america and making the phone calls from down there. so many members of congress, democrats are concerned that the president didn't come to them first for approval for the strike. but i spoke with one white house official. the president has the constitutional authority to do this based on the national

security interest. >> article-2. haley jackson at the white house, thank you. >> nbc chief international security analyst, good morning. >> good morning. >> jeremy, good morning. i'll start with you. the pentagon made it clear that the strikes were targetsed to go after syria. how narrow are the strikes and what affect is it on the regime? >> the president had several options. he could have struck chemical weapons he chose a narrow option. he could have struck iranian targets, he chose to strike syrian targets, he could have selected a multi-day mission, he chose a one day option. this is the limit option he chose. >> last april, u.s. forces struck the air base.

what different about the strike this is time around and do you see it as part of a larger strategy in regards to syria. we should think about it like goal did goldi locks and the three bears. last year was a little bole of porridge. extremely limited. at the big end, we could have done many days and gone after multiple targets, we have the capability. the effort was to get the right bowl of porridge. this one was international, multi-site, so two different low k locations were hit. from aircraft and ships. it is a step up the ladder of escalation, in term of whether or not it has a desired effect

we won't know until we see that assad stops using chemical weapons. the strategic thing to do is stop what you are doing and there is more where that came from. >> general mattis, at a bombing campaign can escalate into a wider conflict. what is the response could we see to the strike? >> i think the response you could see is the regime continuing to wage war on its own people. russia saying we are sticking behind them and it turns to diplomacy. can the united states compel him and change the political dynamic in history. i'm not convinced that last night's military operation does that all. >> what is the interest in syria? >> i would say there are three. the first is to finally,

hopefully put out the ability of isis to control territory. that was like gasoline going on the fire of their movement. they are still going to exist, craig in a subterranean way. but by taking the territory away that's a significant step. response to the use of chemical weapons. that's an important international norm. we should not allow to occur. and third, there's a big geopolitical gain at work. we don't want to see iran with the ability to move forces on a land bridge from teheran to the mediterranean sea. our presence in syria, two thousand troops helps prevent that and allows us to work with the israelis and sue any states to stand against aggression in

the area. three options i think we had need to pursue. >> thank you both. >> russian president vladimir putin calling for an emergency meeting of the u.n. security council. he denounces the attack and calling them an act of aggression. >> good morning. >> good morning. condemnation from the russian government this morning. president putin calling the strikes an act of aggression. condemnation from iran, russia's ally inside of syria. the russian military of defense holding a news conference in which it claim that is multiple missile were down by the syrian air defense by the russians. 71 out of 103 intercepted according to hugs military officials. that is bold. we have no opportunity to

verify. russia suggesting that it may use the opportunity now to upgrade those syria air defenses away from the rhetoric and competing planes. i think inside the kremlin, there would be satisfaction that it doesn't lead to a deeper confrontation to the united states and russia has not lost its advantage in syria. there is no sign of president putin heeding the words of president trump and turning away from syria. >> thank you. >> it was a busy day at the white house on friday before all of the air strikes happened. taking on former fbi director james comey calling him a slimeball. nbc white house correspondent kelly oh donald is following that. >> the president's military action along with u.s. allies comes at a time under particular pressure for his domestic

battle. the president striking out at an adversary about to begin a book tour. james comey. >> reporter: hours before the syria air strikes, the white house caged political combat against james comey. >> the american people see through lies of a self-admitted leaker. >> reporter: he is getting personal about awkward conversations with the president. >> he interrupted defensively and talked about do i look like a guy who needs hookers? >> reporter: proven by ego and loyalty untethered from the truth. the president unloaded on twitter calling comey an untruthful slimeball and attacked another official andrew mccabe tweeting that he lied, lied, lied. referring to a newly released

inspector general report. also friday, the president granted a controversial pardon in a special prosecutor case from a decade ago wiping away the conviction of scooter libby. convicted for lying to the fbi and obstruction of justice. conservatives long argued that special prosecutor had over reached. the president libby pardon comes when the current special counsel is investigating the white house. >> the president thought it was the right thing to do. >> reporter: it sends a message to those involved in the current counsel case that pardons are available. he righted a wrongful conviction for an innocent man.

