that's it for "today in the bay," back at 7:25 for a live news update. >> thanks for starting your morning with us. we enjoy having you with us all the time. it is a thursday, friday eve. enjoy it. have a great day. test test test test . good morning. released. an emotional homecoming two decades in the making for alice johnson after president trump commutes her life sentence. the decision coming after an oval office plea from kim kardashian west. this morning, a great grandmother joins us live, speaking out about her new-found freedom. breaking news, emergency air lift. children injured in that powerful volcano eruption in gaut mallarks arrive in the united states overnight as we get a first-hand look at the scope of the disaster that's claimed nearly 100 lives.

emotional good-bye. kate spade's husband breaks his silence saying the family is deeply heart broken as he opens tenemos las primeras imágenes up about the famed designer's tragic death. del desastre que ha cobrado más her battle with depression and de 200 vidas. the state of their marriage. those stories, plus be nice. samantha bee returns to tv and apologizes for that vulgar insult aimed at ivanka trump. >> i crossed the line. i regret it. un emotivo adiós. el esposo de kate spade rompe el i do apologize for that. silencio dice que la familia life saving catch the está profundamente triste. dramatic moment when a mother drops her baby from a window to habla de la muerte de la escape a fast moving fire. diseñadora, su batalla con la depresión y como estaba su and a little bit country. matrimonio. además, comportarse bien. [ music playing ] samantha bee vuelve a la we'll take you inside country music's big night. televisión y se disculpa por insultar a ivanka trump. me excedí y me disculpo por all the big winners and moments eso. una atrapada vital. at the cmt music awards. el dramático momento en que una madre suelta a su bebé de una >> it's what kathie lee and do i ventana para escapar del fuego. y un poco de country. with a few of these. tenemos un informe de la gran noche de country. los ganadores y los mejores momentos en los

premios cmt. >> today, thursday, june 7th, 2018. hoy, jueves 7 de junio de 2018. nbc news presenta today con >> from nbc news, this is savannah guthrie y hoda kotb, en vivo desde el estudio 1 a en "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in plaza rockefeller. rockefeller plaza. >> and welcome to "today." buenos días a todos, thank you for joining us on this bienvenidos a today. gracias por fine thursday morning. su sintonía en esta hermosa mañana. >> is it fine for thursday? ¿es hermosa? since we're up wednesday night fue excelente porque tú estabas presenting at the country music awards. >> i was going to say, that was en la premiación de los cmt. just a few hours ago. así es, hace un par de horas i was there. it was very, very full at the cmts. >> not your average wednesday night. i watched nightly news and turned it. you were out there partying up. pretty cool. we will talk about our first story, freedom for alice johnson, she was seve e serving a life sentence for a drug conviction. upon release ran immediately into the arms of her family and loved ones. estaba allá. me encant estaba allá. me encantó iliss is with us live. she will talk with us in a moment. first kristen welker is at the white house. good morning.

>> reporter: hoda, good morning. emotions over flowed when alice johnson embraced her family for the first time thanks to the high powered pressure of kim kardashian. the president is getting praise, tweeting good luck to alice johnson, have a wonderful life. >> reporter: the dramatic scene as 63-year-old alice johnson reunites with her family. finally free. >> i'm just so thankful. i feel like my life is starting over again. this is a miracle day! >> reporter: praising president trump, who commuted her sentence wednesday. >> i want to thank the president donald john trump! >> reporter: and reality tv star kim kardashian west, who took johnson's case directly to the white house and then broke the news. >> i heard kim kardashian's voice, she was the one that told

me that i was free, that i was able to join my family. >> reporter: kardashian west tweeted best news ever. >> i think in life, everyone makes mistakes. she really deserves a second cancel. >> reporter: johnson a great grandmother, served stwun years in an alabama prison for a life sentence rung a drug cartel. they said alice worked hard to rehabilitate herself in prison. is there a pattern to the president's pardons? so far most of his choices have rewarded political allies, like arizona controversial sheriff joe arpaio. >> i stand by my partner sheriff joe. >> reporter: or a celebrity friend. >> it's my honor to do it. it's about time. >> reporter: overnight the senate minority leader questioning the president's motives. >> it should be based on the merits, not on who you know. >> reporter: but there may be more pardons on the horizon a white house official tells nbc news, the president is

considering dozenss more with mr. trump signaling on the list of possibilities, martha stewart wart and disgraced illinois governor rod blagojevich and george pap ladopoulos is beggin the president to pardon her husband. >> he has been through a lot. he came to this country. he believes if trump. i believe in trump. >> reporter: the white house not addressing that request with the focus now on this new beginning. >> i am free to live life. i am free to start over. >> reporter: and in some ways, the president's decision to commute johnson seems contrary to his own views and policies. earlier this years ago he said some drug dealers should face the death penalty. just last year, the justice department ordered federal prosecutors pursue the toughest charges, that by the way a reversal of former president obama's policies, which aimed to relax many penalties in many

drug case, hoda, savannah. >> alice johnson is with us from memphis along with her daughter. good morning to the both of. >> you good morning. >> good morning. >> alice, we looked at that video, we saw you just run across that street and into the arms of your family. it is probably a moment you won't forget from hurt perspective. what were those few seconds like for you? >> it was, well, just a moment of shock. just to see my family there. i knew that i walked out of the door. that was the first shock. to see them, my heart was leaking. >> and i am sure yours was, too, it's been 22 years since you had your mom home with you. you were able to sit side-by-side like this. what is going through your mind this morning? >> i keep thinking i can't believe she's sitting right here. right here. and i keep pointing out stuff like there is the sun rise, you missed it, ma. it's just been amazing.

>> alice, you talked about missing a lot of moments, your parents passed away while you were in prison. you had children a great grandchild born when you were in prison. when you think of making up for lost time, how do you picture yourself doing that? >> i see it's going to be better, because we are going to appreciate every single moment that we have. sometimes we take family and life for granted. i'll never do that again. >> and alice, you have been very straight forward about the% takes you made. you were convicted. you spent that time in prison. now you get a second chance. what do you want to do with that second chance? >> i want to take this chance to try to magnify what has happened with me so that people will remember that there are other people just like me who are non-violent, first time non-violent offenders who pose no safety risks to their communities. so i can't just walk away and

forget about those who have been left behind. >> all right. alice, did you wonder like why did kim kardashian pick me? why of automatic people did sll she go and work on my case? >> i tell you it's a miracle. only god could touch kim kardashian like. that we have connected. she shedd said she felt something when she heard my story. i'm so thankful for it. i can't explain it. it's a miracle. >> we want to thank you for your time. >> thank you. >> speaking of the president a new nbc news "wall street journal" poll out this morning, we have good news for him about how voters are feeling. there is news ahead of the elections. let's start with the president. there is a trends going on the last time you polled, i think he was at a 39% approval rating. it's ticked up. tell me about. that.

>> it's ticked up for a couple reasons. i think the biggest is the perception of the economy and the credit that voters in this survey give the president's policies for the improved economy. that's driving it more than anything. what is also interesting. the president has a narrow trading range. he's never really broken 45 in our pom. he never drops below 38. he is on the high range and one of the reasons is that economy and another reason is, his base is just getting more supportive of him. his numbers have improved among republicans. his number versus improved among those in rural america. basically, the base that got him to the presidency love him more than ever. but he's not doing well with other parts of the republican coalition. >> that sets up the question of the mid-terms. that's the next time we're going to have a big election in this country. he is not on the ballot and you do the gen eric test, would you rather see republicans or democrats in congress? what do your polls show?