sha nel. >> thank you. >> also white house bureau chief "the washington post," thank you for being with us. >> good morning. >> a busy week at the white house. scooter libby and earlier in the week the president's personal attorney had his home and office raided and jim comey coming out with the book. what is the mood like? >> there's an anxiety in the west wing. frustrated and agitated at any point, he has a number of converging crisis from the critical to the legal and personal. regarding what is going on with the fbi raid of the personal attorney michael cohen. >> lts talk more about that. having evidence that cohen went

in 2016 and alleging that he met with a russian. the bottom line is do all roads lead to michael cohen? >> he is donald trump's virtual vault. he knows all of the secrets and does the legal work over the years. the president is so concerned that the fbi obtained these records. they are starting unravel pieces. it is creating a huge amount of concern within the trump circle. >> let's talk about the jim comey book for a second. i have not read the entire book. only excerpts made avail. you read part of it and he is talking about the president's physical appearance. and little nuggets in there. it makes it seem like james comey wrote a revenge book. does this do anything to under

cut his credibility. >> he took personal shots that would feed the impression that it is revenge. comey is dealing with issues in the book. in some respects he is seeking revenge on the president. >> always good to have you. thank you for your time. >> a busy morning. dylan has his eye on a huge system bringing severe storms. >> severe storms and snow out of the system. take a look in colorado with heavy snowfalling. blizzard like conditions. the roads covered with snow and driving conditions were difficult with reduced visibility and it is mid april. this snow is certainly not what we want to see for this time offer year. we are going to see more snow

possible as we go through today. taking a look at the severe weather. tornado warnings across mississippi and they have expired. flash flood watching and warnings with an additional 3 to 5-inches of rain possible. 27 million people impacted by a severe winter weather alert. the cold front producing the storm on the north side heavy snow and reduced visibility and the wind gust up to 60-mile-per-hour. sunday, across wisconsin and michigan and new england. in the east coast monday and the storms themselves should start to weaken. breaking down the ice. there's a possibility this can lead to down trees, power lines and power autoages, we can see

three quarters to an inch up to an inch in michigan and across minnesota snow and wisconsin and central and northern new england can end up with a foot of snow. and the rain in alabama,s 5-inches of rain. that is a look across the country. >> san jose, 50 degrees. fairly mild. drying conditions through today. slightly warmer temperatures into the afternoon. san francisco waking up to 52 degrees and about 10:00 a.m. climbing into the upper 50s and across the board, temperatures in the mid to upper 60s and 70s. plenty of sunshine remaining at least through tonight. >> and that's your latest forecast. >> coming up more on the attacks on syria and the response from around the world. >> under way for a woman killed

her husband and another woman just to steal her identity. this is "today" on nbc.

we are back on a busy saturday morning. the strike on syria remains our top story. we do have other stories making headlines this morning. first an outbreak of e. coli sent 22 people to hospitals in 11 states. federal officials linked it to chopped romaine lettuce. the symptoms are stomach distress. three people hospitalized have developed kidney failure. incredible rescue caught on camera this morning. firefighters repelled down a cliff in california on friday. a van had plunged more than 100 feet off the coastal highway to the battered rocks below. the driver was the only person in the car.

recovering from injuries. and will materiferrell is o the hospital recovering from the car crash. his limo was side swiped on the los angeles freeway. the driver and another passenger are hospitalized with more serious injuries. police say the driver who caused the crash may have fallen asleep. and art bell, the overnight radio host, a cult favorite has died. his program was a gathering spot for his fans to talk about ufo sightings and paranormal. since the 1970s. an autopsy is being conducted to determine the cause of death. still to come, we will go back to syria to talk about the missile take a live look outsid

san jose good morning, thanks for joining us. good sarturday morning. not too chilly to get warm this morning. >> thank you for joining us.

leave is a hook at the forecast. >> we are in the 50s. not that bad out there. for the most part we can say fairly mild across the board. chillier and if you look at palo alto, 54 degrees, san jose and san francisco 52. mostly warmer temperatures into the afternoon. the temperature trend few notice by the icons a lot of sunshine. so expecting clear skies. a nice saturday to enjoy the out doors. 10:00 a.m. in the 50s. and mid 60 in san francisco. a combination of upper 60s, and 70s on the board and 75 degrees for san jose and palo alto, 72 and the rain moving in. because it is close by yeah. >> it always happens like that

let's check with you at 7:00 a.m. >> calling last night's missile strike in syria, perfectly executed. the announcement of the missile strike was a wake up call for the family members in damascus. over the years, the refugee crisis unfolding, many escaped to california. a significant number of syrians in the bay area. many scrambled to contact their family. >> we were trying to follow up with family and people in syria. >> she was sleeping and there was huge explosion. she woke up terrified. >> the u.s. military has been on the ground in syria for years. because of recent tensions with

russia, the local syrians say it feels different this time around. >> new security measures going into effect. the tsa requiring to put every electronic advice larger than a phone in a bin. e readers and tablets. coming up this morning in "today in the bay" good for a day like that. these are your stop stories and weather. back to the "today show."