>> our poll shows a big league for democrats. we show them at 10. this is the highest we've shown this year. it's been driven largely by one group of voters. that is suburban women. particularly suburban white women. they voted with the republicans in the waves of 2010, 2014, we saw them move away a bit from donald trump in 2016. and now we're seeing them move more so to the democrat. >> that more than any other voting group is the group that is giving democrats such opt mitch about their chances in november. >> we'll see how it all shakes out. i'm sure have you the days memorized until election day. good to be with you. >> all right. guys, thanks. also this morning, search and rescue efforts are being hampered as the death toll rises once again. some of the injured are flown into the u.s. for emergency treatment. nbc news' gabe gutierrez is in guatemala for us now. good morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning.

that death toll has climbed to 99, almost 200 people are still missing. now the u.s. military is stepping in to help with the relief effort. overnight, an urgent rescue mission. the air force whisking six children from guatemala to the u.s. doctors in texas now treating them for severe burns. from the air, the town seems like a moon scape. here you truly get a sense of the overwhelming magnitude of this disaster. iraqi, a rock, ash and mud, we are walking through what used to be homes. now this country is mourning incredible loss. as rescuers pulled more bodies from the rubble. we met hugo lopez who told us 46 of his extended family members are missing. there is nothing left, he says,

he last saw his wife and kids before he went to work. then the volcano exploded. the debris seems to be everywhere. before this luxury resort boasted of stunning views. now it's covered in a thick blanket of ash. thousands of people are packed, into emergency shelters. how big is the need here? >> well, i think it's really big. mainly because of the lack of medicine and lack of sanitation. as can you see in most of the shelters, they're really, really crowded. there is lack of water. it's heart breaking. a lot of families lost everything. >> a lot of those images, gabe, are devastating. i guess people are wondering, is the worst over? >> reporter: hoda, that's unclear, rescue teams tell us the volcano is still active. so new eruptions are possible. they are essentially risking their lives by going to some parts of the mountain. but the rescue teams tell us they are doing everything they can to try and bring some small bit of closure to those

families. hoda. >> gabe gutierrez in guatemala, thank you. a lot to get to, including an on air apology from late host samantha bee after she used a vulgar term to describe ivanka trump. craig is here with that story. good morning. >> good morning, ladies that came on the first episode of the cbs show since the comedienne's verbal put down which caused outrage from a lot of folks, including the president, himself. >> a lot of people were offended and angry i used an epithet to describe the president's daughter. >> reporter: a week after using a vulgar term on her show "full front am." the host addressing the controversy last night. >> it is a show i used on the show many times hoping to reclaim it. this time i used it as an insult. i crossed the line. i eregret it. the problem is many woman have heard that word at the worst

moments of their lives. a lot of them don't want that word reclaimed. they want it gone. i don't blame them. i don't want to inflict more pain on them. >> reporter: bee's comments setting off a firestorm. >> didn't something about your dad's immigration practices you factless -- he listens to you. >> bee says her harsh words were meant as a way to urge ivanka to talk to her father about long-standing immigration policy that requires illegal immigrant children to be held and processed separately from adults? but the backlash was almost instant. some advertisers, including auto trader and state farm pulled their sponsorships. president trump tweeting, why aren't they firing new talent samantha bee for the horrible language used on her low rating show? a total double standards. but that's okay. referring to how abc pulled a plug on the roseanne barr show after her racist tweet about a

former obama aadviser. bee apologized hours after the comments tweeting i crossed the line, i deeply regret it. her statement releasing a statement calling it vial and inappropriate language and saying it should not have been aired. some came to her defense, including former daily show colleague john stewart who said a lot of what the right discuss and it's maybe the greatest genius is they've created a code of conduct that they police, that they themselves don't have to, in anyway, abide. >> i should have known that a potty mouth insult would be inherently more interesting to them than juvenile immigration policy. >> now, samantha bee known for her stinking satire, saying she's sorry. but moving forward. >> i am. i'm rally sorry that i said that word. but you know what, civility is just nice words. maybe we should worry a little bit more about the niceness of our actions. othanks for listening.

>> back to that distinction between bee and rosanne anne bar, some say there is a difference between racist words and a tweet. as to bee, back to her show as usual with a mock censorship panel to make sure she did not make the same mistake. >> thank you very much. we will swing things over to mr. al roker. >> good morning. guys. good morning to you. thanks for bringing your viewership to us and look at this, i mean, this is lar my wyoming. you don't get much more than a classic than that. the good news is, no damage. and we really appreciate that. you can see though, now, we have strong storms firing up from oklahoma all the way on up into south dakota. we are watching the severe outbreak today possible from montana all the way down to parts of colorado and wyoming. damaging winds, isolated tornadoes, tomorrow we got more of the same. down pours, large hail, damaging winds possible. look at what we are looking at today, watch these showers and

thunderstorms fire up, make their way across the mid-west today. in praumontana to iowa, continu tomorrow into chicago, cincinnati, st. louis, down pours in the valley, rainfall amounts anywhere from one to three inches, locally could be three to four. we will get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. good thursday morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we start out with patchy clouds and fog but clear as we take a look outside at the golden gate

bridge. our temperatures in the mid-50s only to 59 with gusty winds. inland areas will have a beautiful day, comfortable weather. concord reaching 72 degrees and 71 in san jose. mid-70s for the north bay and half moon bay a cool 50 degrees and santa cruz expect a high of 68. >> that's your latest weather. >> peter brady. >> hello. >> pretty good. coming, mother. >> thank you, al. ahead, an nbc news exclusive. >> we want young people to look at this and really have that reaction of, like, i want to look away, but i can't look away. now, what should i do? >> it's addictive. >> first look at the powerful new campaign being launched today to deal with the nation's opioid epidemic. then kate spade's husband speaking out for the first time, and correcting the record about his wife's tragic death, and her private struggles. first, this is "today" on nbc.

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my lashes look amazing! ...fuller and longer! no wonder there's one sold every 5 seconds. see what your lashes are missing: try lash paradise mascara from l'oreal paris. people living near a contra costa county junkyard that a very good morning to you. it's 7:26. i'm laura garcia. people living near contra costa junkyard that caught fire with v -- had to stay inside. along pittsburg antioch highway, officials say a candle burning in a tent in a fleesh homeless encampment may be to blame. three people, including firefighters, had burns but all are expected to be okay. how are we in the weather department today? another cool one ahead. >> a nice one with clouds to start, clearing out through the

day. still lower than normal for inland areas with highs in the low 70s for concord, antioch, morgan hill and san jose. we're going to have some 60s for inner bay and 50s for coast and san francisco. inland areas mid-70s today. we will see a jump in temperatures but back saturday and warm sunday and hot early next week with mid to upper 90s. let's get an update on the commute now from mike. >> we're looking over here back-up richmond san rafael bridge 580. see fast lanes moving a couple seconds ago. they were held up. the crash may be near fasttrack. we're tracking that, slow you down towards san rafael. the rest of the bay shows a nice easier, lighter drive through most of the bay. i want to call your attention to southbound 17, reports of a car fire over at lark. there hasn't been slowing but reports on the right shoulder and could be a distraction for folks heading towards the summit direction and into los gatos.

i'll track that as well and give you an update on twitter. back to you. >> sounds good. thank you very much. we'll be back with another local news update in half an hour. see you then.

we're back. it's 7:30. it's thursday morning, 7th of june, we are back it's thursday morning, proof that gaethjor wrangling is not for the feint of hearts. >> they tracked that gator in orlando. they tried to put it in the back of the truck. he suddenly whips around, head butted one of the guys. knocked him out actually. >> wow. >> that gator is tried up tight. more stories in the headlines, including a happy homecoming. finally free.