we are back on saturday morning. april 14th, 2018. busy night overnight with the united states launching a series of air strikes against syria along with britain and france. the strikes supposed to be a one-time attack with defense secretary james mattis saying that all depends on how syrian president bashar al assad responds. this morning, assad remains d y defia defiant. >> we have correspondents around the world. let's go to chief foreign correspondent richard engel. richard, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. i think it is significant that we're not seeing a lot of action. we're seeing some rhetoric and hearing rhetoric from russia. vladimir putin saying that this

was an attack against a sovereign nation. hearing defiance from the syrian regime. so far, nothing concrete. that is quite significant. it looks like russia is prepared not to escalate this further. russia did not target u.s., french or the united kingdom as it carried out the strike. the russian missile defense systems remain quiet. the only action we saw was a series of anti-aircraft coming outs of the syrian re -- out of the syrian regime. when you look at what has happened with the passage of time, despite very aggressive tweets from president trump, what we saw was a fairly limited strike targeting three locations. all of them associated with the chemical weapons program of the syrian regime. then some angry rhetoric from russia. angry rhetoric from syria.

nothing much beyond that. here in turkey where i am located, a welcoming of the action by the united states. not lots of cheering. it seems like many people in the region, perhaps, beyond that are happy to let this go without escalating a seven-year civil war further. >> they are hoping. richard, thank you. these air strikes present another major foreign policy challenge for president trump. nbc's chief white house correspondent hallie jackson has more on that part of the story. hallie. >> reporter: craig, think of everything that is on president trump's plate. not just the military action in syria, but looking ahead to next week, when he is set to meet with japanese prime minister shinzo abe about north korea and the potential talks there. the move in syria, craig, is coming at the time when the president does not have a confirmed secretary of state in place. mike pompeo went through the confirmation hearing. you have week one for the new national security adviser john

bolton. several members of the national security team have left just in the past few days. this comes at a time of turnover for the president's top advisers on issues like this. there have been questions from lawmakers about the president's long-term goal or end game. you heard president trump say the goal is deterrence. he also said he would essentially sustain potential action if assad continues to attack his own people. listen. >> we are prepared to sustain this response until the syrian regime stops its use of prohibited chemical agents. >> reporter: really important to point out, craig, just how closely coordinated this was with france and with the uk. all week long i have been hearing from sources in the white house that the president was in touch frequently with them. counterparts in the united states with counterparts from the two countries. that warning shot to russia really important.

you heard richard mention that russia has not at this point taken military action. there was a bit of tough talk overnight with the russian ambassador in the u.s. calling for president trump to apologize to vladimir putin. at this point it is notable the president issued his toughest rhetoric yet against moscow. >> hallie, we heard earlier this week from ambassador nikki haley. the u.s. ambassador to the united nations. she indicated this chemical weapons had barometric pressuee dozens of times since the start of the civil war. what was it about this usage that moved the president to act this way? >> reporter: right. this is not the first chemical weapons attack. not the first chemical weapons attack which the president issued a military response given we were having this conversation a year ago during the first military strike on syria from president trump. the size and scope, craig, we know that the images like the ones you are showing now. the horrific pictures of kids

being treated and rescuers helping them after the attack have an emotional affect on trump. >> hallie jackson, thank you. pictures are tough to watch. the attack on syria was conducted in coordination with great britain and france. this morning, british prime minister theresa may is speaking out about the attack and why she believes it was necessary. nbc's tammy leitner is in london with more. >> reporter: good morning, sheinelle. prime minister theresa may believes the military strike was in britain's best interest. she did not come to the decision lightly and sending service personnel into combat is the most difficult decision she has had to make as prime minister. now she spoke a short while ago making it clear that this calculated attack on syria was not about intervening in syria's civil war. also saying this was not about forcing a regime change. she says this was about the use of chemical weapons by the assad

regime. now she also referenced the use of chief meteorologiemical agen and daughter on british soil. the prime minister was clear she believes the syrian regime is responsible for not only the april 7th attack in dhouma, but the chemical attack in 2013 when 800 people were killed. the attack last year that claimed 100 lives and 14 other smaller attacks in syria. this helped her decide to join u.s. and france. listen to her remarks. >> this collective action sends a clear message that the international community will not stand by and tolerate the use of chemical weapons. we would have preferred an alternative path, but on this occasion there is none. >> reporter: the prime minister will be in parliament on monday to make a statement and to give members of parliament an