>> i want to thank president donald john trump. >> president trump commutes the life sentence of 63-year-old alice johnson for non-violent drug conviction following kim kardashian west's campaign for her public release. trump is speaking out on "today." >> when you think of making up for lost time, how do you pick yourself doing that? >> we are going to appreciate every single moment that we have. medical mystery. the u.s. evacuates americans from a consulate in china after they show symptoms of that sound-related illness found in cuba. shot in action after a baseball practice with his republican colleague. congressman steve scalise makes an emotional return to the field. dramatic rescue. a desperate mother drops her 11-month-old baby boy out a second story window as fire rips through their apartment building.

she escapes unharmed as well. >> get out of the warrior's way. >> he puts up a 3. knocks it down. >> golden state take the commanding 3-10 lead over the cavaliers in the nba finals. >> kevin durpt way outside, delivers! >> the warriors now one game away from their third title in four years, today, thursday, june 7th, 2018. >> oh, yes, remember you told us. >> it's going to be really hard for the cavs to win a game. >> but lebron, c'mon. >> he's got to have teammates. >> not even lebron can beat a team by himself. let's get to our top story at this half hour. the death of designer kate spade. her husband speaking out the state of their relationship. stephanie gosk joins us, good to see you. >> hey, good morning, guys, this statement from andy spade is long, revealing painful personal details.

many in response to speculation surrounding his wife's apparent suicide. he says his family is devastated. now the biggest concern is his young daughter. this morning the new york city medical examiner released its determination regarding the death of kate spade, saying the cause was hanging the manner, suicide. it comes as the fashion icon's husband is revealing that behind the public success and fame, his wife battled personal demons. in a statement, he writes -- ve . the spades were at the helm of a spade says he and the couple's daughter bee are devastated, deeply heart broken, calming kate the kindest person i've ever northern the spades were at the helm of a business empire. working together to build a respected global brandsh dishing

ability their partnership in this interview last year. >> you do do these rough sketches which i have to work and i go with them. because i do understand what he's saying. he's very simple and i understand it's synthetic very well. we have been toke over 30 years. >> andy spade also opens up about the couple's marital problems. they've lived separately for the past ten months. he writes, never even discussed divorce. we were best friends trying to work through our problems in the best way we knew how. in these photos provided by daily mail.com. andy spade was seen out in new york for the first time since his wife's death. his statement follows comments, kate's older sister made to the media. she told the kansas city star the renowned designer had become a full-on manic depressive, calling her apparent suicide not unexpected. the source for the family fired back. for ten years, would choose to surface with unsubstantiated

comment. there was a heartfelt tribute to kate on instagram, including this video of kate and andy spade's niece posted a heart-felt tribute to her aunt on instagram, including this video of kate and andy dancing. the golden globe winner writing, in part, she was exceedingly kind, beautifully sensitive, insanely talented, funny as heck and one of the most generous people i have ever known. >> authorities said there was a suicide note. do we know anything more about that? do we know what was in the note? >> we don't know what was in the note. andy spade hemps referenced this. he says he hasn't seen it yet. he's furious at law enforcement that those details could have been leaked before the family actually looked at the note, themselves. >> all right. thank you. >> we're going to swing over and

head over to mr. roker for a check of the record, hey, al. >> my friends in florida, it's not been the sunshine state, some places getting ten inches of rain, there is more on tap. there is light showers, they will get heavier, thunderstorms developing. high amounts of moisture in low. low pressure slides off the coast. we have the risk for more spouts today, this system kind of sits there. sea breezes will feel additional storms. more rainfall through friday. some places picking up to five inches locally, generally an inch to three inches of rain good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. it's still going to be cool and windy for the coast. in san francisco expect a high of 59 degrees. the clouds will clear for the inland areas. we'll be as warm as 75 today in napa. san jose 71 and upper 60s with gusty winds in livermore.

heading through the forecast, we will be heating up but not until early next week. we will have a little bit of a jump in temperatures tomorrow cooling down on saturday. 84 on sunday and 90s next week. . savannah? >> al, thank you so much. coming up, parents of the victims in the parkland school shooting react to what the armed officer who was there said to us about his actions on that fateful day. also ahead this morning, what's it like to be a heart beat away from the presidency? an inside look at what it is really nice to be vice president. and the power of friendship. jenna and her best bud undergo brain scans to discover why friends share a lot more than just similar interests. first, the crisis next door. an exclusive look this morning at the new campaign to tackle the opioid crisis. the opioid crisis. ri (christine) i bet some people watch these ads and say, the opioid crisis. ri 'that could never happen to me, i don't smoke that much, so i'm not really a smoker.' well, i didn't think i smoked that much either.

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>> our senior investigative and legal correspondent cynthia mcfadden is here with a powerful ad campaign. it's been launched today. we have to brace ourselves. >> this is tough stuff but really powerful. good morning. 115 americans die from opioid overdoses every day. imagine that. 115 people. over 2 million americans are dependent on opioids. the vast majority start before the age of 25. when he first took office, president trump declared the opioid epidemic a national emergency. this morning, an exclusive, first look at a new public health campaign directed at young people. the white house believes it will make a big difference. >> reporter: the opioid crisis is personal to the nation's top doctor, surgeon general jerome adams. from a health perspective, this is a tough battle to wage. a tough battle to win. >> tough professionally and tough personally. my baby brother, phillip, is in prison due to crimes he

committed to support his addiction. >> reporter: dr. adams and kellyanne conway, the administration's point person on the crisis, invited us to the white house for a first look at a bold, new public education campaign. rolling out today. >> i tried oxy at a couple of parties. i thought i had it under control. i didn't know it'd be this addictive. >> reporter: this is one of four new ads. a real story, raw, and alarming. be warned. >> opioid dependence can happen after just five days. know the truth. spread the truth. >> reporter: they're pretty powerful and pretty direct and actually shocking. >> these are true stories and good for those individuals for sharing those stories so that others may learn. >> well, the ads are hard-hitting, but it is important to know that they're also scientifically validated.