opportunity to ask questions about her decision to participate in the strikes. sheinelle. >> tammy, thank you. dylan is back with another check of the weather. it is starting to at least feel like spring here in new york. >> we have springtime storms down south, too. take a look at this severe weather that was reported out in northwestern arkansas. this is mountainberg, arkansas. a possible tornado in that area. we had about nine reports of tornadoes from yesterday. we still have some tornado warnings in effect this morning. shifting to the east. you can see right here in louisiana where we could see that storm spin up a tornado. heavy rain falling from tennessee down to the gulf coast. we have tornado warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado watches this morning. storm on ts on the increase thr the day today. flooding is a possible because of the torrential rain we are seeing with the frontal system as it moves east. the threats today will be across

mississippi, through alabama and through central tennessee. as we go through tomorrow, it shifts east across the appalachians. by that point, the storm should weaken a bit. i'll show you the strong storms. western alabama and eastern mississippi and eastern louisiana. 15 million people at risk for isolated tornadoes and damaging winds. tomorrow, you can see a lesser threat as far as severity. we are still looking at storms from virginia down to central florida with damaging winds and possible tornadoes as well. again, it is the flooding rain that is the issue with as much of 3 to 5 inches of . oakland 50 degreeing and down here in the south bay, in the 50s.

temperatures fairly mild and into the upper 60s and 70s and high about 68 of oakland and mostly clear skies with a warm afternoon stying dry to tomorrow morning. and that's your latest forecast. still to come, the nationwide ha ha manhunt for the woman behr presents: ordinary versus overachiever. ha manhunt for the woman a lot of paints say they can do the job, but just one can "behr" through it all. behr premium plus, a top rated interior paint at a great price. family friendly, disaster proof. find it exclusively at the home depot.

claritin and relief from of non-drowsy symptoms caused by over 200 allergens. like those from buddy. because stuffed animals are clearly no substitute for real ones. feel the clarity and live claritin clear. ♪ ♪ the best way to get together is with a treat you make together. ♪ ♪

even if you don't at carbuy one from us.our car because maybe you don't want to drive a car anymore, maybe you want to drive a camel. i get it. camels are great. we'll still buy your car. alright, come on tina. let's go. haha, k. here we go! where ya goin? dos. tres. cuatro. cinco de mayo! fresh avocados from mexico are there for you all year, especially on cinco de mayo. ♪ avocados from mexico i'm and i'm an emt.erer when i get a migraine at work, it's debilitating. if i call out with a migraine, that's one less ambulance to serve a community. i just don't want to let these people down. excedrin migraine. relief that works as hard as you do.

♪yeah ♪and i just wanna tell you right now that i♪ ♪i believe, i really do believe that♪ ♪something's got a hold on me, yeah♪ ♪oh, it must be love ♪oh, something's got a hold on me right now, child♪ ♪oh, it must be love ♪let me tell you now, oh it must be love♪ it sounds like a story from a crime novel. it is too real. authorities searching for a woman accused of brazen killings. one of the murders believed to be an attempt to steal a woman'. >> matt bradley has more. >> reporter: officials are a man

be hu hunt for a woman suspected of killing her husband. police believe she stalked and killed the woman in ft. myers beach, florida. >> armed and dangerous. should not be approached. >> reporter: suspected of stealing her car, cash and her likeness. >> her mode of operation is befriend women who resemble her and steal identity. >> reporter: a shocking crime may be part of her daring cross country escape. police suspect she gunned down her husband david at their home in blooming prairie, minnesota in march. stealing her husband's money and cadillac. they believe she has been on the run in iowa and florida where police suspected she killed hutchinson. >> it is incredible. >> reporter: then to louisiana and corpus christi, texas. that is where the stolen car was

seen last week. >> it is like some sort of murder mystery novel. >> reporter: her story is not over. police don't know where she is headed or if she will kill again. for "today," matt bradley, nbc news. >> bizarre story. coming up next, bill cosby's main accuserr takes the stand. th ♪ when heartburn hits...

fight back fast with tums smoothies. it starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue... and neutralizes stomach acid at the source. ♪ tum tum tum tum... smoothies... only from tums ( ♪ ) ( ♪ ) ( ♪ ) ( ♪ ) ( ♪ ) ( ♪ ) you're probably wondering why thai've just carvedng! a giant wooden tiger. well, the answer is that a real one would maul me. i've crafted dr. whiskers here as a visual aid to show you that should you visit the lot, carmax associates will not pounce like tigers

because people don't like that. come here to buy a car. dr. whiskers won't pounce. nobody will. ♪ only tylenol® rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast, for fast pain relief. tylenol® januaan entire dayuirrel dedicated to squirrels.

that's nuts! at aarp, we think you deserve your own day. yeah, you! after all, you're the one working. and saving for the future. so let aarp help. from planning and budgeting, to getting a deal on your next trip. aarp is here to help you stretch your dollar further. our furry friends will have their day, but today is all yours. take on today and every day with aarp. we're back with the latest on the bill cosby retrial. on friday, dramatic moment in the case when keandrea constand took the stand. >> we get the latest from rehema

ellis. >> reporter: andrea came to court ready to retell her story. she faced bill cosby and told jurors he offered her three blue pills saying they take the edge off. i strust trusted him. i took the pills. constand stated he sexually assaulted her. the comedian is being retried on sexual assault charges. allegations which he denies. cosby says it was consensual. five other women also testified describing a pattern of sexual misconduct over decades. cosby is not facing charges from those allegations. former model janice dickinson told the jury this week she vividly remembering helr eve encounter saying here is america's dad on top of me. on cross-examination, the

attorney grilled dick thinson a said why there is no mention of the assault in the book. you didn't mention the assault at all. so you lied. she said i took poetic license. the me too movement encouraging more women to speak out. >> we all have to get real about what power and money does and why so many women were silent. >> he doesn't dispute sex. sexual contact with women. >> to bring a man in and try him for sexual assault over an affair? it is ludicrous. >> reporter: the trial continues next week. if convicted, the 80-year-old cosby faces up to a decade behind bars. rehema ellis, nbc news, norristown, pennsylvania. still to come, the latest on the attacks in syria. and how you can help the victims of last week's suspectechief meted or

still ahead here on saturday more th morning on "today," we will go back to the white house and head overseas to discuss the air strikes on syria. and the presidential pardon for former aide scooter libby. but first these messages. your body was made for better things than rheumatiod arthritis. before you and your rheumatologist

move to another treatment, ask if xeljanz xr is right for you. xeljanz xr is a once-daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. it can reduce pain, swelling and further joint damage, even without methotrexate. xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz xr if you have an infection. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz xr, and monitor certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you were in a region where fungal infections are common and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. xeljanz xr can reduce the symptoms of ra, even without methotrexate. ask your rheumatologist about xeljanz xr. when heartburn hits... fight back fast with tums smoothies.

it starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue... and neutralizes stomach acid at the source. ♪ tum tum tum tum... smoothies... only from tums it's funny really, nobody ever does iti didn't do itppens. and of course it's the really tough stains that nobody ever does ready? really? i didn't do it so when i heard they added ultra oxi to the cleaning power of tide, i knew it was just what we needed so now we can undo all the tough stains that nobody did dad? i didn't do it huh, he didn't do it introducing new tide ultra oxi; it's got to be tide this is a story about mail and packages. and it's also a story about people.

people who rely on us every day to deliver their dreams they're handing us more than mail they're handing us their business and while we make more e-commerce deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country, we never forget... that your business is our business the united states postal service. priority: you ♪

good saturday morning. taking a live look outside towards san francisco from san bruno mountain. not as clear as the shot we saw in san jose about 30 minutes

ago. not too chilly out there. thank you for joining us. >> it is just a little hazy in some parts. overall we should be okay in terms of the cloud cover. we you wake up, this is what you can expect as you make your way outside. mountain view, 45 degrees, concord, palo alto, 54 degrees, san francisco, 51 in the santa cruz mountain area. overall mild start. you can see by the temperature trend into the afternoon that the sunshine will be sticking around and the dry conditions, but enjoy this because we have a couple of changes in the way and in the form of rain and a cool down on the way for the bay area. today upper 60s and 70s. >> it is always beautiful like

this, but i know it will never last. president trump this morning calling last night's missile strike perfectly executed. the announcement for a missile strike was a wake up call for their families in damascus. many scrambled to contact family. in touch with her family and tark able to reach his money in damascus. >> we were following the map and trying to follow up with family in syria. >> she was sleeping and there was a huge explosion. she woke up terrified. >> the u.s. military has been on the ground? syr in syria for years. because of recent tension with russia, the local syrians said it feels different this time. >> new security measures going

into affect today in airports across the country. tsa requiring everybody in put electronic devices larger than a phone inside a bin. readers and tablets. a new high-tech gadget protecting sharks along the coast. a perfect day to use that, it will be beautiful. coming up at 7:00. in the meantime we'll send you back to the "today show."

good morning. breaking overnight. strike on syria. president trump announces the attack in an address to the nation. the u.s. in coordination with great britain and france an launching missiles on targets in use of chemical weapons. >> i ordered the united states armed forces to launch precision strikes on targets associated with the chemical weapons capabilities of syrian dictator bashar al assad. >> syria's president assad defiant saying the west has lost control. the overnight strikes the second time in just over a year that the u.s. has taken aim at syria. >> clearly the assad regime did not get the message last year.