>> reporter: the numbers are staggering. 115 people die every day from an opioid overdose. for an administration often accused of polarizing the country, this issue, they say, must rise above politics. >> this is a politically charged city, politically charged country. we must, must see this as a non-partisan issue, looking for bipartisan solutions. >> reporter: the ads transcend politics, produced over the past seven months in partnership with the truth initiative, which is known for its powerful anti-smoking campaign, with ads like this. >> do you know how many people tobacco kills every day? >> reporter: 19 years of such ads have had a profound impact. >> we know from our evaluations that we have prevented over a million young people from smoking over the life of the truth campaign, which is extraordinary. >> reporter: the ads push to a new website, loaded with

information. i understand the president has seen the ads. >> yes. >> reporter: what's his reaction? >> i'm told that it is exactly what he had envisioned. he's a brilliant marketer, so i take that as something. >> reporter: the administration is having success, they say, in driving down the number of opioid prescriptions. >> we know that four out of five people who use heroin say they got started with a prescription opioid. >> reporter: legitimate prescription? >> well, it started as a legitimate prescription for someone. unfortunately, for my brother, he was using someone else's legitimate prescription, that got diverted at a party. i don't want it to be all doom and gloom. we are having success, thanks to the attention that president trump has placed on overprescribing. >> reporter: you give me hope. you give me hope. >> i have hope. i do. even though my brother sits in state prison about ten miles from here, at least he's alive. i'm hopeful he'll come out into a world that is more accepting of his problem as a disease.

>> reporter: a national emergency in need of tough new medicine. >> we can. we will. we must overcome. it starts with prevention and education. that's what this ad campaign is all about. >> many media companies have volunteered to place these ads online or on television for free, including google, amazon, and our parent company, nbc universal. based on the real estasearch, th initiative people say they work this way. create awareness, create knowledge, shift in tensions, and ultimately chapg lly chang. it doesn't happen overnight. the white house says this is a beginning of a range of new initiatives. >> the fact that in five days, someone can become addicted to opioids? i mean, that's -- >> didn't know that. >> i didn't either. >> think your kids come home with a 30-day prescription after having the wisdom teeth out. >> yeah. >> ads are shocking. they're supposed to be. >> yeah. >> it's time for a shock. >> powerful. >> absolutely. >> thank you, cynthia. still ahead, jenna and her

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that's why i got a subaru crosstrek. love is out there. find it in a subaru crosstrek. coming up, the very busy and brilliant mindy kaling works a visit to studio 1a into her packed schedule. carson, morning. >> morning, guys. the ice man returns. a new reason to be excited about the "top gun" sequel. while you're at it, watch or re-watch the original, iconic volleyball scene. that and more coming up on pop start. it's going to be a good one. >> what's that g ♪ ♪

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thursday morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. a live look outside in san jose. we'll get clearing as the morning goes along. highs heading up to 70 and 68 in livermore. it will still be breezy for east bay and down right windy for san francisco with a high of 59. low- to mid-70s for much of the north bay, and it's going to warm up tomorrow. cool down a bit on saturday and warm up again on sunday. next week is when our temperatures really ramp up heading into the low- to mid-90s, even some upper 90s for a few of our interior valleys. san francisco upper 50s today and 70 on sunday. by next week we'll be in the mid-70s with breezy winds. let's get an update on the commute with mike. >> overall looks great. you have slower spots but it is

the morning commute. bay bridge, toll plaza metering lights on. then we have the arrow showing you west 580 approaching toll plaza richmond to san rafael bridge. things are congested here but we did have an earlier crash reported midspan. didn't cause a problem on the span itself but do see it toward the north bay. here, a look at the slower drive southbound coming toward us off of redwood city through palo alto approaching university where there's a lane shift in the construction in the median. slowing in both directions in the area. back to you. >> thanks very much. ballots counted in the san francisco mayor's race. mark leno leading london breed by 1,000 or so votes. election officials say still about 90,000 left to be counted. counting restarted at 6:00. now closed, st. mary's road will stay closed until august. all the way to lafayette community park. they have plans to do pipeline

work during that time. another local news update in half an hour. have a great thursday morning. t tomorrow - kari tracks overnight changes to the forecast. plus - making golf more inclusive. one bay area teen )s push to raise money for other kids... who can )t afford to play the game he loves. )today in the bay ) - 4:30 to .

it is 8:00 it is 8:00 on "today." coming up, parkland parents respond. >> don't call them my kids. those were not his kids. >> they were max's kids, they were my kids. >> the families of those killed after listening to our exclusive interview with scott peterson. >> plus, breaking his silence. >> andy spade, the husband of fashion icon kate spade expressing heart break and shock after his wife was found dead from an apparent suicide. we'll have the latest. >> and thank you for being a friend.

>> i think wea've been friends for 25 years. >> they put their friendship to the test with a look at the science behind their relationship. >> your brain is actually processed the world in a similar way compared to people who aren't friends. >> the results are, today, june 7th, 2018. ♪ >> we're not only sisters, we're from des moines, iowa. >> good morning to my beautiful mom, watching back in memphis, tennessee. ♪ ♪ >> hey, from st. augustine, florida. >> we watch every morning while mom drinks coffee. >> and we're from pine bluff, arkansas. >> i get to marry my best friend in two days. i love you, damon. >> all right. that is a crowd.

welcome back to "today" on this fine thursday morning. we appreciate you being with us. that is a good crowd and we are going to get in it. >> yes, we are. >> and they're playing your song, a little country music. >> we'll talk about the cmts in a little bit. >> let's get right to your news at 8:00. just one week after kim kardashian made a personal appeal in the oval office, president trump has granted clemency to convicted drug felon alice johnson. nbc white house correspondent has the latest on the president's decision and reaction from johnson. good morning. >> good morning. emotions just overflowed when alice johnson was reunited with her family for the first time in decades. the scene. it was remarkable and the moment was thanks in part to the high watted star power of kim kardashian west who took the case to president trump. johnson praised kardashian west calling the star her angel and also thanked the president profusely for giving her freedom once again.

johnson, a great grandmother in prison since 1996 in an alabama prison was serving a life sentence for helping to run a drug cartel. the white house saying alice worked hard to rehabilitate herself in prison and those who are paid their debt to society deserve a second chance. an emotional johnson speaking out on "today." >> we are going to appreciate every single moment that we have. sometimes we take family and life for granted. i'll never do that again. >> now, some democrats say while they support the decision to release johnson they believe the president has focused on pardoning political allies or people championed by celebrities and they note his own justice department has pursued policies to get tougher on many criminal defendants. johnson says she will now work to shine a light on thee clemen other deserving, non-violent offenders. >> kristen, thank you. the husband of fashion designer kate spade is speaking for the first time since his wife's apparent suicide. andy spade is expressing

heartbreak and shock in a statement to nbc news. he confirmed that kate suffered from depression and anxiety for many years, and was actively seeking help. he denies reports of alcohol abuse. he also revealed that they've been living apart the last ten months and says they've never discussed divorce. he says we were best friends trying to work through our problems in the best way we knew how. we loved each other very much and simply needed a break. the u.s. military is providing emergency supplies in hope to victims. growing volcano catastrophe in kw gatt m guatemala. search teams reached some of the hardest hit areas wednesday. they recovered more bodies, raising the deaths toll to nearly 100, and hundreds are still missing. heavy rain and hot ash are slowing the rescue efforts. it's time for hoda's morning boost. it is kind of about hoda.

it's a big night for country music and for hoda who had the pinch myself movement. hoda was part of the cma's. good night for our friend blake shelton, my boyfriend who you're stealing. he won video of the year and male video of the year for the song "ai'll name the dogs." female video of the year, carrie underwood for "the champion." she wowed the audience with a stellar performance. group video of the year went to "when someone stops loving you." hoda took the stage to present the award for performance of the year with her co-presenter who expressed interest in a little co-host skit. take a listen. >> john, the way kathie lee and i do it is with a few of these. cheers. >> that's what i'm talking about. >> all right.

>> that's your secret i see, okay. >> here we go. the award goes to georgia line. >> wow. >> may be asking, why were the backstreet boys at the cmt awards? performed a song with florida georgia line, making them eligible. >> one of the best award shows i've been to. everybody is sitting on folding chairs, talking, having fun. it was one of those cool moments. everyone was right around. carrie underwood, kelly clarkson. >> were you nervous reading that, like what happened at the academy awards? >> i was pitting out a little. i was a little nervous. >> well, you were awesome. >> you were. >> thank you. still ahead this morning, the science of friendship. jenna and one of her closest friends, they got their brains scanned to find out what makes certain people click. first, how parkland parents are reacting to our interview with the armed officer who did not confront the gunman inside marjory stoneman douglas high school. we have a powerful message to

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♪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♪ welcome back. there's been a lot of reaction to your interview with scott pederson. >> a lot of people are talking about what he had to say. he was the armed officer on duty during the parkland school shooting. he took us through a moment by moment account of his actions that day. families of the victims were listening very closely. nbc's kerry sanders talked with some of them. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. some of the families here who lost loved ones in that shooting listened to yourinterview, savannah. they say, they're angry. they're not buying scott pederson's version of events that day. this morning, some of the families who lost loved ones in the parkland massacre. >> families need to know, i didn't get it right.

>> reporter: bluntly dismissing scott pederson's version of events. >> i listen to this, and i get enraged. >> reporter: in an exclusive interview this week with savannah. >> did you freeze? >> no. >> reporter: the former deputy telling his version of events that terrible day. >> savannah, this will haunt me the rest of my life. >> reporter: saying he was unclear where the gunman was. >> i was just doing things the whole time. >> what was he doing? nothing. >> reporter: max's 14-year-old son, alex, and fred's 14-year-old daughter, jamie, among the victims. >> those are my kids in there. i never would have let my kids get slaughtered. never. >> don't call them "my kids." those were not his kids. they were max's kids. they were my kids. he didn't go to a funeral. he's not going to miss a birthday. unlike max and i, he won't miss father's day. >> reporter: are you offended he sat and told his side of the story? >> absolutely. >> yes. >> we should go away into the sunset. we gave him $100,000 a year in his pension. we should never hear from that

coward again. >> reporter: oliver's 17-year-old son, joaquin, was also killed. >> i don't want mr. pederson to become another victim. you're not a victim, sir. >> reporter: do you think he is deserving of sympathy? >> he doesn't have my sympathy. >> reporter: debbie hickson's husband was killed pursuing the gunman. >> i don't know how to help him. >> reporter: she's struggling as the head of her household. >> i'm sorry. >> reporter: hearing pederson's version of events, she says, fills in some unknowns, but -- >> it kind of explains some things and, you know -- >> reporter: answers questions you have? >> sort of. but not really. i mean, you still have more questions. why? why didn't he go in there and save those kids on the third floor? >> feels sorry for himself, and he wants us to feel sorry for him. i'm not joining him in the pity party. i'm sorry. he failed. he failed our children. they are gone.

>> reporter: 11 of the victims' families, after listening to your interview, savannah, released a statement that says, in part, pederson was a 20-year veteran of law enforcement. he failed. did not perform his duty. savannah? >> kerry, incredibly important to hear what they thought of that. his account of that day. thank you for bringing it to us. we're going to head over to mr. roker for a check of the weather. >> thanks so much. out west, things looking pretty good. we are looking at strong storms firing up through the mid mississippi and central plains, all the way down to oklahoma. more heavy rain developing through florida today. we've got another wet weekend setting up here in the northeast. the heaviest rain will be from illinois to ohio. saturday, it starts to move into the northeast, mid-atlantic states. high running rivers and streams, we're worried about those. through sunday, anywhere from iowa all the way into the mid-atlantic and the northeast, we're looking for about 1 to 2 inches of rain. could see a little bit more

before that's all over. and we've got the running of the belmont stakes. the race for the triple crown. coverage begins saturday at 5:00. 30% chance of showers or thunderstorms. we'll see if justify can get that elusive that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. cool and windy weather continues for the coast and also in san francisco with those winds coming in from the west at about 20 miles per hour. light breeze for the inland areas with skies clearing throughout the day and highs in the low 70s from antioch to con card and also san jose. a very pleasant afternoon. it will be warmer tomorrow with inland valleys reaching 84 degrees and slightly cooler for saturday. but early next week, that's when temperatures get really hot, reaching the upper 90s. >> and that's your latest weather. >> al, thanks. now to something new we're calling best friends today.

exploring the special bonds in our lives. friendships that carry us through the good times and the bad. >> jenna bush hager is here with new research out of ucla, breaking down the science of friendship. this is fascinating. >> it was interesting. dr. parkinson is exploring how our brain makeup can influence who we are drawn to and ultimately become friends with. i took part in the study with my oldest friend, to see if chemistry and friendship is because of our brain's chemistry. ♪ no one told you life was gonna be this way ♪ >> glad you chose friendship. ♪ friendship, friendship >> reporter: the saying goes, friends are the family you choose. they make us laugh in the good times, hold us through the bad ones, and can quite literally help us survive. studies show strong social ties increase your likelihood of survival by 50%. according to a number of other studies, friendship can have multiple health benefits. like reducing stress, lowering

blood pressure and cloholestero and strengthening your immune system. an absence of social connection can carry the same risk as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. farrell fields is one of my closest, oldest, and dearest friends. >> i think we've been friends 25 years. >> i think we met in the fourth grade. camp longhorn. >> nobody thought i was that cool at camp longhorn. i was locked out of the cabin naked. >> yes, you did. >> i was very dramatic. >> you were very dramatic. i was like, i'm going to make her my friend. i think she's super cool. >> reporter: our bond formed at camp has stayed strong through high school, marriages, and kids. the day that mila was born, you had a little bit of a panic attack. >> i was worried because you weren't answering. >> i was giving birth. >> i know. i was like, she's not answering. something is going on. >> that describes you perfectly. you care so much about your friends. you check in on people. you make sure they're feeling good. >> reporter: farrell and i have only grown closer through the

years. it's a testament to our commitment to friendship and our love for each other. you're very good about staying in touch. we haven't spoken in, i think, two weeks, that's strange for us. >> because we have grown up together. we just have this unique bond that a lot of other people don't have. >> reporter: we feel lucky. >> i'm fierceless p lesly prote you, and you're super loyal to me. it's worked. >> reporter: thank you for being protective of me. >> you're going to make me cry. >> reporter: i appreciate it. do the reasons we click go beyond our shared experiences and memories? dr. parkinson, assistant professor and researcher at ucla, believes so. her research suggests the connection between friends has more to do with similarities in our brain's wiring and how we process the world around us. >> past research has been focused on surface level characteristics, like are you of the same gender? are you of the same ethnicity?

we wanted to bring imaging to see if your brains process the world in an exceptionally similar way, compared to people who aren't friends. >> reporter: using an mri machine, dr. parkinson monitored both of our brains as we watched random video clips. the goal was to see if the same regions of our brains lit up at the same points during the videos. if they did, it would prove the way we view and interact with the world is the same. how important is friendship? >> there's a lot of work showing that it is a fundamental need, like food, water, shelter. social connection is exactly the same way. >> reporter: the next day, we stop by dr. parkinson's office for the results. >> what you see on the screen here is basically a movie of the brain activity. when the colors are hotter, it means there is more blood flow to the area. brain was more active in that area. if you look at them and compare them, you can see that you guys are kind of in sync with one another.