>> president trump also delivering a strong message to syria's biggest ally, russia. >> what kind of a nation wants to be associated with the mass murder of innocent men, women, and children. >> as putin calls the attack an act of aggression. this morning the damage assessment is underway as questions swirl around the world. will there be more strikes? will there be a response from russia? and will this be enough to stop syria in its tracks? we're live across the globe today, saturday, april 14th, 2018. good morning, welcome back to "today" on a saturday morning. it is a busy morning with lots of developments after those air strikes on syria overnight. >> let's get you caught up to speed on the latest. those coordinated strikes started around 9:00 eastern last night as president trump addressed the nation. the united kingdom and france were also involved with the u.s.-led strikes that fired more

than 100 missiles to their targets, sites associated with syria's chemical weapons capabilities. >> defense secretary james mattis called this a onetime shot for now, but said it could change depending on how president assad reacts. the strikes are being hailed a success. president trump just tweeted calling it a perfectly executed strike and writing, "mission accomplished." >> this comes on the heels of last week's suspected chemical weapons attack in douma where dozens of people were killed including many children, and hundreds were injured, as well. our team of correspondents has been up covering this throughout the night. we have it covered from every angle this morning, as well. let's start with chief global correspondent bill neely in beirut. good morning again. >> reporter: good morning, craig. 50 miles from here, syrian commanders this morning have been examining the attacks. the u.s.-led coalition calling a success. air strikes that russia says

were acts of aggression. they were air strikes that president assad in damascus would have heard loud and clear. the barrage of missiles from ships and planes in the night. american, british and french war conceding that scientific laboratory and military sites were destroyed. parplanes firing over 100 missiles at three main targets in syria. in the capital of damascus, civilian air defenses tried to hit them down claiming to have hit 13. massive explosions lighting up the night's sky. as they fell, the president addressed the nation. >> the purpose of our actions tonight is to establish a strong deterrent against the

production, spread and use of chemical weapons. >> reporter: he called them precision strikes. syria confirming damage to a missile research center in damascus and two chemical weapons sites in homs. within an hour, it was over. >> this is a one-time shot and i believe it has sent a strong message to dissuade him from m doing this again. >> reporter: u.s. defense officials said care had been taken to avoid russian and civilian casualties. this morning, a defiant walk to work by syria's president assad. loyal supporters protesting outside as russia and iran also condemn the attacks. britain defending them. >> this was not about interfering in the civil war and it was not about regime change. >> reporter: the attacks came hours before chemical weapons inspectors were due to begin

digging in the damascus suburb where the chemical weapons attack took place. the u.s. says no additional air strikes are planned. no u.s. or allied losses reported. russia says it did not use its sophisticated air defenses. it did not protect president assad. the u.s. said it did not target russians. both sides trying to avoid any escalation. syria's air force wasn't hit which does mean that president assad still has the war planes to continue bombing and killing tens of thousands of people if he wants with conventional bombing campaigns. as for chemical weapons, france saying this morning that if assad uses chemical weapons again, it will consider further military strikes. craig. >> bill neely, thank you. >> let's follow-up on that. bill mentioned defense secretary james mattis says the u.s. is

not planning another strike at this time. one big question is will the air strike stop the syrian president from using chemical weapons? we have hans nichols at the pentagon. >> reporter: he said they were surgical and direct response to bashar al assad's use of chemical weapons about a week ago. what we heard from secretary mattis is the idea that the u.s. hit back harder this time. harder than those strikes about a year ago. he was speaking tacticatactical. potentially over 100 or 120 missiles launched. symbolically. they fired from sea and air and they had allies involved. symbolically, that gives you more of a punch. what we heard last night was a legal justification for the attac attacks. we did not hear about the tactical success. on the russia issue, you heard president trump confrontational with russia.

it seemed secretary mattis and general dunford was dialed back in the rhetoric with russia. they spoke to the russians on the so-called deconfliction line. a hotline. they let the russians know they would be in the air, but did not share targeting information. just where they were going to strike. for those 2,000 u.s. troops still in syria. eastern syria fighting isis in a separate battle. i asked general dunford what protections levels will take place there. they will make sure troops are not in danger. >> thank you, hans. president trump warned about possible military action despite the calls a few weeks ago that the u.s. should get out of syria. nbc's white house correspondent hallie jackson has been following this one and other headlines from washington this morning. hallie. >> reporter: craig, talk about a busy week. not just the major military action in syria, a significant

move for a president who is putting in place a new national security apparatus and keeping open the potential for another strike down the road if bashar al assad does not change his behavior. let's pull back and give you broader context to the week. president trump based on reporting has been furious and frustrated with something else. that has to do with the department of justice and with the special counsel investigation and with that dramatic raid on the long-time lawyer's office and home. michael cohen has been under criminal investigation for months for his personal business dealings. according to filings. prosecutors looking into whether cohen may have hid information and now cohen's legal team asking a judge to block the fbi from reviewing the records they took during the raid. there is a new report out that says the special counsel has evidence cohen secretly traveled to prague during the 2016

presidential campaign although he denied doing so. if it is true, confirm one piece of the dossier. i'm told by cohen's lawyer that report is not accurate. when asked by reporters if cohen represents president trump. the press secretary said she is not sure. "the new york times" reports that cohen called the president yesterday to check in. >> hallie, thank you. let's bring back in nbc's jeremy bash and international security analyst admiral james servitis. general, the stated goal this time around for the strikes was to stop bashar al assad from using chemical weapons on his own people. that was the same stated goal as last april when we bombed that airfield. do you think that this time around we're going to be able to stop bashar al assad? >> i don't know. i think the jury is out, craig. this was a successful operation. the missiles hit their target.

it was professionally done and done with allies. those are all good things. fairly limited in scope and narrow and all military operations carry a risk. no u.s. troops were put in harm's way. this was a narrow operation that will not fundamentally change the calculus of the as caugsad regime. >> is the white house and pentagon leaving the door hoope for bigger strikes? >> absolutely. despite secretary mattis saying this was a one-time shot, he said this operation was a one-time shot. he leaves the door open f for escalation if we see continued use of chemical weapons. that is what we heard from the president and from theresa may and from president macron. the next step is to go through three nations in the coalition to bringing perhaps nato into

this collectively. it would include using multiple tactics. it would include dozens of targets. it would probably, next step, go after a significant chunk of syrian aircraft. now if we do that, we all know that's a high risk escalation because those russian aircraft are intertwined in the base with the syrian aircraft. let's hope bashar al assad gets the message this time. >> jeremy, here is the thing. conservative estimates put it at 250,000. some death toll in syria since the civil war started seven years ago. there does not seem to be the political will in the country to devote ground troops to syria. what is the end game in that country? how does this play out? >> the main core u.s. national security interest is to take on isis which is done by u.s. forces and coalition forces in the eastern part of the country.

it is really about pushing russia out of the way and saying stop giving assad cover. assad has to come to the table and get him out of power. >> jeremy and admiral, thank you for your time this morning. the weather is turning outs to -- out to be a big story this morning. dylan. >> it is not just severe storms, but snow. we have a mix of everything affecting the country. look at the storm damage in northwestern arkansas where a tornado was reported. in fact, nine tornadoes were reported yesterday and we still have some tornado warnings in effects now. it is located in louisiana. we had one pop up in mississippi. this will produce severe weather today. we also have significant snow and ice. ice will be the biggest concern. especially through parts of michigan where we are looking at most of the icing to occur. we see up to a foot of snow in the great lakes region and central and northern new england

in the highest el ratievations. the ice could come down on the power lines and create treacherous conditions on the roads, i want to show you through central michigan where we could have .75 we a . remaining in 50s by 10:00 a.m. and jumping into the 60s across the bay area. atime highs in san francisco, about 63 degrees with upper 70s further inland. >> dylan, thank you. coming up, how you can help some of the victims of the suspected chemical attack in syria. and the latest on the is it possible to stop daily

hair damage even before it happens? dove proves it is with these two delicate roses. one rose is treated with dove. when exposed to the same level of damaging heat, the difference is clear. the rose not treated with dove is dry and brittle. dove fortifies by nourishing deeply and stops 90% of daily hair damage before it happens. dove intensive repair. ibut it doesn't always come naturally. this i can do, easily. benefiber® healthy shape is a 100% natural prebiotic fiber that's clinically proven to help me feel fuller longer. benefiber® healthy shape. this i can do! >> vo: they're getting by starting with miracle-gro potting mix and plant food. together, guaranteed to produce three times the harvest. more to enjoy... to share. three times the harvest. one powerful guarantee. miracle-gro.