>> we are compatible? >> yeah, i guess so. >> we can be friends for 25 more years. >> good. >> reporter: the pattern in our brains suggested that farrell and i had similar responses to the videos we were shown. compared to the scans of two people who weren't friends, and whose brain activity did not sync up. we knew the results would be this way. we hoped. we weren't going to end our friendship if they weren't. >> we'll stay friends. >> if you'll have me. >> i will have you. >> there are all these studies on friendship right now because people are lonelier now more than ever. friendship also makes you work harder, by the way. people who have real friends at work have only a 1 in 12 chance of feeling -- if you don't have real friends -- 1 in 12 chance of feeling engaged. those who have best friends are seven times more likely to feel engaged. >> interesting. >> i have to say, one of the best surprises about this job, is all of y'all. i mean, i feel that way. y'all are some of my besties. that's why we work so hard. >> we do.

>> lighright? >> doesn't feel like work. we all feel tight. >> in the age of facebook friends, we're lonellonelier? >> social media, you know, is driving us apart. >> reach out to your best friends. >> yes. >> or reach out to a new friend. make friends. it makes your life a full one. >> definitely does. we have carson in the orange room with more on the friendship bond. >> let's continue the conversation on celebrating friendship. it is always fun to take a look at famous friends out there. here's good examples. jimmy fallon and justin timberlake. tina fey and amy poehler. the classic matt damon and ben affleck. they've been buddies for years. we decided to show pictures of our oldest and closest friends. savannah, you're with lindsey and meredith. also provide another one with you and your friend melissa. hoda, you shared a photo of your friend karen. >> yeah. >> al, you were with your buddy john here. craig has the whole gang

working. all your friends. i chose one of my oldest friends. that's young jimmy kimmel there. look at the suit. 1991. >> oh, my gosh. >> we've been friends for over 30 years. if you're at home and want to join in on the celebration of friendship online, keep the pictures coming. #best friends today. there you have it, guys. >> i love it. >> good friends. >> you click with people. i told my friend melissa, she's in arizona, i'm going to take the tennis picture. just got home from the neighbors. drinking rose. >> jenna's brain lit up. >> we had a glass of wine. it made the mri chances stronger. >> confirmed what we already knew. >> yes. pop start, big one today. we'll start with beyonce and jay-z. they've returned to the stage. the power couple kicking off the on the run 2 tour last night in wales. many wondering whether the couple would debut new music at the show. it was not the case. the couple did perform their old

hits. the only song they did was "perfect," which was a new addition to the set list. here's a look at that. ♪ baby, dancing in the dark with you between my arms ♪ ♪ barefoot on the ground, listening to our favorite song ♪ >> you may recall that song. ed sheeran recorded it with beyonce. videos from the couple's life were in the background. this picture of beyonce holding two babies had the internet go crazy. people were quick to believe it was the couple's twins. however, buzzfeed reporting the babies are not beyonce and ja z jay-z's children. reached out for confirmation. >> borrowed them? >> babies r us, right here. first look at the anticipated "a star is born" remake. bradley cooper and lady gaga

starring in the film. they sing live. >> everyone is talking about it. >> i want to see. ♪ tell me something good >> do you write songs or anything? >> i don't sing my own songs. >> why? >> i just don't feel comfortable. >> why wouldn't you feel comfortable? >> almost every single person has told me they like the way i sounded but they didn't like the way i look. >> i think you're beautiful. ♪ watch as i dive ♪ i never meet the ground >> really good. >> sometimes, you can tell, right? >> yes. >> a trailer, yup, that'll be good. >> looks so good. >> i'm in on that. >> i have to see that. >> lady gaga is great. won an emmy or golden global. she can hold the acting together. that is bradley cooper's directorial debut. "a star is born" hits theaters october 5th. next, we'll bring out the aviators yet again. the gif is already on twitter

probably. "top gun" sequel in the works. val kilmer, ice man, set to return in the movie. >> can't do without ice man. >> tmz tracked down kenny to ask if he'd consider redoing his song "danger zone" for the sequel. he said, quote, i met tom cruise on fallon and asked the question and said, we have to use "danger zone." i'm hoping to do it as a duet with a young act. >> you can. >> no idea who he may work with. >> al hasn't seen it. >> the original. >> there is a premiere date for "top gun maverick," which is 2019. >> one year to talk about this. shawn mendes has been on the late late show with james kcordn all week long. ♪ i'm sure you heard it all before, but you never really had

a doubt ♪ ♪ you rattle my brain, too much love drives a man insane ♪ ♪ you broke my well, oh, what a quell ♪ ♪ goodness, gracious, great balls of fire ♪ ♪ ♪ everybody, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ rock your body, yeah ♪ yeah, yeah >> whatever staff member built that boy band contraption, they deserve a raise. >> awesome. >> that could have been the daly click. that's amazing. >> do you have a click? >> i do, yeah. >> when there's monkeys around, i'll work it into the daly click. friends are sharing a hotel room in mexico and had company on their balconbalcony. >> oh, it fell. take a picture.

>> hi. >> in the house? oh, gosh. >> little too friendly. >> dude. >> oh, my gosh. >> you have to get out. >> oh. >> he didn't take the tequila. >> a tennis ball? >> clever little monkey had his eye on the apple the whole time. broke in, broke out. later. >> did the monkey cuss? >> no. >> wow. >> hold on. i got a date, baby. >> where are you going? >> i got a date. >> wow. >> look who is here. >> mindy kaling. >> carson and i are going to sit down and talk with you, ms. mindy. don't get up. >> don't get up? >> why would you? >> difficult chair to get up from. >> we'll talk "oceans 8." you have a commencement address coming up. >> yes, yeah. >> we're with mindy, y'all. >> went to oprah's house with her baby, too. >> nice memory. >> we ri )m ...

it )s wh good morning. it's 8:26. i'm marcus washington. it's what everybody's talking about this morning. the warriors are just one win away from another nba title. they beat the cavs 110-102 in cleveland last night. kevin durant, he was on fire, with 43 points. here he is talking about that hot night. >> we struggled to shoot the ball early on. i felt like i had some good looks. you know, i just start asking for more of them and i was able to knock down some shots for us. >> game four is tomorrow in cleveland. they're up 3-0. we won't blame you if you start making plans to enjoy another victory parade next week. right now, we want to look at your traffic, mike inouye. >> we'll look at the slow procession right here.

this is not parade traffic, this is just your morning commute. there's the underpass. a look at the construction in the zone over there. that's why we have overnight closures in this area near universi university, but a smoother drive, recovery from the earlier crash. 101, in towards sunny dale, mountain view. we don't have too much of a problem for 87 or even 101 coming up past capital expressway and past the airport. over here, things are starting to get congested, north 880 really bogged down around the coliseum. west 580 as well, marcus, back to you. >> more local news in 30 minutes.