let's team up to get the lady of the house back on her feet. and help her feel more strength and energy in just two weeks yaaay! the complete balanced nutrition of (great tasting) ensure with 9 grams of protein and 26 vitamins and minerals. ensure. always be you. hey allergy muddlers: are you one sneeze away from being voted out of the carpool? try zyrtec® zyrtec® starts working hard at hour one

and works twice as hard when you take it again the next day. stick with zyrtec®. muddle no more®. and try children's zyrtec® for consistently powerful relief of your kid's allergies. dos. tres. cuatro. cinco de mayo! fresh avocados from mexico are there for you all year, especially on cinco de mayo. ♪ avocados from mexico

we are back on saturday morning with some ways you can help some of the victims in syria. >> let's go to dylan in the orange room. >> that's right. if you want to help, but don't know where to start, we have answers for you. the key is donating to organizations on the ground. since they know what people need the most. the first organization is called the white helmets. a volunteer group recognized by the u.n. they help from the inside. mostly doing search and rescue work. next is the syrian american medical society foundation. a medical relief group along with the white helmets. they treat trauma victims. it is sams-usa.net. you can also reach out to the save the children. it is an organization with a

special donation page for syrians. they provide support and help for children. you can find the web sites on today.com. sometimes you feel you want to do something, but you don't know where to start. this should help. >> that is good information. know where to start, we have "popstart." >> starting off with will ferrell. no laughing matter. the actor and comedian was involved in a serious two-car crash thursday in orange county. a spokesman for the california highway patrol said the suv he was in flipped after being hit by another car. ferrell and three of his colleagues were taken to the hospital. you can see the suv on its side with its windows shattered, and the actor was conscious on his cell phone as paramedics wheeled him into an ambulance. the 50-year-old has been released from the hospital and said in a statement that he's grateful for the well wishes he

and his friends are receiving. sad news for hue e y louiou. he said before a show in dallas, he lost his hearing. he said, although i can hear a little, one on one on the phone, i can't hear music well enough to sing. unfortunate. the rise of cardi b. months after becoming the first solo female rapper in nearly 20 years to earn the top spot on billboard hot 100 and a week after dropping her first album, cardi b. shattered another records. "invasion was privacy" shattered the platform's records for the first week streams by a female artist. by midweek, cardi b. more than doubled treatments of the previous record holder, which was taylor twist. >> are you responsible for at least 100 of those cardi b. -- >> i've downloaded all of them myself. i listen all the time.

>> of course. last weekend, bill was like, who's cardi b.? who's that? back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. moment. this is ""todatoday" on nbc.

that's it. that's all we have time for this morning. >> not all we have time for. >> what? >> we have a surprise for you. tomorrow, first of all, you are running a half marathon. you are running to celebrate your birthday! a big birthday. >> a big birthday. >> happy birthday, sheinelle. >> i'm turning the big 4-0 in five days. >> since you are running the half marathon, we got you a nice gift bag. she is thoughtful. we have shirts. >> look at this. >> they know where you are located. >> this is a half marathon. your first one. >> how fantastic? >> multiple pairs of socks. >> i'm not an athlete. i wanted to change my narrative.

thank you. >> we're out of time. at carmax.com, you can pan and zoom the whole interior of a car via 360-degree photos. so you can see it all. and know exactly what to expect from top to bottom. no surprises. didn't see that coming, did you? the laughspreadable...e is ♪ ...dippable... ♪ ...dunkable... ♪ ...whatever-you-wantable. so however you snack, snack like

you. ♪ the laughing cow. proof of less joint pain. and clearer skin. this is my body of proof that i can fight psoriatic arthritis with humira. humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to both joint and skin symptoms. it's proven to help relieve pain, stop further joint damage, and clear skin in many adults. humira is the number #1 prescribed biologic for psoriatic arthritis. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. want more proof? ask your rheumatologist about humira.

humira. what's your body of proof? [seen it. covered it. n. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ you won't find relief here. congestion and pressure? go to the pharmacy counter for powerful claritin-d. while the leading allergy spray relieves 6 symptoms... claritin-d relieves 8, including sinus congestion and pressure.

claritin-d relieves more.

bay .... hitting close to home... bay area residents with family in syria tell us what they saw and heard as the airstrikes woke them up. also: they were warned not to, but hundreds did it anyway. the game school officials want students to stop. plus: a warm start to the weekend. but vianey arana says cooler temperatures and showers are

good saturday morning to you it is 7:00 on the dot here is live look outside. looks like a bright and shiny morning. thank you for joining us. look at the forecast and talking about this is one of the mornings i don't have to run to my car because it wasn't freezing outside. >> it is kind of nice. temperature it is are seasonalable and not