8:30 now. it is june 7th, 2018. nice to have you all with us. great crowd out on our plaza. we say good morning. pretty day. it is the 7th of june, right? >> is that right? >> i hope people will come back tomorrow, the 8th of june, because we have a huge concert. superstar kelly clarkson will be here. >> yes! >> cannot wait. if you want to join us, today.com for a fan pass. >> want a crowd moment? >> give it to us. >> you know how we were talking about our longest friends, best friends? >> yeah. >> we looked around the plaza. we were wondering, who has known each other for a long, long

time? look at these two. what are your names? >> kristin. >> ellen. >> how long have you known one another? >> 42 years. >> wow. best friends. who is who? >> this was me. i'm not a natural blonde. >> you have the glasses? >> i got the glasses. >> thank you for celebrating best friends day with us, y'all. thanks for coming. >> so cute. >> thanks, guys. coming up, mindy kaling is here, as you saw. going to talk about her starring role in "oceans 8" and bigger role as a new mom. we'll join her in a few minutes. check this out. the cast of cirque du soleil's new show, they're here for a gravity-defying, live performance. it'll be a heck of a show. >> hey, hey. >> amazing. jen jenna goes, i could do that. let's get a check of the weather. >> you could do that. >> no, i couldn't. anyway. not even with a block and

tackle. let's see what we have for your weekend outlook. friday, we have severe storms in the plains. triple digit heat through texas. wet weather in the pacific northwest. sunshine in the northeast. saturday, heavy rain in the mid-atlantic states. ohio river valley, heat in the northwe northwest. sunday, sunday, more rain through the east, down into florida. sunshine in northern new england. hot and dry through texas. more wet weather making its way that's what's going on around country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. it's still going to be breezy and cool for the coast. and also in san francisco today, while the inland areas will enjoy another beautiful day, clearing skies and comfortable temperatures, in san jose, expect a high of 71, 68 in livermore. still windy in concord and antioch with highs reaching 73 degrees. and 75 today in napa. heading into the next few days, it will be warming up. the real heat arrives early next week.

>> that's your latest weather. don't forget, you can always find what you need and take us with you when you go to today sirius xm channel 108. savannah? >> thank you so much. megyn has a look at what's coming up at the top of an hour. >> the daughter of a serial killer will be joining us on set. she grew up. he was kind, nurturing, loving, brush her hair, sing to her. she had no idea. the day came when her mother had to say, daddy has done bad things. he went to prison. she'll open up about finding out and then the one time she actually went to visit him in prison. how it went. >> wow. a doozy. >> i know. >> megyn, see you at the top of the hour. coming up, we've got -- no, we'll go now to hoda. >> thanks, guys. now to one of our favorite actresses, writers, producers.

>> what doesn't she do? >> talking about mindy kaling. >> that's right. part of the all-star line in "oceans 8," playing a jeweler to take part in a heist at the met gala. take a look. >> how long would it take you to make seven pieces of jewelry if the stones were already cut? >> probably five or six hours. >> how long if i told youyou didn -- you that you didn't have to live with your mother anymore? >> less. >> i'm having post-traumatic from when two of your colleagues were here. cate blanchett and sarah paulsen are crazy. >> it was off the rails. never on the rails, the interview. >> look what's happening. she's sitting on sarah's lap. >> looks like a scene from "whose line is it anyway?"

>> that's what they're like. >> describe the dynamic. >> everyone feels comfortable with each other. >> you can tell. >> yeah, completely. that's just kind of what they're like. it's crazy. i was actually like, am i going to be doing it today with someone? it comes up all the time. >> let people ow, you're like a jewelrejeweler, the jewelry e. the thing is to steal jewelry from the metli gala. >> i take apart the necklace in a bathroom. >> you're biting your nails throughout. mindy is a ten. working with this group of women, had you met them before? did you know them? >> i had met annie. annie and i had gone to dinner. >> anne hathaway. >> i saw her annie, like close friends. and sandy. >> sandra bullock. >> yes. riri. >> rihanna? >> yes.

>> she wasn't with us on the press set. how was she? >> shy, stylish, and sweet. i'd go to my trailer. you know the sneakers are creepers from puma? you'd go to the trailer, and there would be another gift from rihanna's line. it was christmas every morning. she's very shy and sweet. >> awesome. >> you'd want to throw your arms around her. she'd have the security guards go, please don't touch her. i'd have to retreat. >> the things were in there, you go to thank her, get punched, and it is terrible. >> exactly. >> you wore a crown to the real met gala, didn't you? >> i did. >> who was the real met gala, which the movie is based on? >> it was glamorous. i sat next to black panther chadwick boseman himself. it was incredible. i wore a crown. everyday thing. completely normal. >> you have a lot of cool things coming up. one of them is kind of a little daunting. you're giving your commencement

address at dartmouth, your alma mater. are you funny throughout? what do you do? >> i'm so nervous. i gave birth six monthsago, and i'm more nervous for this. >> open with that. >> went there, and you know, these kids are so young. they're about to go into the world. the world is so crazy right now. it's so polarized. i think that they are going to have to do a lot of rebuilding. we're depending on people to do that. >> will you go serious because of the political climate, words of encouragement, or straight funny. >> i was going to do straight funny. then i thought, people are traveling. you graduate college, and family is coming from all over the country to see it. i thought i had to give wisdom. >> you could write a speech and wake up that morning, and the world is in a place where you're like, i can't say that, can't do that. >> i think i'll do a little serious stuff but keep it funny. >> you tweeted after the roseanne barr debacle. you tweeted something that we loved. hold on. >> basically, you were willing to write for john goodman.

>> let me write things for you. without roseanne, you were saying, basically, let me take care of this. >> well, i mean, i wanted to clarify it a little bit. the creators and the writing staff on the show are incredible. there's a reason why so many people watched it. it really touched on a lot of things that people were interested in watching. i think they have a great crew there. but john goodman is a national treasure. when you feel something like that, like it was so abrupt, you just are like, if you're available, i'm a writer. i just want to write for all the best people out there. >> could they pull it off? >> could i pull it off? >> not you. could the show be successful without roseanne? >> yeah. sara is talented. they're trying to do something right now. i'd watch the show, for sure. the writing staff is amazing. i think they could do it. >> how is the little one? >> how is being a mom? >> i facetimed with her. she's in l.a. i didn't want her to travel. i'm here for a short time.

when she was really little, she was like, i don't know who i'm looking at and don't care. now, she recognized s me on the phone. >> is it worse? kids are like at that age, out of sight, out of mind. now, oh, mommy. i remember you. >> it is the most -- i melt. >> does she say mama yet? >> she doesn't say anything. she's really little, like five and a half months old now. she finally recognizes me. >> awesome. >> my 3-year-old just started learning to text. wait until she has the ability to facetime you. she'll call all the time. we're in the car driving. my daughter is like, i sent you a text. i sent you a text. i've got the emojis. hilarious. poop emojis, yes. >> mindy, thank you. you'll be back for the fourth hour. >> i will. >> you're going to talk with jenna and me about "oceans 8" and more. >> awesome. congrats on everything. >> thanks. vic presidents. surprising stories from inside the white house. first, this is "today" on nbc.

now an inside look into one of the most complexiplex relationships in the country. the book reveals what it is like to be a heart beat away from the most powerful office in the world. thanks for being here. >> thanks for having me. >> there are famous quotes about how it is kind of the worst job in america. the constitution is so undefined. you wait for something awful to happen to the president. >> exactly. george h.w. bush, ronald reagan's vice president said, you die, i fly. he would get dispatched to all these state funerals around the world. you know, it is a very important position. the past 55 years, we've had four vice presidents become president. 14 vice presidents in the history of the united states to become president. it is a consequential role. >> in a way , it is a laborator for aspiring presidents.

did you talk to every living vice president? >> i did over two and a half years. i interviewed more than 200 people, every living former vice president. all six of them, republicans and democrats. it was a fascinating look at this relationship. i also talked to president carter. >> let's talk about vice president mike pence, the current occupant of the office. i was very interested to read that he and former vice president joe biden have a somewhat close relationship. they talk monthly? >> they do. >> according to your book. >> joe biden told me they talk at least once a month. when head of state visits president trump, they sometimes talk to biden, too. the king of jordan went to washington, then took a helicopter and visited biden in delaware. talked to the greek prime minister. it is a back channel relationship that joe biden has to the white house, and it is through mike pence. >> i know you spoke to pence's brother. he had revelations about the

dynamic between vice president pence and president trump. >> i was surprised by that. mike pence's older brother, greg, told me that mike pence said that donald trump reminds me of their father. >> of the pence's father? >> yes. you know, he is a domineering personality. he was a korean war vet. you always knew where he stood, greg pence told me. the same is true for donald trump, obviously. donald trump is 13 years older than mike pence. they have this very -- it is a relationship where there is a degree of fear there, but he is walking this tight rope. it is always hard for every vice president, but this one in particular, because he doesn't want to upset president trump and make it look like he is doing too much. then the other way, he doesn't want it to look like he's not doing anything. he clearly wants to run. >> exactly. you have a lot of interesting tidbits in the book. one was that melania trump was fairly involved in the selection of mike pence. we knew that the children were, the adult children, but i wasn't aware of melania's role. >> i was surprised by that actually. she said in the final, decisive

meeting at their gulf club in bedminster, new jersey, whoever her husband chose must be clean, was her word. that means, no messy financial entanglements, no affairs. they were looking at people like newt gingrich, chris christie, who come with a lot of baggage. her voice was a really important one in that decision. >> let's talk about some other past administrations. we'll do the lightning round. who did you think had the most contentious or competitive relationship? >> i think -- well, i think it was really difficult at the end for dick cheney and george w. bush, the second term. cheney said he lost a lot of his power in the second term. >> they were thick as thieves at the beginning of the administration. cheney was regarded as the most influential vice president. >> yes, exactly. of course, al gore and bill clinton at the very end. relationships disintegrate until the end, which makes president obama and joe biden unique, because their bond grew. >> there was a written agreement

between president obama and vice president biden about the particulars of what their relationships would be, kind of like a contract or something? >> there was. it lists several points like, you know, j.b. must see all paper that crosses b.o.'s desk. that was the shorthand they used in the memo. i thought it was really fas mate i -- fascinating. joe biden said he wanted to be e last pern in a room when the decision wasmade. usually, vice presidents do not criticize presidents, even privately with other cabinet members. they don't want to undermine the relationship. >> it's a great read. political frenemies, the vice president and the president, interesting suggest. kate, thank you so much. to find out more about first in line, go to today.com/shop. carson? >> savannah, thanks so much. up next, prepare to be captivated. a live performance from cirque du soleil. that's straight ahead. first, this is "today" on nbc. first, this is "today" on nbc. hello.

♪ south l.a. is very medically underserved. when the old hospital closed people in the community lived with untreated health problems for years.

so, with the county's help we built a new hospital from the ground up and having citi as an early investor worked as a signal to others to invest. with citi's help we built a wonderful maternity ward and we were able to purchase an mri machine. we've made it possible for the people who live here to lead healthier lives and that's invaluable. ♪

>> announcer: the citi concert series on "today" is proudly presented to you by citi. >> cirque du soleil is known for amazing acrobatic productions. this time, they're taking their performance to a new show, volta, including ak kro b-- acrobatics and bmx biking. the cast is stopping by our plaza for a performance. cirque du soleil's volta, take it away. ♪

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>> that's how you do it. circumstance day lque du soleil. thank you. maybe you could save energy by weaving your own shoes... out of flax.

or simply adjust your thermostat. do your thing, with energy upgrade california.

you guys are doing your own acrobatics there on the couch. >> comfy there. >> bros being cozy. >> exactly. you lounge. al will do birthdays. >> first up, happy 100th birthday to donald hutchinson. he is a golfing pro from lyndhur lyndhurst, ohio. tenth hole in one when he was 89. >> marjorie hurst has 25 great grand kids and 15 great great grand kids. happy 100th birthday to boo cunningham. hey, boo. super lady from lafayette, indiana. owning a restaurant and a grocery store. john fitzpatrick, 100.

retired police officer from rhode island. boston sports fan, loves the red sox and the bruins. ruth borow is 100. worked into her 80s. happy birthday to evelyn. her and her husband operated their drive-in theater. >> guess what's coming up in the fourth hour?i )m - -... these two north bay men are in court right now about to enter pleas. good morning. it's 8:56. these two north bay men are in court right now to enter pleas. investigators say a couple months ago a woman got inside their car thinking it was her ride share company in san francisco. now, the men allegedly drove her to sonoma county and sexually assaulted her. a search for cell phone records of both suspects showed them in the same places at the same time

as the victim. and happening now, the 19-year-old accused of stabbing a man to death at sonoma state last month is expected in court to enter a plea. s sinvestigat tyler stabbed steven garcia in the film department. the men were acquaintances but neither were students at the university. plus, people living near contra costa county junkyard that caught fire yesterday are getting an all clear this morning. there's no longer a health advisory in place. it was lifted overnight. this is at the a-1 auto recyclers along pittsburgh/antioch highway. a pittsburgh say a candle burning at a tent nearby the homeless encampment may be to blame. and warriors fever is pretty much everywhere. one game away from winning the nba championship again. the warriors beat the cavs yesterday on their home turf. the next game is tomorrow. >> stay connected to your world wherever the world takes you, get the nbc bay area app. temper

tomorrow - kari tracks overnight changes to the get ready for near triple digit temperatures next week. tomorrow, overnight changes to the forecast. >> plus, one bay area's team's push to raise money for the other kids who can't afford to play the game he loves.

good morning, everybody. morning. welcome to the show. i'm megyn kelly. a lot of news making headlines this morning. including rudy giuliani with comments on stormy daniels, that are making headlines. but we begin with the backlash surrounding comedian samantha bee. after she called ivanka trump a, quote, feckless "c" word during her cable tv show last week. she returned to the airwaves last night and made a point of saying, she's used that word many times on tbs, but she did apologize, sort of. nbc's craig melvin has more. >> a lot of people were offended and angry that i used an epithet